MOTLEY

2016

2016 MOTLEY Staff

Maddie Labbe

Katie Fletcher

Clara Tolley

Charlie Goodell

Gabe Magadieu

Tanner Daniels

Shruti Joshi

Sofie Matson

Sarah Wuesthoff

Josie Rideout

Advisor

Mr. Adams

Cover art by Parker Thibodeau Quilt 2016

May 2016

Dear Constant Reader,

May you live in interesting times.

The apocryphal Chinese curse (though more likely English and made famous by John F. Kennedy) seems particularly apt as the 2015-2016 school year draws to a close. While we wrestle as a nation with a contentious presidential election and the ancient battle between tolerance vs. fear once again takes center stage those words can seem like a curse indeed. But as you flip though the truly interesting pages of this years Motley I hope you can see the other side of that coin and realize that the alternative would be to live in boring times. Safe but dull days of repetition with no color, or wonder, or experimentation. One day melting into the next without expression or creation. While there might be a kind of security in always knowing what comes next, the monotony can be crushing. No, I prefer interesting times, and the art and stories that such times inspire. Enjoy.

Simon Adams

And a Diet Coke

By Henry Baker

Its amazing Truly. How in one place Is all greed. Surplus Overload. A land of Big Macs And Supersized And sodas. Then we say this, Yes I will have a McDouble, A large fry, 20 piece chicken Mcnugget, And a diet coke. How oblivious can we be? Thinking a diet coke Will fix your obesity. Even the kids, Supersized.

But some places Dont have it. They dont have loads Of thrown away Fiji Water. And a like Will not feed them, or give them water. While we are obese, They are malnourished. They dont have A trillion KFCs. So please, dont say, And a diet coke.

Eli Macfarland

The Lost Pegasi

by Kaylee Demers

Okay, ready? Dive...Now! Wind rushes through my hair, as Melody, my pegasus tries our new trick. Diving toward the ground, I yell over the wind. Aaaaaand Now! At the last second before we hit the ground, Melody spreads her wings and we glide over the trees. Great job girl! I say as I pat her on the head.

She flies us over to our house, overlooking the ocean. I lean over and open my bedroom window. When I was little, my parents had put a big window in my room that took up one whole wall. It opens, so Melody can fly in and out of my bedroom.

I look out across the ocean, and look for constellations in the stars. Melody and I usually fly at night, so nobody sees us. People in Maine aren't used to seeing flying horses.

Just then, in the shadows, I see something move. Someone is under the big oak tree in my front yard. But as soon as I look, they are gone.

Hey Melody, did you see that? I look over, and she is already asleep. It is up to me to see what is going on.

My bedroom is on the second floor, so outside my window there is a ladder to the ground. I scurry over to the tree, and find nothing. After about five minutes of searching I find a small piece of paper tucked under a root.

Meet me by the place Where the grass grows green and tall

Where we look invisible Opposite the ball

-K P.S. Come with the horse

Tomorrow night

The paper looks suspicious. Maybe they saw me flying with Melody! Maybe they want to kidnap us! It looks like my life just got a lot more interesting.

All the next day, I am nervous. I dont tell my parents, so all day they ask me what is wrong. That night I walk to my bedroom, and open the window.

Come on Melody, lets go meet this stranger. I had worked on decoding the message all day, and I am pretty sure the note means we need to meet them at Seal Dock. It is not actually a dock, but a small field with grass that rarely gets mowed. It has a great view of the ocean, and seals go there all the time. On the other side of the road there is a pet shop with a statue of a toy ball outside the door.

We fly into the clearing. Trees surround it, and no one can see it unless they are looking for the field. A person in a black hood stands under a tree. They approach us as we land.

Did anyone follow you? she asked urgently.

I dont think so Who are you? Sorry for acting really spooky and

stuff, but this is top secret. She pulls back her hood, and smiles at me. She has dark auburn hair, and bright green eyes. She has earrings on that look like mini magic wands. She looks really friendly and inviting and about my age. I have been watching you flying at night

You have! I blurt. Yes, but dont worry, Im magic

too, and I can tell you have some real talent. Magic? I'm Im not magic. Trust

me, I may have a flying horse, but I'm not magic.

Not magic, not magic! Do you know how many people can understand what a flying horse is thinking? And be able to control

Shield & Dragon by Celia Funk

it and ride bare back while doing tricks? Do you? Come on, guess.

Um Give up? Fine, I'll tell you, not many

at all! Sure! There are magic people in the world, but they are all different, and it is amazing to be able to communicate with freaking flying horses!!

Okay, okay, I get it. But I thought you said you had some top secret information.

I do, and I need your help. Why me? Because, two dozen pegasi have

been captured. My heart stopped beating. The

world began to spin. The next thing I knew, I was lying down on the grass. The girl was lying next to me holding a water bottle.

Are you okay? She asks looking concerned.

Yeah, what happened? You fainted. But not for long. Only

a couple of minutes. Can you stand? Can we do this sitting down, I

don't want to faint again. What happened to the pegasi?

They disappeared a couple of nights ago. We think they were taken by one of our greatest enemies. His name is Professor Vincent.

