09-10+10ELA+Short+Stories

The Yohimbe Raid “I’m tired” “Afryea, quit complaining,” Abeeku retorted. Afryea was his twin sister. Their parents sent them on a week’s trip to the market for some necessities, and Afryea really didn’t want to go. They were 15 years old and had lived in a little town on the coast of Ghana, called Vedza, all their lives. Afryea was medium height, dark skinned and had short black hair which was pulled back into tiny braids. Abeeku was tall, lean and had similar features to his sister except his hair was curly. Afryea severely resented being told what to do by anyone, so she started to argue with him.  “Stop!” Abeeku croaked. Afryea, clearly not finished with him, ignored the comment and continued the confrontation. “Afryea stop!” he pleaded. “Do you hear that?” Afryea listened. There was screaming in the distance. Abeeku pulled a terrified Afryea to the top of the hill, only to see the last of their village being burned down. Abeeku, knowing his twin, clasped his hand over her mouth and pulled her back. Afryea, squirming and evidently uncomfortable, pushed him over. He told her they had to get to the Yohimbe Forest. Afryea, although ignorant, let him lead the way. They were both completely unaware that they were being watched.  It was beginning to get dark and both were scared. They made camp for the night and ate some food that they had brought with them. The next morning Afryea noticed Abeeku wasn’t there.  “Abeeku?” she called out “Ah, Abeeku, where are you?” she stuttered, terrified. She heard footsteps coming towards her. She cautiously looked around, and then she saw him, someone, who was not her brother. She ran as fast as she could. She darted around a corner when she tripped and hit the ground. All of a sudden someone grabbed her around the waist and pulled her under a low ledge. It was Abeeku.  “Sorry, we ran out of food last night and I didn’t want to wake you.” He smiled sheepishly. The man slowly passed them, and, after a while Abeeku vigilantly left the cave, while Afryea stayed behind. When Afryea finally came out, she noticed all the food Abeeku had laid out for her. Papayas, banana’s, coconuts and mangoes, palm fruits, citruses and plantains.  “It’s just like…” Abeeku started.  “…Home,” concluded Afryea. Neither one wanted to speak after that. Both ate quietly. When both had eaten their fill, they traveled on.  “The only way to get out of here alive is to stay in the jungle,” Afryea murmured.  “And the only way to get to Twifo Praso is to leave the jungle,” he added. They repeated this for three days. Hiding from the raiders at night, gathering food at dawn and dusk, and running during the day. Afryea tried to get Abeeku to travel at night, but he reminded her about the predators which were nocturnal. Noon was much safer despite the heat. Afryea once had to treat Abeeku with medicines for dehydration, even she was getting headaches. She made tea with lion tail for them. Abeeku assessed the terrain and noticed that they were nearing the city. “We’ve only got three days left!” shrieked Afryea. Knowing they were not out of danger yet, he quickly shushed her. All this time they were wondering about the raid. “**//__Who did it? Why did they do it? And most important, Do they know they’re alive?”__//** Almost as an answer from heaven, “You know they’re looking for you,” a voice called from behind the trees. “Who are you, and how do you know us?” An elderly man stepped out from a rocky hill. “Because I saw what happened. I’ve known you for a very long time,” he explained. “I’m Mungu Msaidizi, and I’ve been with you while you grew up. I saw you run from the raid, but someone else also noticed you, that’s why there’s people coming after you. You have to get to Twifo Praso. It’s a few more days, but if you get there you’ll be safe.” He pointed east, “Follow that trail.” Abeeku started toward it, “Hey, wait a minute,” Abeeku called. But the man was gone. Afryea was thoroughly shaken and ran to Abeeku. He pushed her to go forward, but he stayed and looked back to where the man was standing. All of the sudden there was shouting. He gasped and grabbed Afryea’s hand and pulled her behind him. “Wait!” she shrieked, “We don’t know which one to take!” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“We don’t have time for this Afryea!” he choked, “We’ll be killed!” Pale, they kept running. Eventually, when they got some distance between them, they hid. After the raiders had passed them they talked about the reasons for the raid. “Well, Father was the Village Chief,” Afryea commented. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“But then why burn the town, why not just kill him?” Abeeku mused. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Politics?” asked Afryea. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“I don’t know, could be, we need to get to sleep.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Two days later they were walking in the forest when they saw light straight ahead. A terrifying thought crossed Abeeku’s mind. **//__“__//**//__What if the rest of the way is not through the forest, how will we hide?”__// Afryea ran to the tree-line. Abeeku ran after her. She looked around then ran through the trees. Then she started to cry. Abeeku burst through the trees. “//__What is wrong with her?”__// he thought. Then she interrupted his thinking by pointing off into the distance. Holding his breath he let his gaze follow hers. And then he saw exactly what she did. A wall. A city wall. The wall of Twifo Praso. Shrieking, Afryea grabbed Abeeku and dragged him behind her because she was so much faster. Then, there was shouting behind them. Abeeku and Afryea lurched to a stop and saw the angry group running after them. Afryea gasped and Abeeku started running. Hand in hand, they ran at the speed of light. Nearing the gate, they started shouting to be let in. A guard noticed and called out to someone to open the gate. Once in, a woman named Malaika Wa Mbinguni, grabbed Abeeku and asked what was wrong. Once she heard their story, she immediately shouted for someone to close the gate, just in time to shut the raiders out. Malaika then came back and asked where their parents were. Afryea burst into tears. Abeeku just looked at her. Malaika then explained that they were slave raiders. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“They kill the men and take the women and children as slaves,” she clarified. “and there is a slave drive in 20 minutes.” Abeeku did not clearly understand. “If your mother had any chance of being alive she’d be at the slave drive,” she elucidated. Instantly they took off. Now they knew why it happened. Afryea was crying with relief when suddenly she pulled him short. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Afryea, what are you doing?” he panted. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“She’s in the slave drive,” she exclaimed, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Yeah that’s where we’re going!” Abeeku replied, not following. “Abeeku she’s in the drive!” Abeeku just stared at her dumbfounded. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“She’d be in the camp!” She said. They turned around and headed for the camps. Eventually they found them. They started shouting her name. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Mom, Mom!” they cried. “Justina Kujali, Justina!” Then one woman looked up, their mother. She shrieked with joy. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Afryea! Abeeku!” Her legs were so unsteady she had to sit down. They ran to her, all three crying. Between sobs, Afryea looked up at her mother. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Father?” she asked. Her mother shook her head and cried again. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“You have to leave the city!” she shrieked “They’ll take you too!” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“No, we’re not leaving you!” Abeeku shouted. “Not after we finally found you,” he mumbled. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“But you can’t live like this!” At that instant there was the sound of jingling keys. Justina began to cry harder. “Leave now!” But it was not a raider. His name was Buana Mtume. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Shh, shh, shh, shhhh,” he whispered. “Come on!” He unlocked the shackle on Justina’s ankle. “Leave through the North of the city. Go to Accra and rebuild your lives, change your names if you must!” he spoke softly. “Just be silent and do not talk to anyone, if someone calls you by name, run!” And run they did. They went to Accra, and Justina, Abeeku, and Afryea Kujali were no more. But in Accra, Ghana a family, mourning the loss of a father lived. A mother named Akua, a daughter named Kakra and her twin brother Panyin, both 15. Even throughout the journey when the Kujali twins were on their own, they never really were alone, as God sent three “Earth Angels” to watch over them, aid them, until they were safe. Mungu Msaidizi, Malaika Wa Mbinguni and Buana Mtume, finally returned, as their original form and sighed a deep sigh as their mission was completed.


 * The Lost Sisters**
 * By**
 * Genevieve Hardinge**
 * March 3, 2010**

I pulled my blue dress on that my mother made for me. As I tied the bow on my dress I heard Janice call me from downstairs. “Sisi you’re going to be late. You and Gina need to get down here right now.” “Coming!” Gina replied. “I’m just going to grab my stuff,” I called back. I could hear Gina and Janice arguing about my parent’s funeral from my room. When I grabbed my shoes and my purse I noticed a tear drop on the ground. I was crying again. George shouted from the front door, “Come on girls! It’s time to go!” I quickly brushed my tears away and made my way downstairs.

My name is Sisi Muterri. About four weeks ago my mother died from AIDS and a month before that my father died from a heart disease. At the age of thirteen I was orphaned. Only a week after my mother’s death I was adopted by my mother’s best friend, Janice. Janice is a Canadian woman who travels a lot. Her and her family took me in and moved in with me at my parents coffee farm in Ghana, Africa.

