WFS 2021 2022 Yearbook

Intermediate 3

Gabriella A.

My Name is Gabriella, and I am fourteen. I live on 80 acres with my family.
Interestingly my father is South African while my mother grew up in Canada. While I have
many things I like to do, I especially enjoy dancing and crafts. My favorite food to eat is
chicken and artichoke stew, which, when my mom makes it, is amazing. When the chance to
shop is available I will willingly come. This summer I am looking forward to my first camp
and helping with VBS. My favorite composition that I wrote this year is Julia and Her
Cousin because it even left me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what to write.

Julia and Her Cousin

After all the chores and homework were finished, Julia was a little nervous. Pacing the
floor and biting her nails, she waited. Actually excited to hear a familiar voice which, took her
back to last summer, Julia anticipated her best friend.

She could remember everything as if it had just happened. “MOOOOMMMM!” Julia
called one day in summer break. “I finished dusting and my room is all clean.” Raising her
eyebrow Mom looked at Julia kind of funny. Grabbing the remote, Julia’s mother paused her
show. They walked through the rooms to double check Julia’s work.

That Saturday, Julia’s cousin, Amy, was coming over. Amy’s father was in the military.
Stationed in sunny California, Amy was needing a vacation of sorts. So, being the same age as
Julia, Mom mentioned “It worked out perfectly!”

The dreaded knock was heard at the door late in the afternoon. Amy was here. An
opening of the door could be heard followed by numerous footsteps.

“Hello,” said Amy timidly and sweetly as Julia nodded a gesture of hello. Inside, both
girls could see how their faces looked similar. Having tremendous blue eyes that were so
enchanting, both were only children. But that is where the resemblance stopped. Their taste in
clothing was entirely different. Julia wore shorts or jeans, and Amy liked more formal clothing.

One large suitcase full to the brim was brought into the house along with a handbag.
Julia’s mother was overjoyed to have her niece with her while Julia seemed slightly annoyed.
The guest room which was often filled with anything from school projects to crafts that Julia had
worked on, was now revived into its former state.

After several days of showing Amy around, introducing her to friends and going to the
pool, Amy’s “guest-like manners” started to wear off. Julia wanted to be ready for breakfast the
morning of her soccer game. Pacing the floor back and forth over and over while grunting under
her breath, Julia anticipated the championship game. Memorizing soccer plays that her soccer
coach had kindly given out, Julia became frustrated by the last half hour spent in the bathroom
by Amy. Julia yelled extremely loudly, “Come on, Amy! I have to get in there!”

The voice inside said timidly, “One more moment!” Unfortunately, the one moment
lasted for another half an hour, and Julia was late for her game.

Later that day, when it was time for chores to be done, Julia kindly asked for the floor
cleaner bucket. In return the bucket, which was full of water, was pushed over with such force it
was spilled not only on the tile floor but onto the living room rug.

After a few days more upsets by Amy including sloppy behavior, Julia wished her home
was back to normal. Receiving a notification on her phone, Julia realized that her favorite band
was playing at a concert in town! Julia and her friends were given permission to go to the mall
and pick out glamorous new dresses to be able to wear to the concert. Giggling and chatting as
they went, Julia and her friends brought home a beautifully colored dress with a floral pattern on
it. Julia was beyond excitement, and she was ready for a night out on her own for the first time in
weeks!

When Amy heard she had to be stuck at home with her aunt instead of going to the
concert, Amy was a little more than pleased to create a concoction of troubles. It was about to
begin.

“I can’t believe it! the day is finally hear!” squealed Julia as she sat at the breakfast bar.
Reaching for her phone Julia discovered the battery life was nearly dead. “Hmm. That’s funny. I
believe I charged my phone last night. Now I can’t see the checklist I made for today,” Julia
stated with a look of puzzlement. Proudly, Amy sat with a face of confusion, though inside she
was smiling. Not only had Amy unlocked Julia’s phone which was challenging enough, but she
had also put a movie on to drain the battery.

That was not the end of Julia’s many troubles. Somehow Julia’s breakfast dishes re-
appeared at the breakfast table after Julia had diligently cleared them. Just a few days before,
Julia had neatly washed her makeup brushes, and to her astonishment, she found them dirty.
Amy pressed on in her pursuit to make Julia’s day terrible.

Getting the beautiful new dress out of the closet, Julia was extremely careful where she
placed it. Lifting her hands up high as she put the dress on, Julia ran to the mirror to look at
herself. “Oh, it's beautiful!” Julia squealed with excitement while gracefully twirling.

Running down the stairs into the kitchen, Amy was the only one in the room. “Isn't it
beautiful? It's so comfortable!” Amy motioned for Julia to come closer so she could touch it. But
as Julia walked over to her, Amy spilled grape juice onto the beautiful white floral dress.
Nothing could be done to get the stain out, and the group of girls was to arrive any minute. With
many tears Julia cried over her spoiled dress. “This is the worst day ever!” she cried. Clumsily
dropping her grape juice which landed perfectly onto the beautiful new dress, Julia could still
picture Amy in slow motion. Julia was devastated.

To Julia’s horror, Amy replied carelessly with an “Oops!” and then walked away.

“Oh, I hate you; I hate you!” Julia yelled with such a loud voice it could be heard all over
the house. “How could you do such a thing? You've ruined my life since you came here!”

Amy whipped around the corner and yelled, “You’re a terrible cousin! I wish I had never
chosen to come here for my vacation! Serves you right that that grape juice ruined your dress!”

Little did the girls know that Julia’s mom was walking up the stairs when all of the
sudden, slap! Julia had hit Amy hard on her arm.

“That's enough girls!” said Julia’s Mom. “I have never seen such a disgraceful display of
anger! Julia, I'm sorry about your dress, but you are no longer allowed to go to the concert! You
are to go up to your room. And as for you, Amy, I'm ashamed of what you've been doing today!
You will sit in Julia’s room with her and talk this whole thing out together!”

Both of the girls walked upstairs obediently to Julia’s bedroom where they sat in front of
walls too disgusted to even look at each other. “All I wanted to do is go to that concert!”
whimpered Julia quietly.

“Why didn't you invite me? That's my favorite band,” Amy sorrowfully stated. “I'm
sorry I did all those nasty things to you. I have been a terrible friend and cousin,” continued
Amy.

Slowly, Julia turned around. The look in Amy's face was earnest and beyond believing.
Julie's eyes got bigger as she yelled, “Hey that's my charm bracelet!”

“No, it isn't. I've had this one for as long as I can remember. Yours is sitting there in the
drawer,” Amy remarked. In disbelief Julia walked slowly to the drawer and opened it up. To her
amazement Julia found the exact same charm bracelet. Taking it out of the drawer and walking
over to Amy, Julia compared the bracelets just to find that they were identical.

“I love this bracelet! It is my favorite to wear!” exclaimed Julia.

“Same!” remarked Amy.

As the girls continued to talk, they discovered more similarities. Both asked for
forgiveness. They admitted what they did was wrong. Around dinner time, Julia’s mother called
them downstairs. “Have you figured things out?” Julia’s mother questioned as she was cutting
vegetables. “Yes, we have. As a matter of fact, we have gotten to know each other really well!”
Amy said.

After dinner, the girls helped clear the table. Then, they went upstairs and painted their
nails, and by the end of the week both had become best friends. Sadly, Amy had to leave the next

morning early, so goodbyes had to be said that night. Addresses were exchanged, as well as
plans for visiting each other.

“Goodbye! I've truly had a great time. I miss… I will miss you all,” Amy chokingly said.

With tears in her eyes and a quivering lip, Julia hugged Amy and waved her goodbye
from the door.

Thinking about last summer Julia smiled. As she opened her eyes, she jumped up with
excitement. Amy had come for a visit this week and was eagerly waiting to share more charm
bracelets, concerts, and giggles with her very best friend!

Madilynn A.

My name is Madilynn, but I often go by Maddy. I am a 13-year-old girl living on 80 acres
in Colorado. I am in 7th grade. I have three wonderful sisters who are all older than me, and a
loving mom and awesome dad. Spending time with friends and family is very important to me.
During my free time, I love making different kinds of boba. I also enjoy math, science, drawing,
crafting, playing with my parakeet, Stanley, and seeing my neighbor. At the moment, my favorite
foods are potatoes, watermelon, and boba. I enjoy visiting our friends in Kansas and my two older
sisters in Colorado (They live two hours away from where I do.). This summer I am looking
forward to our trip to Kansas, helping out with vacation bible school, and possibly helping our
friends take care of their horses. My favorite composition that I wrote this year is “Unique,
Beautiful, Dogs,” because I learned specifically that every dog has its own personality.

Unique, Beautiful, Dogs

Do you wonder which dog would best fit your family’s personality? Around the farm, do
you need assistance? Saving time, you wouldn’t have to herd the sheep during the day, which
would allow you to do other things. You don’t need to feel so vigilantly alert during the night.
Dogs can be great guards. Oh, no! Frustratingly, the coyotes are attacking the chickens again.
No need to worry because the clever dog has that under control. If you are considering buying a
dog, Greater Swiss Mountain dogs, Australian Cattle dogs, or German Shepherds might be the
breed choice for you.

Feeding these dogs is an extremely important task to remember. Because they are all
unique, these dog breeds have different feeding quantities, patterns, and needs. Greater Swiss
Mountain dogs, which are recommended to eat four to five cups of dry food per meal, consume
the most amount of dry food out of the three dogs. Eating kibble food, the intelligent German
Shepherd should devour two and a half to three and a half cups per meal. Lastly, the Australian
Cattle dog eats the least amount food; it eats up to one and a half to two and a half cups of dry
food per meal. Depending on the age, weight, and size, it is recommended that food is set out for
them twice a day. Always feed these dogs.

If you are considering buying a dog, it is helpful to know the different jobs they are
meant to do. Interestingly, German Shepherds are capable working dogs as they are built for
plenty of action. Intelligent, the Australian Cattle dogs are ultimately sturdy and active dogs,
which are mainly used for herding. These dogs thrive by having a job to do. Greater Swiss
Mountain dogs are known for being all-round working dogs that enjoy being busy. These
“Swissy” dogs stand guard. From playing all day with toys or standing guard, these dogs have
different jobs.

While some dogs don’t need much physical exercise, these three unique dogs need a lot
of physical exercise. Being carefully critiqued, these dogs are rated five star energetic, whereas
other dogs are not as active. These dogs are potentially playful. Greater Swiss Mountain dogs,
which like attention, are evaluated to be four stars intense. Active, Australian Cattle dogs and
German Shepherds are rated to be five stars in intensity, needing to be exercised, and requiring to
be worked outside. Physically working them outside, exercise these dogs.