Hey, I just realized I never learned your name. What is it?

I'm Katie Harp, captain of the YLMC archery team.

What? Nothing, I'll tell you later. And I

already know who you are Rosey Cheval. Okay, so how do we stop this

Professor Vincent? That is where you come in. With

you being able to communicate with pegasi, you can come in handy when rescuing them. I was going to go with Sarah Ammonite, but she is busy at camp protecting our pegasi.

You keep talking about this camp, and other people. What are you talking about?

Okay, I wasn't supposed to tell you until after we rescued the pegasi, but it might be better to do it now. All over the U.S. are magic boys and girls who have special powers. Some have the same powers, but there are a lot of different powers. I am from YLMC. The Young Ladies Magic Camp. There we train girls how to use their powers, and about how to fight in combat. There is also a boys camp about a half hour walk away. At the camp we have people that search for the lucky magic kids. I may be only thirteen, but I have been training since age seven. I have been watching you for a long time, and I think you are perfect for this mission. Shall we go?

But.. my parents. They wont know where I went.

I sent them a letter explaining where you are. Now are you ready to kick some butt or what?

Okay, lets go. I climb up onto Melody, and start to

wonder how Katie will get there, and how she got here.

Hey, how are you Just then, she pulls a small stick out of her cloak. She throws it on the ground, and it begins to shake. I do not believe my eyes. The stick grows into a broom. And it is hovering above the ground! She climbs on. And we are ready to go.

We fly out over the ocean, away from any land. Up, up, and over the clouds. I look back at the coast. Each house is the size of an ant. I have been following Katies lead. After what feels like hours, I call over the wind.

Katie! How much longer? Melody is tired and I feel like an icicle!

Were almost there! Look for a small island no bigger than a boulder!

Okay! I see one just ahead, turn right!

Caron Hazard

Beach by Chelsea Graiver

We start to dive down, and my frozen face is screaming for some warmth. We land on a small rock the size of four school desks. Katie walks to the edge of the rock and looks into the ocean. Waves crash at our feet, and just before we get soaked by a huge wave, Katie picks up a small shiny pebble and throws it into the water. The waves subside, but a small whirlpool the size of a dog house spins faster and faster. A spiral staircase then appears in the middle if the whirlpool. Walls are surrounding the stairs, not letting any water in. It looks like a shiny golden tube covered in jewels and gems. The only way to tell it is stairs is because there is a small doorway.

Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go! And with no more than a wink at me, she leaps over the whirlpool into the doorway of the spiral staircase.

What? You're just going in without a plan?

Okay, fine. Here's the plan. We get in, kick some butt, rescue the pegasi, and get out. Any questions?

Yeah um- No questions? Great, well make it

up as we go along. The stairs keep going for an

eternity. Everything is pitch black, and you can hear everything. From the creak of a stair to the green slime dripping on the walls. The only way I know it's green, is because I saw it earlier. Finally, after a million steps, we reach the bottom. There is a small torch burning on the door, I can finally see Katie, and details about the stairs. Not that that's a good thing. With light, you can see every insect crawling above your head. I am terrified of bugs.

Katie looks at me and puts a finger to her lips. Then, barely able to hear,

Hear, she pulls a staff out of her cloak, and hands it to me. The handle is a bright and shiny red, at the end of the staff is what looks like a red diamond. Katie takes a sticky note out of her cloak along with a pen.

After scribbling for a few seconds, she hands me the sticky note.

Since you don't have a long range weapon.

Use this today I need it back

Only use it three times.

Thank you! I mouth, I study the staff, and try to figure it out. Katie puts her hand on the door and whispers to me. I'll go hold off Professor Vincent. He is part bear, part dog, and has a dragon hand. Also, parts of him are other animals. You go find the pegasi. I will keep him busy and distracted. But I will need your help. I'm not stronger than him. Okay, I whisper back on the count of three? One she whispers, two THREE we both shout as she blasts open the door with her own blue staff. She runs into the clearing as I crouch in the doorway, waiting so I won't be noticed. I wish I didn't leave Melody at the top of the stairs, I'm not brave without her.

Hey! Dog Breath! Over here! I hear Katie shout as I see her run away from me.

I run into the room, looking around for danger, and the pegasi. The room is so dark and huge, I can't see the walls. Just many different levels of catwalks. On the small area of wall I can see behind me, there are huge globs of green slime dripping toward the floor. Giant machines taller than me fill a lot of the room. In front of the staircase is a big, round, empty space. A big red button catches my eye. Next to the button is what looks like video camera footage. I walk over to the screen, and I don't believe my eyes. Im looking into a small metal room that is at least two stories high. Horses of all colors are cramped in a room the size of a school classroom. Then I realize, not horses, pegasi! The red button next to me has white words

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on them. MAGIC COLLECTING. Next to it is a gruesome picture of how in that room there are machines that will extract the magic from the pegasi, destroying them in the process. And its not even a slow process. Its long and painful. I have to look away, it is too evil to think about. I start to look around for the big metal room. After ten minutes, I finally find it. I had climbed up several ladders, and walked on a catwalk, eighty feet up. One wall of the pegasus prison is light green stained glass. As I look through it, a tiny, baby pegasus squeezes through its parents legs, and looks into my eyes. Those huge sad eyes, on that tiny black pegasus. I focus on the white star on the forehead. And try to breath. This monster, has captured a baby pegasus, along with the whole family. I make myself a promise, I will get every single one of the pegasi out of there, and destroy that Professor Vincent if it is the last thing I do.