Once I got to the front door I pulled on my shoes and went outside. Janice, her husband George, and her daughter Gina were already in the car waiting for me. After I got in and everyone got their seat belts on we set off. Everyone was suddenly very quiet and uncomfortable. I could tell that they were all thinking about my parents and me. The cemetery was ten miles away from my family’s farm. When we finally got there I almost felt relieved to get out of the car. All of that tension felt unbearable. When I stood up straight I noticed Gina’s puzzled expression as she looked around. “Sisi, where is everyone? I mean shouldn’t the rest of your family and friends be here too?” She asked with confusion. “Well,” I announced, “I don’t have much family or many friends. Both of my parents have siblings but we are no longer in contact with any of them. As for grandparents or cousins, I’ve never met any of them.” “But you go to school, right?” Gina asked. “Yes,” I replied. “Then you must have some close friends that you’ve made during school.” She insisted. “That may be true, but none of my friends have the time to go to a funeral. Most of them work or are busy taking care of their families.” I told her. Gina remained silent for several moments and then asked, “So it’s just us then?” “Yes,” I replied, “It’s just us.” As the prayers were said over my parent’s coffins, two men who were there to assist had begun to bury the coffins. I watched the dirt fly through the air. My throat felt tight and dry. Once the men were done the burial I pulled some flowers out of my purse and out some on each grave. Janice laid down some flowers too. We both started to cry. Janice held me tight as we sat on the ground and began praying out loud between her sobbing. Though we were not related, it still felt good to have her there with me. She felt very warm and gentle as she held me. After awhile we both got up and George lead us back to the car with Gina right behind us. Looking back I whispered one last goodbye to my parents and left. The next few weeks flew right by. I finished my school term and was now on holidays. George and Janice finished unpacking early, and Gina got registered to start grade 8 at my school after the holidays. Everything was starting to settle down. I was even starting to get along with Gina. If my parents could see me they would probably be very proud. At least that’s what Janice told me. She thinks that I am very brave. Although I have been busy I have managed to go down to the cemetery twice a week to visit my parents and Janice says that I’m wonderful for doing that. Sometimes Janice reminds me of my mother because they are so much alike. Although they look very different and they come from very different backgrounds, they act very similar. Only their personalities match. They are very kind, gentle, quiet, understanding, and affectionate. Having Janice here is very comforting for me because of these similarities, although she could never replace my mother. “Gina!” I called from outside. “Gina come on.” “Hold your horses, I’m coming!” She replied. “Where are you two going?” George asked from the barn. “Sisi and I are going for a walk on the jungle path,” Gina replied. “Are you sure that it’s safe?” Janice called back. “Don’t worry,” I confirmed, “I’ve been down that path a million times before.” “Do you have enough food and water with you just in case you guys get hungry or thirsty?” George asked without looking up from the broken tractor. “Yes father! We’re leaving now.” Gina complied. “Bye!” Janice hollered. “See you later,” We called back in unison. Gina and I began our hike through the jungle with our packs on our backs. During our hike time really went by quickly. We talked, laughed, and got along extremely well. As we got deeper into the jungle we talked about our lives. Gina told me about Canada and the city she came from, Toronto. I told Gina about my school and some of my favorite memories. In fact we were having such a great time that we didn’t even notice how dark the sky was getting. It probably wasn’t until about 10:30pm when we noticed how dark it was. We had been walking in the jungle for nine hours. “Oh my god!” Gina exclaimed, “We are so dead!” “Well let’s start heading back the way we came,” I proposed. Gina groaned as we began heading back. Suddenly we both stopped dead in our tracks. The path was gone! “Sisi?” Gina asked sounding quite concerned, “You do know where we are, right?” “Ummmmm…” I trailed off, “I’m not sure.” Gina’s loud, piercing scream filled the air around us. Gina’s loud, piercing scream filled the air around us. I clamped her mouth shut with my hand. “Shhh!” I put my finger up to my mouth. I removed my hand from her mouth and whispered, “Gina you have to calm down. If you make that much noise you’ll attract unwanted attention to us. “Like what?” Gina whispered. “Like lions, panthers, and many other dangerous creatures,” I explained, “But you have to stay calm. Freaking out will not help us get out of here.” Gina took in a couple deep breaths to calm herself down. “Ok,” she agreed. We both sat down on a nearby log. Although we were both quite fit, walking around a jungle for nine hours proved to be too much for us. But I guess that we did take three or four breaks which were around one hour each so we only actually walked for five to six hours. As we rested on the log I dumped out my pack. Gina watched me without saying anything. While I went through my stuff I noticed a tree spider crawl onto my notebook. Expecting another piercing scream from Gina, I quickly covered my ears. Everything was quiet. When I removed my hands from my ears I turned around and I saw that Gina was lying down on the log and was fast asleep. I smiled to myself. After I put my stuff away I made a fire to keep the lions and other dangerous animals away. Then I stayed up all night to keep the fire going. When Gina woke up in the morning I was dead tired. Gina promised to keep the fire going to let me sleep for awhile after I explained to her why we needed to keep the fire going. I passed out for about five hours. Once I was awake we gathered our belongings then set off to collect some food and water. Since there was no water precipitation on any of the plants by then, I showed Gina how to get fresh water out of the ground. First you get a hollow stick and stick it deep into the ground right next to a plant. Then you suck through the stick as if it were a straw until you get water into your mouth. Next you quickly suck up the water and spit it into your water canister. I filled up both of our water canisters with this technique. At first Gina thought it was gross but when you are in the middle of nowhere and in need of water, you tend to get it however you can. After getting our water we collected some fruit from the trees. We saved some in our packs then we went back to the log. I went through our packs again with Gina. We had fresh fruit, water canisters, a notebook of mine, some pencils, 2 cloths, Gina’s digital camera, some cash, a lighter, some nail polish that Gina forgot about, my Dad’s hunting knife and Gina’s MP3 device. “We can use the knife for protection,” I stated. “And those cloths can be used for cleaning up,” Gina offered. “Or for injuries if one of us gets hurt,” I added. We discussed the usefulness of our supplies some more. Next we formulated a plan. I was able to find the southern direction from the position of the sun. My father taught me how when I was nine. Following the sun to the south should lead us back to the path. After we put our stuff away Gina and I began walking south. “It’s been three hours, Sisi,” Gina complained. “Shouldn’t we be at the path by now?” “Well I don’t know,” I answered, “It was really dark last night so we probably didn’t walk in a straight line. I don’t know for sure where the path is, I just made an estimate based on how long we walked last night. We may be going the wrong way for all I know.” “Oh!” Gina Whined, “We’re never going to get home.” “Don’t say that! We’ll be…” I trailed off and stood very still. “What?” Gina questioned. I looked back. “What’s wrong?” Gina asked. “We’re being hunted,” I whispered, “Quickly, give me your lighter.” Gina quickly passed me her lighter without making a sound. I picked up a dead tree branch and set it on fire. Two spotted leopards in the trees got scared as I began waving the burning branch in the air. With Gina guiding me I began walking backwards. Eventually the leopards gave up and left us alone. We smothered the fire with dirt and sat down for a rest. “How did you know those leopards were there?” Gina asked. “I heard the tree leaves rustling,” I replied, “my father taught me to always be aware of my surroundings, especially when you’re out here.” Shortly after we began walking again Gina and I found our way back to the path. Gina grabbed my hand and started dancing in circles. Suddenly her white thin blouse got caught on a thorny branch and cut her arm badly. Gina sat on the ground moaning in pain. Quickly I got out one of the cloths and tied it around her arm. We decided to take another break for awhile until Gina’s arm stopped bleeding. When I tried to comfort her she quickly changed the subject. “How about we paint each other’s nails?” She insisted, “I have a colour that would match your pink dress perfectly. I even have a colour that matches my yellow undershirt.” She pulled out a bright pink nail polish and a yellow one. Because of her arm being so sore, I did her nails first. Gina showed me how to paint her nails then trusted me to do it myself. I managed to paint her nails well for a beginner, but Gina did mine after and they were wonderful. Once our nails dried we gathered our stuff and walked down the path to my family’s coffee farm. “Are we there yet?” Gina complained, “We’ve been walking down this path for like three hours.” “There it is!” I exclaimed. We started running towards the farm shouting and yelling until we saw George and Janice running out to meet us. They picked us up in their arms and tears of joy poured from their eyes.
 * The End**

Karma Works Both Ways By Eric Skayman March 1, 2010

// What does he even need it for, he has all the money anyone could have ever wanted! Yet he sucks us dry of any income we had. Now we have to survive until the end of harvest without money. Why now? // Shine and Reuben Tlaxcala lived in a small village roughly 45 miles north-west of Accra. Shine was the younger of the two at 21 years, he is a tall, bald, shy guy who grew up beside his parents all his life. Reuben on the other hand was 23 years old. If both brothers were put side by side you couldn’t tell the difference between the two. The only difference is the fact that Reuben is a lot more outgoing and grew up in the large city of Accra, trying to gain additional income for his family. He quit his job to return back home to assist his family. Their family lives on a small farm that gives them enough money to survive from harvest to harvest. The towns landlord, Nelson Mendoul, is normally lenient with a couple of missed collections of rents but recently he has been calling up their tab with harsh ‘interest’ added onto it, and now they’re broke. In an urgent act of revenge the two brothers smuggled a half dozen cows from Nelson’s ranch behind his mansion.

Nelson Mendoul is the local landlord for six families of the local village. He is a short man of 63 years, and lives alone with his servants with no known family. In the past three weeks his expenses have almost doubled for the cost of enhanced cattle feed and genetically modified steroids. Nelson was one of the head distributors of the Modified Street Cow Series for enhanced cows; he injected and trained these cows for racing. These ‘SIC’, (Steroid Injected Cows) are Nelson’s main source of income for his secluded rich lifestyle. Now a half dozen have disappeared.

“These cows will come in handy, not sure if I feel sorry for that man,” mentioned Effie, Shine and Reuben’s father. At the age of 56 Effie has been, in physical terms, doing extremely well for his age.

“What for? If we start turning this into a normal everyday thing, Mendoul will find out more quickly, then what happens to us?” questioned Shine.

“That is a very good point, but he took almost everything from us…even if he did find out and punished us, what do we have to lose? Besides we could use them for meat, milk, or transportation!” exclaimed Effie. All three men decided to milk the cows so they wouldn’t run out of resources in a short time, eager to make some money before Nelson discovered them.

Well after three months of staying under the radar the Tlaxcala family began hearing rumors of sickness spreading throughout the province. According to the rumors a new milk company had arisen and began selling their product, which was tainted with a new virus. This virus was occurring on a rather small scale but was transmittable through contact; one of the areas that were heavily hit was the capital city, Accra. Extremely similar to a flu virus, the milk gave the recipients symptoms such as, increased aggression/irritation, unnatural growth of hair over 98% of the infected body, high fever, and even the Chicken Pox.

With still no sign of his traveling income Nelson began to do some deep digging because his bills were arriving in his mailbox soon and he was starting to panic. He started with what he knew, three of his six families were originally cow farmers, the other three were grain farmers. His contacts had reported to him of sightings of cows on the Tlaxcala family farm. Mendoul had become suspicious and sent some of his ‘minions’ to further investigate.

A science corporation from Accra had commenced research on the virus for the cure. Slowly they began making some progress on the new breakthrough, they estimated roughly three to six for the cure to be fully tested and complete.

One week later Nelson’s suspicions were correct and his investigation into his missing prize had turned up. Satisfied he moved the coids back into his ranch behind his massive mansion and kept a twenty-four hour watch on his lifeline. As for the Tlaxcala family they managed to sell enough to survive for the next four months.

About four days later the Accrian science team had caught a lead onto the virus and traced it all the way back to a small village roughly 45 miles away. Luckily the virus scare has been quelled down to just a few minor cases. When they arrived at the town they got to work immediately and began testing the surrounding cow farms. Three of the farms were tested and came back clean; however they discovered a ranch behind a large mansion just outside the village. This farm, tested positive for the infection, their readings also came back positive for steroids, but not just the regular variant, modified stuff.

Multiple re-tests were taken and all had the same reading. This immediately confused the scientists, but then it became apparent, the injected cows started to go berserk. One of the SIC began to charge one of the field testers, but it wasn’t running like a normal cow, it was running like a hyped up mad-cow! The SIC hammered into the helpless man sending him sprawling across the ranch’s pasture. After he landed with a thud, he slowly crawled through a small hole in the fence to safety. This clearly frustrated the herd of SICs as they began cruising around the edge of the pasture at the speed of a car, waiting for a break in the fence to barge though.

After allowing the coids to simmer down the Accrian’s animal control section arrived to take away the enraged animals. They shot each SIC with nineteen tranquilizer darts each and then airlifted them away back to Accra for further examination. On the other hand, Nelson was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and the exporting of an infected material.

With the news of Mendoul’s arrest the Tlaxcala family decided to nose around. Shine and Reuben traveled to Accra to go and spend some of their hard earned money, but they also heard on the news while walking past a TV Store that Nelson was arrested for being the sole distributor of the tainted milk and that six of the cows were genetically modified. Both boys just smiled and continued on home to tell their folks, they decided it was best to keep quiet and that what Mendoul got is what he deserved.

Four years later the Accrian science team scoured the SIC’s for more information that could be helpful. The team did find something useful, but it was more then they could have ever hoped for…a cure for HIV/AIDS. This lead up to Nelson’s release but no reward since everyone believed his intentions with the milk were to kill the population and not give them nutritious calcium for healthy teeth and bones.

Later that night we went to the game it was Pittsburgh Penguins verses Montréal. They were just warming up, it was so exciting. Me and my friend Argentina were sitting in the second row. The players went in to the dressing rooms after warm up. The first period was under way. During the first period Crosby scored the first two goals. Then Montréal’s captain Saku Koivu answered right back with two amazing goals. The period came to an end with the game tied at 2.