When you are grooming these dogs, know the specific recommendations because it can
vary from one dog to another. German Shepherds shed year-round while the other dogs don’t
shed that often. Unlike some other breeds, German Shepherds, which need to be brushed two to
three times a week, have stunning varied coat colors. Australian Cattle dogs, which need to be
brushed periodically, have special “blue and red,” coats. Helpfully, the Australian Cattle dogs
(also known as Blue heelers,) have weather resistant coats. Brushing the Greater Swiss
Mountain dogs, you will notice that these fluffy friends have dense outer coats, with colors
ranging from black, rust, and white marks. Consistently groom these dogs.

Greater Swiss Mountain dogs, Australian Cattle dogs, or German Shepherds
could be an excellent choice for you if you want to buy a dog. Feeding these dogs, you should

know the correct feed and amount to give them. Uniquely, each of these dogs have different
jobs, which can be herding sheep or guarding your home. These dogs need physical exercise.
Because it can keep them healthy, regularly groom these dogs. Despite the unique, smart, and
beautiful dogs, the Greater Swiss Mountain dog is my personal favorite.

Works Cited
“Australian Cattle Dog.” Dogtime.com, Evolve Media Holdings, LLC, dogtime.com/dog-

breeds/australian-cattle-dog#/slide/1.
“German Shepherd Dog.” Dogtime.com, Evolve Media Holdings, LLC, dogtime.com/dog-

breeds/german-shepherd-dog#/slide/1
“Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.” Dogtime.com, Evolve Media Holdings, LLC, dogtime.com/dog-

breeds/greater-swiss-mountain-dog#/slide/1

Jeremy D.

The Great Competition

Bill swaggered into the general store letting the screen door slam behind him. The town
where Bill lived was called Clover Hill. As he strode into the small store, he stopped just in front
of some fishing tackle to examine it. Hooks, lures, bobbers, and fake worms scattered all over a
table. Then he made his way to the counter which was made of oak and had knick knacks and
whatnots for sale sitting on it.

Bill pointed to a piece of paper on the counter and exclaimed “FIVE BUCKS! Highway
robbery that there is. Well, here’s your money and put me down for a spot.”

The clerk who was Joe stood up and slowly set down his root beer float saying “Well, you’re
the only one that’s signed up right here, so you may win whether you catch nothin’ or not, Bill.”

Bill was about to say how dandy that was when everything changed as in walked Ben.
Wearing overalls and a smug expression, he strode through, snatched up a catfish lure marked
$1, and threw six dollars on the counter. Bill looked like a thunder cloud but quickly recovered
himself as Joe slowly picked up a blue with gold hardware fountain pen that had been given to
him from his mother for conducting the first annual fishing competition. It was just about out of
ink, but he managed to get Ben’s name scrawled out on the sign-up sheet.

Then Bill coolly declared, “That eager to lose, huh? If I was you, I’d just give on up. I’ve got
a secret fishin’ spot I found, got catfish long as a school bus in it.”

Ben chuckled and said, “That there is pretty small. I got me a pond where thay’s big enough
to eat a school bus. So, I think I’ll take my chances, but thanks for the advice.”

“No problem.” Bill cheerily declared.

Then Joe broke in with, “Alright, you boys have paid your five dollars, so the rules are…”

Bill and Ben together said, “We know the rules,” then starred daggers at each other until Bill
adjusted his footing and slipped, tumbling to the floor with Ben doubling over in laughter.

“I gotta tell y’all them rules to make it official like. Now the rules are you have one week to
bring home the biggest catfish ye can, and there is no raising a catfish as a pet and bringin’ that
in, Ben. Buying fish from this establishment to win is cheating, Bill.”

When they both sauntered towards the creaky well-used screen door, Bill gave a distant laugh
and left, leaving Joe with his thoughts of what happened many other occasions such as when Bill
painted an ice tail pike to look like a catfish to win or when Ben pushed Bill off his boat in the
middle of the lake.

Suddenly someone raced into the store nearly knocking the poor door of its hinges and
stopped at the counter one minute before registration time was up for a very specific purpose,
indeed.

When Bill made his way through the thick canopy of trees and rocks, he noticed, they were
mostly oak and cedar trees with a few willows here and there. Fresh wet wood and growing
grass were everywhere it smelled wonderful with the sun just peeping up over the hilltop. He
was about to check his map again which he had made himself, but then he saw it. He started
walking faster and faster thinking about how much he would rub the victory in Ben’s when he
won.

“It’ll be great to see ‘im blubber like a babe when I win,” thought Bill to himself.

Ben trudged up a steep hill, his boots caked in mud and clay. With sweat on his brow, he
couldn’t wait to get there thinking all the while about Bill and how mad he would be when Ben
came home with the biggest fish. The sun only just was coming up now. With dew still on the
ground Ben could see it, not too much farther to go now.

Breaking through the woods and seeing his pond, Bill practically drooled with the thought of
catfish. Slowly he sat down and opened up his tackle box which was an absolute mess of lures,
line, and hooks that it was hard to tell what was what. “Oh, the cussedness of this box. I’ll a’ve ta
clean ‘er up one of these days.” At last he got set up and looked out over the ponds crystal clear
water that sparkled and glimmered. The other bank was much like this one, green grass with
clumps of reeds here and there. It even had another person on it.

“What?” screamed Bill “How in the world is there another dad gum person out here on this
little pond. WHATTT!!!” He yelled suddenly realizing the other person was Ben.

Ben was looking through his well-organized tackle box for another lure after losing his third
on the same cedar tree which was growing annoyingly close to the bank. Snag…… snap as his
line snapped leaving his fourth lure.

“Gosh darn it imma move along find me a different spot without this derned tree. Wait
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HE DOING PILFERING MY POND!” declared Ben as he got up
and noticed that it was Bill on the other bank, not a funny looking log.

That pond which turned out to be a dud. As luck had it the beautiful scenery couldn’t make
up for its lack of fish. Bill slowly walked up looking as though he needed some Genuine Bubble
Gum wearing his old faded blue jeans with his hands in his pockets sulking with his broad
shoulders slumped and his head hung. He swung open the screen door which creaked immensely
and slammed back into place. When he entered the time was 11:47 am the ending time was 12.

Joe said “Any luck this year Bill?”

Bill threw a quarter on the old well-worn counter and said, “Bubble Gum please, Joe. It’s
been an awful rough week.”

“Gotcha,” drawled the elderly storekeeper as he got up from his creaky wooden chair to grab
official Bubble Gum.

Just then Ben sauntered in. Everything about him seemed sad and gloomy. He threw a
quarter down and said, “Bubble Gum, please. I didn’t catch nothin.” It was at that time 11:59.

Bill said “What now Joe who wins? Does the contest get an extension or is that it and you
made ten bucks off us suckers?

In walked the mysterious stranger wearing a camo hat and a grin that carried from ear to ear
carrying a white five-gallon bucket in one hand and a pen and paper in the other. As he walked in
Bill noticed him. It was his cousin.

“Why, its Henry, my cousin. Surely you didn’t catch a fish,” sputtered Bill in disbelief. Ben
burst out laughing for even though he hadn’t won, Bill had been beat by his 11-year-old cousin.

Joe examined Henry’s catfish, and it measured 17 and ¼ inches, the biggest fish ever caught
in a competition so far. “Welp, boys, looks like you’ve been beat fair and square by this here
young man. Congratulations sonny,” declared Joe in his most official-sounding tone which was
something between a lawn mower backfiring and a screech owl.

Bill congratulated his cousin saying, “Well done, boy. I’m proud of ya.

Ben, happy Bill hadn’t won, declared, “Well, might as well celebrate. How do ya feel bout
floats, All-round Winner.” So, Ben bought Joe’s famous root beer floats for everyone.

“That sounds great,” replied Henry chuckling aloud. “There’s just one more thing to do, Bill
and Ben. Could you sign this here paper so uh I have some proof that I won and caught the
biggest fish in the competition?” They all roared with laughter and readily obliged.

Evan J.

My name is Evan. In my family I have my mom, dad, and my brother, Caleb, who is
graduating from high school this year. When I have free time, I like to play Minecraft
(specifically SkyBlock on Hypixel %"$# ). I play clarinet and the tenor saxophone and am just
starting to learn alto sax. For two years I’ve run cross country (although I’ve been a part of the
team for five). This year I also participated in track for the first time. My favorite food is
probably just pepperoni pizza. This summer we’ll be traveling to Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to
visit relatives. My favorite composition that I wrote this year is “A Summer Mission” because I
really like how the story turned out when I wrote it. I definitely planned for it to be shorter, but
as I tried to fit everything into the story, it turned into nine pages!

A Summer Mission

“Have a great summer!” Charles’ teacher called out as the class left the school room for

the last time that school year.

Walking down the quarter-mile gravel road that led back to his farm, Charles was excited

as he made plans for the summer. Getting his own horse was at the top of his list. He had taken

care of the farm animals for as long as he could remember, even tending to his dad’s horse, but

he had never had his own. Although his family owned both a car and truck, it wasn’t the same as

riding a horse.

“Hey, honey!” Charles’ mom greeted him from the kitchen as he stepped into his white

house. “How was your last day of school? I just baked some cookies. You can eat a couple while

you tell me.”

Picking up a couple cookies, Charles plopped onto the couch. “We didn’t have any

school today since it was the last day. The teachers let us play games outside, and I did kickball

with some of the other guys.”

“Sounds like fun!” Charles’ mom said. “Oh, and your uncle just sent a letter asking if

your cousin Michael could stay with us for the summer. I replied and said that we’d be happy to

have him.”

Charles was appalled. “How could you do this to me!” he exploded at his mother. “How

am I going to save up to buy a horse with a slobbery mischief maker following me everywhere?

Do you remember what happened at the wedding?”

Charles’ thoughts shot back to a few years ago at one of his relative’s weddings. His

uncle had brought Michael, and he had made a disaster of the day. Michael had turned over the

punch bowl, pouring it onto the groom, as he was walking through the line. Then later that day

when Charles was playing a casual game of baseball with some of the other guys, Michael came

in and snatched the only ball away when someone hit a foul ball. All the players chased after

him, but he somehow managed to slip away. Then, as Charles started for home, a baseball

whizzed into his open car window, nearly hitting him in the ribs. Luckily, it didn’t.

“I’m sure he’s matured some by now,” Charles’ mother tried to soothe, although Charles

could see she somewhat doubted it. “Either way maybe a summer on the farm will help him.”

Charles shrugged knowing she wouldn’t change her mind. All he could do was hope for

the best. A week later Michael arrived.

֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍

Charles had been working in the fields all day. As he tromped back to the house, ready

for a relaxing evening, Charles saw a shiny black car in the driveway. He moaned. It was

Michael’s dad’s car. Charles slowed his steps to prolong the inevitable, but all too soon he had

reached the door.