Now, I just have to find a way to get the pegasi out without hurting them. The staff ! I try to communicate with all the pegasi, but can only reach one with my mind.

Tell your friends to back away from the window Tell your friends to back away from the window I repeat this message over and over to at least ten pegasi. Just then, all the pegasi back away from the window. Before I can do anything, the catwalk begins to shake, then rocks back and forth, I try to grab the railing, but it breaks off, and falls down, down, down. Just then, the floor beneath me breaks, and I fall down, into my doom. I start to remember a time when I was six. My family took a vacation to Utah. We went exploring in a slot canyon, rocks fell, and almost crushed us. I wanted to live so badly then, but not as much as I do now.

A white shape appears out of nowhere, comes hurdling at me. I am going to die, I am going to DIE! I fall onto the white blob and realize it is not going to hurt me.

Melody! Where did you come from? All of my dread leaves me, and is replaced by hope. With Melody by my side, we can do anything. We circle around and fly to the prison, its shaking, about to fall down.

Melody! What do we do? They are going to fall!

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!! I hear Katie screaming from below. Melody dives toward the ground, and we study the scene. Professor Vincent is holding a long staff against Katies neck, and pinning her against the wall. There are spikes along the side of the staff, and I can see blood dripping onto Katies cloak.

Hey Worm Brain! I yell. He turns, and I get my first good look at him. His head is a mix of dog and human, the body looks bear-like under his ripped and torn black cloak. One hand looks like a human hand in a black glove. The other hand, my best guess is a dragon hand. It only has three fingers, and they are covered in dark green scales. The nails are as thick as a human finger, and just as long. His eyes look like they can suck souls. You like pegasi? Come get mine! We fly away from him pretty quickly, but slow enough that he can keep up. I look back and see Katie recovering. I realize that I have been holding my breath.

We fly away from him, for what feels like hours. He is casting spell after spell trying to knock us out of the air. I see a catwalk up ahead, and a plan begins to form. I tell Melody about my plan, and she agrees. She flies under the catwalk as I leap off of her, and grab the railing just in time. I pull myself up and look behind me. Professor Vincent stops almost directly under me.

Well, well, well, looks like your pony friend got too scared. What are you going to do?

Set the pegasi free or else! my words echo around the room. I hold my staff up and point it at him. He looks amused.

Holly Barney

Kaidi Aloupis Taylor Burton-Ferrar

Jessica Davis

What are you going to do? Shoot a couple of sparks at me? Throw it and hope it hits my head? Just give up. Your out of options anyway. You know you wont survive. Here is my deal. You give me your horse, and I might let you and your friend live.

Never! You can never have my pegasus! Ill die before I betray her!

Well if you would rather die, I can arrange that.

Just then, I see Katie running up behind him, her own staff in hand.

Wagma OuiSima! A blue light blinds me, and everything feels really hot. I open my eyes to see that Professor Vincent is lying on the ground in the middle of a ring of fire. The flames are more than four feet tall.

Well played, he says standing up. But you forgot one thing, this fire cannot hurt me. Only special fire can hurt me. But not you. I am much more powerful than you, and I will not rest until-

His words faltered as he looks up to see Melody diving at him faster than it took to realize what is going on. She attacks him with all her might, kick after kick, bite after bite. After a few minutes, she flies off. Her wing is bent a little.

Melody! Are you okay? I call. She looks up at me, and then lies down, she has a couple of long scratches on her side.

I turn to Professor Vincent and raise my staff. Somehow the words I need to make the final attack burst into my head and out my mouth.

Blaneesma Washohta! A bright light blinds us all, as he falls to the ground. In a deep sleep, not to awake for a long time. Katie and I make eye contact for the first time in what feels like hours.

We did it! I yell. Not yet. We still have to free the

pegasi. Do you know where they are? Yeah. I found them right before I

saved you from losing your head, Yeah, thanks so much

No problem. Anyway, they're in a metal room, and one side is all green glass. I was about to free them before I fell to my doom. The prison was shaking a lot, but I don't think it fell yet. We would have heard it.

Well, what are we waiting for? She grabs her broom from her cloak, Melody joins us and we fly around until we find the pegasi.

It's worse than I thought. I hear her whisper to herself. Rosey, can you tell the pegasi to stand back while I use my staff ?

Sure. I repeat the message from before, as Katie yells the spell.

RabiVinyda! A spell shoots from her staff, but it just bounces off. We duck to avoid it just in time. RabiVinyda! The same thing happens again. Rosey, I think I need your help, this glass is too strong.

Okay, on the count of three? One Two Three! RabiVinyda! We both

shout at the top of our lungs. The glass shatters into a million pieces. I start to celebrate, just as an alarm sounds.