Throughout the second period the score remained as a tie. The 3rd period had 1 minute and 30 seconds left; it was still 2-2. The period came to an end then went to sudden death, 5 minutes of 5 on 5. Five minutes seemed like it was 2 minutes and then it went into a shootout and the shootout line up for Pittsburgh was Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Jordan Staal for Montréal it was Saku Koivu, Georges Laraque, and Alex Kovelev. Malkin shoots Carey Price stones him. Saku shoots Marc-Andre-Fleury rods him and now for the great Sid the Kid. He is coming down the ice, he’s all alone, he makes his move, he scores! The penguins win the game. After the game there were autographs with Sidney Crosby. I got an autograph from him and also a picture. I was so happy.

As I left the rink I turned to my friend and I exclaimed, “that was an exciting game!” “Yes it was!” gasped Argentina “I wish that I could go to more NHL games,” I added. “Yeah me too,” agreed Argentina.

Penguins Come To Africa By Patrick March 1, 2010 “Holy Toledo!” I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I was reading the once in a life time thing. It was a sign that said the penguins were coming to Africa, February 13, 2010. I had to spread the word, the closest thing was a pay phone but I only had 25 cents in my pocket at this time. So I called my friend at home I told him the greatest news in the world, which was that an NHL game was coming to our city. I told him to spread the word and then the 25 cents ran out on the pay phone. I was so excited for this game.

I walked home through my village and I finally returned to my hut. I went into my hut and ate my fufu and then I grabbed my mat and blanket and put it on the floor and tried to fall asleep. That night I was laying in bed tossing and turning, but I could not sleep I was just too excited for this upcoming game. I just couldn’t believe my eyes when I was reading that sign. I couldn’t sleep and I was still wondering about that sign and if it was real or not.

I woke up and washed my face and had breakfast and then I went outside and played soccer with my friend and spread the word when we were playing soccer.

Later that night we went to the game it was Pittsburgh Penguins verses Montréal. They were just warming up, it was so exciting. Me and my friend Argentina were sitting in the second row. The players went in to the dressing rooms after warm up. The first period was under way. During the first period Crosby scored the first two goals. Then Montréal’s captain Saku Koivu answered right back with two amazing goals. The period came to an end with the game tied at 2.

Throughout the second period the score remained as a tie. The 3rd period had 1 minute and 30 seconds left; it was still 2-2. The period came to an end then went to sudden death, 5 minutes of 5 on 5. Five minutes seemed like it was 2 minutes and then it went into a shootout and the shootout line up for Pittsburgh was Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Jordan Staal for Montréal it was Saku Koivu, Georges Laraque, and Alex Kovelev. Malkin shoots Carey Price stones him. Saku shoots Marc-Andre-Fleury rods him and now for the great Sid the Kid. He is coming down the ice, he’s all alone, he makes his move, he scores! The penguins win the game. After the game there were autographs with Sidney Crosby. I got an autograph from him and also a picture. I was so happy.

As I left the rink I turned to my friend and I exclaimed, “that was an exciting game!” “Yes it was!” gasped Argentina “I wish that I could go to more NHL games,” I added. “Yeah me too,” agreed Argentina.

Ex-Princess “No,” I screamed, “I don’t love this man, I don’t even know him, how can I marry him?” Looking around I noticed hundreds of people starring up at me, waiting. Then I saw it, him, this soul I was being forced to love. His hair was to long, his nose to big and he smelled awful. I had to get out. With my heart racing I tried to run but I couldn’t. Suddenly, just as he was about to kiss me there was a bright flash and then, nothing.

I awoke to the bright rays of the early morning sun shining through my window. Not again. I had been having the same dream for months. Ever since my father, the king, had told me that he had found a fine gentleman who would suit me perfectly. The whole city was awaiting the big day, all except one that is, I dreaded it.

I was born Princess Marie, Ghanaian Princess. As a princess I could have whatever I wanted with the snap of my fingers. The mention of my name brought members of the community who barely had enough money to feed their families, running to serve me in any way they could. Sound good?

I hate it. Every morning when I look out my window I am reminded of how many people living right outside of my door are living in poverty. I have beautiful clothes, exquisite furniture, amazing cuisine and money to burn. Yet people are actually sleeping, on the ground outside our front gate. I would love to make the whole city richer, but if I can’t do that I want to make them smarter. The one thing I have that no one else has, is a quality education. I know so much and people outside of my palace can’t even read let alone write. I want to better my town, better the world but because I’m a princess my father won’t even let me socialize with the lower class.

I’d been plotting and planning for weeks. Every night the setting sun brought me closer to my wedding day. The night before arrived but by now I was no longer worried. I had analyzed and reanalyzed so many times that I knew I was ready. Now all I had to do was wait.

It was dark, the breeze blew softly on my lace curtains. I lay in bed, counting down the minutes. Then it came, the clock chimed twelve. Jumping out of bed I grabbed my bag and fled. I climbed through my window, tiptoed through the dark gardens, past the guards, then there were only a few more steps and I was free. One, two, three, almost there, five, six and then there was a bright flash. I froze. Suddenly there was a low rumble and just as I reached out to open the gate, rain began to fall. Three more steps and I was safely through the gates.

The rain poured down all around me soaking my hair and dress. It was beautiful! I ran down the street feeling as though I could fly, I was free. There was no one to tell me to come in or I would dirty my nice dress, ruin my hair or any of the other terrible things that I could do as a princess. Ha! I was free and I loved it. That’s when I knew what I wanted to do, I wanted everyone to be free. Feel this feeling of running in the rain carefree. Rich, poor, old, young, male female, it shouldn’t matter.

Suddenly I stopped running. As I looked ahead I could see a little girl, she was only about five or six and she was all alone. Walking closer I could see her face, she was beautiful, even in rags, but I couldn’t read her facial expression. When the young child heard my footsteps she looked up. I thought I saw fear flash through her eyes but only for a second and then her unreadable expression returned. I gave her a weak smile and to my surprise she smiled back. Reaching into my bag I pulled out two suckers and gave them to the small child. “Thank-you,” giggled the small child.

Then as I smiled down at the beautiful little girl she walked up and wrapped her arms around me. Startled I pulled her in and hugged back.

“No one has ever given me candy before,” whispered the little girl, “thanks.”

A chill ran through my spine after hearing those words. I reluctantly pulled away and waved goodbye. I felt better than ever before.

Looking into a small shop window I looked at a face I didn’t recognize. My hair was no longer wrapped up in a tight bun but flowing, soaking wet around my shoulders. My clothing was wet and the dirt stains were visible, but my lips were curled into a huge smile. With one last look in the window I turned and walked into the night. I knew how I wanted to spend my life. I was going to remain single until I found a man who I loved and he loved me back. My dad and the rest of the arrogant people at the palace could keep the money that was rightfully theirs and watch the poor people of our community slowly build better lives with my help. I wanted to spend my life helping as many people as I could, rich, poor, old, young, male or female. I was going to make the world a better place!

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Brooke Mathison

Bella and Her Friends By Diane Friedrich March 2, 2010

Life in Africa is so different than. Canada Lizzie is form Canada she is 15 years old. Her and her parents moved to Africa 3 years ago. When she came to Africa she attended the Africa Living Faith School. Lizzie met her friend Bella at the school. Bella is very stylish and beautiful and so much fun to be around. She celebrated her 16 the birthday just before school went in.

One day at the African Living Faith School. Bella asked, Lizzie, did you hear what happen at the concert”?

Lizzie answered, “No I didn’t”

“Well Lizzie the lead singer got attacked”, Bella replied.

“ What do you mean he got attacked?” Lizzie excited exclaimed, “ What did the lead singer get attacked by?”

“Well”, remarked Bella, “by a cheetah”

“ How did the Cheetah attack the singer”? “asked Lizzie.

“The cheetah jumped on the stage and that’s how,” replied Bella.

“Wow! What is this world coming to, is he ok?” answered Lizzie.

“Yes”, echoed Bella. They both carried on their way to class.

Lizzie asked,” “Bella what are you doing after school”?

Bella replied, “ nothing why”.

“Can I come over?’’ Lizzie answered.

“Yes you can come over,.” Bella quickly replied. “We have to get together.”

“Did you rememeber about the test we have in science?”. asked Lizzie

Bella answered “no”. will we study or hang out?

“Lizzie quietly,” remarked “lets study.”

Bella was on her way home and she stopped and started thinking. That guy in gym class was so cute. I don’t think that he even sees me maybe one day I should ask him out. Should I wait and see if he will asked me out. Yes I will wait for him to see me but it is time to get home. The day dream came back to my head. One part of my head is telling me to wait, but the other part of my mind is telling me to go for it. Well I think that I am going to wait and see what he says. Then the doorbell rang and it was him. The boy I have crush on. How did he know where I lived? I know who told him where I lived, I am so glad to have her as a friend.

Maybe that’s why Lizzie cant come over she wants me to spent time with him. Quickly I ran to the door. I said, “come in and sit down I’ll be right back.” Bella quickly walks to the kitchen to check on supper. Happily Bella enters the living room. Bella and Edward spend time together talking about the fabulous movie Dear John.

Bella shyly says,“ how would you like to stay for supper?”

Edward replied, “sure I could I guess.”

“Well supper is ready so let’s eat,” she nervously replied.

After supper Bella and Edward went for a walk to the beautiful waterfall called Lady of the lake. Then Bella and Edward jumped into the lake. At the end of the evening. Edward walked Bella home.

The next day at school Bella told Lizzie about the fabulous weekend.

Then Lizzie says, “you have a boyfriend that’s great”,

Bella sadly replies, “But what about you Lizzie you don’t have a boyfriend yet. Do you want me to help you find one?

“No” that’s ok Bella I don’t need one at this pint of the game.

The next day at school they told every one at school is going to have a dance. Lizzie and Bella where talking about what are going to wear to dance. Bella was talking about wearing a pink dress. Then Lizzie goes talking about dress it is going be blue and black.

When the all grade 11’s got to the school that night, there was no music playing. The wolf pack gang had come in and took there music. So now what are we going to do side one of the boys. Thank god that the wolf pack left a trial so that we could follow them. The group had to be very cautious not to be seen.

Bella, Lizzie and Edward finally showed up at the school. Edward is puzzled he can’t figure out where every one is. He turns around and Bella is gone. Edward and Lizzie split up to see where Bella disappears to.

Meanwhile the grade 11’s found the wolf pack gang. They had tried to hide out in the African jungle. The whole group grade 11’s jumped in and captured them.