Charles opened the door and saw his parents talking to his uncle in the living room, but

Michael wasn’t with them. The grownups were busy talking, so Charles slipped down the hall to

his room. There he saw bags and bags of Michael’s belongings lining his walls. Sitting on

Charles’ own bed, Michael was playing with Charles’ favorite stuffed animal, a cuddly black
horse he had named Bronco.

“Hey! What are you doing with Bronco!” Charles exclaimed.
Michael looked up. “Who’s Bronco? This is Bill!”
“No, he’s not. He is my stuffed animal, and I named him. Now give him to me!”
Innocently, Michael looked up. Then, in the blink of an eye, he threw Bronco with all his
strength at Charles’ face. “There you are! You can play with Bill now,” he said sweetly with a
satisfied grin.
Charles’ face turned red as he held Bronco close to him. He was about to pounce on
Michael when his parents and uncle walked in from the hall.
“Charles!” his uncle boomed, “Wow, you’ve grown a lot since the last time I saw you!”
Charles tried to smile and nodded.
“I hope you don’t mind Michael spending the summer with you. I know he can be a bit of
a nuisance sometimes,” he winked seeing Charles holding Bronco, “which you might have
already experienced.”
Charles tried to grin back, but this was all too much for him. After this first explosive
encounter and working in the fields all day, he felt exhausted. He just wanted to be able to go to
his room and curl up and be alone — but now there was Michael — sharing a room with him.
Somehow, Charles made it through the rest of the evening. He endured Michael
snatching Charles’ cookie off his plate with his grimy fingers and handing it back with a bit of
spit on it. At last, Charles was in his own bed and ready to fall asleep…
“HHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNKKK!!! *Snort* *Snort*
HHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNKKK!!!”
Charles thought Michael’s snores were going to knock the house down! He was too tired
to crawl out of bed to get Michael to stop snoring, so he jammed his head under the pillow and
eventually fell asleep.

֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍
Charles’ eyes flickered open. Sunlight was streaming through the window.
Wait, sunlight! Charles thought in panic. I must have overslept. Charles shot upright and
started to get dressed. He glanced over at Michael’s bed. It was empty. Ugh, what trouble has he
gotten into while I was sleeping?
Charles bolted out of his room, down the hall, and into the yard. As he headed for the
barn, he could already hear the cows mooing impatiently. Just as he was about to step inside the
barn, he caught sight of Michael… and the chickens… which were outside of their pen.
Why did Michael have to come spend the summer here! He hasn’t even been here for a
full day and he’s already ruining things! Charles stormed over to the chicken coop.
“What are you doing!” Charles demanded.
Michael looked up, surprised that someone could be so oblivious not to understand his
brilliant idea. “The chickens were all cooped up in their cage. You let the sheep roam in the field.
Why not let the chickens get a chance to be free?”

“Because we need the chickens to lay their eggs in their nests, not in the middle of the
field! And it’s a lot easier to keep sheep from getting out of the pasture than tiny chickens!”

“I can’t believe you would be so cruel to the chickens!” Michael exclaimed.
“IT’S NOT CRUEL!” Charles cried, “Their coop keeps them safe from predators like
foxes who would snatch the chickens up for their lunches if they were set free!”
“Hmph.”
“Now can we please get the chickens back in their coop?” Charles pleaded.
“You mean their cage,” retorted Michael under his breath.
They worked together to shoo all of the chickens into their coop, and Charles closed the
gate. “Could you please not let them out again?” Charles begged.
“Fine. But I still think it’s a cage,” Michael grinned.
Charles sighed and headed for the barn to milk the cow.

֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍
Throughout the summer Charles worked hard doing extra chores around the farm to earn
a little extra cash, which he saved up to buy a horse. His horse.
He also went around to other farms on the weekends to see if he could earn a bit more
than the $5 for weeding the entire garden that his mom gave him.
Ten bucks for mowing the lawn at the Johnson’s. Twenty bucks for cow sitting at the
Hanson’s.
The money slowly added up. Charles estimated that he had about 75 percent of what a
healthy young colt would cost.
On his way home from one of these odd jobs, Charles took a roundabout way to check in
the town to see if the date for the town fair had been announced. July 17! That’s just next week!
Charles was excited but also nervous. If he wanted to get a horse, this was the best time to do it;
otherwise, he would probably have to wait until next year. The problem was he still didn’t have
quite enough money!
Throughout this time, Charles had done his best to ignore Michael, but that wasn’t going
to be an option today.
“Bye, Mom! I’m heading over to Hanson’s to help load their truck with feed!” Charles
called.
“Wait, honey,” Charles’ mom interjected, “can you take Michael with you? I’m going to
be going into town today, and it really slows me down with Michael tagging along.”
“It slows me down, too! How am I going to haul stuff with him getting in my way?”
Charles’s mom gave him the look that said, I said so, so just DO IT!
“Ugg, come on Michael, I guess we’re both going to go haul feed,” Charles sighed.
Michael was exactly the kind of nuisance Charles had feared he would be. “Let’s ride the
horse there!” He beamed.
“No! The only horse we have,” …until I get mine, Charles thought, “is my dad’s, and he
doesn’t want me to take his horse.”

“Hmph,” Michael wasn’t convinced but, eventually, with some persuading by Charles, he
agreed to walk.

As soon as they reached the Hanson’s farm, Mr. Hanson greeted the boys, “Hey, Charles!
Ready to haul feed?” Then looking down at Michael, he said, “I see you’ve brought a little
helper!”

“Well,” Charles started to explain, but before he could say anymore, he was interrupted.
“I’m not little!” Michael exploded.
Mr. Hanson chuckled, “Sorry, my mistake, I mean BIG helper.”
“He’s my annoying little cousin who’s staying the summer with us,” Charles explained.
“I see,” Mr. Hanson said, “Well, enough talking. Let’s get to hauling!”
After 45 minutes of hauling feed from the Hanson’s barn to their truck, they finally
finished.
Well… not all of them had been hauling feed. Charles could easily haul a bag by himself,
but Michael had kept asking to take the other end to “help” him carry it. Charles had finally
relented and let Michael take the end, but he was so SLOW and couldn’t seem to walk in a
straight line. Then he said he was tired and just dropped his end of the bag. Charles gave up and
just ended up hauling all the rest himself.
“Thank you, guys, for your hard work! Here’s your pay. You’ve earned it!” Mr. Hanson
said as he handed both Charles and Michael each two twenty-dollar bills.
Charles was enraged. Michael had done nothing except get in Charles’ way, yet he was
getting the same amount of money as Charles!
Charles forced a smile and thanked Mr. Hanson. Then he stormed so fast down the road
that Michael begged for him to slow down so that he could keep up.
Charles felt a pang of guilt. It’s not Michael’s fault that Mr. Hanson paid him as much as
me. Mr. Hanson was just trying to make Michael feel included. Maybe Michael isn’t so bad.
Maybe he just doesn’t want to be left out. Charles slowed his pace and let Michael catch up.

֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍
As Charles crawled into bed that night, he remembered, Tomorrow is the fair! And I’m
still about $40 short!
Charles slept restlessly that night but was up bright and early getting his chores done.
“It’s the big day!” Charles’ dad said as he stepped into the barn, “Have enough for a
horse?”
“I think I’m about $40 short,” Charles mumbled.
“Hmmm,” His dad pondered, “Maybe someone will be selling horses cheaper than
usual.”
Charles just sighed, but his dad had given him hope.
Charles and his dad hooked the trailer up to their truck and loaded the produce they
wanted to sell onto it. Once Charles’ mom and Michael were ready, they all left for the fair.

When they arrived, Charles’ parents started setting up their stand to sell their produce
while Charles started exploring the fair… with Michael tagging along as his parents had insisted.
Michael wanted to see everything… except for what Charles wanted to see.

“Let’s go over to that stand!” Michael pleaded.
“No! We’ve already gone to ten stands you’ve wanted to see! Can we PLEASE just go to
the horse stalls?” Charles implored.
“This will be the last one… unless I see another cool one along the way to the horses.”
The stand was selling all sorts of different knives. Charles looked longingly at them,
wishing he could spare some of his money to buy one, but buying a horse was his top priority.
Michael fingered through the knives. (Fortunately, there were sleeves covering the
blades.) He found a pocketknife with a bright green case and held it up. Michael pulled the $40
dollars that he had been given out of his pocket and fiddled with it.
He looked up at the man running the stand and asked how much the knife was.
“That would be twenty dollars,” the shopkeeper said, eyeing the bills Michael held.
Michael snorted, stuffed the bills back in his pocket, and spat, “For that little knife and
some plastic!” Michael plopped the knife back on the shelf, turned, and stomped away. Stunned,
Charles just turned and followed.
At last, they had reached the horse stalls. Charles eyed each horse carefully. Finally, he
saw what he was looking for. A beautiful young colt, black and shiny. Instantly, Charles knew
that this was the horse he wanted. He looked down at the listed price. Just what he had feared. He
was exactly $40 short!
Charles moaned.
“What’s the matter?” Michael inquired, “Are there no good horses or something?”
“No, it’s just that I’m exactly forty dollars short,” Charles sighed.
“You aren’t just saying that because I have forty dollars, right?” Michael inquired.
Charles was so flustered he didn’t even really realize what Michael had said, “No. See for
yourself.”
Michael did.
“What are you doing?” Charles stuttered as Michael shoved something into his hand.
Then he looked down. It was Michael’s two $20 dollar bills. Charles looked up in shock,
“Really? For me? To get the horse?”
Michael grinned and nodded.
“But, but… THANK YOU!!!” Charles leaped up and wrapped his arms around Michael.
“I can’t bre-e-eathe,” Michael gasped.
Charles let go of Michael and stepped back, “I’ve got to go buy my horse!”

֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍
Charles and his dad led the new colt into the trailer. “Have you come up with a name for
him yet?” his dad inquired.

“No, I was thinking I would let Michael name him since he was the one who gave me the
final forty dollars… so long as the name isn’t terrible,” Charles responded. He grinned at
Michael. “So? What will it be?”

Michael thought for a second and then responded. “Comrade. I want his name to be
Comrade.”

“Why?” Charles’ dad asked.
“Because I want to be Charles’ comrade instead of just being his ‘annoying little
cousin’.”
As Charles reflected on the summer, he realized that Michael was not the only one who
had acted immaturely. He had been so focused on himself and his horse, that he had not thought
about how he was treating Michael. Yes, Michael had been annoying at times, but he had
probably felt left out and wanted Charles attention. But Charles had tried to ignore him and had
been impatient and even rude to Michael, yet Michael had been willing to sacrifice for him. He
could stand to learn from Michael.
Charles put his arm around Michael. Smiling, he announced, “That’s what we’ll be.
Comrades.”