We have to get out of here! That's a self destruct alarm! Katie yells over the noise.

I tell the pegasi, and twenty four pairs of wings start to flap. Katie! You lead the pegasi out, and I'll make sure we get all of them. She flies away with them, so I think she understands. I follow them, and we are almost to the staircase, when I hear a small sound. I look back, and see the baby black pegasus still in the jail. Pieces of the walls and roof are starting to collapse. No pegasus will be left behind. Melody and I race as fast as we can back to the baby. I can hear Katie yelling at me.

Rosey! Get back here, you're going to die! It's too dangerous!

I know, but I have to save the baby. We dodge in between all of the falling debris, trying not to get hit. A huge piece of metal

falls past me, scraping my arm. I grab the baby pegasus with my good arm, and we race back. All sounds are quieted, and I can only hear my own heart beat. Boom. Boom. Boom. It all feels like a weird dream. A second before water fills up the lab, we burst through the broken staircase, and into fresh air.

Many of the pegasi are flying, but a couple that are injured are on the rock where Katie is tending to them. We did it. We saved the pegasi.

A couple of days later, Katie and I are sitting on a porch of the camp. Nearby, campers are sword fighting, rock climbing, and practicing magic. Overhead, the rescued pegasi fly freely, with Melody and the camp pegasi. I sip my smoothie, and think about the week before. If someone had told me I would beat a super villain, and join a camp of magic, I would have said they were crazy.

Ready for another adventure? Katie says, smiling at me.

Yes, I say, watching the sunset. I'm more than ready.

Untitled by Janna Braley

Photography by Chelsea Graiver

Sparrot (Spider/carrot)

by Evan Daniels

Oh earthy sparrot,

You crunchy fellow,

How delicious you are,

How hairy and orange you are.

You stomp around on eight legs,

baboom, baboom, baboom.

You fluff your leafy tail at night.

There are very few in the sparrot population

but I'm glad you're here because

your lonely life in the ground makes me feel grateful

for what I have.

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I Know What It's Like To Be A Bird

By Izzy Bynion

Im halfway there, I can taste the top. I put my foot on the next peg. Each time I reach higher, I shake a little more. I force myself to keep climbing the 42 foot tall telephone tower.

I feel sweat roll down my face. I keep pushing up and up, but as I reach for another peg there's nothing for my shaky hands to grasp. I look up seeing the small 8 inch wide circle. I freeze, going over in my head one more time what I was about to do. I lift my right up foot then my left. I try my hardest not to look down but it's too tempting. I'm shaking, then I look around me and I realize, i'm flying. It's a 3 second chance to be a bird. I feel like there's not a thing in the world I can't do. I feel like I could go climb MT Everest. I could but the best part was the sunset. The sky was purple and pink and orange. It was beautiful. I sighed remembering what i'm up here to do.

I look in front of me and I see the trapezes. I I shake off the fear and call it out. Ready? I call to my belayer. Ready! she calls back.

I have to force the next word out. Jumping! I shout. Jump away! she answers.

I'm ready I think to myself. I leap through the air and my hands clip on the trapezes and I have to re-grip cause my hands are so sweaty.

Ya Iz!!! Whit and Nat call up to me. Ready! I say in a confident voice. Ready my belayer calls back. Falling! Fall away.

I slowly let go of the trapeze leaning close to the rope squashing it so tight that my fingers turn purple. I look down seeing the sweat sweat ground below me.

Even though my feet are on the ground my heart is still thumping in my chest. I could not wait to tell my mom I had climbed to the top of a telephone tower! I took a few breaths and wait for my hands to stop shaking, then I unclip the rope from my harness and hand it to Whitney. I smile. Your turn, I say.

Dat Toast

By: Nick Lund and Henry Baker

Nothings better than hearing that

Crunch

Of that toast At the toast

With the pig roast

At the military generals toast On the west coast

At the meteorological observation post

Of Ivory coast But hearing that POP,

Of the toast out of the toaster

But the ghost Took the toast, To the seacoast

Of Ivory coast

But the military general

Loves to boast about dat toast

Because it is the utmost toast

At the toast

Illuminati Toast On Ivory coast

Boasting about the toast on Ivory coast at the military generals toast of the pot roast

But the ghost cant steal the toast at the toast at the meteorological observation post

Photography

by

Jordan Wolf

Phillis and Friends

By: Eban Daniels

Running, sprinting, Philliss heart pounds

as he dashes away from the evil monkeys. The

pack of monkeys with their sharp teeth ready

to bite desperately try to catch him. Philliss

muscles bulge out of his legs and chest. As his

hooves dig into the dirt debris flies back in the

monkeys faces. Into the rolling hills of the

country Phillis, the baby unicorn, loses the

monkeys down in the winding turns of bear

creek.

Trotting along the banks of the white

caped river, Philliss breath becomes heavy.

His head starts to hang when he realizes he is

alone and lost. Staring around without any

parents he feels he is trapped in an unknown

universe.

