My Adventures in 
          a Subterranean Cave 
          
        By Kelsey , age 
          10, Year 5, School, Colorado Springs, Colorado USA
         My Adventures to 
          a Subterranean Cave "Mom? I need some money to go on the trip to Washington 
          D.C. with school. Could you lend me some?" I, Christine Lanis, said 
          one day when I came home from school.
          "How much do you need?" My mother called back from the kitchen.
          "One thousand dollars." I answered her hopefully, walking into the kitchen 
          to smell my mom's famous homemade spaghetti. 
          "I don't think so!" My mother said now looking at me. "Why can't you 
          find your own way to make money? After all, the dog kennel is looking 
          for a new kennel kid', will that help you any?" She asked and turned 
          back to stir the noodles.
          "A kennel kid'?" I asked. "What's that?"
          "It's a kid who takes the dogs back to the kennel area." She answered 
          without looking up. "Find your own way to make money. End of discussion." 
          She said firmly.
          "Alright, I will." I thought to myself with a mischievous grin. I went 
          to the garage and got a shovel and some gardening gloves. "I'll dig 
          a hole to Iceland. That way people will be able to see that Iceland 
          really isn't ice. It's really grasslands." I thought as I went to my 
          backyard.
          "I'll dig right, here!" I decided and exclaimed out loud looking at 
          a map of the world and then to the spot I was pointing at. "If I just 
          dig in a straight line right here, I'll get to Iceland without ever 
          having to go through the center of the earth." I said to myself and 
          put my shovel in the ground.
          It had been about 1 hour when I came to rock. "Oh no! I forgot about 
          the rock bottom'! What could I use to break it?" I asked myself out 
          loud and climbed out of the hole I had dug. I sat down on the ground 
          to think. "Let's see, I learned about this kind of rock in fifth grade. 
          My teacher said anything would break through it, but my shovel isn't 
          breaking through." I reasoned.
          Then something came to me! A smile came across my face, "I'll get my 
          mothers diamond collection!" I got up and started to go to the house. 
          "Wait," I said, my smile disappearing, "My mom will get so mad. Then 
          with all of my money, I'll have to buy my mom some more diamonds, and 
          they're really expensive." I mumbled. "I'll go call Christie and see 
          what she thinks." I decided and went into the house to call my best 
          friend, Christie Cooper. 
          "Hello?" A strong voice answered, "This is the Cooper residence."
          "Mr. Cooper? This is Christine Lanis, Christie's best friend. Is Christie 
          there? Or better yet, is Jill there?" I said into the phone.
          "I can put them both on, Christine, if you would like." Mr. Cooper said 
          at the other end of the line.
          "Oh, that would be excellent!" I exclaimed.
          "I'll go get them. Hold on a second." He said and set down the phone 
          with a clunk'. "Hello? This is Jill, Christie will be on in a second." 
          A voice suddenly said at the other end of the line. 
          "Jill, this is Christine Lanis, I'd like your advice," I was cut off 
          by Christie getting on the cordless phone.
          "This is Christie, hi Christine!" She said with her fake English accent. 
          
          "I need you guys' advice about something, what could I cut sandstone 
          with?" I asked hopefully.
          "You could probably cut into some sandstone with a good, metal shovel, 
          why?" Jill answered.
          "I'm trying to dig a hole to Iceland." I just got down to the rock. 
          It took me an hour!" I said with a giggle.
          "Okay, well our lunch is ready, so, I guess call if you need any more 
          help!" Jill said and hung up.
          I hung up as well, "I guess I'll go get my dads good metal snow shovel." 
          I thought, and headed out to my dads tool shed. "Here it is!" I exclaimed 
          after a perilous search. I headed out to my hole. When I got there I 
          decided I would need a good piece of strong rope to help me up when 
          it got too deep. I headed back to the tool shed, and found my dads good 
          rope. 
          I tied it around the trunk of the big oak tree next to the tool shed 
          and then unwound the rest, tying the other end of the rope around my 
          waist, and hoisting myself into the deep hole. I took the shovel and 
          started breaking the sandstone. With the metal shovel, the rock broke 
          easily. "That's a success." I said after about fifteen minutes of digging 
          into the rock. 
          "Christine? Where are you honey?" My mother called from the kitchen 
          window. I pulled myself out of the hole and said, "right here, mother!"
          "Christine, what on earth are you doing?" She yelled angrily.
          "I'm getting my thousand dollars, of course." I called back, untying 
          the end of the rope tied around my waist and striding towards the house.
          "Christine, have you found any snakes or anything?" My mother said with 
          fear in her voice. 
          "No, mom." I said with annoyance.
          "Good, but how are you going to eat your lunch out there?" She wondered 
          out loud.
          "Put it into my lunch box and I'll put it into a backpack with a flashlight 
          and drink and be able to keep going." I said and retied the rope around 
          my waist. "Throw it down here when you've got it all packed, please." 
          I said and lowered myself into the hole again.
          I kept on digging, finally the sandstone gave way and a hole broke through. 
          "Finally!" I exclaimed happily. Interrupted by my mother yelling heads 
          up! down the hole, and my backpack falling from the entrance.
          "Thanks mom!" I called up the hole, and started digging for an entrance 
          to the small cave I had discovered. I found an opening big enough to 
          slide through. I slid in and gasped at what I saw! It wasn't a small 
          cave at all! It was a giant subterranean world! There was moss growing 
          in a patch by where I had entered. There was a small spring running 
          down the edge of the cave and a small stream had formed. 
          I started walking towards the stream, all of a sudden, an extinct species 
          of sea turtle popped out of the stream and started walking towards me! 
          I was so excited I could barely move! I put my hand over my mouth in 
          astonishment! After the grown sea turtle came out, three tiny sea turtles 
          waddled out behind it! I was truly blessed, I saw an extinct species! 
          I could be famous if I took them to the surface. I sat down to think 
          it over. 
          Then I remembered my backpack, I always kept a camera in it. Maybe, 
          just maybe, I could be famous without having to take them away from 
          their habitat. I could just take a picture!
          If I sent the picture to scientists, they would say that they discovered 
          it. I didn't know what to do! I got my backpack. I decided I would leave 
          them in their habitat, but I would still capture them for life. On film!
          I unzipped my backpack and pulled out my camera. I had just enough film. 
          6 shots. I took six pictures of them and then filled my water bottle 
          back up. I took a sip and watched the turtles for 10 minutes. I decided 
          it was time to leave. I took a little of the green moss. I waved goodbye, 
          and I was off. The turtles would never be harmed. 
          When I got back to the surface, I refilled the hole and took my film 
          to be developed. I've never forgotten about my adventure to the subterranean 
          cave. I never got the thousand dollars I needed, but I got something 
          better. I had a scientific discovery. And that was the end of my adventure 
          to the cave.
          The End 
        
         Who is the smartest??? 
          
        By Rachel, age 9, 
          4th grade, USA
         Once upon a time 
          there was a little girl named Sarah, Sarah was in the 5th grade. She 
          thought she was the smartest one in the whole classroom! Mrs.Magnuson 
          (the teacher of the 5th grade) said "Today we will have a spelling Bee",
          Sarah knew she would win and she would get to stand up in front of the 
          whole USA and spell. Their was only one thing standing in her way, a 
          girl named Julie. Julie was 10 years old too. She was also in the same 
          classroom. 
          Mrs.Magnuson said "time to start the spelling Bee".
          A boy named Matt was up first he had to spell precipitation but he spelt 
          it preesipitaytion. That happened over and over and over but with different 
          words. It was almost over and Sarah was up. She had to spell a really 
          hard word but she got it right and then Julie was up she had to spell 
          a hard word too, but she got it right. So Julie and Sarah were moving 
          on. 
          When the big night came they were shaking. Everybody has gotten the 
          words wrong except Julie and Sarah. Sarah was up, she had to spell the 
          hardest word, she got it wrong. Julie was up she had to spell the same 
          word but she got it right. Sarah said "Good job" and they became the 
          most smartest best friends in the whole wide world. The End
        
        Magical Woods
        By Kirsty, age 13, 
          St Bedes Catholic School, Boston, Lincolnshire, UK
        Deep in the woods,
          Where nobody goes,
          Magic unfolds,
          But nobody knows, 
        
 Gusts of winds,
          and clouds of smoke,
          It's nearly enough to make you choke,
          Nobody hears the magical sounds, 
        
 Not even the moles,
          That live under the ground,
          Pots of gold and unicorns lay,
          under the trees and far away. 
        
 Things quieten 
          down,
          Everything goes away,
          Oh Lord what a wonderful day. 
        
         
        The Story of King 
          Rupert
        By Bobby, age 11, 
          Fifth Grade, Harmony School, Middletown, New Jersey, USA
        The Story of King 
          Rupert
          Once upon a time there lived a prince named Rupert. This prince was 
          not like other princes, he was not grateful to be part of royalty. King 
          Richard - his father - tried and tried, and tried, but could do nothing 
          to please his son. 
          Then one night Rupert's father went into Rupert's room and said to his 
          son, "My dearest son, you do not like being in royalty, so tomorrow 
          you will go outside the palace walls and play with all the peasants." 
          
          Rupert replied, " But father." Before he could finish his father interrupted, 
          "No son, I know it is what you want". 
          As Richard left his son's room, he noticed that his own guards surrounded 
          him. Outraged he demanded an explanation and the guards replied, "Your 
          turn is up, king." During that night his own guards murdered King Richard. 
          
          The next morning Prince (now king) Rupert woke up to the sound of cheering 
          citizens. "What is all this racket about?" he asked one of his servants. 
          
          The servant replied, "You haven't heard! Our great King Richard has 
          fallen." Rupert replied, "That means..." Before he could finish the 
          servant interrupted him.
          "Yes you are the new king. Now go out and greet your people." 
          Later that day he figures out from his mother that he has had a different 
          mother at birth and also a twin brother.
          "Now I would like to go out and meet my original mother and my twin 
          brother," Rupert said to his servant.
          "Okay, my king I shall set up your chariots," replied the servant.
          "No my faithful servant, this I must do alone," Rupert said to his guard.
          For the first time Rupert was let go alone to meet his twin brother. 
          
          He saw a shack and entered without a single knock. The young king must 
          not have realized that this would be the worst and unfortunately one 
          of his last mistakes. One of the neighbors heard a hard, loud shriek. 
          It turned out that he had not had any brother at all, The owner of the 
          shack ended up being a killer, and was arrested the next day for the 
          murder of the young king. 
          It also turned out that his mother had planned the whole thing. She 
          did it only because she did not want the kingdom to be in the hands 
          of her son. She was also arrested that same day for blackmail (which 
          was a crime back than) 
          Now you have heard the short, tragic life story of the great king and 
          his son who died at the very tender age of twelve. 
        
        Deformed star
        By Joseph, age 14, 
          Year 10, London, UK
        Deformed star, shining 
          so bright,
          Surrounded by darkness and the ever growing life.
          Up with the stars, up there at night,
          Waiting for the dawn of the shining light.
          To cover them up and hide their sins
          Of shining out, late at night.
          Dormant they lie, like the dead of life
          All forgotten, even the sin. 
        
 One glimmer of 
          light, left from the night
          Shines so bright, out over the sun.
          The light is out, out of the night
          All alone, with no others so bright.
          Let them keep away,
          Deformed is the star so full of light.
          So full of life only just begun,
          Ready for it to start, she shined so in the day.
        