Edward and Lizzie hear Bella’s voice but they do not know where it is coming from within the school. As Lizzie and Edward call out to Bella. They know that they are getting closer to her. They eventually found her in the library. Three of them suddenly heard a lot chanting and music. Lizzie says, “It sounds like the music is on. Hey let’s go and party. The End Diane

Accepted Jillian Hawkins

I breathed heavily, pushed off the mushy ground with much strength and bolted through the forest, dodging trees as I ran. My heart pounded inside my pulsing chest. The hairs on my arms stood straight up as a sign of fright. “Roar!” came the noise yet again. “Why did we even come on this stupid trip?” Abigail screeched at me. The words hit me like a ton of bricks and made me think of what actually brought us to this very point. It started out like any other Saturday morning, I got out of bed at 10:00 am, tousled my long, shaggy brown hair, pulled on a Billabong t-shirt and Silver jeans over my tall, scrawny body, and dragged myself down the stairs for some blueberry waffles. There was my mother sitting at the table drinking her coffee and reading the newspaper, like usual. “Charlie!” yelled my father from outside. “You have mail!” //Mail, now that was not usual. Who would be sending me a letter?// Then it came to me, //my letter from Helping Hands!// “Coming dad!” I answered excitedly. I bolted out of the kitchen and ran outside to the mailbox, without even thinking twice about putting on my shoes. “What is it Charlie?” asked my father in mystery. “It’s my letter from the Helping Hands organization from Africa,” I answered quickly. My eyes flew across the page as I read the letter a hundred words per minute. Then I read those words that I will not soon forget, we are pleased to announce that you have been accepted to participate in the Helping Hands organization. I let out a huge sigh of relief and then screamed at the top of my lungs, “I MADE IT!” “Congratulations honey,” replied my mother and father almost in sync. “Thanks guys, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time now.” “You know Charlie, you do get to take someone with you, and you know how badly I want to travel to Africa,” begged my mom. “Sorry Mom, this ticket is reserved for Abigail, speaking of which, I have to go tell her this wonderful news.” I arrived at my best friend Abigail’s house and there she was, all five foot ten of her standing admiring herself in the mirror while brushing her long, luscious blond hair. “Hey Abigail, you’ll never guess what I got in the mail today, my letter from Helping Hands, I got accepted!” “Really Charlie, that’s amazing, when do you leave?” asked Abigail running over and giving me a huge hug. “We leave in three weeks.” “Whoa, whoa, whoa, back it up there buddy, we?” questioned Abigail confused. “Yeah, you get to take someone along with you for the experience and I want you to come.” “Umm I don’t know about that one, you know how much I dislike being around all those less fortunate kids,” replied Abigail in disgust. “Oh come on it would be fun, please, it would mean the world to me,” I answered putting on my best sad puppy face and batting my gigantic blue eyes. “Fine, just for you, but the next time I go shopping I know who will be accompanying me,” Abigail teased. I ran over to Abigail and gave her the biggest bear hug. //Puppy face works every time//, I thought to myself as an enormous grin appeared on my face. The next three weeks seemed to fly by as everything I did revolved around getting ready to go to Africa, whether it was completing extra homework that I would be missing, packing, or getting plane tickets organized. One last order of business that had to be taken care of was to contact the Helping Hands organization to confirm plans. The Helping Hands organization is a foundation created to complete various jobs to help out the less fortunate. When Abigail and I arrived in Africa we would be helping build a school for kids in Ghana. Finally the day I’d been longing for had arrived and I was ecstatic, even Abigail was kind of excited. After what seemed like eternity, our flight from Ontario to Ghana had come to an end. We stepped off the plane, still half asleep, and grabbed our luggage. Our jeep took us from the airport to the Ashanti region. Abigail and I would be staying at a camp in a hut composed of mud, sticks, and leaves. I opened the door of the jeep and there it was. Miles and miles of grassland lay before us. In the distance I could see mountains, and if you listened carefully rivers flowing sounded from a far. To the west I could see what appeared to be a rain forest and it was all so beautiful and open. Suddenly a black darkness began to obscure my vision. Sleep, and I wasn’t going to fight it. The next morning Abigail and I woke up early as we had an African safari planned for the day because we didn’t start building the school until the next day. After a two hour jeep ride we had finally arrived, and in just several minutes we would all be boarding an even bigger safari jeep with an open air roof. Our safari was well under way and we had seen many exotic, stunning animals including elephants, giraffes, zebras, and more. Suddenly the path became extremely bumpy and our door was shaking violently, and somehow managed to unlatch itself. Out flew Abigail and me screaming in horror. We hit the hard ground with a loud thud, “Oh my gosh, are you okay?’ “Does it look like I am okay?” Abigail snapped angrily at me rubbing some of the dirt off her Roxy shorts. I hurried over and helped her up as we both waited in anticipation for the jeep to turn around, but nothing. //Surely they heard us fall out//, //or saw us for that matter,// I thought to myself. “Why did we even come on this stupid trip?” screeched Abigail snapping me back to reality. Abigail and I whipped our heads around only to become face to face with a gigantic lion, and he looked hungry. We began screaming and running as fast as we could, but it was too fast for us. With every step I took I could feel it coming closer and closer. With every roar it let out I swear I could feel its breath on the back of my neck. The lion was gaining speed, and we were losing it. Almost out of nowhere I caught a glimpse of the jeep approaching us at a tremendous speed. It was within an arms reach and just before we were about to jump on I took one last look at the lion. It licked its lips and pounced, just skimming my back leaving behind a tear in my Fox t-shirt. But I didn’t care, we were safe and that was all that mattered. “You were right Abigail, I should have never brought you on this trip, I am so sorry,” I said apologetically out of breath as I held her tightly in my arms. “No, it’s alright, I’m actually sort of glad I came, just no more safaris for a while, okay?” replied Abigail still teary eyed and shaken up from what had just happened. “Agreed,” I answered and Abigail let out a cute little giggle in response. So Abigail and I finished what we originally came to do. We helped in the building of a school and met many wonderful people along the way. But most importantly we made many Ghanaian children’s dream of going to school come true, and that felt amazing.

Three Small Miracles Once upon a time there was a boy named Guan. He was born and raised in Ghana and he planned to spend the rest of his life there. He liked to go to school and play with his friends. He went to school 5 days a week and helped around the yard with his parents and played games with his friends in his spare time. Guan was a very laid back guy and never got too worried about anything. Guan was an only child which is very uncommon in Ghana. Guan’s best friend and neighbor’s name is Lila. Lila was a very caring and kind person that would do anything for any one. Guan and Lila would go out walking and exploring through the jungle. They had made trails through the jungle so that they could follow them so that they could find they’re way home to prevent getting lost.

One day while Guan and Lila were making a new trail through the thick jungle they came across an abandoned bird’s nest. They could clearly tell that the parents of the baby birds had left and weren’t coming back and the birds were left to survive on their own. Lila being the kind of caring person that she is, thought they should take the birds home and care for them. They took the birds through the thick jungle and back to their house where they could care for them. In Ghana they live in huts with grass walls and roofs. Inside these huts gets very warm because the temperature is usually around 70 degrees F. Since it gets so warm in the huts and it would be to warm for birds they decided to put them outside in the shade where it was cooler. Lila and Guan left the birds outside in the shade and went to get them food and water. They also gathered sticks and branches to make the birds a nest to protect and hide them from predators at night. Lila was feeding the birds while Guan was gathering sticks and branches and vegetation in the jungle. Once he had enough vegetation he went back and made them a nest.

Since all the houses in Ghana are made of natural vegetation Guan has a good idea how to make things by weaving sticks and things together. Once he had his nest built and the birds fed and settled in it was getting dark so Lila went home and Guan went to bed. Guan and Lila had to go to school in the morning so they didn’t have time to feed the birds. Guan checked on them before he went to school and they were fine. When he got to school he talked to Lila and told her the birds were ok. Lila and Guan went straight home from school to check on the birds and feed them. They took the birds into the hut to show Guan’s mom. She was nearly positive that the birds were an endangered species but thought they should take the birds to their neighbor just so they could be sure. They took the birds to his house and he examined them. He examined them for a while and went into his back room to get a bird book to verify his identification. He was very exited about the birds and happy the kids brought them to him. He came out with his books and started searching for them. He had to search for a very long time since they are such a rare species. The man told the kids to take very good care of the birds hoping they would survive and help their endangered population start to rise. Guan and Lila took the birds home and cared for them. Amazingly the birds survived and they released them into the wild. Guan and Lila were sad that they had to release the birds but felt good that they helped an endangered species. Brayden

One Town at a Time! Micheal Morden March.12/2010

I hit the ground as soon as a saw them running at me. I tried not to breathe while they walked around. I was still trying to see if they were still there waiting. My name is Shadowspawn and I am around 6 feet and I am about 100ish pounds, I also love to steal! I have no family left because they died in a horrible accident, deer killed them.

There I was in Ghana in the dry dirt lying there. After I got up it was dark I couldn’t really see anything because there are no street lights only the moon shining down. After getting up in the morning I found myself in the hands of the militia heading to the station, for questioning about the missing grapes. But I never had admitted to stealing them, as soon as they had left I escaped around the corner but they had seen me. The militia was running after me for awhile but they had got tired. So I got away.

I had woken to the sounds of people calling my name. “Get out from wherever you are, Shadowspawn” announced all the people. Luckily I lived on the second floor of my house, I had heard footsteps coming up my stairs, I had only one window and right when they slammed through my door I was gone out of it. Sadly, I was seen going out it so they followed me, jumping from roof top to roof top almost catching me a few times, but since I’m such an excellent jumper all I had to do was jump around. The longer I ran and jumped, the more people were after me. It was impossible to get away!

It wasn’t for awhile that they gave up running after me. I was glad that they gave up because I was getting tired. It was night now and time for me to get a new look. So I started to cut my hair and to get new clothes. It was now it was time to start BLOWING stuff up, first I started with the station and I put around 20 explosive devices around the building, then the grape merchant himself and his stall. The reason for doing all this was kinda obvious, I went after the grape merchant because he has been on my list for a while. He used to rat me out all the time even if it wasn’t me, and for the station well I just don’t want to talk about it, and the militia I don’t have to have a reason they’re just mean! And last but not least the militia and their houses. It took me a total of 5 hours to do all this, and I set all the bombs to go off 3 days later at 2:00 P.M

Finally the time had come and it was 1:50 only, 10 minutes until all the bombs were set to go off, but suddenly there must have been something wrong because there was a long silence and then for some weird reason they all went, and where I was standing had blown up too sending me high in the sky, landing on all these cow and human parts. I was glad and mad all at the same time, but it was done and time for me to move on.