Finally, the hopeless unicorn meets

the osprey of wisdom. Sitting up on a branch

the osprey swoops down seeing that Phillis

needs help. Therefore the osprey speaks words

of hope to Phillis. He tells him, Go where

the rich soil lies and you will find another

helpful friend to get you through your

journey. Go young unicorn go! Off away

goes Phillis. Over the swaying grassy hills he

travels. Looking up every now and then. The

osprey of wisdom soars above guiding Phillis

on his journey.

Once Phillis gets where the rich soil lies he

starts hearing a faint voice. Down here,

down here, Phillis hears. He looks down and

sees a centipede.

Could this be what the osprey meant, he

thought to himself. Sure enough it was. The

legendary centipede.

The legendary centipede spoke very few

words but the words he spoke to Phillis were

Look every so often at the clouds. They are

your save and grace. Phillis had no idea what

to think. He thought maybe the osprey would

follow along with him but when Phillis looked

up the osprey was nowhere in sight.

Hill after hill. Stream after stream.

Traveling for what seems like a million miles

Phillis makes his way to where there seems to

be an emperor in the sky. Sure enough there

was the king unicorn sitting gently on the

clouds. From all the help of the osprey and

centipede Phillis awaits the king unicorn.

As Phillis turns around he sees a glimpse

of the monkeys running towards him in the

distance. He looks back at the king unicorn

and hears him say, use your knowledge to

your advantage. Right then and there Phillis

new that what he learned from the osprey and

centipede would help him kill the monkeys.

Sprinting towards the monkeys with his

mane and tail swirling in the wind. Phillis

hears the osprey soaring above him with the

centipede and king unicorn watching on.

Phillis leaps into the air and circles above the

monkeys who stop dead in their tracks. He

swoops down and out comes rainbow acid

spraying all of the monkeys. The monkeys

start to disintegrate into ashes falling to the

ground.

Phillis has defeated the evil monkeys and

with the knowledge from his friends Phillis

himself becomes a sacred animal to help

along with the osprey, centipede, and king

unicorn to help other animals on their

journeys.

Untitled by Olivia Moshell

Don't Stop Smiling By Izzy Bynion

Don't stop smiling

Cause when you stop smiling

I stop smiling

Don't stop laughing so loud that Canada

can hear you

Cause when you stop laughing,

I stop laughing

Don't stop dancing till you break your

foot

Cause when you stop dancing,

I stop dancing

But please

Smile, Laugh and Dance

Because you

You are why I smile laugh and dance

You are my everything

Drawing by Megan Sauberlich

The Storm of Death

By Kate Kinley

Hey Felix, throw to me, not the tree! I shouted as my twin brother threw the baseball three feet to my left. Sorry, I- Felix started to say, but then was cut off by a crackle of thunder. I looked up at the cloudless sky that was quickly. Come on! Lets go inside! I yelled, but Felix was already running inside the house. I followed him into the house where our mother was waiting for us. We got inside just before the rain started gushing down from the sky. Who knows where that storm came from in the middle of the summer, Mom said to us. Was it on- Nope, she replied. Its not on the weather forecast. I walked over to our radio and turned it on. The news guy was saying how the storm was happening all over the world. What kind of storm is this? Felix muttered right behind me. Then the wind starting picking up. CRASH! I looked outside to see a tree fall onto our neighbors house. AUGHHHHH! DAD WHERE ARE YOU? I screamed. Dont worry Malcolm, Im right here, my dad replied as he walked down the staircase that led to the upstairs. I looked out the window to see what the storm was like and I saw a young child and his mother trying to run into their house, but then the flooding of water washed them away. I heard their screams for a couple seconds, but then they were cut off. The sight of this made me shiver with fear.

Alright guys, my mom said calmly. The safest place to be right now is the attic. Lets go. We walked up the stairs and pulled down the attic door. OK, my mom said. Malcolm and Felix, you go first. The two of us climbed up the ladder into the attic. Mom and Dad started coming up but then a wave of water crashed over them and threw them off. They started to come up even faster but the wind broke through the windows and that threw them off too.

Just close the door! Mom yelled through the wind. I love- but then more wind threw her into a sharp piece of wood on the wall. The flooding water turned red and her breathing slowed until it stopped completely.

You boys go! Dad shouted at us.

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No! I screamed. Tears streamed down my face. Dad! Come with us!

Malcolm its going to be OK! He yelled. I love you both! Now close the door!

No dad please! I looked at Felix. He was crying too, but he understood what had to be done. With one last, longing, look at Dad, he pulled up the attic door and shut us into darkness. No. Please, why did this have to happen? I fell backward and let my tears flow down my grief-stricken face.

I must have eventually fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I awoke to the world again but the storm had passed. I looked down and saw that Felix was lying across my stomach.

Psst. Felix, wake up, I whispered. He groggily opened his eyes and stared up at me.

Is it over? He asked. Um, yeah, I think so. But we have

to get out of here incase the house collapses more.

Right, he replied. I opened up the door and climbed down. He followed me down. I gasped in horror when I saw Mom and Dads lifeless bodies.

Dont look at them Malcolm, it just makes it worse, Felix murmured to me. I looked at them once more, but then I started walking downstairs, careful to avoid sharp things hidden beneath the water. Upstairs the water was only up to my knees, but once we got downstairs the water was up to my chest.