        Into the Portal
        By Emily, age 11, 
          Year 6th grade, School, Evanston, IL USA
        Before I knew what 
          was happening, Father had grabbed my hand and pulled me into the portal. 
          I was scared. I tried to pull back, but we were already leaving. I saw 
          Mother disappear into the black, shouting my name and crying for Father 
          to stop. It was then that I realized that Father was taking me away 
          from Mother, from my home, and we would probably never return. "Why 
          are we leaving?" I cried to him. He didn't answer, just kept running 
          into the darkness in the portal. For a moment, everything seemed to 
          still, then we fell to the ground in a place I didn't recognize.
          I sat up and saw Father running from me. I ran after, into the forest 
          surrounding us. I ran trying to keep him in view, but I lost him in 
          the trees. I was lost. I was in a place I had never been without anyone 
          I knew. It was a horrible feeling, thinking you would die any second, 
          not even caring if you did. I cried and wept then, for I knew nothing 
          was right anymore.
          From behind me I heard a noise, but I didn't even flinch. If it was 
          something trying to eat me I would let it. I didn't care. But then the 
          thing leaped on to my back, and I cried out in pain as claws sank into 
          my flesh. I shivered and fell to the ground, letting the creature tare 
          me apart. But it didn't. It didn't kill me, and when I looked to see 
          why, I saw a girl who looked just like me. She was looking at me with 
          concern in her eyes.
          "Who are you," she said to me, "and why are you here?" I moaned, not 
          even really knowing that myself. My back screamed with pain and I almost 
          couldn't stand it. That's when she noticed the blood and threw some 
          green stuff on me. As quickly as the pain had come, it had gone, and 
          I was able to answer her question.
          "Sarah, my name is Sarah, and I got here through a portal. I don't know 
          why or where I am though. Father just pulled me through the portal, 
          then ran away into the forest. I lost him, then something attacked me. 
          What happened to it?" I was sweating, but I didn't know why.
          "Don't worry," the girl said, "I killed the beast that was on your back. 
          It was going to eat you for dinner, you know. I'm Kena, and I live in 
          this forest. The green stuff on your back is a healing potion. You should 
          be good as new in the morning. And if you want to get home, I know where 
          that portal is." She grinned and started walking away. I followed.
          My back was feeling whole again by the time we reached the portal. "Thank 
          you," I told Kena. She disappeared into the trees as I stepped into 
          the portal. Soon enough, I was home.
          Mother greeted me warmly, but my mind was elsewhere. I had a feeling 
          there was more that I had to do on the other side of the portal. I wanted 
          to find Father and make him tell me everything. I would go back into 
          the portal again, and probably very soon. 
        
        Fantastic Christmas
        By Alyse, 10, Whitman, 
          USA
         One snowy Christmas 
          morning me and my parents woke up. And we watched television for a while 
          until it reached two o clock and the doorbell rang.
          "I"ll get it!" I yelled. I ran to the door and looked out the curtain 
          and unlocked the door. And my sister asked my mom. "Are you coming?" 
          "Yes," my mom replied. 
          'Lets go," I said with excitement.
          "Hold your horses," my mom said. 
          So we all went to my sister's house. And we got to her house. And we 
          got upstairs and I asked her "can we open our presents?" "No, not yet."
          So me and my nephew stood by the Christmas Tree and tapped our feet 
          on the floor. "OK, go ahead," my sister demanded. And we opened our 
          presents and we had a fantastic Christmas Day. 
        
        Harry Potter and 
          the Poyton
        By Sunmin, age 12, 
          7th grade, Snoqualmie, King County, WA, USA
         "Wake up boys," 
          Mrs. Weasley said in a tired voice to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. 
          They yawned and stretched as they slowly opened their eyes. Mrs. Weasley 
          was standing in the doorway in her blue thick bathrobes. "Come downstairs 
          in about 15 minutes, we're having eggs and bacon for breakfast. And 
          you got a letter from Sirius, Harry dear." Mrs. Weasley told Harry and 
          Ron. Sirius was Harry's godfather who was in court for attempting to 
          kill Peter Pettigrew before Pettigrew had gone through the court. Oh 
          yes, I forgot to introduce Harry and Ron. 
        
read 
          the rest of this exciting Hogwarts story 
        
Why 
          not write a Harry Potter story of your own? 
        
        Possessing beauty
        By Hazel, Year 10, 
          West Sussex, UK
        I didn't ask really.
          I just kind of reached up and took them.
          I didn't find out if it was allowed.
          I didn't know I had to.
          They just looked so beautiful
          Shiny, suspended in a vast ocean of black.
          They burned my hands
          and their light pulled tears from my eyes
          They sizzled and whispered in my salty gaze 
          They looked so different. They were so painful.
          I held them to the naked sky and I showed it what I possessed. 
          The black sky mourned silently and stared down at me unblinking, free 
          of the diamond bullets that pierced it's smooth skin. I looked down 
          at them, cradled in my bleeding hands and their glow died gently in 
          my gaze. 
          I did not mean to kill them. 
          I threw them up into the air and the balmy night's arms swept them up 
          and hung them across its chest like medals. 
          And they shone brighter. 
        
        The Tale of Flame 
          the Dragon and Vero the Hero
        By Andrea, age 11, 
          Melbourne, Australia
         Once, long ago, 
          there was a dragon,
          He lived in Ping-Pong land, near a wagon.
          The dragon's name was Flame,
          And once he killed a beautiful dame. 
        
 One day a man came 
          to town,
          He came to take the dragon down.
          The towners gratefully cheered,
          But there were a few who laughed and jeered. 
        
 The man was prepared 
          with all he'd need,
          So surely he would succeed.
          The man set out on his quest,
          Leaving barely any time to rest. 
        
 When he neared 
          the treacherous monster,
          He decided to act like a gangster.
          The man prepared his weapons for a fight,
          Then he saw the dragon, oh what a sight! 
        
 The dragon wasn't 
          prepared for this man, 
          Poor old dragon had no plan.
          Dragon was surprised by this man's presence,
          Dragon was afraid of this man's vengeance. 
        
 The man became 
          a hero,
          Known by the name of Vero.
          Now happy is every dame,
          For they don't have to worry about Flame. 
        
        Castle
        By Venetia, age 
          15, London, UK
        I looked up at the 
          enormous castle in front of me and took a deep breath. The castle was 
          tall and wide and extremely imposing and the butterflies in my stomach 
          began to zip around at 90 m.p.h. I swallowed quickly and picked my suitcase 
          up. 
          'Come along Krista, we don't have all day, I need to be back in London 
          by this afternoon.' said my mother from behind me, prodding my back 
          slightly. 
          I sighed and began climbing the large stone steps. As I reached the 
          top step the large wooden door swung open and I peered into the darkness 
          before me.
          'Hello? Cooee, is anyone there?' called my mother into the abyss before 
          us. I groaned as I listened to her voice echo and reverberate around 
          the cavernous hall.
          'Good afternoon Mrs Braithwaite, so nice of you to come. How is young 
          Krista feeling after such a long journey?' came a booming voice out 
          of the darkness. Both my mother and I jumped and I dropped my suitcase 
          in shock.
          'Oh so much noise, so much noise!' said the voice. I could feel it moving 
          closer towards us and I squeezed up against my mother.
          'I'm not really used to all this noise, especially not after all these 
          years on my own. Never mind, never mind. Come in young Krista come in.' 
          said the voice. I could feel my mother recompose herself behind me and 
          for some reason this comforted me.
          'Yes go on Krista, thankyou...uh...Aunt Larissa. Bye bye darling and 
          i'll see you in two weeks. Thankyou again Aunt Larissa.' said mum as 
          she talked to the shadow in the darkness. I turned around to watch mother 
          scurry out of the castle and run as gracefully as possible down the 
          stairs and into the waiting car, which sped off as soon as the car door 
          was slammed. 
          I turned slowly so I was facing the large shadow who I knew was my estranged 
          Aunt Larissaa. My heart was thumping wildly in my chest and my throat 
          was as dry as the desert. 'Come closer Krista, come closer my child.' 
          said the voice. I moved slowly forward smelling the mustiness of the 
          figure. I could hear the heavy breathing of my aunt and my hands were 
          sweating with apprehension.
          'I have a small suprise for you Krista and it's one I think you will 
          like.' said the voice. I moved back slightly not wanting to be taken 
          TOO much by surprise.
          'What, what is the surprise?' I asked, my voice sounding tiny and wavery.
          'My surprise is this!' cried the voice and in a flurry of black and 
          red material the cloak fell away and standing in front of my was my 
          most favourite cousin smiling wildly at me.
          'Joanna! How on earth did you pull that off? I thought you were my estranged 
          aunt and not my favourite cousin!' I cried running forward and hugging 
          her tightly. Joanna laughed and hugged me just as hard.
          As we were hugging, I realised that I was going to have the best two 
          weeks of my life, spending it with my mischievous and hilariously funny 
          cousin - Joanna. 
        
        A Dream Come True 
          
        By Madiha, age 10, 
          5th Grade, Teague Elementary School, Pasedena, Texas 77504 [Harris County], 
          USA
         Ever since I can 
          remember I had wanted a dog. But because it was right after the great 
          depression it was hard because we lost a lot of money. I did not care 
          what kind, I just wanted one. But I did not really want a poodle. But 
          if that was what my folks can only afford I will take it. I waited seven 
          long years! Here is my story.
          The days were long in the Ozark mountains. The most I can remember was 
          sweat trickling down my forehead. I was the second oldest. My father 
          was the only male. Yes, I had only had sisters! It was hard. I still 
          had time for fun though! My favorite thing to do was swimming! My story 
          starts when I was eight.
          I was walking in the woods, my dress was old and faded. I had found 
          an quarter on the ground! I had bought a sack of candy! I was sucking 
          on the peppermints. Boy was it good! Then I stumbled across someone. 
          I was not sure who. But he looked like an unfamiliar face.
          " Hello, now what are you up to?" the man said in a accent. I was not 
          sure what to say, so I ran, and boy did I run! I ran into the house 
          and squealed to my father. He told me the man's name was Mr. Berg. His 
          name was odd!!" Is he our new German neighbor?!" exclaimed my mother.
          "Wow gossip gets around fast these days! Yes he is," my father said 
          half chuckling. 
          My mother made a sour face. The subject never ever really came up. I 
          found out that the Mr.Berg had bought a German dog called the German 
          Shepard to breed then sale!
          I helped a lot with Mr. Berg's dogs. I realized I really liked this 
          dog breed. The more I thought about it the more I realized that if I 
          ever got a dog ,I wanted a German Shepherd. I talked to my dad and he 
          said he wished he can help me, but Mr.Berg's dogs cost $100 each! I 
          then realized I must save my own money myself! I am still eight years 
          old in this part of the story but more mature.
          I worked hard for my money. I picked berries for awhile, but Mr.Berg 
          offered me the best job, helping take care of his dogs! I got paid $5 
          per week! I also did extra things. After one hard and long year I had 
          $100. I can remember counting it over and over to make sure it was not 
          a dream. Best of all it was not!! 
          When I went to Mr.Berg he started laughing." Well you are in luck, the 
          breed's value went down $50, you can buy two!"
          "No, I want only one dog," I said
          " Well, Male or Female?" he asked.
          I thought.
          " Male," I said.
          He showed me all the males. I picked him carefully. He was beautiful!! 
          He was tan and black. I decided to name him Max, I named him that because 
          my whole family thought I will be a boy, so they thought it will be 
          nice to be named after my father Max Colman. But when I turned out to 
          be a girl they named me Emily Colman.
          I then had to worry about my family.
          "Oh my! Emily you have your own dog!" my father exclaimed. To tell the 
          truth my family took it well. Max had a great life. But we moved to 
          the city when I was ten. We could not take Max. It was a sad day. I 
          gave him to Mr.Berg I never had another dog, even now that I am eighty 
          years old. But I will never forget the good times. I wish the good times 
          will come back. 
          The End 
        
 [This Story Is 
          Fiction] 
        
        Void 
        By Amber, age 14, 
          Austin, TX, United States
        Shadows swirling 
          at my feet,
          Endless faces I shall meet,
          Hopeless whispers fill my ears,
          And I hope they can endure my tears,
          Infinite ebony rising around me,
          Infinite hands reach for a key,
          Though I myself have no hope,
          They too cannot cope, 
        
 Tumbling through 
          the translucent black,
          Feebly trying to ignore the fingers clawing at my back,
          Sobbing for freedom, moaning for escape,
          But knowing all too well that no one will me, no one will let me out 
          of this shrouded cape,
          And why should they?
          For it was I who put myself here. 
        