One Explosion at a Time By Emilio Montenegro 3/1/2010

“Jamal!” a strange voice called. “What!?” Jamal replied as he walked out of the store “GET DOWN!!” screamed Jimmy as he was thrown back from an explosion that seemed to have come out of no where. “For the love of God, what was that?!” Jamal asked frantically as he got back up “A cow.” Jimmy replied quietly. You might be wondering who’s Jimmy and who’s Jamal, why are cows exploding? Well you see everything started when Jimmy and I went on an adventure to Kumasi, a small city in Ghana. We were there to visit historical sites, to study the cultural background of the population and mainly because of the Elton John concert featuring Justin Bieber and Snoop Dogg. Jimmy was my best friend from the start of kindergarten, his tall black-haired, blue-eyed kid. Every time he has bad news he always starts to bite his nails and he hates to be planted by girls. I hate when people tell me that I look like him, but sadly I do, I am also tall and have black hair and blue eyes, the only thing that sets us apart is that he has a crooked nose, but I don’t. So going back to the story; as I went into a store to buy a twinky, I saw the funniest report in the newspaper; it was about cows being used as time bombs. Terrorist used this explosive thing called C4 and made the cow eat it, after that you had about 30 minutes to get away from the site. By then I took my attention away from the newspaper and resumed choosing different kinds of snack, but then I heard a really high-pitched voice yelling. “Jamal!” a strange voice called. “WHAT?” I replied as he walked out of the store “GET DOWN!” screamed Jimmy as he was thrown back from an explosion that seemed to have come out of nowhere. “For the love of God, what was that?” Jamal asked frantically as he got back up “A cow” Jimmy replied quietly. By then I was freaking out, I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t even know the local dialect to ask for help. Jimmy and I were stuck in some town in the middle of Ghana. Things didn’t look bright at all for the two of us. “You ok?” I asked. “Of course I’m not ok! A freaking cow just exploded in front of us!” Jimmy replied frantically “I have to admit it though, it made me kind of hungry” he added I just gave him a stare and didn’t reply. After we got back to our senses we started walking back to our hotel where we were going to stay the night. In our way back we found ourselves with the doorman whose name was Bobby. “Had a good night guys?” wondered Bobby “You got no idea” I replied “What if I do?” teased Bobby “Shut up!” snapped Jimmy Our day ended, or at least we thought it did, and we went up to our room and got ready for bed. Half an hour into our sleep we heard a knock in the door. I got up and answered the door and I saw two big body guards that looked like a half-breed of a chimp and a bear, in the middle of those two there was a little man almost half my size. He introduced himself as Mr. Chan, he insisted on coming in and made his two bodyguards start looking and searching around our room. “Where is it?” Mr. Chan asked suddenly “Where’s what?” Jimmy asked “The Thing” he whispered into Jimmy’s ear. “What exactly is the thing? The only thing that happened today to us is that we got almost killed by an exploding cow!” “That is exactly why I’m here” Mr. Chan grunted back As he said that I saw Jimmy lean over and move his hand towards his mouth, then I knew Jimmy had done something stupid. “What did you do this time dude?” I screamed as I exploded in anger “I told you not to touch anything that looked valuable when I went into the store!” “I’m sorry it was shiny and I couldn’t resist”, Jimmy responded as he pulled a diamond out and gave it to Mr. Chan. Mr. Chan grabbed it and explained, “You see, this is my precious diamond, I had to smuggle it to this country and the Interpol was keeping an eagle eye on me. I wasn’t going take a risk of losing of my diamond so I used a lot of cows and I made them ingest C4 and only one had the diamond inside. They were sent to different parts of the world and this one has a tracker which made it possible for me to come here” So after that I just fell and fainted and promised myself never to comeback to Ghana again.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The End

Close encounter By Jared Forrest 3/12/10 It was not going to be an ordinary day. I couldn’t figure out where my brother had disappeared to. Had he gone to check on the cattle? Maybe to the river to get some water? Something seemed wrong.

It was six o clock in the morning and I was awoke by the sound of birds singing. The sun was shining brightly after several weeks of pouring rain. I looked to Roberts bed and he was gone.

My brother Robert was a tall slim boy with long dark hair he was inquisitive and always looking for adventure. He was the youngest of three boys who had been left to raise themselves after our parents were killed in a car accident.

Moments later I hear a loud scream in the distance, I frantically grabbed my clothes and yelled to my brother William. He followed me quickly out the door.

We dashed into the thick wooded area with machetes grasped tightly in our hands. I feared the worst because the forest has many wild animals such as lions and crocodiles. As we neared a swamp surrounded by lush rainforest. I could hear water splashing, we entered through a clearing and could see Robert struggling to free our dog, fluffy from the jaws of a crocodile. He was being pulled into the water and appeared to be tired and ready to give up “hang on we’re on our way”, I yelled to him William and I rushed into the swamp and started fighting off the hungry crocodile. Robert was able to get to land but unfortunately we couldn’t save fluffy.

Exhausted Robert explained to us that he was awoke by fluffy barking. “fluffy wandered off into the forest and I followed him. I caught up to him and we started heading home. As we passed the swamp the water looked calm and inviting. Fluffy leaned over for a drink and that’s when the crocodile grabbed him,” explained Robert

As we started backed home the day was getting hot and humid, we were said we lost our friend but glad we saved our brother.

Goodbye, Hello By Erin March 4, 2010 Mrs. Obach

The words my father just spoke played like repeat in my head. Surely he couldn’t be serious! Was there such a thing as ‘Trick Your Daughter Day’? I really hoped so. I decided I should say something and not just sit there silently with my mouth wide open. “Yeah right, Dad! Good one,” I laughed nervously. The pained look on my dad’s freshly shaven face sent my world crashing down around me. Something told me he wasn’t kidding. “Come on, Spence. You can’t ignore me forever you know,” begged Spencer’s billionaire father. “Well I’m sure going to try!” Spencer fought back. It had been two days since her dad, Greg, had told her they were moving and stubborn Spencer had shunned him completely, hoping that maybe if she ignored the fact, her Dad would forget about it too. But by the looks of it, that wasn’t going to happen. By the third day she realized that the decision had already been made and it was out of her hands. Reluctantly she dragged herself to school, saddened at what she knew she had to do. Greg had made it very clear the previous night that she tell her friends she was leaving first thing Sunday morning. Today was Monday. That gave her less than a week! While she was walking she started worrying what might happen after she left. Would her friends just forget about her? Would everyone just forget about her? She was Queen Bee at her school. People got excited when she even looked at them, if they were lucky enough. As she went up the stone steps to her two-story high school she saw Lauren and Amy, her two closest friends. Her eyes instantly filled up with tears at the thought of being halfway across the world from them. She lightly grabbed their arms and pulled them into the vacant band room. Spencer took a quick glance at each of their confused faces and decided to get it over with fast- like ripping a Band-Aid off. “I’m moving,” Spencer blurted to her friends she met in Kindergarten- she offered to split her RiceKrispie cake with them. It was a big deal, it had rainbow sprinkles. Amy instantly went pale. Lauren’s expression was unreadable. “Uhm, what? Spencer, the Spring Formal dance is next month!” Amy cried out. “When?” Lauren asked barely loud enough to be heard. Spencer wanted more than anything to be able to slap them on the backs and say she was kidding. “This Sunday,” Spencer sadly whispered. Both Amy and Lauren let out high-pitched squeaks. Spencer suddenly felt the hot tears streaming down her face and collapsed into a chair with ‘1st clarinet’ on it. She broke down and let the sobs take over. Amy and Lauren rushed over and they all held each other tightly while the tears came down all of their faces. After a good cry they pulled apart from each other. Then something came to Lauren’s mind. Spencer hadn’t even said //where// she was moving. “Spencer,” Lauren asked “where is it you’re moving to?” //Who knows//, thought Lauren, //maybe she’s just moving a few towns over and we all just over-reacted!// Spencer felt something pull at her heart. She was hoping she wouldn’t even have to tell them. Her father would see how miserable she was and send her back within a week! Wouldn’t he? “Spencer, please say where you’re moving!” begged Amy. “Africa,” she mumbled. Amy started to giggle and Spencer shot her head up. How could she laugh at that? Spencer was right, her friends would just forget about her! “It sounded like you said Africa!” Amy said starting to laugh a bit harder. Lauren started to giggle too. She asked Amy if she really thought Greg would move to Africa. Spencer clenched her nails into her palms, something she usually did when things weren’t going her way. “No guys,” Spencer started, “I really am moving to Africa. No joke. I’m leaving Sunday and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. I’ve tried.” There. That was the first time she’s said it out loud. And it truly, 100% sucked. The weeks flew by and Spencer, Lauren and Amy were inseparable. Friday, after school they all went to the James King Mall and hit their favorite boutiques. After deciding on //thee// perfect outfits they went to the very fancy restaurant called Rive Gauche. They all splurged that night and ordered the best, most expensive meals on the menus, not caring about calories or anything. Once they were finished, they one by one excused themselves to go to the ‘bathroom’. Nothing gave them a bigger rush than dining and dashing. The weekend came and went just as fast. Saturday, Lauren and Amy came over to Spencer’s 5-bedroom, 3-story house and helped pack all of her clothes into her five, humongous Prada suitcases. They spent the whole night sipping on red wine stolen from the old wine cellar basement and going through the scrapbooks Lauren had made with all their photos. They all fell asleep on each other around 4am on the over-stuffed couch in Spencer’s old bedroom. Greg came in around 9am to wake the girls up. He told them they had just over an hour before they had to leave for the airport. Spencer, Lauren and Amy stomped down the stairs and ate the breakfast Greg had made them. They all helped each other get ready, doing each other’s hair and make-up just like they always did before going out. Spencer gave them her new address and they shared a teary goodbye. “I wish you could stay,” Amy complained. “Well I can’t, so stop saying that,” snapped back Spencer. All she wanted was her friends to stop making it more realistic. “Come on girls! We can’t be late!” shouted Greg from the kitchen. “Well ladies, this is it. This is where we split. I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I will. All I have left to say is that you two better make me proud and keep the school in order. Let them know you’re boss,” Spencer rambled out. They went in for one last hug. Spencer stared at them long and hard then she turned on her heel and stalked away. She had to leave before she started crying again. “Bye,” Amy and Lauren both whispered, certain they weren’t even heard. Spencer spent the rest of the day in a daze not really noticing what she was doing. Before she knew it the captain of the plane was telling them to fasten their seatbelts. All of a sudden, Spencer felt like she was going to be sick- and it wasn’t from the take off. The realization hit like a ton of bricks. She was moving. To //Africa////.// //Oh. My. God. Who am I going to talk to? Wait a minute, I’m Spencer Marin. People// want //to talk to me. Africa is going to be no different. People will continue to fall over themselves just to say hello.// Spencer wanted to truly believe that but no matter what, she just couldn’t push that tiny feeling of doubt out her mind. The plane landed after a grueling 17 hours and they picked up their luggage. Spencer stayed silent following her dad as he tried to flag down a taxi. Her eyes wandered as she tried to absorb her new home. Everything was just so //different//. Greg eventually got a taxi and they sped off to her new home. Spencer sighed and stared out the window. It was much hotter here, the grass wasn’t quite as green and the houses were much, //much// smaller. Spencer let out yet another sigh. “It’ll be okay, Spence! You’ll meet tons of new people and they’ll all love you!” her dad tried to cheer her up. Then the taxi driver made a sharp left turn sending their stomachs flying. Then a right, then //slam//! “You’ve got to be kidding me,” groaned Spencer. “Home sweet home! Don’t worry dear, it’ll grow on you.” She unhappily wandered threw this new ‘home’ and came to one conclusion – she //hated// it. It was tiny compared to her old house! It was a one floor, two bedroom, squishy kitchen, dump. The only bonus was that the previous owner had some common sense and made each bedroom have their own bathroom. After a microwaved supper bought from the little market down the street, Spencer struggled to get all of her clothes to fit in the closet and tiny dresser. Greg had tried to convinced her to go for a walk to find some other kids, but she refused going to them first. Not long after, she had fallen asleep dreaming about her first day of school tomorrow. Then all of a sudden a light was blinding her. She opened her eyes. Monday was here. She got ready carefully that morning. She took her time straightening her hair and put on her carefully chosen outfit. Her make-up also had to be excellent. She checked herself over in the mirror, //perfect.// Her dad gave her a ride to school and Spencer spent the short dive yelling at her dad for turning her life upside down. When they pulled up to the international school that spoke English-thank goodness- her dad gave her one last hug for good luck and told her to be nice, such a dad thing to say. She had to report to the main office which she located easily in this teeny school. They gave her a schedule and her locker combination. As she was looking for locker 97, somebody accidentally ran into her. “Watch it,” some girl barked at her. Then the girl’s face lit up with delight. “Oh sorry! You’re the new girl, right? I’m Elizabeth, but call me Liz.” //Wow, she’s certainly not shy.// “Hi Liz,” Spencer replied wondering if this girl was cool enough to waste her time on. “I’m Spencer by the way.” “I know. Ohmigod! Is that a Gucci bag?” asked Liz, eyeing Spencer’s purse enviously. “Yeah it is. I got it just before I came.” Liz pulled Spencer’s arm and dragged her a few lockers down. Furiously, she spun her combo, threw open the door and pulled out the //exact// same purse. “My sister is in Canada and she sent it to me!” exclaimed Liz. The two girls exchanged a knowing look. “This Liz, is the start of a beautiful friendship,” said Spencer happily as the two linked arms and marched down the hallway as everyone turned to get a glimpse of the new It girl. //Yes,// thought Spencer, //things are going to be just fine here.//