֎The End ֍

Sara Beth L.

Aloha, everyone! My name is Sara Beth, and I am 16. I’m a military kid and have moved
locations every two to three years. I have lived in many different states, my favorite being Hawai’i
which we lived in for almost 7 years and even Belgium. I’ve seen more of Europe than the U.S.
My favorite paper that I wrote this year would probably be my “Captain Cassian Parson” paper,
or my “The Tale of Two Moons” paper.

I have three sisters (two older and one younger) and am seen here with my youngest sister,
Sydney. I’m on the left and Sydney is on the right! ; )

Captain Cassian Parson

I hated this part of town, but my nephew, Beckett, seemed to enjoy it. Every time he saw
one of his friends on our walk, his smile almost made his bright blue eyes disappear completely,
which made me happy. I was not sure why. Because it rained here in London almost every day, it
was so musty and foul smelling. The people that we passed here were also very strange, so I was
glad I was not alone. Honestly, though, the protection of a ten-year-old was nothing much, but I
was grateful for the company, especially since I was only able to see him when I came to visit
every few months.

“Uncle, may I join you on your next adventure?” Becket requested, wide-eyed.
“Maybe when you’re older. Who’s going to look after your parents?” I joked, nudging him
on the shoulder. At that, he giggled.
I only had one nephew, but he was certainly my favorite person in the world. I loved it
when he became so excited to hear the stories of the tattoos lacing my arms, or to hear me speak
because my accent was more American than British like his, or even the fact that I hated getting
my black hair cut because I liked it medium length. He said that his favorite thing I told him was
the stories of my adventures on my ship. Of course, he could not know all of the details, since they
were gross and gory, but he definitely enjoyed the other parts, specifically parts that did not involve
me hurting others.
We turned the corner of a cold stone-built warehouse and walked along the docks.
“Beckett,” I started, “I—”
“Well, if it isn’t Cassian Parson,” a voice behind us rasped, while others joined in laughing.
Flanagan.
I hastily stopped in my tracks. Beckett, who noticed I stopped, did the same. Quickly, I
turned to face Flanagan and pulled Beckett behind me. Flanagan and my father had a rough history.
My father had once told me that Flanagan was jealous that my father owned the ship company
instead of him since they were brothers and Flanagan was the eldest. Their parents had a favorite
son, and it was always my father.
While gritting my teeth I asked, “What do you want?”
“Nothing much,” he paused, “just your ship company.” With that my uncle’s crew pulled
out daggers and smirked. Walking forward, they cornered Beckett and I. With the men before us
and the harsh sea behind us, there was no way out of this. Only then did I realize they wanted more
than my ship company.
Glancing quickly over Beckett’s head, I saw the turbulent sea stirring behind us. I took a
gulp of the vile air, and my hands started to sweat as the gears in my head turned. Lovely, there is
a way out. I thought. It was a way Flanagan would never dare take, and it was one that he would
not expect of me. It was the only thing we had in common: our fear of the sea. My father died that
way, and Flanagan’s wife and daughter did, too. It was a silly thing to fear, being a ship captain
and all, but being on a ship is different than being in the water. My heart pounded in my ears as I
took a step back with Beckett’s hand clutched tightly in mine.

The drop off from the stone railing to the water is only about ten feet, we can make it. I
thought. What comes after that, though? I shoved that question out of my head before the fear from
it could take control of me. Without hesitating, I turned towards Beckett, scooped him up in my
arms, and jumped over the railing.

“After him!” I heard from above, just as the water swallowed Beckett and myself into its
bitter grasp. I kicked as hard as my legs would allow towards the nearest dock. When Beckett and
I broke the surface, we barely had time for a few sips of air before we were up onto the creaky,
wooden dock, racing to the closest ship. Loud shouts came from behind, but I ignored them as best
I could, desperate to live. Since Beckett was small and light, I picked him up and tossed him over
the ship’s rail. I then grabbed the rope ladder and started to go up. Faster, stronger, higher, to
Beckett I climbed. When my feet landed on the slick floor of the ship, I did not waste a second. I
grabbed the dagger I had kept concealed in my boot, knowing one against four was instant death,
and began to saw the rope holding the ship to the dock.

“Quick, uncle!” Beckett shouted, pulling the ladder up and looking over the railing at the
group of men gaining on us.

“Beckett,” I demanded he listen by the tone of my voice, “I need you to grab hold of the
helm and be ready to steer us out of here!”

With a quick nod, he did as he was told. “What now?” Salt water and sweat were dripping
down my face, but I continued to saw. I was not ready to quit.

“Plant your feet a foot and a half a part and hold the helm tight. When I say, keep turning
it to the right as quickly as you can. Do you understand?” I said with heavy breaths, still working
the ropes.

“Yes.”
“Come on!” I shouted to no one in particular. The dagger was as small as a pen. This was
taking forever. Finally, it snapped. “Now!” I shouted, this time to Beckett. My heart was pounding
so loud I wasn’t sure if he had heard. The sudden jerk of the ship meant that he had. We had gotten
away just in the nick of time. The men were almost at the end of the dock, and we were too far for
them to try to jump.
I was astonished when I looked over at Beckett. He looked like me when my father first
taught me how to sail. I ran over to him and gave him the proudest hug I think I had ever given.
Not only had he saved us, but he had also saved my ship company. I couldn’t help but smile at the
boy. Ten years old was the same age I was when I learned to sail.
“Well, Beckett, looks like you got your adventure after all!” I laughed, still breathless.
He smiled, still steering the helm. And he stayed like that until we knew it was safe to
return home. My company was safe, I was safe, and most importantly, my family was safe. I would
forever protect my family, which is why I promised Beckett more adventures, since I knew he
would be happy. And make sure to carry better weapons on me!
Captain Cassian Parson’s ship company would live on after all.

The Tale of Two Moons

Jolts and booms and crashes were things that haunted them all. Maybe more than they
realized.

The quakes under Rynia were like nothing anyone had ever felt before. The sudden jolts
had started only eight moons ago, but no one was certain how they came to be. The rumors grew
worse every day, making the Rynians more anxious, but panic was not allowed here, only
perfection.

The day the quakes had started was just an average day, people were swimming and singing
and happy. Strange sounds started from the distance, but everyone ignored them.

“Did you hear that?” whispered Cove, her eyes widening as she looked back and forth and
anxiously cradled her cocoa-colored hands.

“Törr.” No. Mira responded, shaking her head and rolling her purple eyes.
Eythora pushed her shiny white hair off of her shoulder and laughed, “Come on, Cove.
We’ll be fine. Nothing’s going to happen.” She smiled and splashed Cove, who was sitting on the
ledge of the purple crystal pool and started a backwards rhythmic stroke in the water.
Suddenly, the rumble grew louder, and everyone heard. Monstrous waves resulted from
the quakes. Eythora, Cove, and Mira, amongst many others, were thrown from the water onto the
slick crystal surface. People screamed and tried to compose themselves. The trio of girls scrambled
to their feet and rushed to take shelter. Under nearby willow trees, people huddled together for
comfort.
That was eight days ago. Now, the trio found themselves helping others who were affected
by the quakes.
“You guys go ahead. I’m going to check on Mrs. Lilla,” Eythora gave a soft smile, and
waved her friends off.
The girls nodded and left Eythora alone under the willow trees. As she walked to the
woman’s residence, the wind picked up. The vines from the trees swayed and for only a second
Eythora felt calm since the quakes began, but the second went by as fast as it had come because
when she turned down the shaded path a strange but handsome looking boy with dark hair and tiny
eyes stared back at her.
“Don’t scream!” his words rushed, and his hand held out as if to stop her words.
While taking a step back, Eythora placed her pale hands over her mouth to lock her voice
up tight. “Who—no, what—who and…and what are you?” Eythora stammered as she removed
her shaky hands from her mouth and placed them by her side along the hem on her flowy violet
dress.
The strange boy smiled, “My name is Nolan. I’m clearly not from here. I’m from Ivoren-”
Eythora, being the untrusting person that she was, crossed her arms and glared at the boy.
“Hmm, I’ve never heard of Ivoren. How did you get here then? You don’t look like us. Has the
great Nörr’ forsaken you?”

Again, he smiled, but shifted his stance. “Have you not felt the quakes? Have things here
not fallen? And has the earth not cracked beneath your very feet, but you are so careless to not
notice? And what is this ‘Nörr’ you speak so passionately about?”

This time it was Eythora’s turn to smile. “Of course, I have felt the quakes! We all have! I
didn’t notice the cracks because I’ve been so awfully busy caring for others around here!” She
paused and tensed. “You strange boy, not knowing who Nörr’ is. Let me show you.” She took a
step closer to Nolan and grabbed him by the arm and pointed up. “That bright orb of pure beauty
is Nörr’.”

Nolan laughed a full body laugh. “You mean to tell me—” he paused to catch his breath
from the laughs, “that you call the moon ‘Nörr’?” He laughed more.

Letting go of his wrist, Eythora held her hand up high and smacked it across Nolan’s face.
Surprise was all that was left on his face except the red handprint now etching his jaw. “Do not
disrespect my people like that! We call Nörr’ what we wish, and you can do the same!”

All Nolan did was nod like he was amazed or had gone mute. “Would you like to see how
I got here?” he probed, holding a hand out like he was waiting for Eythora to take it.

She hesitated, but eventually folded her hand into his. She did not know why, but she was
uncertain of many things.

The two did not journey far. The strange boy led Eythora to the Crystal Caves, which were
thankfully just past Mrs. Lilla’s residence. With each step they took, deeper into the dark cave they
went. They had been walking deeper into the cave for no longer than an hour, but the awkwardness
and tension building between them in the silence was deafening.

“So,” Nolan started, trying to make conversation. “Do you have any siblings?”
“I have a sister,” Eythora stated. “Her name is Isla.”
Waiting for only a moment to see if she would say more, Nolan continued, “So no
brothers?”
Eythora froze. She used to have a brother. The thought of him was too painful to uncover
but Nolan had just dug it up. For years she had tried to keep the reminder of Naim at bay. The
death of him was almost the death of her.
Nolan cleared his throat, and Eythora was teleported back to reality. She did not know how
long she had been standing there, but she knew that Nolan knew not to press her on the topic. He
was probably thinking by now that something tragic had happened to Naim, since Eythora would
say no more about siblings. And he would be right, something tragic did happen.
“Not too much farther,” Nolan informed, letting out a breath and continuing to lead
Eythora. Eythora nodded her head and offered half a smile. But what Eythora hoped was that Nolan
could not tell how anxious she was to leave the cave. She also hoped that daylight would peek
through the rugged edges of the cave soon. What Nolan was not aware of was Eythora’s immense
fear of the dark. None of her friends knew of her fear. And she hoped that they would never know.
She did not want to fear. She wanted to be normal. She would not be consumed by fear.
With the thought fresh in her head, panic started to take control of her. Although she tried
not to let it, it was too late. It was already filling up her lungs, ready to drown her. Higher, faster,

deadlier the panic ensnared her lungs. She fell to the ground and curled herself into a ball, pulling
her knees to her chest and wrapping them in her arms. She rocked back and forth trying to calm
herself. Tears fell in waterfalls from her eyes and she gasped for air, but the thickness of the fear
in her chest made it difficult. Suddenly, something wrapped itself around her, holding her in a tight
embrace, although this time, it was not her fear wrapping around her.