 I who used the 
          knife to let the red rain fall,
          I who cursed and mumbled, "Damn it all!"
          My life was pitiful,
          Of so I thought.
          But this is worse.
          This neverending void is truly the Hell I've only had nightmares of 
          . . .
          So there are . . . 
        
 Shadows swirling 
          at my feet,
          Endless faces I shall meet,
          Hopeless whispers fill my ears,
          And I now see suddenly,
          With a crystal clarity,
          That I have no hope left,
          Tumbling through an endless . . .
          Void . . .
          The End 
        
        Homeless 
        By Christina, age 
          13, Year 8, School, England
        A young boy sitting 
          in the entrance of a door
          Begging for money, which he has no more
          Holes in his shirt, no warmth for his feet,
          Thinking of foods he cannot eat.
          People ignore him, as if he's not there.
          The poor boy thinks does anyone care.
          Beaten and driven, away from his home
          Now all he thinks is he's on his own.
          When a tall dark stranger comes into his sight.
          And offers him food and a bed for the night.
          The young lad grins and gladly goes
          But how many more will have icy cold toes 
        
        Dylan 
          the Angel
        By Erikah, age 12, 
          Greenwood Middle School, Houma, LA, USA
        One day a little 
          boy named Dylan was walking through a bushel of some gorgeous flowers 
          and I heard a little girl crying so he stopped and asked her what is 
          your name? And the frightened little girl replied "My name is Mindy, 
          what's yours? " My name is Dylan, Dylan LeBlanc. Well what a coincidence 
          that's my last name, WOW! So where do you live, you mean where did I 
          live. Well you see I had a brother and his name was Dylan but he passed 
          away. you don't think, no my mom and dad split up when we were only 
          2yrs. old and it's been 6 years and now my mom's decided she wanted 
          to move out of state, and its been hard enough to find a friend, and 
          I found one her name was Cassie man she was incredible but now that 
          we moved down here I have absolutely not a single friend. Well its time 
          for me to go but remember there's always angels. 
        
        The 
          Mystery of Palm Bay
        By Karley, age 10, 
          Snow Hill Elementary School, Ooltewah, TN, USA
        We all looked at 
          each other and started talking at once. Alley said, "We went swimming 
          in the boat! " Natasha said, "then we took a tour around the boat! "And 
          we even unpacked our clothes so we don't have to do it today! "said 
          alley. "What about you, Shelly. what did you think about the boat. "Oh, 
          I loved it! " It's wonderful! " Then dad said, " Why don't you go stand 
          out at the end of the boat. you should see some land soon. "
          We had all completely forgot that the boat ride would only last for 
          two days. 
          But, when we actually saw land, we were all glad. The island looked 
          looked BEAUTIFUL! ! ! ! But when we got on it, it was prettiest than 
          ever! But when we got off the boat, a person was with dad. "Who's this"? 
          the children wanted to know. "This is Lars. " He's going to show us 
          around. Once, he got shiprecked on the island. He was lost for three 
          day's. "What did you eat" I wanted to know. Oh, this island is full 
          of Stuff to eat. Especially bananas! 
          Then he said suddenely, do you want to take a tour around the island? 
          he asked the children.
          Sure! they all replied. 
          When they were half way through the tour, I found about a million palm 
          tree's. (I'm joking! ) But there were alot of them! So I said, we should 
          name this island Palm Island! Everyone agreed. Every now and then, I 
          would here something jiggling. But I didn't think anything of it until. 
          . . . . . . I saw something! 
          I would never tell my brother and sisters. I wouldn't dare. For I knew 
          that they would want to leave the island. But I followed it. I ran and 
          ran until I fell in a hole. 
          I was going to start screaming, when I saw someone. I asked him his 
          name. He said that it was Timmy. I asked Timmy where he had come from. 
          He said that his family had taken a vacation and his boat had sanken. 
          I asked if anyone of his family were alive. He said that he didn't know. 
          Where were you going next? He said San Francisco. And then I said that 
          my dad can see if they're still alive. But I told him that if they were 
          not, not to be disappointed. 
          But I told him to tell me if there was any way out of here. He showed 
          me the way and we told dad. He said that he'd do his best to find his 
          parents. Then we told Lars, and everybody else. 
          Pretty soon we saw the boat coming. We told the captain to take us to 
          San Francisco. But we didn't know it would happen so fast. When we got 
          to San Francisco, There was someone waiting there. It was his parents! 
          They were so happy to see him! I was glad that we found his parents, 
          and glad to be home. 
          THE END 
        
        Evil Urges
        By Louise, age 14, 
          Year 9, Bournside Senior School, Cheltenham, Gloucester, England. 
        It was a dark and 
          lonely night as Maria wandered home. She quickly brushed past the trees 
          standing in her way across the empty wood. What was that? She thought. 
          Nothing, she convinced herself. There it went again, now she was sure 
          she had heard something. It was a crunching sound like heavy feet on 
          tender twigs and leaves. She wasn't alone. 
          The once abandoned forest became full of shadows and noises surrounding 
          her. Her pace quickened. faster she went until she was running. 
          A misplaced rock stopped her in her tracks she nearly fell, nearly. 
          She had been to a party at her friends house and Michael had offered 
          her a lift home but she declined. How she wished she hadn't now. As 
          the tall trees seemed to close in around her and she suddenly felt so 
          alone until she saw the silhouette in the distance, but it wasn't that 
          distant now. 
          She closed her eyes in terror and held herself as she fell to the floor 
          in sheer panic. The footsteps came closer and closer until finally they 
          were beside her. Still with her eyes closed the mysterious body lent 
          over her and kissed her forehead. Maria's eyes shot open with shock, 
          Michael stood over her. 
          "It would have so much easier to have had my wicked way with you if 
          you would have gotten into my car you know? " He eyes seemed to glare 
          as if he wasn't joking. But he was. Wasn't he? 
          He sat beside her and held on to her arm tightly. Was he protecting 
          her or making sure she couldn't leave? Either way she wouldn't be able 
          to get rid of him. 
          "Oh Michael I'm so glad you're here now. I was so worried I thought 
          someone was following me. " Maria couldn't help the salty tears spilling 
          over and landing on her cheek with a thud. 
          "Oh I see. " Replied Michael. "Well I'm here now, I'll make sure that 
          no-one else hurts you. "
          No-one else Maria thought. Funny words to use. 
          Michael stood up and held out his hand for Maria she grabbed it. He 
          put his arm around her back and started walking her out of the woods. 
          
          Michael held the knife behind Maria's back, she was completely oblivious 
          to Michael's evil ways. For now. 
          I have a strange feeling she'll find out soon. . . 
        
        God
        By Shaunak, age 
          9 years, Don Bosco School, Dist. Hooghly (W. B.), India. 
        God, God, O my God, 
          
          You are the true one, you are the lord;
          You are one of many types, 
          You are the one who gives us delight. 
        
 You are one who 
          gives us punishment, 
          You are the one who gives us enjoyment;
          You are known as Rama and Krishna, 
          You are known as Buddha and Ganesha. 
        
 You made the sky 
          blue, 
          You made us wonderful too;
          You made the grass green, 
          You are never seen. 
        
 God, God, O my 
          God,
          You are the true one, you are the lord. 
        
        Jack Frost
        By Melanie, age 
          8, Year 3, St. Margarets C. E. School, Angmering, West Sussex, England
         Snow
          The snow falls crisply along the front lawn , 
          The snow is cold, frosty in your hand, 
          you freeze like old statue, 
          she folds her white blanket and covers it all over, 
          her hands are filled with silver crystals, 
          Ready to blow, crunching and dancing, 
          The trees are standing, decorating with icicles, 
          The snow freezes away. 
        
        The Story of Gaia 
          Sky
        By Nicki, age 12, 
          Indiana, USA
        Eight-year old Gaia 
          Sky pressed her nose against the windowpane. She looked across the ocean 
          shore and squinted. She could see Titep, the man-made island. Her mother 
          always told her about how they built the island in the year 2003. It 
          was built for the growing population of New Orleans. Other islands had 
          been made for New York and for a few more major coastline cities of 
          the US. Gaia slumped back onto the window seat and crossed her arms 
          in disgust. "Stupid place with too much concrete, " she mumbled. Gaia 
          closed her eyes and thought about her grandmother's woods. How the sweet 
          birds sang, and how the wolves howled and owls hooted at night. 
        
        
        The Invisible Cat
        By Koromon, age 
          10, Year 6, Paengaroa School, Paengaroa, New Zealand
        It was a dark spooky 
          night. 
          My cat Chester crept into the closet. 
          The next morning I opened the closet to find that Chester was dead! 
          ! ! 
          Then the next night, I heard a strange cat purr coming from the closet. 
          It was the invisble ghost of Chester! He was trying to haunt us. 
          I cried and prayed, and made sure he was all right in heaven. 
          I'll never forget Chester! ! ! 
        
        The Wolf
        By Emma, age 13, 
          Year 9, Lonfield Comprehensive School, Darlington, England
        The White Winds 
          Blow Hard, 
          The lone wolf dies, starved, frozen, 
          But The Pack Survives 
        
        Is this how it's 
          meant to be? 
        By Samantha, age 
          13, Rootyhill High School, Sydney, Australia
         On my way to school, 
          walking through puddles across the park, I wonder gaze around me "I'm 
          so lucky to be here, now, this minute. . . but am I meant to be here? 
          right now this minute? " As I kept on walking and looking around. . 
          . . 
          As a car passes me through the street, Was I meant to be hit by that 
          car? If I was, why am I standing here? 
          Was I meant to be walking these steps I'm walking? ? ? ? 
          I wondered if my life was the way its meant to be. . . 
          if I made the other choice would things be totally different? did I 
          make the right decisions through out my life? ? ? or if I had have chosen 
          the other decision would things in my life seem better? or would I end 
          up here either way I went? . Am I meant to be happy with things the 
          way they are? Was I meant to choose the right decision? 
          I kept on walking. . . . . . thinking, wondering and gazing. 
          Was I meant to go to school today and get harassed by all
          those annoying guys? or was I meant to turn back right now and forget 
          going to school? if I did. . . was I meant to do it? What would happen 
          if I did? 
          Life is full wondering and curiosity. . . the curiosity never ends. 
          . . . if I die on the spot right now. . . . was I meant to? 
          THE END 
          was I meant to enter this contest? will it change my life? 
          in what way and how? 
        