The Story of the Skeleton By Andrew March 1, 2010

Joe, a 15 year old, long dark haired boy from Sogakope in the South Tongu District of Ghana, was pondering what his father just said. His father told him that the workers that are building his new home just found a bleach white skeleton in a hole next to the foundation. Joe at first did not understand what his father had communicated to him. “A bleach white skeleton?” pondered Joe. That was certainly out of the ordinary. His father told two of the workers to go call the police in case the body was involved in a murder. Joe went over to the body and saw that it was as white as could be. The skeleton did not look like it had been there for long or that the person died of natural causes. When the police arrived, they taped off the area and designated it as a crime scene. The police told Joe and his family that they were going to send the body to the coroner for analyses. “In normal situations we would just send the skeleton to a funeral home for a proper burial but since the skeleton is quite odd we want to make sure that the person was not murdered or had his remains tampered with.” explained the officer. “Unfortunately you will not be permitted to continue building your home until the investigation is complete.” he continued.

For Joe and his family they did not have anywhere to stay except for in some tents his family owned. Joe’s family hoped that the investigation would be finished soon so that they could finish building their home. The following week Joe’s family was informed on what had happened to the skeleton. The coroner analyzed the body and did a DNA test to find out who the man was. According to the test’s results, the man who had died was Xavier Carmichael. He had a massive hard attack and died in 2001. The coroner paused and then started to describe why the man’s skeleton was in the condition it is in now. “According to one of my sources, the man wanted to have his body donated to scientific research. A couple of doctor’s aides were told to study the effects of acids and bases on a person’s body. The aides started the experiments, stripped the body of its flesh, and bleached the bones white. The aides recorded all their info and then disposed of the body by throwing it into the back of a truck and then dumping it into a random field which happened to be right where you are building your home.” Joe’s family was relieved to hear that the man was not murdered, but died of natural causes. Joe was a little disturbed that the aides just dumped the man’s body randomly in a field and the officials at the hospital did not do anything about it. Joe’s family resumed building their home and finished it without further incident. The man’s family was contacted and they were able to have a proper funeral for Xavier. Xavier’s family was happy for the proper funeral and thanked Joe’s family for it.

The End

=//My Fairy Tale Ending – By Holly Campbell//=

I can’t believe this is happening! All I did was leave the safari jeep to go on a little walk. The last I looked back I could still see the jeeps and now I’m lost in this stupid forest. Will they ever notice that I’m not in one of those jeeps? “Help!” I yelled. But no one answered. //Why did I ever come on this stupid savanna photo shoot?// * * * The day had finally come; I was going to Ghana for the photo shoot. It was going to be so much fun. “Can I see your ticket, please?” the airplane attendant asked. I handed her the ticket. “Okay, thank you,” she handed back the ticket and walked down the aisle to the next seat. //Only another 2 hours until we would land in Kumasi, then it was off to the first photo shoot location. Well, I might as well get a little sleep. It’s going to be one long week, but an exciting week.// I settled down into my first class seat, closed the blind beside me, put in my ipod head phones and pressed play. In a few minutes I had fallen asleep to the sound of Debussy. DING DONG! I jumped out of my seat in shock from the loud noise. “Hello, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing in Kumasi very shortly. I ask that you please store your carry-on under the seat in front of you and buckle your seat belts. Thank you.” We were almost there. //Yes!// I was finally here, the plane had landed safely and I was in the jeep on my way to the camp. All I could think about was how I was going to be on the cover of one of the most well read magazines in the world. The trees flew by as we traveled down the dirt road, passing one small village after another. It was so beautiful. Desert as far as the eye could see. Wild animals were lying under the few trees that speckled the savanna. We pulled up to where I would be staying for the next week or so. The photo crew had already set up camp. They had been here for the last few days, finding the perfect place for each shot. * * * It was later that evening. The first day has gone great. We toured the area and saw much of the countryside and some of the local villages. All the families were so kind and welcoming. Pictures do this place no justice. Words cannot describe how it feels to see everything up close. When you walk around you see so much more than you would in the jeeps. I thought it was so beautiful then, but now after walking around it is so much better. The sun was going down just over the hills. It is the most magnificent thing I has ever seen. The colors; reds, yellows, oranges, purples, every color you could ever imagine. I am seeing it all now. Tomorrow will be great, but will go by so fast. I won’t ever want to leave this place. How lucky the local people are to live here; the colors, the sounds, and the smells, it is beautiful. It’s nothing like back home “Good night everyone,” I said after supper. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. I needed some sleep * * * “Time to wake up, Aurora! We have a long day ahead of us.” It was 9-oclock in the morning. I was so jet-lagged from the flight the day before. The time difference was really getting to me. “Yep, I’ll be right up,” I murmured into my pillow, then rolled over. I wasn’t getting up. No way, or at least not right at this very second. “Aurora, I mean now! We have to get going,” Chris yelled. Chris //is one of those guys mostly everybody would like, and all the girls would fall over a tall, dark and handsome guy. He is about six feet tall and was pretty muscular. He is also my assistant. My best friend, I guess and the only one who was allowed to yell at me. It was days like this that I absolutely hated him, but I had to put up with him.// “I’m getting up! Stop yelling!” “I’ll stop yelling once you get up. Now let’s go!” I finally dragged myself out of my tent to go and get something to eat. I grabbed a granola bar and my favorite energy drink. All of the crew looked at me funny, but I didn’t care, I had to get some energy into me somehow. “You should really eat something more than just a granola bar. You’re not going to get much time to eat throughout the rest of the day,” Chris suggested. “I’ll be okay; I’m not that hungry anyway. Just make sure you have lots of these drinks,” I said pointing to the energy drink in my hand. After I was finished my granola I was off to the first of four areas I would be going this week. We had four jeeps ready to set out. One for clothes and makeup, one for all the technical stuff like cameras, the next was for the crew and the last one for Chris and me. We had so much to take. //It was going to be so hectic.// Again the trees were flying by as we whizzed down the dirt road. Dust flew up from behind the jeep, and my blonde hair blew back behind me. We had music blaring from the speakers, and I was reading the new //TWIST// magazine. //I can’t believe they’re dating,// I thought, making a funny face. Chris just laughed when he saw my face, so I stuck out my tongue at him, making him laugh even more. // Chris and I were almost like brother and sister. We fight and tease each other all the time, but we still love each other. // The jeep all of a sudden stopped with a jolt, the other jeeps behind us stopping quickly. I guess this was our stop. Now there were people running around everywhere. The crew was scrambling to get everything set up. After a minute or so, Chris grabbed my arm and towed me over to the large white tent the crew had just set up. All of my clothes were hung on hangers just waiting for me. “Go put this on,” Chris said, handing me some of the clothes off the rack. “Yes sir,” I joked, letting out a little giggle. Chris just frowned at me, and then pointed at the area designated for changing. In a few moments I was changed and sitting in a chair getting my hair and makeup done. //How I wish somebody would come to my house everyday and do my makeup and style my hair.// After I was all done my makeup and hair it was time to start snapping photos. It went by so fast. In only a few short hours we were finished for the day. I had changed clothes about ten times and had got my hair and makeup done just as many It was starting to get dark and the crew was packing up. Chris was talking on his cell phone, so I wasn’t able to bug him. I decided I would take a walk along the one existing forest in about a few square miles. In the distance I could hear a small river. Birds were chirping and you could hear the odd branch break from the animals moving around deep in the forest. I wandered deeper and deeper into the forest. When I looked back I could still barely see the four jeeps anymore, but I kept thinking I could find my way back out. A bird flew over my head, almost hitting my and making scream. //Damn bird!// When I looked up to see where the bird had went, I noticed how dark it had all of a sudden gotten. I could just barely see the moon and stars because of the large canopy. Now that it was so dark the forest started to almost freak me out. The shadows cast by the all the plants, almost seemed to move. //I have to get out of here,// I thought. I started to run in the direction of the jeeps, tripping over the roots of the trees, falling and scraping my hands. I kept getting up and running as fast as I could to the edge of the forest. It seemed like it was taking forever, but I kept running, still falling every so often. //Wait didn’t I just pass that tree? And that rock? What is going on?// Then I clicked. //I was lost!// // I can’t believe this is happening! All I did was leave the safari jeep to go on a little walk. The last I looked back I could still see the jeeps and now I’m lost in this stupid forest. Will they ever notice that I’m not in one of those jeeps? // “Help!” I yelled. But no one answered. //Why did I ever come on this stupid savanna photo shoot?// I thought back to when I had gone to camp when I was a little girl. //Yah, hard to believe I ever went to camp.// They taught us about survival and what we were supposed to do if we ever got lost. We were supposed to stay right where we were, and wait for help. You were also supposed to make a shelter and a fire. //Hopefully I still remember how to make a fire.// It had been years since I had done this, but I still had to try. I needed something to distract me. I started gathering lots of branches and started off making the shelter. At least if it started to rain I would have something that would keep me mostly dry. Within about what I thought was an hour, I was finished the shelter. It was pretty good for not doing it in so long. Next I needed to make the fire. I needed to make something to keep me warm during the night. Even though it was really hot during the day, when the sun went down it started to get quite cold. All of a sudden I heard an animal howl in the background. It didn’t sound too close, but I was scared. I now really needed to hurry up and make that fire now. If some kind of animal came near, they would be scared off by the fire, //hopefully.// It took quite a while too, but I finally got the fire started. It was very small, but if I kept feeding it wood it would eventually grow in size. “//Grumble,”// I was so hungry that my stomach was aching and making funny weird noises. Now I really wish I would have listened to Chris when he told me that I should eat more this morning. //Why hadn’t I stuck another granola bar in my pocket?// I didn’t want to leave the safety of my shelter to go and find food, so I decided that the best thing I could do was go to sleep. I was so tired that within moments I was asleep. * * * “//Aurora////! Aurora!”// the voice called. I was dreaming that I was running through the forest toward the, oh so familiar voice, then the voice stopped. Now I didn’t know where to go. I was still lost. // “Hoot, hoot!” // I woke up screaming. The owl had scared me. “//Aurora////!”// There was that voice again. //Was I still dreaming?// “//Aurora////, is that you?”// the voice yelled again. //Who is that?// Then it clicked, it was Chris’ voice. “I’m over here!” I bellowed. “Chris is that you?” “Aurora! Stay where you are! I’m coming!” I could hear the rustling in the bushes, and then I saw the light from a flashlight. //Oh my god, he found me!// I ran as fast as my skinny legs could go towards him. I ran head on into him, almost knocking him over. “Oh, you found me,” I sobbed, I was now crying. I was so happy that they had he had found me. //I’m rescued!// //“Grumble,”// my stomach growled again. //Hmm, I wonder if he brought any food with him.// Chris laughed. “I told you, you should have eaten more this morning. You never know what might happen.” “Yah, I guess I should have. So did you bring any food with you?” I asked. Chris reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a granola bar. I grabbed it before he could even say anything and ripped it open, shoving a huge piece into my mouth. Chris laughed again. “Now how about I take you back to camp?” “That sounds great,” I mumbled. My mouth was still full from the granola bar. Chris took my hand and started to lead me out of the forest, but then he stopped and turned to me, “And, Aurora.” “Yes?” “Let’s try not and run off again, okay?” I smiled at him and nodded. //I never wanted to be lost ever again, it was terrifying.// Chris smiled then started walking again. I quickly shuffled to catch up so that I was beside him again. //Chris had come to my rescue again, and it was likely not the last time, either. I love him for finding me; he was like my knight in shining armor, the prince rescuing the princess from fire breathing dragon, but in this case there was no fire breathing dragon, just some really scary animals and the evil forest I got lost in. Happy endings don’t just happen in fairy tales.//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">**The End**