Fireworks and stars and the whole world and even Nörr’ burst in Eythora’s heart. She felt
her cheeks warm and her breaths steady. The hug was so familiar; it was like Naim himself.

“It’s okay,” the figure in the dark whispered, still cradling her, “We’re almost at the end.”
He dropped his arms and took hold of Eythora’s hands, forcing her to stand. Neither of them said
anything the rest of the way out. The whole time their hands never left the others, which made
Eythora happy. Nolan was right, the end of the cave was only a few yards away.

“See? I told you we weren’t much farther.” Nolan laughed and dropped his hands from
Eythora’s hands. She smiled and looked around. “Welcome to Ivoren.” Nolan smiled, with his
arms in the air. Rynia definitely was prettier. In Ivoren there was only brown and green: trees.
Everywhere Eythora turned there were trees.

“Wow,” was all that left Eythora’s mouth. Nolan’s frown almost touched the ground.
“That’s it?” he asked. “You’re not going to tell me it’s the prettiest place you’ve ever
seen?”
“Oh. Um-” Eythora started but was interrupted by Nolan’s laughs.
“I’m kidding!” He wiped tears from his eyes and kept laughing. Eythora did not find that
the least bit amusing. She crossed her arms and stood up straighter. It was strange here, how it only
smelt of dirt and grass. It was totally different than Rynia’s sweet, floral aroma. It was not bad, but
between the two, Eythora preferred Rynia’s smell.
“What do you do for fun here?” she questioned. It took every bit of self-control she had
not to ask if all he did was climb trees.
“Anything we can find,” he shrugged, finally being serious. “There isn’t much to do except
swim in the lakes and climb trees.”
At that Eythora snorted. “Interesting,” was all she forced herself to say.
After spending a few hours in Ivoren, Eythora and Nolan decided to head back to Rynia.
This time, she felt like Naim was near her, so going through the caves she was not afraid. Still, she
held Nolan’s hand as they mazed throughout the rocky caves. She had faced her fear with Nolan.
And with Naim, Eythora was sure.
When they got back to Rynia, it was not the last time they saw each other. Nolan and
Eythora took turns secretly visiting each other’s worlds. As time went on, they fell in love.
Eventually they got married and lived in the gigantic Crystal Caves so they could visit both worlds
often. Eythora had overcome her fear thanks to Nolan. She learned that the only way not to fear,
was to face it.
The quakes still happened but only a few times a year. Everyone was thankful that they
were less violent than they were when they had started. There were hardly any more fallen crystals
or terrified people.

“I thank Nörr’ that I don’t fear the dark anymore, Eythora told Nolan as they danced under
the willow trees, beneath the bright moonlight in Rynia, outside of the caves together, Eythora’s
violet dress swaying as Nolan spun her.

Smiling, Nolan pulled Eythora close and kissed her forehead softly, then pulled her closer
for a hug.

“You’re my moon,” Eythora breathed, resting her cheek on Nolan’s shoulder.
“And you are mine,” he whispered back. And they continued to dance in the moonlight.
It is believed that every night, as long as Nörr’ stays high in the sky, Eythora and Nolan
dance together under that same willow tree. And during the day, they spend their time in the Crystal
Caves or in Ivoren, raising their three kids Amaya, Loire, and Naim.

Cayden N.

Find Your Best Hunting Gun

Why might it be important to find the best hunting gun for you? You, who wants to go
hunting, may be asking yourself this question. Finding the perfect hunting gun, you will need a
long lasting, easy shooting gun. Helpfully, reviews can assist in your decision to find what gun
is worthwhile for you to spend your money. Because there are many other ways to differentiate
guns, these three categories I will use are the action type, ideal hunting situation, and the type of
cartridge they shoot, because depending on the supply of ammo in your area this may change
your decision. During your search for the right gun, smartly choosing a great hunting gun can be
hard. You will discover one. Some suggestions are the Marlin 336, Remington 700, and the
Savage II, but with time and research only you will be able to find the right one.

Reading reviews on guns, you will find out, which of these three hunting guns, you want.
The Marlin 336 is unsurprisingly, very well-known gun, because is one of the oldest and most
iconic hunting guns in the U.S. It was first manufactured in 1948 but was based off a design
made in 1897. When Remington came out with the .30-06 in 1906, that’s where the 06 comes
from. Swiftly it became the most popular hunting round and is still in wide use today. This
cartridge was ground-breaking. It provides great accuracy and power at a longer range than most
other cartridges. Because of its low recoil, the Savage II is a great gun for young or recoil-
sensitive shooters. People review these guns as your top three hunting guns.

The action-type is one of the main differences between these guns. Marlin 336 is a
lever-action, which uses a lever to eject and reload a cartridge. Since the Remington 700 is a
bolt action, it uses a bolt to eject and reload. It is a long action. Like the Remington 700, the
Savage II is a bolt action, although it actually is a short action. Chiefly the difference between a
long and short action is how long of a cartridge they can fit; the long action can fit a more
elongated cartridge than the short action. Knowing what action-type you want, you can find
what gun you want.

Guns all have an ideal hunting situation. Sadly, the Marlin 336 only has a maximum
range of 150 yards. Because of that, its best use is in thick and swampy wooded areas like
Louisiana. (3X) Amazingly and rapidly, the Remington 700 equally allows shooters to acquire,
who like far shots, a 500-yard range. It is a great gun. Whereas the Savage II has only a 300-
yard range and is better for medium game, it can be best used in a large variety of terrain. The
ideal hunting situation, unless you have every terrain in your hunting area, is one of the most
defining differences in hunting guns.

The different types of cartridges guns use are very important. Marlin shoots a well-
known 170-grain bullet that is .30 millimeters wide, which slowly flies at 2000 feet per second.
When the bullet hits the target, it on average smashed into the target with 1664-foot pounds of
pressure, because it is a heavier bullet it has a shorter range but will be more lethal and powerful
at that range. Simply the Remington uses a .30 millimeter wide, 165 grain bullet that travels on

average 2700 feet per second. Inside 500 yards it will hit with a whopping 3081-foot pounds of
pressure. The Savage II releases a .243 inch wide 100 grain bullet at 2850 feet per second. It
hits with 1932-foot pounds. Searching for the right hunting gun, cartridge specifics can help
you decide what gun you want.

Since choosing a great hunting gun can be hard, take your time. Try looking at wildly
popular guns like the Remington 700, Marlin 336, Savage II. You can learn a lot from reading
reviews, they tell you what is the most popular gun. Action-type differentiates types of guns.
Depending on where you live, it might be better to look at the best gun for your terrain. Before
you acquire a gun, look at what cartridge you want, or would be best for you, when seeking a
great hunting rifle. Respectfully, I think my personal favorite is the Savage II, which is best in a
large variety of terrain, but the final choice is up to you.

Peter T.

World Famous Knives

How would you like a perfect tool which can replace any other? Think of going through any
object like a razor. Just briefly imagine it gliding through strips of paper. Imagine cutting
through even rope without any visibly torn fibers. Even though it's razor sharp, this knife is still
made for an adventurous lifetime. The Wave has an amazing total of 18 tools and is a hefty 0.8
inches thick. Also, the Champ is quite thick considering it has a shocking total of 49 useful
tools. Petitely the Leek has only one blade and is 0.25 inches thick. All of these are finely
tuned tools most of which have a lifetime warranty.

The Swiss Champ XL, along with the Leatherman Wave Plus and the Kershaw Leak, are
very strong and sophisticated knives. These knives open with immediate action. Amazingly the
Swiss Champ in particular has a quick manual opening. The Leatherman Wave is also manual
opening, but it doesn't lack in capability. The way in which the Wave opens allows for a large
set of pliers to be accessible. The Kershaw Leek is a powerful spring-assisted knife with a sturdy
pocket clip. The spring action of the Kershaw Leek allows it to be extremely quick at opening.
The sophistication of these knives proves them to be some of the most strongly demanded knives
by military and civilian users because of their opening capabilities and strong locks.

The better the knife the more expensive it is, and the Champ, Wave and the Leek are no
exceptions. Their prices are as high as ever. The Champ is a whopping $229. It's definitely not
affordable but well worth it. Also, the wave is burning a hole in someone's pocket at $100 but
you still get good performance and a heavy-duty pair of pliers. The Kershaw is more affordable
at $47. Because of its speed and effectiveness, it is well worth every penny. Although Champ,
the Wave, and the Leek are quite expensive, they are still as structurally-sound as ever.

The Champ, the Wave, and the Leek have similar steel types considering that these are some
of the top-picks on the wide-spread market. The Champ is a beautiful feat of quality workmanship
with beautiful hardened stainless steel. Also, the Wave is an impeccably structured masterpiece
and still has almost indestructible hardened stainless steel. In addition, the Wave can tackle any
hard jobs set before. Not forgetting the Leek with its 14C28N stainless steel, which is quite razor-
sharp out of the box, it is undoubtedly a high-quality knife. the stainless steel in all of these knives
allows them to be continuously used for food prep and in all situations requiring a shaving sharp
knife. The Champ, the Wave, and the Leek’s quality steel types make them top-picks and allow
them to be quite corrosion resistant and very durable.

Ratings for these premium knives from 2021 are quite colossal. The Champ, which has
been a traditional favorite, has a perfect total of five stars. Also 380 people reviewed this totally
non-inferior knife which took and is taking the attention of many buyers. Catching up speed, the
Wave has a perfect five-star rating. Also, it has a whopping 4,266 reviews. The Leek is
unnaturally holding its own with a 100% five-star rating. In addition, the Leek has 5,319

reviews which is not surprising because of its long track record of five stars. These are perfect
premium knives for everyday carry which keeps them at the top of the list.

When carefully compared together these tools have extreme versatility. Essentially these
tools can help you in the toughest times. The Wave which has 18 functions, the Champ that has
49 functions, and the petite Leek that has one main blade will serve you well. Opening each
knife does not require much skill. Each knife sold retail would be a lot of money, but it is totally
worth it. Also, the steel type in each knife is practically the same (which is stainless steel). In
addition, the ratings are included which on each knife are five stars. The Champ knife is my
favorite knife because its functions would allow me to always be ready for the unexpected due to
its many useful functions. The Champ has an ideal blade thickness, which allows it to be good
for carving and cutting produce. These top-pick knives are totally, absolutely, and positively the
most distinguished knives on the market.