         Theres a Monster 
          at my Door
        By Kaylee, age 9, 
          Washington, USA
         "Mom, I don't want 
          to go to bed! "I yelled. "Honey, you need to get some sleep. Now, go 
          to bed Tyler! " My mom said. I shrugged as I walked up the stairs. I 
          got in bed. "I don't want to go to bed! " I mumbled. Then, I heard something 
          at my front door! "Maybe It's a monster! " 
          I whispered. Then I heard it again. I jumped out of my bed and got very 
          excited. "I'm going to catch the monster! " I whispered. I knew I couldn't 
          go out side so I thought a second of how I could capture this monster. 
          
          "I know! I'll leave a trail of food into my bedroom from downstairs. 
          "
          I snuck out my door, I made sure the light in my bedroom was off so 
          my parents wouldn't see that the light was on witch would probably mean 
          I was awake. I crept past my baby sisters room and then I came to my 
          parents room. I tiptoed as quietly as I could. Squek! ! I stepped on 
          my dogs chewtoy! ! I looked at my mom and dad, my dad turned over. . 
          . but he didn't wake up thank goodness! 
          I came to the stairway. I began to walk downstairs. I stepped over the 
          7th step down because it makes a loud creak when you step on it. 
          When I came to the kitchen I went strait for the frigerator. All I could 
          find was apples. But then I saw broccoli that my mom was planning to 
          use for dinner tomorrow. I grabbed that and moldy apples. I hate broccoli 
          and I didn't want to eat it! I got those and went back to my bedroom 
          leaving a trail.
          My plan was to lead this creature into my bedroom and then jump on it 
          with my blanket and tie him to the bed! I turned the light off and sat 
          in my bed in position. I heard the stair step creak, that told me something 
          was there, the squeaky toy, it was at my door, I leaned forward. 
          Then I saw its foot I jumped! I strangled it then tied it to the bed. 
          I never really saw what it looked like it was so dark. I got off the 
          floor and ran into my parents room yelling, "I caught a monster! I caught 
          a monster! "
          What my parents said as they followed me into my bedroom. I got ready 
          to pull the sheet off the monster. My dad turned on the light. I pulled 
          the sheet off of it. . . . It was my dog! 
          "My dog? " I said. 
          "You call that a monster? " my dad asked. "Honey, what did I tell you 
          about going to bed? " 
          "I'm sorry mom, it's just that I heard a noise and I wanted to. . . 
          ok, I should've went to bed. " I sighed. 
          "Now go to bed. " said my mom. "And tonight you can sleep with your 
          dog. " 
          I nodded and patted my dog on the head and went to sleep. 
          " There are monsters though! " I whispered to my dog. 
        
        Marcus of Rome
        By Jonathan, age 
          10, Year 6, All Saints Junior School, Matlock, UK
         " Now you do understand 
          that I will only be away for a day or two I just have to go to Gaul, 
          "
          " Yes, I do understand father but I will miss you, "
          " I know but there is a show on tomorrow at the Colosseum and a Chariot 
          race at the Hippodrome. " 
        
 I am Marcus Agrippa 
          Aurellious son of Vespasian Emperor of all Rome. I live in the grandest 
          villa in the empire and the villa itself is set in the most magnificent 
          city of all time. ROME! I am part of the Senate of Rome and I wear a 
          toga just like everyone else in the city. Emperor Vespasian has left 
          on a trip to Gaul to see that the Ninth legion do what they are supposed 
          to do; attack Britannia, and has left me in charge of Rome. 
        
        
        How to go back 
          in time
        By Krystin , age 
          10, Notre Dame De Sion School, 
         I want to know 
          I want to find out
          What the past was like , what it was about 
          I want to see what the past people see 
          When my Gramma was a baby and know the way she used to be 
          I'm going to help the people you died in the past 
          And when I come back home my memories will last 
        
        I Know It Would 
          Be Back Another Day
        By Jonesha, age 
          11, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
         A colorful horse 
          has run away
          I don't worry because I know it would be back another day
          I asked my mother could I go and look for it 
          What do you think she said? It will be back another day
          The next day I went to look for the horse 
          I didn't find it but I didn't worry because I know it will be back another 
          day. 
        
        All Alone
        By Jana, age 11, 
          Grade 6, L. J Alleman School, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
         I am all alone, 
          no one to talk to, no one to call. The world is dead. I am a survivor 
          from an Astroid, I do suppose there are other survivors but they are 
          to far. I don't have anything to do in the day. So I run from place 
          to place trying to find someone. I don't use maps so I haven't any idea 
          where I am going. When the Astroid came down it was so fast, but painful. 
          It is painful to watch your family die, screaming for help and you not 
          helping. I prayed that day, prayed for help.
          My cuts are fatal which I am glad for. I want to die instead of being 
          alone. I am not running now I am walking. I see an old grocery store 
          and go inside to look for food that has not been tampered with. In the 
          store I find some peanuts, tomatoes, and a gallon of bottled water. 
          I collect them and find a corner to sit in.
          As I am sitting down I see a piece of paper, it had writing on it but 
          I could not read because I had lost some of my memory when the astroid 
          came. I stuffed the paper in my pocket and was enjoying the food, though 
          I did not have even a grin on my face. After the food I saw a door in 
          the back I decided to leave it alone I could not be curious at a time 
          like this. 
          The door fell off when I opened it. As I run I look to my left to find 
          some houses still on fire, but not big fires just embers. I look at 
          my gallon of water I took along with me so I put the embers out. I did 
          not feel like running so I walked as slow as possible and thought how 
          many days it had been since the accident happened although I knew I 
          would never find out but it wont hurt to try to remember. 
          By the time I had reached some shelter it was night but I did not have 
          the moon to light up the streets because the astroid destroyed that 
          too. I walked inside the house I found to sleep in and I saw that the 
          people that had lived there was about to have a dinner because it was 
          all set up for one, but I could not take the food because I did not 
          want to ruin their dinner. 
          I could not go to sleep that night, but I found myself in the morning 
          in a beautiful place with gold doors and a sunshine window.
          Then a man walked in and said, "How was your sleep? "
          "Who are you? "I said.
          "I am the man of your dreams, I saved you from the astroid and now I 
          will keep you here and marry you. "
          "What is my name? " 
          "Why Nadia you cannot remember your own name! " 
          "No. . . I don't remember anything but, I will say yes. " "
          Yes to what? " 
          "I will marry you. "
          "Yes. . I know. " 
          The end
        
        A Hike That was 
          More Exciting Than Expected. . . 
        By Amanda, 10, New 
          Hope Christian School, South Bend, Indiana, USA
         CHAPTER 1: Exciting 
          Preparation 
        
Jeremy Sanders stuffed 
          a flashlight and fresh batteries into his backpack. He could hardly 
          contain his excitement. The next day, he and his family were going to 
          go hiking in the mountains! It was going to be a wonderful experience! 
          
          Jeremy stood up and ran to the kitchen. "Mom, " he said breathlessly. 
          
          Mrs. Sanders smiled. "Yes, dear? " 
          "Are you going to pack our food, or are we responsible for bringing 
          our own things to eat? " he asked. 
          "Don't worry, dear. The food is up to me. But don't forget, you promised 
          Dad you'd help him with the tents, and other camping accessories, " 
          Mrs. Sanders replied. 
          "I know, " Jeremy said. "I won't forget. Thanks. " He ran back to his 
          room and pulled all of his socks out of their drawer. 
          Just then, his sister Jenny appeared in the doorway. "Jeremy. . . " 
          she began. 
          He looked up. 
          ". . . Should I bring a flashlight? " she asked. 
          He laughed at her innocence. Jenny was only six. "Yes, Jenny, a flashlight 
          is necessary on a hike, " he answered. 
          Jenny disappeared. Jeremy grabbed a pack of matches. He knew the hike 
          would be a big adventure, but he had no idea how big it really would 
          be. . . 
        
        
        Mizz (magazine 
          poem)
        By Ashleigh, Age 
          11, Al Kubairat British School, South Wales (England)
        My mizz is the best, 
          
          the world's ever seen, 
          from fashion to beauty, 
          everything for a teen. 
        
 all other mags 
          just really bite, 
          spooky gives me quite a fright! 
          Craig David and Beckham make me drool, 
          cringe and hair tips are so cool. 
        
 hot gossip I need 
          to know, 
          S club on tv - what a show! 
          it is packed with game reviews, 
          full to the brim with soap news
        
        Aphrodite
        By Emily, age 7, 
          Year 2, Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette, CO, USA
         There once was 
          Aphrodite
          who was fine and mighty. 
          She came from the sea
          and said, "Please kiss me. "
          Then Ares said, "That'd delight me. "
        
         Kenning (Puzzle 
          Poem)
        By Chloe, age 10, 
          Year 6, St Mary's CEVA Primary School, Kettering, Northants., UK 
        A House-cleaner
          A Good-cooker
          A Child-lover
          A Loud-shouter
          A Food-sharer
          A Loving-carer
          A Clothes-buyer
          A Cuddle-provider
          
        
 
        
 Answer: Mum 
        
         Kenning (Puzzle 
          Poem)
        By Benn, age 10, 
          Year 6, St Mary's CEVA Primary School, Kettering, Northants, UK 
        A Ball-catcher
          A Loud-barker
          A Food-eater
          A Fast-runner
          A Good-hearer
          A Brilliant-smeller
          A Toy-destroyer
          A Bone-lover
          
        
 
        
 Answer: dog 
        
        The Disappearing 
          People
        By Devin, age 10, 
          Gilbertville Mount Upton Central School, Otego, NY, USA
         Hi my name is Scott. 
          I go to Lvington High School and in 8th grade. Yesterday something very 
          weird happened. It all started when my friend Rob and I got to school. 
          Rob had forgotten to do his homework.
          Our teacher Mr. Luke got very mad. He got so mad he assigned a 10000 
          word essay. 
          Jon the nerd of the class jumped up and started cheering until Mr. Luke 
          said it was due the next day. Derek the bully of the class got up and 
          picked Jon up. Then he threw him into Mr. Luke. Everyone started cheering 
          and saying no more brownnoser. Mr. Luke got really mad and sent Derek 
          to the office. That's when it all started. 
          The lights flashed like lightning striking. Then all of a sudden we 
          heard the doors lock. Then the lights just went out. Everyone was panicking. 
          When the lights went back on we saw that Mr. Luke was missing. We looked 
          all over but all we could find was blood and a dagger. Everyone was 
          really scared because there was no way out of the classroom. All the 
          doors were locked and the windows seemed to have been glued. Then the 
          lights flashed again. Then the lights went off. 
          When the lights were back on Rob was missing. The door was unlocked. 
          There was no-one else in the school they were missing. We decided we 
          better get out but the main doors were locked. When we got back to our 
          classroom there was a note. This is what it said. 
        
 Dear people who 
          have escaped, 
          Your friends are alive but you will not see them unless you run down 
          the hall and scream my name. 
          from 
          The Kidnapper 
        
 All of a sudden 
          the lights flashed. Then they went off. When the went back on Jon was 
          missing. Luckly Mr. Luke had taught us how to solve a crime. We all 
          took the people that were kidnapped and came to a conclusion. 
          Mr. Luke was taken first then Rob then Jon. Mr. Luke was mad at Rob 
          because he did not do his homework and he was mad at Jon because he 
          liked the extra homework. 
          I ran down the hall and screamed "Mr. Luke I know it's you." 
          Mr Luke came out with everyone else. He took away all of our homework. 
          I guess the day wasn't bad at the end anyway that's what happened. By 
          the way Mr. Luke gave me $1000 so I wouldn't tell the police what he 
          did. 
        