I wanted to leave so badly, but I knew there were a few things we needed to grab before we left. OK. We have to go to the basement and get as much bottled water and canned food before we leave. We slowly and carefully walked to the basement door. Bracing myself for what I might see, I opened the door. The water in the house started surging down the stairs to go to the basement, carrying Felix and me with it. I got half an inch from being impaled by a wooden plank but thankfully, Felix was holding on to the

door and he grabbed me. My heart was pounding so loud, that I thought Felix could hear it.

Thanks, I said breathlessly. Yeah, no problem, he replied.

But lets not go down there. We pulled ourselves back up to the main floor and closed the door to the basement.

So I started to say. Want to go see if there are any other survivors?

Sure, but can we agree not to die? He asked.

I wanted to say something funny, like If I feel like it, then maybe, but I decided that it wasnt really the right time to joke around. So I just said, Yeah, Im not really in the mood to die right now.

When we got outside, the landscape was as empty as a painters blank canvas. There was no sign of life besides us, and cars were upside down in the water. I looked up, and I saw a huge oak tree about to fall on us.

AUGHHH! RUN! WERE ALL GONNA DIE! I screamed. My heart throbbing louder than a bulldozer, we ran as fast a we could in the deep water.

The tree landed an inch behind me and the impact of it to the ground shook the land below us.

Lets get away from here, I said, shaking from the close call.

Wordlessly, but of us walked away. I dont know how long we walked but eventually we saw some figures moving in the distance. I showed Felix, and then we started sprinting towards the figures. A couple minutes later we reached them.

Shhh, I whispered to Felix. Lets watch them for a few minutes, then approach them. We want to make sure theyre not aliens. Had I said this before a storm, Felix would have laughed at me. But with what had happened, it wasnt so unlikely.

We both crouched behind a bush and observed the people. We werent super close, but I could see that they were taking

wood planks from houses and laying them out to dry on the ground (the ground in this area wasnt flooded). I saw some longer and now-dried planks starting to make the skeleton of a house.

They must be building a house, Felix muttered to me. Thats smart since all the other houses really cant be used as houses anymore. I looked around and saw that he was right. One house had smashed in windows, and the roof was gone. Not to mention all the wreckage inside the house. Random metal bars were sticking out strangely. Broken glass was scattered across the floor. There was probably more, but I couldnt see it from my position. I looked at our surroundings more, and saw that another house was completely flipped on its side.

Do you think theyre safe and we can help them? I asked Felix. He nodded.

OK, lets go. We both stood up and walked towards the strangers until we were about 20 feet away.

Hello! I shouted. The four of them turned around to look at us.

Who are you? They asked. Im Malcolm, and this is Felix, I

replied, motioning to Felix. We both survived the storm. I guess thats sort of obvious though, but anyways, our parents died in it and we dont really know what to do. We were hoping that you could let us join you little group and help you rebuild.

OK, the biggest of the four said. Come here and let me see you close up. We walked the 20 feet to them and I saw what they really looked like. There were three boys and one girl. I guessed that the oldest one was 17 and the youngest one was 6. I assumed the oldest one was the leader.

Crossroads by Tom Walsh

Im Kenzie, said the leader. And these are my siblings, Jonah, Simon, and Marcy. Like you, we all survived the attack and our parents died. You look trustworthy, so feel free to join our pack and help us rebuild until we feel that youre not helpful.

I looked at Felix. He looked at me. I shot him a questioning look and he nodded. Then I looked at the wreckage surrounding us, and the hopefulness in the siblings eyes.

Were in.

by Lily Bonnell

Two Sisters

By Whitney Adams

Two sister diverged in a world.

Of blame and antagonization.

Sometimes,

You are an angel in disguise

But others,

You are my best friend.

You give me a hand when I need it,

You give me love.

It could be different, you and me.

We can choose to love instead of hate.

Our future,

Its all up to us.

Me and you.

Challenge by James Levitt

The challenge of life

Is a challenge indeed

Like the Lorax stopping the production of

thneeds

The challenge of life

Is one you must face

But just take your time

Its not a race

The challenge of life

When it gives you its best

You must fight on

And ignore all the rest

The challenge of life

No matter if they thrive

Each person is fighting the battle

Just to stay alive

Bloom by Izzy Roy

Planet of The Tyraptors A Sci-Fi Story

By Ash

WHAT? A story? Oh-no! Complained my classmates, as our teacher Mis. Ozoic announced the topic and genre

to the class. This story will be a genre we have not done much with. Science fiction. she

proclaimed. We all know about the asteroid that just barely missed us all those years ago from the text you were supposed to read last night. she said looking at some people in particular.

I want you all to write a story as if that asteroid hit and what our planet, Ur, would look like today. This story will be turned in on Dunesday.

But today is Suesday. someone whined. Would Bibeirfday work for you? Mis. Ozoic asked. No Mis. Ozoic we all answered. Good. Then why dont you all take one of these templates to help you think of ideas.