2/21/2010 James The Mad Zebra in Africa

One day I was sitting at my computer typing up some files when suddenly George the zebra burst through the hospital doors yelling “Jack! Jack! You have to help me!” “George, what’s wrong?” I asked “Barfing, diarrhea, dizziness, and insanity!” he said as he lay on the floor barfing. “When did you start experiencing all of this?” I asked He began to explain, “Ugh! It all started this morning, I woke up and my guts were on fire. I knew I had to get to the bathroom fast! After I finished puking my guts out I came here, because I’ve never puked like that in my life.” “Hmm, what happened last night?” I asked “Well I was in a field getting liquored up with some buds of mine when I saw this cow eyeing me up from across the field. Her name was Rae, and she looked pretty sexy from where I was standing so I went over and talked to her. As I approached she started to look a little bit dirty, which is a turn off, but she had the best looking udder I’ve ever seen. We hit it off right away and I could see by the way she was looking at me that she wanted me, and who could blame her, I mean look at me, I’m a stud! Not long after we decided to head back to my hut where things got pretty steamy if you know what I mean.” “My god! Did you at least use a condom?” I asked “No, why would I want to do that, condoms are against my religion,” he replied. “You idiot! Can’t you see? You’ve contracted Mad Cow Disease!” “Mad Cow Disease! How can I get Mad Cow Disease? I’m a zebra!” he cried “Well obviously that cow that you brought home last night had it, and when you had intercourse with her you contracted the disease,” I explained. “Well how do we cure it?” He asked “Ha! To my knowledge there is no cure, but ask your friends, you never know, maybe they’ve heard of something I haven’t, but beware that about two hours from now you will begin to go insane and foam at the mouth,” I warned. Before I could say anything else he went running out the doors. Now from what I hear he went and talked to Johnny the elephant first. Johnny was sleeping as usual when George arrived. “Johnny wake up!” he yelled Johnny just lay there. “Johnny! Dam it! Wake up!” George yelled as he kicked Johnny in the face. “What the hell do you want?!?!” Johnny screamed as he held his nose. “I need to find a cure for Mad Cow Disease!” yelled George “What’s Mad Cow Disease?” asked Johnny as he slowly stood up. “Mad Cow Disease? Isn’t that some kind of STD that you get from cows?” asked Layla the gopher as she appeared from her hole. “That’s the one,” replied George “So you did it with a….EWWWWWW!” Johnny yelled. He fainted a few seconds later, landing right on Layla, killing her instantly. George, still searching for the cure for mad cow disease, decided he should go see his eyes in the sky. After wandering around for an hour he finally found what he had been searching for, the half eaten corpse of a gazelle. It didn’t look like much, and it smelled like it could gag a maggot. It was exactly what George was looking for. As he got closer George spotted his friend Lurch the vulture, nose deep in juicy gazelle guts. “Hey Lurch,” said George. “Hey! Georgy boy!” replied Lurch as he wiped off his beak. “Lurch listen, I have Mad Cow Disease and I need to know if at any time during your travels you’ve heard of a cure?” asked George “Can’t say that I have, but hey the only way to get mad cow disease is to have sex with a cow isn’t it?” asked Lurch “Yes,” grumbled George. “Oh man! You’re nasty man! You’re nasty! Get away from me!” said Lurch in disgust. “Fine! You’ll miss me when I’m dead!” Cried George “I doubt that, cow licker!” laughed Lurch With that George ran back to my office. By the time he got here he had begun to foam at the mouth and was making strange grunting noises. The way he looked at me was extremely disturbing. Looking into his eyes was like looking into the eyes of the devil. “Now George just be calm, I think I may have found a cure. REEEEBA!” I yelled Not two seconds later Reba the lion pounced on George and began to eat him. When Reba stood up I was frozen with fear, she had the same demonic like look in her eyes that George had just moments earlier. She burst through the doors, suddenly there was a loud BANG! I rushed out the doors to see what had happened, and all I saw was Reba lying dead on the ground and Click Click the ranger standing there with his rifle. I went and thanked Click Click and explained to him that he had just saved many people from death. As I was explaining I looked over at Reba’s body and noticed that Lurch was beginning to eat it. All I could think was //here we go again//…

The End :):):):D:D:D:D:P:P:P

Complete By Shelby Medd March 4, 2010 Mrs. Obach “Squak squak!” screamed Clarence. “Don’t move, I’m going to get you out of there,” Emanuel promised, as he took off towards the village as fast as he could go. Emanuel Crump is a 10 year old boy that lives in Ghana, Africa. He is small for his age and has short black hair. He and his mother, Aurora, live in a small, pretty house on the outskirts of Bo. She was short with beautiful long black hair with a loving smile. When Emanuel was two years old, his father walked out on them. Secretly, he has always wanted to meet him. Sometimes he goes and sits on the wooden bench in front of the window and wonders what it would be like to have a father. One day, while sitting in this very spot, staring aimlessly at the trees, something colorful caught his eye. He shook his head trying to get his eyes to adjust. Emanuel then realized it was a parrot he had seen. The very beautiful male had all different colors. All of a sudden it took flight, landing on the windowsill right before his eyes. Together they sat there for a few seconds, staring into each other’s eyes. The parrot then flew and perched on a near-by tree. Emanuel wanted to get closer so he ran into the kitchen. “Mom, I’m going for a walk in the woods!” He yelled at a full-on sprint. “Be back before dark!” called his mom after him. Once outside, he slowed down to a walk. The parrot was still on the tree, looking at him. “I am going to call you… Clarence.” Emanuel decided. “Squak,” Clarence agreed and then took flight towards the forest. Emanuel followed Clarence through the forest for a long time. Eventually the beautiful parrot perched on the hand rail of an old mossy bridge. Emanuel stopped and sat on the edge, dipping his feet into the small stream below. It was quiet. Crack! A tree was going to hit them. Emanuel sprung to his feet and dashed down the bridge. He could feel it giving out under his feet. He dove off the edge and landed in a heap on the trail. //Clarence!// he thought to himself, panicking. Turning around he realized the tree had landed right where they were sitting. “Squak squak!” screamed Clarence. “Don’t move I’m going to get you out of there.” Emanuel promised as he took off towards the village as fast as he could go. The leaf-covered path squished beneath his feet. Emanuel can see the town now through the trees. Looking frantically around for someone to help, he sees a man he does not know. He’s kind of tall, black hair and has a familiar face. “Help! Help! Mister you have to help me!” screams Emanuel as loud as he can toward the stranger. “What!? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” asks the man, looking slightly confused. “A parrot! It’s trapped in the forest!” he exclaims as he grabs the man by the wrist. “This way!” Without another word, the two of them take off into the forest. “Squak squak!” They can hear Clarence. They both speed up in unison. Once they arrive at the bridge they stop, to brainstorm silently. “The bridge looks too dangerous, we will have to climb up the trunk of the tree,” states the man. Both of them ran to the jagged, broken end of the tree and began to crawl on their knees towards the branches, where Clarence is trapped. “What now?” asks Emanuel. “We’re going to have to break some branches,” the man decided. “The gaps between them are too small for him to get out.” “I’m not very strong…” admits Emanuel. “That’s okay. Keep the birds head and wings shielded and I will go down and start breaking some off.” Emanuel did as he was told and soothed Clarence. The man climbed down almost to water level and started tugging on the branches. //Wait, I never asked this man his name.// Emanuel thought to himself. //He came all the way out here to rescue a bird and he doesn’t even know me. He must like animals as much as I do.// Snap! The sound of a large branch breaking jolted him out of his thoughts. With a flutter of his wings, Clarence crept out from under the branches and perched on the tree trunk in front of Emanuel. “There we are,” piped the man as he climbed back on top of the tree again. “Free to go.” “Thanks. Sorry about dragging you out here… seeing you don’t know me and all…” “It’s my pleasure. I couldn’t bear to let a bird in danger go without help. I’m Jebidiah Crump by the way.” “Crump? That’s my last name too,” “Wait, are you Emanuel?” “Yes...” Emanuel said cautiously, not understanding how he knew this. There was a long pause. Jebidiah looked like he was thinking, fiddling with a piece of grass. Then it clicked. “You’re my father!” Emanuel blurted without thinking. The man looked up and smiled. “Ya, I am,” he said cautiously. Emanuel fidgeted with excitement. He had always envisioned this day this day, and never once thought it would be like this. He was so nice, and loved animals just like him. He even looked like him. How had he not realized this sooner! There were so many questions he wanted to ask that they all jammed in his throat so nothing came out. Emanuel sat there wide-eyed and jaw dropped. //This man left when I was two… Why?// His face calmed, and excitement faded. “I know what you’re thinking and I’m sorry,” Jebidiah sighed. “I’ll explain everything.” The two of them sat there for a very long time, stroking Clarence’s head, as Jebidiah told the story. When Jebidiah and Emanuel’s mom, Aurora, met, they were both quite young. Aurora had known what she wanted, a family, but Jebidiah was not ready for that. Soon enough Emanuel was born. Being young, he was not as good of father as he could have been. This angered Aurora so she told him to grow up or leave. He left. After a while he realized that he had made a big mistake but didn’t feel welcome to come back. Finally he got up the courage to come back earlier that month. He was on his way to their house when Emanuel found him and dragged him into the forest. “I really do want to be a part of your life,” Jebidiah finished. ** One year later. ** “Dad! Dad!” shouted Emanuel. “What, son?” replied Jebidiah. “It’s Clarence! He’s come to visit!” Emanuel, Jebidiah and Aurora all went outside the front door to watch their parrot friend fly toward them. Emanuel looked up and smiled, finally his family was complete. **// THE END //** __ Ghana ____ Short Story - Trouble with Tradition - __ By Kaitlyn Henderson