        The little girl
        By Ritika, age 5, 
          Nuneaton, Warks., UK
        There was a little 
          girl
          With a lovely little curl
          Once she met a boy
          Who said to her 'Ahoy! '
          Marry me little girl
          First, give me a pearl 
        
        He Got Lucky
        By Sarah, age 10, 
          Braintree, Essex, UK
        He creeps out at 
          night , ready for the fight , it's not at all light so his sights not 
          too good. 
          He slinks into the the starry night sky, ready to say good bye to the 
          rabbit, to the rabbit who's sights not too good 'cos its not at all 
          light. 
          He takes one step forward, two, three, four "hey mr rabbit are you sure? 
          "
          "i'm sure"
          He takes five, six, seven, eight "it's not too late to quit you know"
          "i know"
          "nine"
          He gets ready for the chase that goes on forever, never, never, he says 
          to himself am I gonna do this again. 
          "ten"
          But the fight , never happened for the fox, no, no, for the rabbit , 
          as I said , got lucky, he was quick, got lucky. 
          But what will become of him next time? 
        
        My surprise
        By Katie, age 11, 
          Balfron High School, Port Of Mentieth
         My Surprise. . 
          . . . . . . It all started out on a boring Wednesday night, when I was 
          sitting in front of the blazing fire, feeling contented and exhausted, 
          when my younger brother, William, was sleeping in his bed, snug and 
          warm, when it had just turned eight o' clock and the tower clock was 
          chiming. . . . . . 
          Outside the tower clock, two figures were having an argument. " I've 
          told ya', Ben, There ain't no more cats to set loose, we can't do it, 
          forget it, I'm out! " Said the dwarf-like figure, walking away from 
          the tall sturdy figure. " All right then, goodbye Jimmy. . . . . . I'll 
          get you one day! " Shouted the sturdy figure. . . . . . . . . Thursday 
          morning. I got up and dressed for school and I thought everything was 
          normal. As I walked to the bus stop, I saw all my friends and I saw 
          a new kid. He was small and looked younger than the rest of us. " Hiya! 
          What's your name? Why are you here?" asked my little brother. " My name's 
          Andy, I live in Stirling and I'm catching the bus to my new school. 
          " and with that, Andy walked away. 
          The bus journey, as always, was boring. Rubber bands were flying everywhere, 
          paper clips were in the curtains and there was a lot of noise from the 
          teenagers. The boy, Andy, was sitting in his seat looking out of the 
          window. 
          I walked over to him. " Who are you?" I asked. " If you must know, My 
          dad lost his job, he was an RSPCA scout and I ended up staying with 
          my gran 'till he gets a new job. " 
          I went back to my seat and thought. The two figures, the cats, it all 
          made sense! I felt stupid for worrying! what a surprise! 
        
        The visit to Heaven 
          
        By Harsh, age 9, 
          Dazhong Primary School, SINGAPORE
         The visit to Heaven 
          
          An Indian folktale from India 
          Retold by Harsh 
        
 Birbal was the 
          Minister of Akbar the King. He was a pretty smart fellow I guess! The 
          barber of King Akbar was the bad guy. He wanted Birbal to die. He had 
          a plan. He told King Akbar, " wonder if your ancestors are fine. We 
          will have to send someone like Birbal to Heaven to find out";. The King 
          knew that Birbal would be clever enough to find a way to escape so he 
          said to Birbal the news. Birbal dug an underground passageway from his 
          house to a pine tree. He next day he will lye under a haystack near 
          the pine tree. The haystack will be burnt and Birbal will be sent to 
          Heaven. On the day Birbal crept under the haystack and went to his house 
          by the underground tunnel. When he reached home he thought of a plan 
          to punish the barber. He went to King Akbar the next day and said, "Dear 
          King Akbar, I'm back from Heaven. I just noticed that the people there 
          have long hair and need a barber. Let us send him". He said his last 
          word pointing to the barber. 
        
        Things 
          That Go Bump In The Night
        By Ric, age 13, 
          UK 
         The old man sat 
          comfortably in his ragged, faded armchair. Out of his mouth hung a pipe, 
          which he smoked with comfort and passion. 
          His dog, the only company he had, ran up to him. Out of his mouth hung 
          a newspaper. The man took it from the dog's mouth. 
          'Thanks, old boy, ' said the man, smiling at his friendly and loyal 
          dog. The dog stuck out his wet tongue and wagged his tail vigorously. 
          
          It was early evening. He planned to scan through the newspaper, perhaps 
          do the crossword, and then pop along to his local for a pint or two. 
          
        
 ***** 
          Half an hour or so later, after completing the crossword, the man put 
          down the paper of the coffee table. He held onto the arms of his chair 
          and slowly stood up. 
          For the past couple of years, he had suffered with arthritis. Now he 
          struggled at simple movements like turning his head. Standing up had 
          become quite a major operation for him. 
          He groaned as he stood up and took a minute to straighten himself up. 
          Off to the pub! 
        
 ***** 
          He eventually reached the pub, after carefully locking up, and then 
          he had begun his slow walk. 
          There were a few people in the pub that he knew. He nodded at them and 
          ordered a drink. 
        
 ***** 
          At about 10pm, he was ready to go home. He said goodbye to those he 
          knew and left the pub. He did not see a soul on his way home and he 
          was soon at his front door. He unlocked the door. He went in. He stopped, 
          sharp, as if he had just walked into a stone wall. 
          'Was that a noise he had heard in the kitchen? Was there somebody in 
          his house?' he thought to himself, nervously. 
          No, surely not. Collin, his dog, would be barking the place down. Come 
          to think of it - where was Collin? He whistled. No Collin came. 
          The old man was puzzled and a bit frightened. 
          He shut the door and walked boldly into the kitchen. He wasn't scared! 
          It was his house! The old man couldn't see anyone in the kitchen. Then, 
          suddenly, out of nowhere, rushed Collin. He seemed to have entered for 
          behind him. The dog was happy and was wagging his tail. 
          As usual, the old man began to make a fuss of him. But the old man was 
          still puzzled. Why hadn't Collin come to him when he had whistled? What 
          was the bang in the kitchen? It can't have been Collin because Collin 
          came from behind him. Perhaps it was his imagination. Perhaps he was 
          just being paranoid. 
          Even so, the man was not satisfied. He felt very uncomfortable. He went 
          cautiously into his sitting room. Perhaps that was where his dog had 
          come from. Nobody there. He went around the house to check that nobody 
          was there. But he was wrong! He hadn't checked quite everywhere! 
        
 ***** 
          The man now seemed satisfied. He got his dog some food and petted him 
          for a while. After about an hour had past, he went to lock both the 
          doors and went to bed. 
        
 ***** 
          The man slept soundly. The clock at the side of him ticked by. 
          Suddenly, the old man awoke from his sleep. He was not sure what had 
          awoken him. He looked at the clock at the side of him. The red digits 
          told him that it was 12.52. 
          The man listened hard, trying to hear if there was any particular noise 
          that had awoken him. He remembered what he had heard earlier. Maybe 
          he was just a bit jumpy. 
          He looked across his bed. Collin was sleeping soundly. If there had 
          been a noise Collin would have awoken as he had very sensitive hearing. 
          
          The man decided to go back to sleep. 
        
 ***** 
          The next morning, the old man awoke at 8. 32. He slowly got out of bed, 
          groaning as he did so. 
          He grabbed his dressing gown, caped it over him and went downstairs. 
          The place was a mess. The man had been burgled. 
          There were things all over, things that the burglar didn't want that 
          is. Cups, plates, cushions, curtains, the burglars had done a lot of 
          damage. 
          The man was really upset. Not just about the fact that he had been burgled, 
          but the fact that Collin, his loyal dog, had not sensed what was happening. 
          
          Where was Collin? 
          The old man looked around. He whistled. Where was Collin? 
          The man turned around and climbed back up the stairs. He entered his 
          room and looked on his bed. His dog was still sound asleep. 
          The man, very puzzled, walked over to the dog. He tried to wake it up. 
          He couldn't. The dog was in a deep sleep. The dog had been poisoned. 
          
        
 ***** 
          By now the man felt like crying. He remembered the bang in the kitchen. 
          That must have been the man. He must have given his dog some poisoned 
          meat. No wonder the dog seemed happy - he had just had some meat! 
          But how did the man get in? 
          The man remembered how he had locked the back door as well as the front 
          before he had gone to bed. The back door must have been unlocked when 
          he was at the pub. The man was half-angry and half-upset. It was his 
          fault! 
        
 ***** 
          After a few days he had got thing sorted out. 
          He had taken the dog to the vets and the vet had confirmed the dog had 
          been drugged. 
          The police were still hunting for the man, or men. 
          The old man had moved into a home. The dog had gone with him. The man 
          still loved his dog very much, and still believed that the dog was very 
          loyal. The blame still hung over the man. He had left open the door; 
          he had invited the men in. 
        
        Dolphins
        By Callie, age 9, 
          Winfield Elementary School, Putnam, WV, USA
         Once upon a time 
          there lived a wonderful dolphin. The people that lived in the cove thought 
          that the dolphin was the greatest thing they have ever seen. It was 
          big and beautiful and magical. All the people soon became to love and 
          honor it all day and all night.
          One time this little girl came to the end of the dock and started to 
          talk to the dolphin about her problem. She said "Dolphin could you help 
          me find my fish. My mommy told me it had went into the ocean a couple 
          of years ago. Do you think you could find him for me?" Then the dolphin 
          started to swim away.
          The next day the girl came back to the dock and the dolphin was not 
          there. There was no sigh of the dolphin for a least a couple of weeks. 
          The little girl was really upset because the dolphin said he would bring 
          back the fish. A month went by and the little girl came back to the 
          dock the dolphin was there and a couple other dolphins were there to 
          with him.
          The dolphin said something magical," these dolphins are the fish that 
          your mom said were in the ocean. That was really magic thought the little 
          girl." Then the little girl left and never came back to the dock again. 
          She was so happy and excited that she brought all the fish in the world 
          and put them in the ocean.
          The dolphins lived for hundreds of years and that's where the dolphins 
          come from she thought. 
          THE END 
        
        Poisonous Dwarf
        By Holly, age 17, 
          Sheffield, South Yorkshire
         I can't escape 
          from her. She follows me and watches me, waiting to sink her pearly 
          white teeth into my flesh and insert her fatal venom. 
          I believe that she is pure evil, a little demon hidden by a sweet shell. 
          Inside her mind is sinister and vicious thoughts waiting to be put into 
          action. It's suicidal to think of the poisonous dwarf's contemplations 
          of what cunning and tragic things she can do next. 
          Some people may call me obsessive but then no one on this whole earth 
          knows her as well as me. I know when she is thinking of hurting me or 
          someone else. I try to give warning, believe me I do. But people are 
          deaf as well as blind. 
          The smirk and the eyes lighting up when she sees me downhearted are 
          enough to make me want to gouge out her empty, cold eyes and slash her 
          impish looking face with a hard, leather whip. I want to see her squirm 
          in the shadows ashamed of what she has done. But it will never happen 
          in this cruel world as she is protected by her innocent looking features. 
          
          She has put a ceaseless storm in my weary head. I keep wishing it will 
          die away, but it won't. I keep wishing she will die away, but she won't. 
          For she will go on torturing my life, shredding it to pieces, untill 
          it is my time of rest, then I will find my escape from her, forever. 
          . . 
        