Isaac W.

Hi, my name is Isaac. I am 15 years old ,and I live with my two younger siblings (Julia
and James) and my two older siblings (Evan and Emily). I also live with my loving parents, Ray
and Catherine. I have one more sister, but she passed away from cancer in 2018. I love to play
airsoft with friends, especially on birthdays. I also go riding ATV’s with other friends as well. I
enjoy putting together Metal Earth projects. A few years ago I started to enjoy watching golf on
TV, and just last year, I started to play golf, and I really enjoy it. Some of my favorite foods are
chicken parmesan with spaghetti and chicken tenders with French fries. I love going on vacation
to the beach with friends. During the summer I would like to get a job because I’ve been trying
to get one for a few months now. My favorite composition I wrote this year is the story essay I
wrote because I really enjoyed writing the story by showing what was going on and not just
telling. Below is the story I made for you to read.

The Crazy Neighbor

Isaac and his faithfully loyal dog, Lola, were living in the small town of Harleysville,
Pennsylvania. Most days, Isaac would take Lola on walks in the peaceful park nearby. Usually,
Isaac went to work and brought Lola with him because he knew she would pee on the floor if
she's left alone. After he would get home to his small house around five o'clock p.m., he and
Lola would go for a quick walk up their street, which was very short, before it became too dark
to see. Once they achieved their goal of getting back home, they would eat dinner. Lola would
usually sit with Isaac when he ate so she could get some food from him. Then after dinner, Isaac
would watch TV in the small living room, and Lola would sleep. After a few hours, they would
go off to dreamland.

Everything was peaceful and calm until one day a moving truck came up the tight
street and stopped at the house next to Isaac’s. A red car came up behind the truck. As the new
neighbor pulled up, Isaac stepped outside to greet his new acquaintance.

“Hello there; welcome to the neighborhood,” Isaac called over to the woman who was
stepping out of the car.

The women responded in a disgusted tone, “Hello. I don’t like dogs, so you’d better
keep that thing away from me.”

“Um, alright.” Isaac replied.
The woman walked into her new house and almost demolished the hinges when
slamming the door.
“Bark, bark,” Lola replied.
“Yes, I know, you're a good girl. Let’s go inside and eat some food.”
Jenn, who absolutely hated dogs, would glare suspiciously through her window at Lola as
she and Isaac would go for a walk. One day, Isaac hooked Lola up to go potty outside until Isaac
heard screaming from next door.

“Dog, get back in your house now!”
While swatting a shovel at Lola, Jenn yelled at the dog. Barking furiously, Lola darted
back and forth avoiding the shovel.
Concerned about what was going on outside, Isaac ran out and announced, “Lola isn't
a mean dog, so please be nice.”
Jenn huffed and puffed then walked in the back door of her tiny home. Isaac picked
up Lola and exclaimed, “Lola, what am I ever gonna do if you get yelled at whenever you go
outside?”
Lola replied. “Bark, bark.”
“Yes Lola, I know you want to go attack her, but you can’t.”
Lola stared at Isaac in disgust. They walked inside to eat.

**********************************

After many fall days, Isaac thought that Jenn had begun to like Lola. However, one day Isaac
let Lola out to go relieve herself but forgot to hook her up on the dog run. Distracted, he did not
realize what he had forgotten, so he dashed back to his video game. After a while of gaming, he
heard screaming from next door.

Isaac bolted outside and in a panicked voice called, “What, what is it!?” He stood on his
porch, and his mouth dropped. He was staring at Lola who was staring at Jenn. Lola had dug
up all of Jenn’s pink flowers, and Jenn, in an enraged state, yelled at Lola.

Jenn hollered, “STOP, DOG!”

Isaac attempted to coax the naughty dog, “Lola! Get back over here!”

Shamefully, head drooped, Lola walked back over to her house.
All the while, Isaac scolded her for being a bad dog and exclaimed, “You have to stop,
Lola. You know she hates you.”

Together, Lola and Isaac entered their home, ate dinner, and turned in for the night.
Surely, tomorrow has to be a better day. Tomorrow will be the day Lola redeems herself.

*************************************

Outside, it was a frigid winter day. Isaac and Lola were sitting inside roasting
themselves by the fire in the house. After a while, Lola stood up and began begging to go
outside. Evidently, she had to pee. This is surely the only reason to go out on such a
blustery day.

“Ok, ok. I’m coming Lola.” Isaac distractedly called from across the room. Hurriedly, he
let Lola outside. However, in a hurry to return to his game, he forgot to hook her up yet again.
He didn’t realize his error until 20 minutes later when he heard a scream that sounded like
Jenn’s.

Mortified, Isaac bolted outside yet again and saw Lola fleeting around Jenn’s feet.

“Ahhhhh…!!! Get OFF ME!!” Jenn screamed.

“Lola! Get OVER HERE!” Isaac pleaded.

“I was about to call the pound on her!” Jenn exclaimed. “I’ve had enough!” Relieved and
exasperated, Isaac squeaked, “Ok, well, good thing you didn’t. She means you no harm! Besides,
you should learn to control your temper about nice dogs. All you have to do is come get me. And
you, Lola, stay in our yard!” Isaac begged.

****************************************
It was a blissfully cold day, and Lola and Isaac were inside watching TV. Lola stood
up, yawned, and trotted over to the back door. She sat there whining to go out. “Ok, ok. I’m
coming,” Isaac called from the living room.

Lola waited by the door yelping and dancing around. She really had to go. Isaac
eventually came over to the door and exclaimed to Lola, “It’s very wet out there, so be
careful.”

Lola shook her head and replied, “Bark, bark, bark!”

“Okay, now go out and come back quickly.”

While outside, Lola ran over to Jenn’s yard and started running around in there. She
began to dig holes everywhere, and she splashed water everywhere as well.

Jenn heard all the ruckus. Running outside, she yelled, “Oh goodness! What have
you done!? Get out of here, dog!”

Lola kept vandalizing her lawn which led to Jenn calling the pound. The pound’s truck
pulled up the street and pulled into Jenn’s driveway. Although he saw the van, Isaac thought
nothing of it. The man in the truck stepped out of the van and knocked on Jenn’s door.

Jenn came out and said, “There's this dog who won't leave, and she's in my backyard.

“Ok, ma’am, I’ll do the best I can,” the man replied.
Five minutes later, he came over with Lola in his hands. He threw her in the truck and
drove away.
After a while, Isaac went outside to grab Lola, but she wasn’t outside. He walked to
Jenn’s and asked, “Have you seen Lola?”
Jenn replied, “Oh yes, she’s on her way to the pound.”
“WHAAATTTTTT!!” Isaac screamed as she said this.
“Yes, she was destroying my lawn, so I had her taken away.”
Isaac stormed back to his house and ordered a grass company to come and fix up
Jenn’s lawn. After this, he called the dog pound and asked for Lola back.

Once he received Lola and got back home, he found Jenn outside his front door.

“Hello there, neighbor,“ Jenn called over calmly. “I wanted to say I’m sorry for sending
your dog away, and I want to thank you for paying for lawn renovations.”

“Oh, no problem. Thanks for stopping over. Let’s go inside and have some food,” Isaac
exclaimed to her as they stared at each other.

From that day on, Isaac made sure Lola never wandered off into anyone's yard again,
and he, Lola and Jenn became good friends.

Advanced 1

Sady C.

Hello everyone! My name is Sadaly, but I go by Sady. I am fifteen years old, and I am a
freshman in high school. I have been homeschooled my whole life. I love spending time with
my family, my mom, dad, sister, and dog, especially on the beach or jet-skiing. My sister
Maddy, who is eighteen, is a senior in high school. My dog Niko, who I love to take on walks
and play with, is eleven. He was my fourth birthday present, and he is a Blue Merle Border
Collie. I am a competitive golfer, and I hope to follow in my sister’s footsteps and get an athletic
and academic scholarship to the school of my dreams. I enjoy playing my guitar, creating my
own workouts, reading fiction books, learning how to drive, and hanging out with my friends. I
love learning more about God at church, small group, and youth group throughout the week. I
also participate in my youth choir, Allegiance. My favorite food is anything my mom makes
homemade! I will eat anything dark chocolate. Unfortunately, I am allergic to dairy and gluten,
but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying allergy-friendly desserts. True Foods Kitchen is my very
favorite restaurant, It is located in Saint John’s Town Center, near Jacksonville, Florida. I aspire
to be a sideline reporter for ESPN when I grow up. This is because of my love of football. One
of my favorite things to do with my dad is watch The University of Alabama play college
football. My two favorite essays to write about were Corrie Ten Boom and Tom Sawyer. I find
Corrie Ten Boom’s bravery and faith very inspiring, and critiquing something as humorous as
Tom Sawyer was super fun. I have really enjoyed this class! Mrs. Empfield made it really
interesting, and my classmates made it very fun! Every week was an adventure.

Spiritually Saved

Compassion, obedience, bravery, and faithfulness. Who has all of these values? Corrie
Ten Boom. Longing to please the Lord, Corrie Ten Boom was a woman of immense faith in
God. She was born on April 15th of 1892 and died on her birthday in 1983. Although she lived
during the horrible time of the Holocaust, when the Nazi’s were killing Jews, she did not let that
stop her from spreading the Gospel. Her home was in Haarlem, and she worked at her family’s
watch shop. Generously, she always displayed her compassion to others, and she never failed to
obey what God wanted her to do. In the face of danger, Corrie was brave, but most importantly,
she was faithful despite bad circumstances.

Corrie Ten Boom was an amazing woman, who was compassionate, like God called her
to be. During the Holocaust, her home became a refuge for Jews (Smith). Corrie learned how to
be compassionate following her father’s example (Fritzius). Unselfishly, she spent much of her
time caring for Jews. Corrie provided food for them, and she and the rest of her family would
share Jesus’ love with them. Even when Corrie and her sister were stuck at concentration camps,
they would hold bible studies, and love the other women there. Despite rough experiences with a
Nazi oppressor, she managed to genuinely forgive the man for everything he had done, including
her sister’s death (Smith). Corrie was a compassionate, loving lady.

Corrie was not only compassionate, but she was also obedient. Gladly, she obeyed God.
The Nazis would take Jews, and anyone who helped the Jews, into concentration camps and
other horrible places, if they were caught. In a non-violent way, Corrie, her sister Betsie, and her
father Casper, would resist the Nazi’s (Smith). Obeying what God had called them to do, the
Ten Booms would hide Jews. Even though a cruel man was responsible for most of Corrie’s
family’s deaths, because she desired to obey God, she managed to overcome the hate she had for
the man, and eventually, she forgave him (Fritzius). Though Corrie went through many
hardships, she never quit. Corrie was a very obedient and devoted Christ-follower.