I pushed away from the table. At the top of my lungs I screamed, “You can not be serious, I am 15, I am too young to get married!” After running to my room, I slammed my door as hard as I could. I decided I had to get out of here so, I got changed, sneaked out of my bedroom window, and quickly headed over to Feechi’s house. Tisha is a strong willed 15 year old. She is tall, and has medium length black hair. She isn’t necessarily a good girl. She is a bit of a rebel; she doesn’t really listen to her parents. Feechi is good girl; she always listens to her parents. She is tall, and has long, black hair. She worships God, and fully believes in that. “Tisha! You scared me. What are you doing here?” Feechi asked quietly. “It’s one in the morning.” “I’m sorry Feechi, but I have to get out of this place. My parents had a talk with me tonight. I am so mad!” “What were they talking to you about? Are you ok? Is your family alright?” “Yes, my family is alright, but I am definitely not! They were talking to me about me getting married!” “Wow! That is so exciting, congratulations.” “What! NO! I am not getting married. There is no chance they are going to force me into getting married ever, especially when I am 15!” “Why not, I am. My parents also were talking to me tonight about my arranged marriage. I am definitely looking forward to it.” “Are you kidding me? I think you are crazy! Don’t you know that if you get married now, you won’t be able to get out of this place when you’re older?” explained Tisha. “I know that, and I am absolutely fine with that. I love this town. I think that you need to respect what your parents tell you, and you will be happy in the end.” “NO! Stop saying that. I am sick of my parents telling me what to do, say, and believe in. I don’t agree with them at all. Heck, to tell you the absolute truth, I don’t even believe in our religion, customs, or traditions.” screamed Tisha, very upset now. “Excuse me! You must be out of your mind. I think you are just tired. Let’s just sleep. It will clear your mind” Feechi reassured her calmly. By the time the girls fell asleep, it was 2:30am. When they woke up, the hot Ghanaian sun was already high in the sky. It was noon now. Once the girls got out of bed, they went to the kitchen to grab some food. Since they were the only two around, Feechi brought up their conversation from last night. “So,” sighed Feechi. “Why is it that you don’t believe in the religion you were brought up in?” “I don’t know really. It is just a personal choice I guess. You understand though, right?” pleaded Tisha. “No Tisha. I truly don’t. I firmly believe in our religion, always have, and always will. And for our customs and traditions, those have been going on for centuries. You can’t just not keep them going. They are part of us,” explained Feechi. Just as Feechi finished, the front door swung wide open, and in barged both Feechi’s and Tisha’s parents. “What are you doing here?” demanded Tisha’s mother, Abena. Abena is the kind of mother who is caring but firm. When she asks a question, she expects you to answer, right away. “I am hanging out with Feechi, what does it look like?” snapped Tisha. That was definitely not smart. Neither of Tisha’s, nor Feechi’s parents liked that. You see, Feechi’s parents banned Feechi from ever talking to or seeing Tisha again, but that has been the only thing Feechi has ever disobeyed her parents on. Tisha’s parents dragged her home, and grounded her for two months, and Feechi’s parents grounded her, for one month. Before Tisha left Feechi’s, they made plans to talk later that night, and they did. Tisha once again, sneaked out, and went over to Feechi’s. They continued their discussion about their tradition. “Okay, so let me get this straight” whispered Feechi. “You are planning to somehow go live in Canada so you don’t have to have an arranged marriage? That is absurd!” “No!” Tisha said quietly. “I want to move to Canada so I can become more free, and so I can go to school to become an architect. That is my dream!” “Oh, wow, you have thought it all through. You make a good point. I wish that I had the courage to do that.” “Well then just tell your parents. I told mine tonight, and since I explained things to them, they agreed! They changed their minds, we are moving to Canada, tomorrow!” “What! Really?” exclaimed Feechi. “I guess sometimes your fight with tradition works. But you should probably go home now, I will come and say goodbye tomorrow.” “Okay, Feechi. You are a great friend. I will miss you,” Tisha quietly said, starting to cry, hugging Feechi.

= Zero Hour = By Holden March 2, 2010

The sound of crunching metal and carbon fiber filled the air. An engine whirred and choked to a stop. Acrid smoke was rising from the source of the noise. Too much to see or to breathe. He had to escape, he would surely perish if no action was taken soon. //This is the end.// The thought kept racing through his mind. Twisted aluminum and wire were in the young man’s way. The door, just a few feet away, was the only escape route now. With lungs full of the sickening smog from the crash, he leapt to freedom, clear of the wreckage. However ignorant he was, not knowing that the flaming plane was being suspended in the air by no more than a few branches. After falling 15 feet, losing all feeling in his legs, safe from the debris of the plane, he blinked and descended into unconsciousness. ** 3 Days to Zero Hour **

“Gah!” Jim screamed as he spilled the raging hot coffee on his shirt. Grabbing a towel and wiping the new stain off his garment, he finished his breakfast quickly. The usual ham and eggs was almost always the best part of Jim Denver’s day. It was another sunny morning in St. John’s, Newfoundland. //Perfect day for flying.// The inattentive students at his glider club were the only downside… and they were a real pain. After getting in his car and driving down to his glider club 5 miles away, he realized it was a Sunday. “No work for a week, but since the fuel is free I might as well make the most of it.” Jim spoke aloud as he unlocked the door to the hangar. Little did Jim know that this flight may threaten to change his life forever. ** 2 Days to Zero Hour **

When you are 25,000 feet in the air over the Atlantic Ocean, there is not much to do but watch in flight movies and eat the complimentary peanut packages. Jim munched on a few more of the shelled snacks. Each package only contained about 12 peanuts and each nut was barely salted, but they were better than having the week old sandwiches stored in the food shelf. The auto-pilot was controlling the small Cessna jet while Jim lounged in the passenger seats. Four and a half hours later there was a small rumble of turbulence. “Africa never looked so good,” Jim mumbled.

Clouds riddled the airspace below the small aircraft as it soared over the small bits of land underneath. A light on the dash blinked and remained solid, signaling the presence of a radio transmission. By now it was 11:00 pm and Jim was slowly drifting to sleep, but was suddenly awoken by the sound of a voice. “Cessna two-niner, this is Sunyani International Airport, we have your approach vectored. Please correct your course to 250 degrees west, drop down to one thousand feet and await further instruction.” “Sunyani International Airport, this is Cessna two-niner, correcting course now,” Jim replied as he followed the instructions given to him. //Refuel, rest and a full stomach, sounds like a good plan.//
 * 1 Day to Zero Hour **

Stretching and yawning while getting up out of bed, Jim took a moment to remember his wife Sarah, with whom he had a beautiful baby girl with 3 years ago, named Maria. He had lost them both three years ago when his wife died of cancer, and soon after his daughter was abducted somewhere in Africa. A small tear of sorrow trickled down the side of Jim’s face. He soon banished the memory from his current line of thought. He replaced it with the thrill of flying around the world in his Cessna. //I’ll never be happy, but I can try.// He had arisen from his trance and slipped on his leather jacket, sat back down and pulled the map from his jacket pocket. It detailed the regions of Ghana and all the separate cities in the small country. Jim planned his trip carefully. “I’ll have to head for Ho and hope there is somewhere there I will be able to connect to Cairo, Egypt,” Jim explained to himself. With due haste, he ran down the stairs of the small hotel he had been staying in for the night and was excited to get on with the day. For his brunch at 11:10 am, he ate a groundnut soup with fufu, a crop native to Ghana. Visiting with the people and some of the local shops was quite interesting to Jim. The culture and residents of Sunyani were very different from the ones back home in Newfoundland. On his way back to the airport, he thought of what he may be doing when he got to Ho, in the southeastern section of Ghana known as the Volta region. Like a flash of lightning, an image of his daughter shot through his head. He instantly thought of the vacation his family had taken 3 years ago in Africa, when he lost his daughter. It was obvious to Jim now that Maria was either lost forever or still alive, living in the Volta region. With his plane resupplied, he started the engines and taxied to the end of the runway. “Here I go again.” ** Zero Hour **

Jim woke up in a daze, slowly rising off of the small bed he was sitting on. There wasn’t a single question in his mind that he didn’t want answered. //Why did the plane stall? Where did the autopilot go wrong? Why didn’t it correct the flight path?// Suddenly a young woman walked in the minuscule room Jim was in. “Who are you?” Jim asked. “The one who found you near the wreckage,” she replied. “I am Suda, this is my home.” “I suppose I should thank you then. Without you I could have been crushed by falling debris or left out in the dark for any wild animal to prey on me.” Jim explained with an appreciative look on his face. Soon after he spoke, a small child no more than 6 years old walked in. Jim was still disoriented but somehow recognized her face. “Teacher, may I have some water please?” the little girl asked. “Yes, go ask one of the older children to get you some,” Suda smiled and nodded. She must have been in charge of an orphanage and had been taking these children in for safety. Her clothes and shoes were very ordinary and had no particular style to them. Moments later Jim had become completely conscience and was walking around the small town that this orphanage was in. The little girl from before run right by him and as she did, Jim was hit by another memory of him and his daughter playing together. He suddenly came to as Suda walked up to Jim. “Feeling better I see!” she exclaimed with a smile. “I am,” he sighed, “but where are we?” “Hohoe, very north of Ho, but within a reasonable distance to drive along the road to.” //I just want to go home.// Jim thought. The image of the small girl was flashing through his mind again and again to which he finally decided to ask Suda about. “Who is she?” he asked, pointing to the six year old, “She seems familiar.” “Her name is Maria Denver, she was found in Accra a few years ago and we never found who her parents were and why they hadn’t continued searching for her.” Jim felt his heart sink as if all time had just stopped. His face turned pale as he glanced at Maria, who was at a small desk coloring a picture. //My Maria? It couldn’t really be, could it?// He pondered the thought for a moment and walked up to the child. “Maria?” She looked back at Jim, studied him for a moment, and began continuing her previous activity. There was a pause as she put down her coloring tools and rapidly turned herself around. “Dad?” she whispered. Both Jim and Maria had broken out into tears and hugged each other for the first time in three years. Jim was ecstatic to learn that his long lost daughter, now found, was now safe and sound. There were unimaginable amounts of happiness as they were taken to Ho and flown back to Newfoundland. The family, reunited once again, lived happily ever after.

= The End. =