        Sight
        By Em, age 12, Christleton 
          High School, Chester, UK
        My world is not 
          happy but yet not sad, 
          As I can live without seeing bad, 
          Or of course sadness and war, 
          But I long to find out what life is for. 
          I touch the people as I go, 
          Before people help I ask friend or foe, 
          As I feel I can't trust anyone, 
          The Sun in my life has forever gone. 
          I miss the colours of the leaves, 
          But I still feel the bitter breeze, 
          With body language I do not see,
          You express your love to me. 
          I do not see the smiles on faces, 
          I use my hands to see round places. 
          But one thing I will never know, 
          Is how you look, or how you've grown. 
          I'll tell you something that is right, 
          The world is worthless without sight.
        
        I Am
        By Michal, age 10, 
          Jefferson School, Spokane, WA USA
        I Am 
          I am adventurous and wondrous 
          I wonder what I was like as a baby
          I hear God's voice around me 
          I see the grand canyon's sunset
          I want peace for this earth 
          I am adventurous and wondrous 
        
 I pretend to be 
          a hero and known 
          I feel the light touch of an angel 
          I touch the silk of a fairy wing 
          I worry for Jim who has cancer
          I cry for the poor and mistreated 
          I am adventurous and wondrous 
        
 I understand that 
          I am loved 
          I say, "I am myself" 
          I dream my parents are back together 
          I try to do my best 
          I hope to have kids when I am grown 
          I am adventurous and wondrous
        
        Material possessions
        By Laura, age 16, 
          West Sussex, England. 
        ''Oh no!'' Shouted 
          Coney in the stillness of the night. She woke Jack, and he yapped away 
          at the stranger he should have noticed from the start. The stranger 
          fled. I saw the TV wire trailing from the window, then vanishing away, 
          as I stood at the bottom of the stairs. That TV was new. It had just 
          been stolen. I would have thought, in this situation, about how mad 
          Dad would be if he found out. Coney hadn't woken him yet. She was too 
          scared to get out of bed. But I had a feeling that Dad already knew. 
          He wasn't in bed. He was out in the dark, with only a TV for company. 
          
          Now, what would Dad want to steal his own TV for, you may be thinking. 
          The answer is this: Dad is addicted. Dad LOVES television. ''More than 
          me!'' Mum had cried when she divorced him. And then she banned him from 
          ever watching T. V in our house again. Dad now lived at two houses. 
          Ours, and his girlfriend's. Mum couldn't let him go completely, you 
          see. Maybe the TV at his second house was broken, and so he HAD to take 
          our one. I don't know. I just knew it was him. 
          So morning the next day, while Mum was at the table chewing sadly on 
          a piece of soggy toast, I walked on over to 32 Crowncourt Road. Dad 
          was there, Watching our TV I saw him through the window. He was laughing. 
          I frowned. The television wasn't even turned on. That was when I finally 
          realized that Dad was officially bonkers. I turned to leave when his 
          tarty girlfriend grabbed my shoulder. '
          'You HAVE to do something!'' she said desperately. 
          ''No I don't'' I said, and turned to go again.
          ''I'll give you anything you want, just get your stupid father away 
          from that stupid set!''
          I thought about it. ''OK. I'll get Dad out of the house'' I said craftily.
          She looked at me horribly through her this-is-me-trying-to-look-sophisticated 
          glasses. I HATE her. 
          I tied rope around Dad's middle. He was still staring at the blank screen 
          when I yanked and pulled and tugged at the rope with all my might. He 
          fell off the sofa. Head first. There came a 'tut' from girlfriend, leaning 
          in the doorway. I pulled Dad by the rope out of the room and into the 
          street. He didn't seem to comprehend what was going on. His knees and 
          forehead still in contact with the ground, he grunted. I left him. 
          I got an angry call from girlfriend yesterday. Apparently, she couldn't 
          get father to move away from his sitting position in the middle of the 
          street, in Crowncourt Road. He had a perfect view of the Jones's TV 
          from there, if he squinted through the shafts of light on their window. 
          I laughed. I had what I was out to get. Even after everything, Girlfriend 
          kept our deal and gave me the anything I wanted. The anything, was a 
          brand new telephone. It was now sitting in my room. The night Dad stole 
          our T. V, I was at the bottom of the stairs making a phone call. In 
          fact, I'm always making phone calls. I'm addicted to telephones, you 
          see. 
        
        Numbered Days
        By Andre, age 12, 
          William A. Morris Intermediate School, Staten Island, New York, USA
        It is Autumn time. 
          The time of life and the time of death. I have lived as an oak leaf 
          on this oak tree in this forest for as long as I can remember. There 
          are very few of us left from this old oak tree, but soon we shall all 
          die and our children will continue to live on in this old forest. I 
          am old. I can my skin beginning to crack and turn the brown color of 
          death. I have never thought of how I was going to die or when it was 
          going to happen until now. No more shall I feel the nourishment of the 
          roots of this strong tree or see the clear blue sky on a summer afternoon 
          or hear the soft song of the birds on a spring day. My life is no more. 
          I have served my purpose to the world or what few parts of it I have 
          seen. But through it all I can't say my life was useless. Once I let 
          a bird borrow a piece of me to help build it's nest. That birds children 
          still sing their innocent song in this tree. Maybe this isn't such a 
          bad time after all. I can think of it as I've left behind. But then 
          again I don't want to leave. But that is the way of the world. My days 
          are numbered. I shall die afraid and alone. 
        
        The Rain
        By Lauren, age 10, 
          Seattle, Washington, USA
        Tapping on the rooftops 
          
          the drops of coldness glow 
          and as they gently whisper 
          they begin their show. 
          AS they dance on soggy branches, 
          they begin to grow. 
          So lazy they play 
          because there is no fee to pay 
          on this anti-summer day 
          and lazy they will stay. 
          They drip off children's faces 
          at many different paces 
          and as the wind chases 
          they leave back little traces 
          of where they were 
          because they are very sure. 
          The rain 
          it's anything but pain 
          it is not insane 
          nor as sweet as a sugar cane 
        
        A New Day
        By Cori 
        
The wind blows softly 
          through the little room, 
          The child's eyes flutter in waking, 
          As if pushed by a new straw broom,
          A new day in the making. 
        
 The sun is rising, 
          bringing day, 
          Has done so since days of yore, 
          Nothing makes the world so gay, 
          As the days the sun has bore. 
        
 The sun climbs 
          slowly, 
          Tinting the clouds, 
          Floating with seeming lightness, 
          Fog surrounds it with misty shrouds, 
          As it gains its brightness. 
        
        The Date
        By Molly, age 11, 
          USA 
        
As I woke up, I 
          knew something bad was bound to happen. Then immediately, I knew, my 
          brother had a date! At our house. 
          Aaaaaaah!! The shower! The Aftershave! The suit! Aaaaaaaaah!!!! Help!!! 
          Murder! Police! My mom will be running around, cleaning the house, making 
          the dinner, and making me help. I will probably have to serve them dinner 
          and the gooey blueberry pie dessert, which I love. But after that, the 
          worse part ever will come. The dress!!!!! It has purple velvet, white 
          lace, and the worse part of the whole outfit is the white pantyhose! 
          Aaaaaaaaah!!! Then the shoes. Black patent leather dress shoes with 
          a one- inch heel and a gold buckle. Aaaaaaaaa!!!!! Torture, big time!!! 
          Why me? Take someone else! Please!!!
          Then something good happened. My mom called me. "Deirdre, come down 
          here, now. I need to talk to you about Michael. (Michael is my brother 
          who is having the date. ) Hurry up!!"
          As I walked down the stairs, I crossed my fingers wishing that the horrible 
          experience was canceled. Then I wouldn't have to wear the dress, shoes, 
          anything that might impress his girlfriend, Alicia. I hoped and hoped 
          that my fantasy of having no date this week would come true. 
          "Deirdre, do you think you could have taken any longer? Well, anyway, 
          Michael decided that he is taking Alicia to the new movie she has been 
          talking about. I'm sorry. I know how much you liked her and wanted to 
          see her. " 
          Man, if only she knew. That is the best thing that ever happened to 
          me. As I hung my head, I said "I hope she will come over some other 
          time. She was going to help with my math homework. I am going back to 
          bed. " 
          So I was saved for this week. Next week, another girl will probably 
          torture us, one named Charlotte, hopefully. 
        
        Poem: One of love's 
          games 
        By Laura, age 16, 
          West Sussex, England. 
        I flopped onto the 
          bed, my heart hurting, 
          gasping for breath. 
          Sinking lower into the deeps of my body, 
          then exploding in my ears, blood pouring into my ribcage. Lungs. Stomach. 
          
        
 I am drowning. 
          
        
 A tormented soul 
          lay twisted and shard in so many places, it was just holding on. 
          A black space of nothingness passes through my brain, sparkles horribly 
          in my tears.
          I've not felt this before. 
          
        
 Then empty. 
        
 That's all that 
          describes this. 
          Room for let, 
          A little wet. 
          Splintered heart left by last owner. 
          But no more. It's not a game. 
        
 I shall not love 
          again. 
        
        Two Planets
        By Joseph, age 7, 
          Year 3, St. John's Preparatory School, Barnet, UK
        Freezing blue puny 
          Pluto, 
          Racing round the Sun. 
          Pluto is a speedy freak, 
          He loves to race and run.
          Silly soundless Saturn, 
          Has rings of rocks that form a pattern. 
          The rings look like they've been flattened. 
          You wouldn't believe it but Saturn has a hat on!
        
        imagine
        By Sarah, age 12, 
          Carlton le Willows School, Netherfield, Nottingham, UK
         imagine. . . 
          A waterfall of chocolate running down stream, 
          A jungle of fear hiding in the bushes, 
          A school of doctors jumping to the rescue, 
          A globe of fun to do all day long, 
          A universe of ideas waiting to be set free. 
         imagine. . . 
          A mountain of ice-cream going down my stomach, 
          A circus of children messing up the classroom, 
          A book of stars floating above our heads, 
          A galaxy of people on Earth, 
          A blanket of flowers just for everyone. 
        
        a song about the 
          wrong
        By Hazel, age 14, 
          London, UK
        It was a warm evening, 
          
          a July night, 
          When all the world
          was sleeping tight. 
          I sat beneath the stars, 
          with dreamy thoughts of flight to mars, 
          and strummed until my fingers bled. 
          The cold white moon smiled above my head. 
        
 This is a song 
          about the wrong, 
          this is how it is;
          A wondering dream and a thousand sighs, 
          And dying stars in ancient skies. 
        
 It was a warm evening, 
          a July night, 
          The trees whispered in kissed delight. 
          Oh what a night. 
          Oh what a song. 
          I could have played
          all night long. 
        
 This is a song 
          about the wrong. 
          This is how it is;
          a falling tear under a thousand skies, 
          Under dying stars in ancient skies. 
        
 What a feeling, 
          
          what a crime, 
          what a precious part of time. 
          A warm evening, 
          In a July night, 
          When my fingers played for the sky's delight. 
        
         
        
The battle of the 
          turtle and the gerbil
        By Holly, age 10, 
          Northwestern Middle School, West Salem, Ohio, United States
         Today I got a gerbil. 
          And before I had a turtle that lived in an aquarium and now he has another 
          aquarium beside him with stuff for a gerbil in it. When I got home I 
          let the turtle and the gerbil down in the floor. I went outside for 
          a second and all of the sudden my turtle picked up a rock and threw 
          it at my gerbil. Then my gerbil picked it up and threw it back at my 
          turtle. My turtle held up a short, stubby, sharp pencil and said let 
          the war begin! Then my gerbil said but I have no weapons. My turtle 
          said weapon or not I am going to start the war. 
          Then I came in from outside and I was spying on them. Then I heard my 
          turtle say you're dead now you stupid gerbil! I looked to see if he 
          was and he wasn't. I saw that I had a problem with letting them out 
          of the aquariums together. I ran to tell my mom as fast as I could. 
          I told her they were fighting. She didn't believe me. I told her to 
          come and look but she said she was too busy. 
          The next day my mom told me that I had to sell my turtle for $10:00. 
          And that I could keep the money since it was my turtle. I sold my turtle 
          to an old lady. Now everything is back to normal. See you in my next 
          crazy adventure. Buh-bye! 
        