Corrie was absolutely one of the bravest people to ever live. She resisted the Nazi’s
harsh rules. In Corrie’s bedroom, she had a false wall, which she was very brave to hide the
Jews inside. Courageously, Corrie was even willing to confront prison for the mission God had
set her on (Smith). When Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to the concentration camps, their
bravery shown through again, when they kept a hidden Bible to hold worship services in their
barrack. Corrie was not afraid to do right in the face of fear (Fritzius). Willing to suffer the
consequences for Christ’s commission, Corrie showed great bravery in the actions she took
throughout that time in her life. Corrie was a courageous, godly women.

Corrie Ten Boom was compassionate, obedient, brave, and most importantly, faithful.
Corrie was faithful to do what God called her to do. Corrie remained committed to God, even
through the tough times. She had faith in God to protect the Jews when they were hidden in the
false wall in her bedroom. She also had faith in God to help her forgive her enemies (Smith). At
the concentration camps, Corrie and her sister Betsie were holding worship services. Preparing
to do whatever God asked her to, Corrie was steadfast in her faith in God. Once she was set free

from the camps, she felt God calling her to travel around the world and tell her story (Fritzius).
That takes a lot of faith. When she travelled the world, she shared the message of God’s love,
which is so important, because he saves! Miraculously, Corrie experienced that first-hand. God
was faithful to help her through the rough times and the good times of her life.

God called Corrie to be compassionate toward others, so she was. He called her to obey
himself, not the Nazis, because he is the ultimate authority. When he called her to be brave, even
brave enough to die, she still obeyed him, and all of her bravery came from God, who is the giver
of all things. Wanting only to do what God wanted, Corrie was a devoted believer. After
everything, good and bad, her faithfulness was rewarded. Lovingly, Corrie saved many people,
but not just physically, she rescued them spiritually as well.

Works Cited Page

Fritzius, John M. “Biography of Corrie Ten Boom.” Biography of Corrie Ten Boom, Theology

Through Technology, 2005, www.tlogical.net/bioboom.ht.

Smith, E. “History.” Corrie Ten Boom House, Corrie Ten Boom House Foundation,

www.corrietenboom.com/history.htm.

To Those Who Like Humor

“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is an audacious comedy with some frontier literature.
It is very entertaining. While there are multiple chapters, which are all full of playfully created
adventures, this critique is only on one. Causing many people to be misled, Mark Twain is a pen
name, and the author's real name is Samuel Clemens. In England in the year 1876 the book was
first published, but it was also published in the United States six months later. This is interesting
because, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is considered an American classic. The book is
coming from a third person point of view. Humorously, the narrator idealizes many childhood
memories that are included in the book.

In this chapter of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” we see a young country boy, whose
name is Tom Sawyer, enter the story. Tom is from a small town in Missouri. The day is bright,
sunny, and as lively as it gets. When we look at young Tom, we see him with a bucket of
whitewash, sulking on the sidewalk. Why is he sulking? He is sulking because of the hard and
time-consuming work that he must complete. Appearing harmless, this whitewash that is sitting
in front of Tom must be put on a large fence which is thirty yards long and nine feet high. Sadly,
this work that is waiting for him takes all of the gladness out of him and replaces it with a
mournful spirit.

In his imagination, Tom has no prospect of freedom to escape from his job.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t even have enough treasure to exchange for this big lot of work.
Thinking as hard as he can, suddenly, Tom is hit with a brilliant, tremendous inspiration! Tom’s
plan is to act like whitewashing this fence is the greatest privilege in the world! This plan is
especially genius when another young boy, who is named Ben, enters the story, eating an apple,
like an annoying boy would. Tom analyzes the boy. Because Tom has this exceptional idea,
Ben ends up whitewashing a good bit of the fence for Tom, and Tom is given the apple in
exchange for granting Ben this great opportunity.

Because Tom makes the task difficult to attain, the boys must, “pay” Tom to do the job.
This is quite ambitious. After getting many young boys, who are apparently very gullible, to
work for him, Tom is rich and cheerful and has a pleasant afternoon. Delightfully, Tom’s
scheme is successful, and by the end of the day the fence has three coats of whitewash on it! As
Tom scrutinizes the fence, he realizes that work is a forced action while play is an unforced
action. In addition to being a great businessman, Tom has just become a great philosopher too.

Ultimately, readers will like the book and the way the author turns everyday work into a
funny adventure, but teaching kids to scam other kids into doing their work for them is not a very
good moral. The characters were very relatable since their actions were normal. Like any kid
who would read this, children don’t generally like work. The author presents work versus play
as an attitude viewpoint. This was a smart idea. Unlike the setting, Tom’s mood is gloomy but
ends up cheerful in the end. While deceit is not a positive or respectable principle, this is a light
read and can be recommended to anyone, especially to those who like humor.

Works Cited Page
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The Penguin Group, 1994, pp 11-17.

Natasia C.

Palm Beach Island

Have you ever been somewhere when you never want to leave? Well, Palm Beach Island
in Florida is a spot my family and I never wanted to leave. Enthusiastically, we try to go every
year in April like we did last year. Last year we drove from Pennsylvania to the bottom east side
of Florida. It took us around 21 hours to drive down and home. In Palm Beach we ate at
delicious restaurants, personally my favorite Pizza Al Fresco. We also did lots of shopping which
was all so convenient because everything is super close. Aside from shopping we would also
spend days at the beach.

When my family and I visited Palm Beach, we ate at a restaurant named Pizza Al fresco!
My five siblings, my parents, plus my aunt, uncle and cousin went. Surely it was kid friendly.
We went in April so it was pretty busy. Pizza Al fresco served many different unique varieties of
homemade pizza. Which each and every pizza was amazing! We loved it, and my family and I
have agreed they have the best pizza. Not only was the food delicious but so was the seating. It
was outdoor and indoor. For most of the time we sat outside under the lights. We had the most
terrific experience and would most certainly return to Pizza Al fresco.

Another thing we love to do that is a blast is to shop. Palm Beach is known for shopping.
So, it is perfect for a shopaholic like me. There are so many places to shop depending on what
you are looking for. Some shopping locations are called Worth Ave, Poinciana Plaza, and even
the surf shop! There are many beautifully decorated stores that you can find like Stoney Clover
Lane, Love Shack Fancy, Roller Rabbit, and so many more I can’t even name them all. Instead
of taking a car, we like to walk or ride bikes to the shops. My family and I live on a secluded
farm which is minutes 30 away from a city, store, and almost everything. So, when we go to
Palm Beach, we love how convenient everything is. Not only does shopping bring hours of fun,
but it feels like the days are so short.

Have you ever heard the saying, “Beach hair don’t care”? Well, my family and I didn’t
care! We would spend hours at the beach. We would go to the beach almost every day of the
week. We would swim at sunrise, during the day, and sunset. The ocean was warm and so blue.
There was a sandbar, which was 50 feet out from the shore, where the water was so shallow it
came up to my calf. Gleefully, we would swim and jump waves. At the beach we would also
make giant castles with motes. The beach was so wonderful. It was warm and the sun was
shining so brightly every day! When we came home from the beach, we had sand in our hair, but
we did not care!

Pizza Al Fresco is my favorite restaurant. Not only do they have a variety of delicious
homemade pizzas, but they also have beautiful outdoor dining. During the day there are so many
stores to shop in, and shopping has never been more convenient when my family and I are there.
When we aren’t shopping, we spend our days at the beach from sunrise to sunset. The water is so
warm and blue, which even sometimes I can even see schools of fish swimming around me.

Palm Beach is my favorite vacation spot ever. It is so beautiful and unique. It is hard to explain
how happy I am when I am there.

Elias C.

Hi, my name is Elias, and I am 15 years old. I have two brothers, an older brother and a
younger brother, and my mom and dad. I enjoy drawing, driving ATVs, and drumming during
my free time. My favorite color is blue, and I really like chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.
I love camping and going to the mountains. One day I want to go to Yellowstone National Park
and Alaska. My favorite composition that I wrote this year is about coral reefs because I thought
that it was really interesting.

Amazing Coral Reefs

A coral reef is a very interesting and beautiful formation. Coral reefs are made up of
limestone formations. These formations are built from the exoskeletons of animals called corals.
Algae and shellfish remains as well as small particles like sand also produce limestone
formations. Many colorful animals and fish live and thrive in coral reefs. Coral reefs are only
found in warm, clear waters. Also, reefs are not found in water more than 150 feet deep. Coral
reefs are fascinating things and can be very beautifully colorful.

Coral reefs need a certain environment in order to lie and flourish. Coral grows in all
oceans on earth. However, coral reefs can only grow under special conditions. Coral reefs grow
better in shallow water in tropical or subtropical areas. Lots of sunlight is needed for
photosynthesis which algae uses to make its food. Also, reefs grow fastest with strong waves.
Stronger waves bring calcium as well as other minerals which coral reefs use to build their
exoskeleton. Coral reefs are amazing, but without the right conditions coral reefs will die.

One creature that lives in a coral reef is the polyp. A polyp can come in a variety of
different colors and sizes. Polyps appear like tiny tubes with unusual tentacles. These tubes are
less than one inch in diameter because polyps grow slowly. Polyps use calcium carbonate, which
is found in the water, as a building material. Then polyps expertly construct a protective
exoskeleton. Mistakenly, many people think that coral is a plant because of the way it looks, but
that is not true. Polyps have an interesting way of functioning.

Many creatures live in coral reefs. These creatures have different adaptations for reef
environments. Coral reefs provide a home for an extremely large variety of invertebrates. In
addition, there are roughly 1,500 species of exotic fish that live in reefs although that is only a
small amount of the fish that populate the earth. Many of these fish are brightly colored which
helps to identify other harmless or dangerous fish. Incredibly, coral reefs have more species of
organisms than any other ecosystem on earth except for the rainforest. Creatures that live in coral
reefs are amazing.

Austin H.

Literary Detective

Imagine you are sitting on your front porch with a book in your hands. You read the
prologue and are (at first) interested. However, after a couple chapters the action of the story
diminishes. No plot twists. No more intrigue. It seems to you that reading this book is equivalent
to staring at an unpainted wall. What is wrong with the book? It lacks literary devices. However,
“After Twenty Years” effectively employs several literary devices which makes the story more
interesting and enjoyable.