Suddenly the bell rang. KA-CAW KA-CAW KA-mmmrrrrfffff screeched Roppy Mis. Ozoics pet Archaeopteryx as Frenci muffled him with a towel. Freedom! someone yelled as everyone ran for the door in a mass of heads, tails, arms and legs. After the mob cleared I went out to collect my things and go home.

As I walked towards home through the hot and humid swamp full of ferns and bugs I tried to think of a setting for my story. A barren wasteland? No, some life would survive. Forests with lots of little animals running around? No the animals would get bigger over time. Speaking of animals I see a little mammal scurry by. Wouldnt it be funny if only the mammals survived! Suddenly I realized I was home at my little two story cabin that I shared with my family. As I walked in I was immediately rammed by little Somin.

Kyle! he yelled Whoa I said, You got bigger while I was at school! No I didn't he answered, smiling Youre just saying that to make me happy. Maybe I said mysteriously, also smiling. Then I headed up to my room to start my

story. I tried to think some more about the story. A forested planet with giant rats running around?

But the rats would have no fur because they were the dominant species and did not need to hide from predators, and maybe the rats stood on two feet so they could get fruit from trees. I had a sudden image of a giant rat-faced mammal on two legs. I guess that that could happen. I mean we Tyraptors evolved from cross-breeding of Tyrannosaurs and Velociraptors, so intelligent rat like creatures could evolve from rats. Then it hit me, I knew exactly what to write.

On Suesday, when I arrived at class everyone was trying to make some last minute adjustments to their story when Mis. Ozoic came in.

Put away your pencils, there will be no more editing of your stories. Would anyone like to share their story first? she asked. I raised my hand. Kyle how about you?

Sure I said. My story is called The Planet of The Hairless Rats

My Guardian Angel By: Ava Alberetti

You are my sunshine,

when the rain wont stop

pounding.

You are my oxygen

when smoke and dust

fills the air

Even though

you wont always

be there.

You will always

be here;

deep inside my heart,

where not even

grief and despair

can knock you over.

And you wont stop

pushing me.

Pushing me toward

the light

that only you can see,

because you are

my guardian angel

and you cant stop

soaring.

Illu

stra

tion

by

Kas

sidy

Ca

stillo

GNATMAN #1 by Cole Bennett and Joe Thorpe

River

By Issy Baumann

It flows

uncontrollably

Furiously pushing

people away.

Kids going under

screaming for help.

Taking their last breath.

They turn blue,

with no life.

Can't fix this.

Tears and illness,

but the river,

Will keep on

flowing.

Genetically Modified Food By: Ava Alberetti

You are at a family reunion,taking a big bite

of corn on the cob; little do you know that

this corn has been scientifically altered to

make it look and taste like the corn of your

dreams. Each day more of this corn of your

dreams is being produced by scientists in lab,

over and over again: this is genetically

modified food. Genetically modified foods

are a big issue today because of their health

risks and other consequences, such as

superweeds. That is why Genetically

modified foods are harmful to humans and

should be banned.

Some people believe that GM foods

(genetically modified foods) are a helpful

solution to us because 1. They are more

resistant to diseases, 2. They have a better

overall taste and 3. they have a longer shelf

life ( which makes it easier for shipping), but

making the food resistant to diseases means

they spray or inject pesticides on/into the

food. Doesnt sound too appetizing does it?

Also having a better overall taste means

genetics from the ripest sweetest plant have

been transferred into the food that you are

holding.

GM foods purpose is to make seeds produce

more or stronger crops. They do this by

chemically altering the molecules and proteins

in food, that causes the food to have a larger

appearance. The problem with this, You may

ask? Well one problem is that some people

are allergic to the chemicals added to the

food, and since no brands are labelling if

GMOs( are added to the food they might

have an allergic reaction. The Center For

Food Safety took a survey and found out that

75% of the food in the food in the U.S.

contains an ingredient that has been

genetically modified. That means that if you

Cre

atu

re by

Shr

uti

Josh

i

are allergic to any chemicals put into GM

food, some of the foods you are eating could

contain those chemicals and you might not

even know it.

Another reason why GM food is harmful

to humans because of the rise of

superweeds". GMOs crops are built to

survive weed killer, which allows them to

breed with weeds, creating a superweed; a

weed/crop that can survive weed killer.

Now the only way for farmers to get rid of

these weed/crops is to invent a new weed

killer, but that is hard to do and very pricy.

Another problem is that many people are

scared about the safety of the new

chemicals in the weed killers; since they

havent been tested as much as older ones.

As you can see, this is a big problem for

farmers and their crops, they either have to let

the super weeds take over, and kill their GMO

food crops, or spend all their money to create

a new weed killer. Its a difficult choice to

make.

One last reason why GM foods are bad is

because they are hazardous to our health.