        The skull of Elvis 
          Presley! ! ! ! ! ! ! 
        By Mpumelelo, age 
          12, Bindura Primary School, Bindura, Zimbabwe
        A gloomy morning 
          it was. The skull found in our school back yard had been taken away 
          by the ZRP. Childeren from the school said it was ELVIS PRESLEY'S ghoust 
          which brought the skull back to earth. Thoughts rose: was it true that 
          the King was back and was it for good? All we could do was wait, but 
          me and my friends did not wait. If it was true that the American singer 
          was back and was in Zimbabwe, we had to investigate. We used my computer 
          to get the news on this case. 
        
 Then one day something 
          happened that made me feel that we had been tricked. It was true we 
          had been tricked. A 13 year old boy had used his computer to make the 
          cops think it was Elvis and I knew who this advanced dude was. It was 
          the ZRP captain's kid & I had just the right dirt to put him down. 
        
         
        
The look that made 
          the difference
        By Jeremy, age 16, 
          Lewisville High School, Lewisville, Texas, USA
         I saw him sitting 
          alone at the round food court table as he slowly ate his turkey sandwich. 
          
          He must have weighed 300 pounds easily and with the way his body hung 
          over the small chair it made him look twenty pounds heavier. 
          As the obese man sat alone he looked larger then life with his gigantic 
          t-shirt and his huge blue jeans, and everyone around him knew it. 
          I happened to be walking by at the time when the four teenagers were 
          and I saw everything. 
          It all started with a little look over their shoulders at the middle-aged 
          man, then as quickly as it happened it turned into the cruelest joke 
          I've ever seen. 
          The words they said would have brought a tear to an average person's 
          eye, but to a man who has put up with jokes and looks his whole life 
          it just brought a look of disappointment. 
          The disappointment wasn't in the kids but in himself for eating too 
          much too many times. 
          It was only for the briefest of moments when our eyes met but in that 
          one second I gave him a look to show him respect for putting up with 
          jokes of that nature and people like that. 
        
        Hunter House
        By Sarah, age 12, 
          Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
         Hunter House was 
          a small boarding house in a small New England town. It was run by a 
          small man they called Shrimp. No, just kidding, ha ha, that was not 
          funny at all, was it? I didn't think so. No, it was run by a rather 
          tall woman by the name of Gabriella Hunter. 
        
 It had been started 
          by her grandfather, Henry Hunter (His parents must have never wan't 
          a son because what kind of name is Henry Hunter). Well, anyway, he had 
          been thought to be the richest man in Huntertown(Well, duh, of course 
          he was the richest man in a town that he had started. He was also Huntertowns 
          mayor, sheriff, schoolteacher, and only inhabitant! That is of course 
          before the rest of the family came. ) Well, anyways getting back to 
          the story once again, Henry started a boarding house during the depression, 
          to help people out. He, at one time actually had quite the population 
          in the house, but after the first week he only had one large woman left. 
          
        
 The very next day 
          the large woman named Candy Lard and Henry joined in matrimony. Nine 
          months later a baby boy popped out of Candy's tummy while she was playing 
          putt putt golf. She just barely missed hitting the new born. They named 
          the new baby BOY Henrietta. They never even thought to check the baby's 
          sex, but they wanted it to be a girl, so they raised him as a girl. 
          (That is until he ran away at age five. Gee, it doesn't take a rocket 
          scientist to figure that one out. ) 
        
They never saw that 
          boy again, but one day a young women came by the Hunter House. She looked 
          just like little Henrietta had when He was very young. At first they 
          thought it was him, but as stupid as they were, they were not that stupid. 
          The young woman's name was Gabriella. 
        
Right away she took 
          a liking to the old couple (only the fish in the sea know why. )and 
          she moved right in. Later on the Hunters found out that she was a long 
          lost grandchild, and they took a liking to her also. 
        
 Gabriella stayed 
          with her long lost grandparents until they drowned two years later while 
          they were snorkling in the catfish pond. She then took over the boarding 
          house that was no longer a boarding house, that had once been a very 
          short lived boarding house. 
        
 She followed in 
          her grandparents footsteps and she became the weirdest Hunter ever to 
          live. She married a very strange man and had two green children. When 
          her green children were five and eighteen she tried something new and 
          different. She sent her five year old to college and her eighteen year 
          old to kindergarten. The five year old succeded, but the eighteen year 
          old failed miserably. She raised her children strangely you can say, 
          but she was strange her-self. 
        
 Generation after 
          generation was born and raised strange in the Hunter House, until one 
          day. Yes, one day in the future, Hunter House disappeared, never to 
          be seen a again! Pooff! It vanished into thick air. All evidence that 
          the Hunters had even existed dissapeared along with them, except for 
          this here article, written by Gabriella Hunter. 
        
 The Beginning! 
          
          Not much of an ending is it? 
        
        Friends Forever
        By Courtney, age 
          12, California, USA
        This is for my best 
          friend Erica. 
        
 Best Friends 
        
 Forever will be 
          friends
          We met when I was in Kindergarten you were in 1st
          The next year we were in the same class
          I got to know you you got to know me
          We played together and are friendship grew
          1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th and know 7th 
          We will be together forever
          And I would just like to thank you for everything
          Thanks for everything you are the best
        
        The Four Seasons
        By Oliver, age 11, 
          Haywood High School, Hereford, England
         The Summer's come, 
          
          The Spring's gone, 
          The Winters left far behind, 
          The Autumns being caught up, 
          By summer in a rush, 
          Times of woe and joy must go on, 
          Because all evolve around Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn, 
          All four seasons all twelve months, 
          Just take them in as they come 
        
        Treasured dreams
        By Kathryn, age 
          10, Whiteley Primary School, Hampshire, UK
         as I lay upon my 
          bed, 
          dreams are whirling through my head, 
          I think of the sun the sand and sea, 
          what a paradise it would be, 
          watching palm trees gently sway, 
          see the dolphins splash and play. 
          the sun golden, the sky is blue, 
          the sea glistens and beckons you. 
          the treasure is all within my head
          as I lay apon my bed. 
        
        Fire Rescue
        By Shampa, age 8, 
          De Vargas School, San Jose, California, USA
         Eight-year old 
          Linda Aura was sleeping in her bed peacefully with her dog Bernard. 
          There was also a candle in her room, on the desk near her canopy bed. 
          She had been injured by a stray cat and earned a cat bite. Bernard had 
          his own little door so he could get outside whenever he wanted to. He 
          sensed something very strange. At first, he was sure it was in his dreams. 
          Then he smelled the same smell again. 
          So he opened his eyes and looked around the room. He saw that the candle 
          was causing a fire. He tried to wake up Linda with his tongue. When 
          he could not succeed, he tried to wake her up with his barks. Linda's 
          injury was okay, because she had put a bandage on it. 
          When she woke up, she was annoyed at Bernard for waking her up. Then 
          she saw the flames. 
          She took Bernard and she broke through the window through her elbow. 
          She broke through it, but got an injury on her elbow could not use her 
          elbow. She lived in a farm, so she had horses and ponies. She took Sunbow, 
          one of her horses. She rode on him to her parent's room. They were asleep, 
          they had a fire too. 
          She yelled, " MOTHER! FATHER! " 
          They woke up instantly, it was almost too late. The fire was so closed 
          to the bed, she signaled Sunbow to let them hang on to her waist, Sunbow 
          did as was told and succeded. 
          Luckily Linda's father had a phone and called to fire department. Linda's 
          family would always remember this gift from Bernard. 
          THE END 
        
        Sand
        By Andrea, age 12, 
          Bromley, Kent UK
        sand in your sandwiches, 
          
          sand in your toes, 
          sand in your fingertips
          and sand up your nose. 
        
        In loving memories 
          of the animals in the past
        By Erica, age 13, 
          Memorial Boulvard Middle School, Bristol, CT, USA
         Over these past 
          years something inside of me has been watching the future I've had quite 
          a few animals in the past and i'll never forget them. 
          
          It all started about 12 years ago when I first had gotten Max. Max was 
          my cocker spaniel and boy my parents used to call him psyco! For some 
          reason max really only liked me. Then we gave him to our grandparents 
          but he eventually died of an ear infection that wasn't talking care 
          of the right way. 
          
          Then came buffy I begged my parents that I would take care of her, of 
          course I was only about 9 so as Buffy had gotten older I didn't really 
          pay that much attention to her. One time I remember her dragging my 
          sister across our driveway I think there was a squirrel or something 
          like that. My sister was bringing her on her rope outside when it happened. 
          When my dad brought her to a farm I miss her so much I was crying the 
          thing of it is is that I don't remember after it happened. 
          
          When we got Rocky it was a whole different story. I came home from school 
          on the bus and there he was with my other sister. One of my friends 
          asked whos thad dog I said I have no idea. Then I asked my mom and she 
          said she had gotten him with my father at the human scociety! I was 
          so happy the next day in school the girl Autman asked me I think I know 
          where the dog belongs I said yep its mine she said oh and left. 
          
          Rocky was the best dog we ever had I remember when ever me and my sisters 
          were playing around Rocky would bite whatever one was being attacked 
          and pull us out of the circle. Of course rocky did have his ups and 
          downs you would think that a big akita like that would be perfect but 
          no. See Rocky hated other dogs, my cousins lived right down the corner 
          from us at the time and they had a part retriver and a part labador. 
          When Amber brought logan over rocky attacked him logan had blood on 
          him and him and everything! Finally when we got logan back rocky had 
          to stay inside for the rest of the day! 
          
          One time we had mcdonalds and my mom had a big mac well when she walked 
          aways rocky ate it! Rocky ran away once and ran over to our neighbors 
          house with this other dog an akita named Rocksy. You would think they 
          liked each other they didn't they hated each other. Well there was this 
          one dog named Sandy and they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Sandy listened 
          to Rocky and that is why they were meant for each other. 
          
          When Sandy was hit by a car I think that rocky was heartbroken. The 
          owners of Sandy the fletchers told their children Guy, Autman, and Jordan 
          that sandy ran away. They soon found out that she died. Fran this ugly 
          witch called the police and said that rocky was attacking her or something 
          like that. The police came and said that everything was alright. I'll 
          never forget that night -- I hated that woman so much. 
          
          Then the day came I was in second grade and it was around 7:00pm my 
          mother told me that we were moving I started crying expecially the part 
          that told us were no pets were alloyed. We had to get rid of Rocky and 
          the cats we had. I called my cousin and she wasn't home I left a message 
          on her answering machine, crying. 
          
          When we moved Rocky stayed with our grandparents untill a woman came 
          up and told us she would take care of Rocky. She lived in Terryville 
          we lived in Bristol. The day Rocky left I cryed and cryed and cryed 
          some more. I miss him so much the thing is that i'll never know when 
          Rocky dies if he is ever sick. She called us once and said that he graduated 
          school for dogs, that was it. 
          Till this day nothing it is year 2000 and I lost Rocky in 95-96 I am 
          in 8th grade right now and we are still in this house this place I wished 
          we never moved here. I still go up to Wolcott and everytime I go by 
          our old house I see my whole family playing with our one true pet ROCKY! 
          Rocky I will always remember how much you changed our lives goodbye!
        