The author uses foreshadowing in the story very well. He especially uses it in the middle
of the story when the plainclothes officer, mistaken to be Jimmy Wells, walks up to the door.
The first hint that we have of trickery is when Bob states, “I never thought you were so tall by
two or three inches.” Since “Jimmy Wells” casually evades the comment by answering “Oh, I
grew a bit after I was twenty,” we are warned that some level of trickery is occurring, as almost
no one grows after they are twenty. Secondly, we see that “the man from the West, his egotism
enlarged by success, was beginning to outline the history of his career.” Considering Bob, this
most likely means that he has been telling the fake friend a little more than he probably should
have.

The author also intricately utilizes a flashback to help the reader understand the story. He
uses it when we first see the man standing in the doorway of the hardware store with his cigar in
his mouth. The policeman is curious to understand why the man is standing there, and the man
replies with, “Twenty years ago to-night, I dined here at ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s with Jimmy Wells,
my best chum, and the finest chap in the world.” He continues by saying “Well, we agreed that
night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time no matter what
our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come.” Previously, we had had
no background of what was going on in the story. As we know the connection with the
policeman and Jimmy Wells, this is a little interesting. However, it is a little surprising that after
the flashback, the policeman doesn’t tell the man that he is Jimmy Wells.

One of the most fascinating parts of this story is the irony that is used skillfully by the
author. It first occurs when the man blurts out, “Well, I’ll explain if you’d like to make certain
it’s all straight.” The man gives the unsolicited information to the policeman. The circumstance
is flipped as we would think that the policeman would first ask the man why he was standing
there, giving us the hint that the man is trying to hide something. Later in the encounter, the
police officer says, “I’ll be on my way. Hope your friend comes around all right. Going to call
time on him sharp?” Since the police officer is Jimmy Wells, Jimmy doesn’t want to arrest his
own friend, so he wants to understand if he’ll be there when he sends his plainclothes officer to
arrest Bob in his place, which is ironic because it is a police officer’s duty to arrest people
themselves. Unbeknownst to him, Bob is still there when the plainclothes officer comes and
later arrests him. One can then see how irony and wit help the policeman.

This short story definitely employs some literary devices. There is foreshadowing, which
hints that the man in the doorway is a criminal. Next, there is a flashback which helps the reader
understand why the man is in the doorway. Thirdly, there is irony to add an unexpected plot
twist. Literary devices, when used properly, are quite beneficial to the story. Now one should be
able to spot good books (and know how not to waste your time reading a non-action-filled book).

Noah H.

Texas Trip

Last summer I went on a day trip with a group of friends. We went to San Antonio and
Austin, Texas. It took us around four hours traveling in a bus to arrive there. The bus had tons of
room for us to sit. While some people slept, I listened to music during the ride. We were about to
have an eventful day.

First, we floated down the river in tubes in San Antonio, Texas. Although I thought I
wasn’t going to get wet, I was completely soaked from head to toe. We floated for over 2 hours.
Luckily, I wasn’t part of the many people who got extreme sunburns. There were a couple small
waterslides during the float. We had a ball that we threw from tube to tube. Most of the time we
talked or formed massive tube chains with our tubes.

Next, we went on a scavenger hunt in downtown Austin. We split into teams of two. We
were each given a list of things to find and do. We did activities like find a bat statue and film
our best batman scene. In the end my team won by a couple of points. After the scavenger hunt
everyone was feeling a little hungry.

After the scavenger hunt we had a unanimous vote for pizza. Once we sat down, we
hastily ordered. Finally, the food came. The pizza was insanely cheesy and greasy. The crust
was nice and crispy. Everyone instantly inhaled their slice. We had to eat quickly because our
bus was about to leave.

Micah L.

My name is Micah, and I am sixteen years old. I have been homeschooled my whole life
as a kid to high school. I am one of six kids, and have five other siblings. Three older and two
younger. I enjoy working on my car in my free time and adding new things to it, like
modifications. My overall favorite thing to do, though, is hang out with friends. The best thing
I'm doing this summer is probably going to Daytona Beach for vacation. My favorite
composition that I wrote this year is Beastly Blizzards because of the many different stories I've
never heard about.

Beastly Blizzards

Have you ever wondered what causes an extensive blizzard? First, there needs to be cold
and warm air while also being a little moist. When warm and cold air is combined, it creates the
front of the blizzard. The front then causes the blizzard to fabricate heavy snow. Oddly enough, a
blizzard unusually occurs after warmer weather. Where are blizzards most common? They more
commonly occur in the northeastern Great Plains states. You can tell if a blizzard is occurring if
the snowstorm and low visibility last longer than three hours. It is important for you to know
when a blizzard is occurring.

Blizzards bring fun snow, but they bring many harsh dangers too. During whiteouts you
should not drive because it is dangerous and can cause you to get into an accident, if you aren’t
safe, or even get lost. There is also a high chance of snow drifts blocking roads. In a blizzard, the
snow causes slippery roads, and with no control, you can easily get into an accident. Not only do
blizzards affect driving, but they also can affect your body if you are in one. For instance, you
can get an injury like frostbite and lose feeling. Frostbite is immensely cold and damages your
body tissue. In the worst case, you can get hypothermia. Hypothermia is deadly and can lead to
memory loss and drowsiness. Make sure to lodge inside during a blizzard and wait till after it’s
over to play in the snow.

There are many different things that would be great to own to prepare you for the effects
of a blizzard. First thing to do is make sure you possess a working flashlight with a good set of
functioning batteries. You would also like to keep a cell phone handy. Just make sure it is
charged. Candles, blankets, and food all are excessively important when in the crisis of a
blizzard. If you own one, a generator is a great alternative source of power if your power cuts
out. It is also nice to keep proper clothing nearby, which can help you lodge warmer and not to
freeze. Be sure to also own high-energy foods that don’t need to be cooked or refrigerated while
they may not be able to be used. Being prepared for a blizzard ahead of time is always safer to
do.

Many blizzards are so bad they are recorded as historic events. In 1949, a blizzard known
as the “Great White Death” was a series of different blizzards which lasted up to seven brutal
weeks! The US Air Force dropped a whopping 1,500 tons of hay to protect animals. Another

terrible blizzard happened in 1888 called the “Schoolchildren’s Blizzard.” The blizzard was so
unexpected there was no warning, and temperatures nosedived almost 100 degrees in just a few
hours. No one was able to go anywhere since the blizzard was so bad. This caused the students
and teachers to stay overnight at the school. Not only was there one terrible blizzard in 1888, but
there were two. The second one was called the “Great White Hurricane.” The snow went so
drastically high that it covered whole houses and telephone poles. Blizzards are very frightening,
and who knows when the next big historic blizzard will be.

Taylor M.

Perspective of Work and Play

The chapter book, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” is an adventurous and comical piece
of frontier literature. It was written by a man named Samuel Clemens who was better known by
his pen name, Mark Twain. Samuel Clemens lived in England, and in 1876 he published the book,
then six months later the piece was published in the United States of America. There he wrote the
childhood “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” The novel was written from the third person point
of view in the perspective of an outside narrator.

The main character of the story is a young country boy who lives in a small town in
Missouri. On this particular bright, lively summer day Tom has to whitewash a fence. So, Tom
walks outside with his bucket of whitewash and his hopes of getting out of the task. The minute
Tom gets out the door the little bit of joy he possesses instantly turns to sorrow at the sight of the
fence standing at nine feet tall and running for thirty yards.

In this moment Tom has the realization that he must let go of any prospects of freedom
from this daunting task. He decides there was not even enough wealth on this planet to buy his
freedom, that is until his friend Ben comes into view, approaching, and he invents a great,
magnificent inspiration. He starts to vigorously whitewash the fence while acting as if it is the
greatest joy and even a privilege to do so. Ben is observing this as he comes up to Tom. He thinks
that Tom is truly enjoying the prospect of whitewashing the fences. Just as Tom is hoping, Ben
asks if he would be allowed to whitewash. Tom takes his act to the next level and pretends to be
reluctant in allowing Ben to take the task. This only more provokes Ben’s interest and makes him
assure Tom he will follow the whitewashing through. So finally Tom’s plan is succeeding, and he
gives the brush to Ben. Tom gets the sweet taste of freedom.

With this Tom realizes that all he has to do to make someone envy his task is to make it
difficult to obtain. If he does so, his friends will pay him to have the privilege of doing the job.
This tactic works to perfection in this case. After all, the fence has been whitewashed three times!
While Tom’s friends are fighting to obtain the task of painting the fence, Tom is enjoying quite
the pleasant afternoon. It is in this instance that one can determine that both work and play are
actions, but work is an action one is forced to do, and play is done voluntarily.

In “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” the characters are relatable and all their actions are
completely relatable such as the fact that when people are children, they do not like work, and the
characters in the story who are children also don’t like work . But to some the idea of work may
seem like play to another person which presents the idea of work verses play and the fact that it is
all how a person looks at a task that determines in the person’s mind if he or she is working or
playing. The setting in the story contrasts the mood to make the reader feel the emotions of the
characters. It presents Tom’s deceit as not a good moral even though it got him his way. Overall,
this book is enjoyable and humorous reading.

Marissa M.

Welcoming Christ

A long time ago there was a cobbler. His name was Martin. Martin was a devoted
Christian who had been a Christian his whole life. He worked in a tiny, little room that was in a
basement. Occasionally he would look out the one window he had and see feet and shoes.
Watching the shoes go by every day, he knew who it was by their shoes. Because he was a
cobbler, that also helped him know who everyone was since he had worked on most of the shoes.
After work in the evening, he eagerly sat down to read his Bible. He read about the rich man
inviting Christ into his home.

Wondering how he would welcome Christ, Martin thought about it for a while. Slowly
falling asleep, Martin dreamed that he heard Christ speak to him and that he was coming the next
day. Throughout the day, he kept looking out the window repeatedly, expecting to see Christ.
When he saw an old soldier outside shoveling snow, he invited him in for some tea, which was to
warm him up. After a while, he saw a woman outside trying to swaddle a baby. Seeing the
woman so cold, he invited her in and gave her some food and something to swaddle the baby in.
The woman was very grateful. A little later on, he stopped a dispute over an apple. An apple
lady had one of her apples stolen, but she caught the boy by his sleeve, and Martin was able to
settle the fight.

Thinking about his dream from the previous night, he just thought he was crazy.
Martin simply thought Christ did not show up and that he was a little crazy. Sincerely sitting
down to read his Bible again, he still wondered about Christ. After reading a little bit of his
Bible, he thought he heard voices which sounded familiar. He looked into the corner and saw
the people he had helped that day stepping out of the corner one by one. Then as soon as he saw
them, they disappeared. Christ revealed himself to Martin. Martin realized that because he
helped and welcomed those people that he also welcomed Christ. When Martin realized this, he
also realized that Christ really did come and that he did indeed welcome Christ.