        Gazing
        By Jack, age 13, 
          Hastings, E Sussex, UK
        The sun was drifting 
          lazily downwards on an equally abysmal setting that also seemed to let 
          dust settle with a contemptible negligence. It was, of course perfect. 
          But then, that fact relies heavily on your frame of mind. Not so perfect 
          was it for the old man stumbling vaguely towards the grimy window seldom 
          used for its draft. This certainly did not in the least bother the old 
          man, with his intricate stick, half moon glasses the and, oh so deep 
          and beautiful purple eyes. With these windows he gazed onto the wonders 
          of the world; his world or what was left of it. As he watched, the second 
          sun finally set against the background of the old castle; his castle. 
          And from the eyes in his mind, he saw his beloved sword cough for the 
          dust that suffocated this land; his land. And as he drifted into a daze 
          of pointlessness he seemed amused. Yet still a sweet, emotional tear 
          fell from his eye to wet his cheek, and dried his throat. This, as his 
          thin-skinned fist drove a hole through the imprisoning glass. The noise 
          though, was muffled by the engulfing silence. And as he thrust the glass 
          on his fist through his heart; he gazed on what once there was. 
        
        Weeping Willow
        By Andrea, age 12, 
          Kelowna
         Weeping Willow, 
          why are your branches hanging low? 
          And why are you shaking nakedly in the cold snow? 
          You're suppose to be standing proud and tall, 
          Don't you have any strength or courage at all? 
          Weeping Willow, why do you have tears running down your eyes? 
          Is it because someone told you lies? 
          Why is your bark rotting away? 
          Was it because no one wanted to play with you today? 
          Weeping Willow. . . why are your leaves falling down? 
          And why do you have such a big frown? 
          Sometimes a weeping willow reminds you of a person, 
          Sad and low, rotting, cold, 
          Lonely, cowardly, young and old. 
          Mad with anger, leaves in a fluster, 
          Or ashamed with leaves crowding in a cluster. 
          I don't think a Weeping Willow is very bad, 
          All it is, is something sad.
        
        Fairy
        By Emily, age 7, 
          Elk Grove, California, USA
        Once Upon A Time... 
          
        
 When I woke up 
          I was on my pillow! I was not in my night gown but a sparkling pink 
          dress! Also, a rainbow flower crown! Then I figured it out... I was 
          a fairy without wings! I went out to breakfast, there was a gigantic 
          bowl of cornflakes! I climbed up the spoon and took out one cornflake. 
          Yum, yum! My mom yelled "EMILY, WAKE UP!" She did not even notice me! 
          Then when she checked my cereal for ants, she saw me! 
        
 Then I went to 
          my daycare and I had a slice of apple. It took me so long to eat the 
          apple, when I was done it was time to go to school! The helper was me! 
          I could not even reach the chalkboard! The teacher had to lift me up! 
          At lunch the lunch lady gave me crumbs! At home I took a nap. Good night! 
          When I woke up I was my regular size. 
        
        Poems
        By Benjamin, age 
          9, UK 
        I find alliteration 
          extra easy! 
          But I'm not that good with metaphors. 
          And I've been taught about repetition 
          Again and again and again! 
          I like the rhythm in limericks, 
          It's nearly always the same. 
          The beat: Thump! Thump! Thump! 
          Makes me want to jump! Jump! Jump! 
        
        Art
        By Shabaaz, age 
          10, Huntingdon Primary School, Nottingham, UK
        Art is fun 
          it's so much fun, 
          you need the talent to be the one 
          the only one, 
          you draw and colour 
          but you never ever get bored, 
          basically art is fun. 
        
        The Magic Ball
        By Alice, age 9, 
          Walesby Primary School, Rockley, Retford, Notts, England
         In the summer holidays 
          I went to stay with my auntie, she lives In a very big house with a 
          large garden. it wasa very sunny day. Me and my cousin Kelly went to 
          play in the garden. Kelly showed me a tree there was a door on it. We 
          went in side the tree. In side the tree there was a magic Ball we took 
          it to show my auntie. The next day my auntie went shopping. She took 
          the ball with her. And took it in the magic shop. The man said the ball 
          is magic. we took it home and planted it. The next year I went there 
          was a ball tree. 
        
        Twisted Nightmares
        By Rebecca, age 
          16, PVHS School, Pahrump, Nevada, USA
         Twisted Nightmares 
          Once upon a time in a far away land there was this beautiful forest 
          that was so magical and mysterious that even the village people couldn't 
          believe their own eyes. 
          This forest was called Twisted Nightmares because that's what it gave 
          you. Everyone thinks this forest is perfect but what he or she didn't 
          realize was that there is evil in that forest and its bound to capture 
          you and your soul. 
          By the time you believe the evil is a live, it's too late and you can't 
          escape because once you take the vow of the forest it can never be broken. 
          
          No one knows this evil secret of the forest except Isabelle, the village 
          fortuneteller. She sees the future and she see destruction in the Princess's 
          worlds and this destruction will devour her tomorrow. 
          The sad thing is that's she's supposed to get married in two days to 
          the prince. The king and Queen went to the fortuneteller and were not 
          pleased. She said that they'd never see their daughter again. 
          After the King and Queen thought on their trip back to the castle, they 
          decided to lock their daughter in her room. The Princess couldn't figure 
          out why her parents would behave so strangely. So without knowing the 
          reason to her parents disturbing action she escaped from the castle 
          and ran as fast as she could, past the village and through the woods 
          until she crossed a miniature bridge. Which she fell through because 
          the bridge was put together so poorly. She hit her head on a sharp rock 
          and was knocked unconscious. 
          While she was unconscious five little evil trolls stole her and carried 
          her to the twisted forest. When the Princess woke up she was looking 
          around and stopped at the entrance of the forest and suddenly there 
          was a voice coming from a tree. A distorted image appeared and in a 
          raspy voice it spoke: 
        
 If you dare enter 
          this forest you can 
          Never escape. It's a trade, we give you 
          Peace and quiet, and you give us your soul. 
        
 People actually 
          believed this trade because they wanted a better life and to get away 
          from all the pressure. You can only take so much and that's why they 
          agreed to this absurd arrangement. 
          After the Princess took the agreement and was in the forest for less 
          than a day, she loved it. It was the second night that made her regret 
          her decision. It was horrible, she wanted the nightmares to go away 
          but every time she wished for them to vanish; more just kept coming. 
          They felt so real, so alive. The princess realized that there is no 
          peace and quiet in this forest and that the trees lied to here because 
          they only wanted her soul to feed the forest and to keep them alive 
          to torment the lives of innocent people whom just wanted a new life. 
          What they received was agony. 
          She knows this and despises of it. She just wanted the demons to go 
          away but they won't. She tried to escape and she failed several times. 
          
          No one knows where the Princess went and what happened to her and till 
          this day the forest still stands and is stronger than ever. I guess 
          this is one of the fairytales that doesn't end happily ever after. 
          The End 
        
        Summer Cinquains
        By Katherine and 
          Jenny, age 9, England
         
        
 (2) Yellow
          (4) Sun scorching hot
          (6) beaming down on children
          (8) playing in the paddling pools, splish !
          (2) splash! splosh! 
        
 (2) hot,fun, 
          (4) warm and lovely
          (6) All these things are summer.
          (8) barbeques and late night playing
          (2) sun ! sun ! 
        
         
        
Buster
        By Hudson, age 10, 
          Fifth grade, Mt. Gallant Elementary School, Rock Hill, South Carolina, 
          USA
         My grandfather 
          owned a stout golden retriever by the name of Buster. He was my most 
          favorite dog. Buster and I would run and play in the woods, and he would 
          always bark and run ahead. It was more like we were gliding in thin 
          air. My paw-paw said he was mixed with a wolf because he found him in 
          the mountains as a pup. I called him a golden retriever because his 
          fur was long and glossy. Only his fur wasn't golden it was a red as 
          leaves on a mid fall day. 
        
 His eyes were the 
          chocolaty brown of the oldest pine you could find in the forest, but 
          with the slightest touch of gray. He had big feet that he would stumble 
          upon every once in a while. His bark was more like a howl that made 
          me buoyant. Buster never was mean; in fact I don't think he had a mean 
          bone in his body. 
        
 There is one day 
          I will never forget. Buster and I were roaming around the creek. He 
          trotted out near the road. I called out in a quick voice, "buster!" 
          He turned and looked but kept on moving. I said, "I am going to get 
          something, and don't go near the road cause I'll be right back." 
        
 As I cleared the 
          driveway I heard a shrill car brake, and the most petrifying howl I 
          had ever heard. At that my heart jumped into my throat. I jolted to 
          the road. I was too late Buster lay there whimpering with a melancholy 
          look in his eyes. I saw he had been struck by the car. 
        
 I laid his red 
          head on my lap. I looked deep down into those chocolatey gray eyes and 
          saw a spark not a regular spark one that would twinkle in me for eternity. 
          He opened his mouth and licked my hand like he was saying, "help." He 
          gave a final whimper and a plea for help and his friendly chocolate 
          eyes closed forever more, but will keep blinking in me. 
        
 I slowly looked 
          up and yelled with sadness, "NOOO...don't go!" I would not eat or sleep. 
          I couldn't forget that moment. 
        
 On my birthday 
          I was surprised with a beagle that is now named Hunter. I look at him 
          like he is Buster Jr. 
        
         
        
The kid who cried 
          wolf
        By Michelle, age 
          13, Year 8, Howell's School Llandaff, St.Fagans, Cardiff.
         How could she possibly 
          explain this one away? She knew what she had done was wrong, and that 
          little voice in her head kept nagging at her to confess. Even her dreams 
          at night had been haunting her. All she ever saw in her mind's eye was 
          the boy who cried Wolf. 
        
 She regretted deeply 
          all those times she had deceived people, all those times when she had 
          been a liar, and when she had fooled people. Now the joke was on her. 
          
        
 She thought back 
          to the previous Thursday. She had woken up, and laziness had taken over 
          her mind. She had reached for the phone, called into work, and she had 
          said that she had another migraine. Her sympathetic boss had given her 
          the day off work. 
        
 But it wasn't the 
          first time laziness had crept into her life. She had used the excuse 
          of a migraine for everything. She would take on average one day off 
          work every week. Then she had stopped going to church, then she had 
          stopped helping at her kids' school. 
        
 And every time 
          it was because of a migraine, that she didn't even have. 
        
 And now she was 
          paying the price for all those years of lying and fooling everyone. 
          
        
 For her boss had 
          caught her happily shopping in town with a friend, on the day that she 
          had had a "migraine". And now her boss had said that he would never 
          give her time off work for illness again. 
        
 But, being a nice 
          boss, he had not fired her. In fact, he was giving her the responsibility 
          of going to a special conference. The only condition was that she had 
          to go, no matter how she felt, or she would be fired. 
        
 And here she was, 
          lying in bed, on the day of the conference, with a splitting headache, 
          her leg in plaster, a black eye, and her arm bandaged up. 
        
 Of course, she 
          had rung her boss, told him the state she was in, let him know that 
          she couldn't possibly go to the conference if she had tried. 
        
 But of course, 
          her boss had heard her excuses all too many times before. He had laughed, 
          and told her that she would be fired if she didn't get to that conference. 
          She wouldn't care, but her boss was so famous, that she would never 
          work again if he fired her, as no one would want to employ someone who 
          wasn't good enough for her boss. 
        
 Silently, she closed 
          her eyes and wept. And the voice in her head chanted "The girl who cried 
          wolf". 
        
       
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