Studies done by Underground Health

Reporter prove that GM foods can cause

cancer and other health issues. Scientists

insert a special bacteria called Bt-toxin into

GM corn or cotton plants during the process

of altering their genes. Trying to assure

people that B-toxin is fine, GM food

companies and the EPA* told everyone that

Bt-toxin is safe, saying that it dissolves quickly

in our stomachs and wont cause any side

effects. Well turns out B-toxin is in a family

of bacteria that causes food poisoning in

people. The people who work directly with

the crops that have been sprayed with the Bt-

Blo

ck p

rint b

y Iz

zy R

oy

toxin reported that they had eye, nose,

throat, and skin irritations. The Bt-toxin that

is in GM food is 3,000 times stronger than the

Bt-toxin pesticide that was sprayed on the

crops that were exposed to the farmers and

workers. Basicly, if you had reactions to a Bt-

toxin sprayed on crops, try multiplying it by

3,000. How bad would your reactions be

then?

GM foods are harmful to humans in many

ways; they have limited benefits to us.

Humans could survive without genetically

modified foods. We have up to this point.

Not all food has to look perfect to be

appetizing, what is on the inside is more

important than what is on the outside. If

GM foods were to be banned our society

would be much healthier; what was on the

inside would be better and much more

important than what is on the outside.

*Environmental Protection Agency

Bibliography : Collins, Danica. "Fact or Myth: Do Genetically Modified Foods Cause Cancer, Lung Damage & Birth Defects?" Underground Health Reporter. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

Paturel, Amy. "The Truth About GMOs: Are They Safe? What Do We Know?" WebMD. WebMD, 10 June 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.

Rich Warhol, Alex K. Tom. "Genetically Modified Foods Overview." Salem Press Encyclopedia (2014): Research Starters. Web. 14 Jan. 2016

Viviana by Sophia Lambert

Morning Wonders

by Kaylee Demers

The moon sets,

over a glistening lake.

The birds

open their beaks

to sing their morning melody.

The grass,

glazed with dew

is flattened to the ground

by animals.

First opening their eyes

to see the day begin.

Constellations

fade into the sky

as the black blanket

changes to

soft pinks,

oranges, and purples.

Another night

has gone.

Undisturbed.

Seo

ul_

Tae by

Mad

de La

bbe

One Last Time

by Samantha Troubh

Your smile that glistened like the ocean when you walked through my door

If only I could see you step on the welcome sign It would put the missing puzzle piece in my heart together

If only you could put me on your shoulders and lift me high In the sky One last time

If only I could hear your soothing voice speaking

with the likable comfort you had

If only your death was not such a sudden moment that no one had In mind

If only I could see your heart full of so much kindness and love beating One last time

If only I could go back in time to the last time you hugged me and kept me warm from all my dark thoughts

If only I could say hello and goodbye One last time.

Cairn by Charlton Dilworth

Textual Analysis by Rory Skillin-Lanou

Paul Klee and the Arab Song

by Gretchen Barney

Paul Klee created this stained canvas

piece of artwork in 1932, named The Arab

Song. He wanted to give off the local feeling

he got when traveling, and thought of his

experiences around the world, when deciding

how to stain the art. This is why he chose to

use muted color and tones in the piece. The

unique colors and the out of the box creation

of the piece, is what drew me to it. Along with

his use of watercolor on canvas instead of the

typical painting on canvas. Its comes off as

an extremely simple piece, but when you take

the time to examine the space and colors

making this, it becomes quite complex. This

piece in particular was challenging regarding

the visuals of the space. I had to choose

whether or not I wanted to have the eyes as

the first base layer, or have them be the last

layer, popping the farthest out. After thinking

about it and how the spacing of the piece

would affect the overall look, I ultimately

decided to go with the eyes as the base layer,

so it looks as though the piece is zoomed in all

focusing on the eyes. Once I finished my

replica of the piece, I was very happy with

how I chose to display the space involved in

the art.

One important element of art thats

expressed in The Arab Song, is the texture.

Texture in art is the quality of the surface,

and how it's perceived in the piece. So after

knowing that, what makes this pieces texture

different and unique, (like I said above), is

how its watercolor on canvas instead of the

typical painting on canvas. That rough

textured surface gives the piece a whole

different feel, more down to earth, and

muted. As compared to just using watercolor

paper with the water color paint, which

3D Arab Song (after Klee) by Gretchen Barney

Myself by Charlie Goodell

wouldve given it more of a basic and stiff

feel. This brings me to the the second

important element of art that was used in the

piece, which is color.

Color in art is what sets the tone and

gives off the mood for the piece. The basic

definition for it would be light hitting the page

and reflecting back to your eye, but there's

much more to it than just that. The saturation

of color or its purity contribute to the overall

look and feel to the piece. This along with its

value, meaning the shade or tint in the color

used, and the actual hue of color are what the

color brings to the piece. In the Arab Song, as

you look at the piece you can see all of the

pale and muted tones Klee used to give off

what he said to be a local feel. In saying this

he meant that he wanted to awaken sounds

inside of him through travel, and

incorporate this into a local color from all of

the places he visited. The painting is said to

resemble a muted sun, desert sand, and faded

clothes, and people can see this through the

color he chose to incorporate on the canvas.

The faded colors that Klee chose for the piece

give off a homely feel that sets the tone for the

whole piece.

Paul Klee was a very independent

individual when it came to art, meaning he

carved his own path and thought outside of

the box, not going with the latest trend and

following others. His styles were mainly

cubism, expressionism, and surrealism and he

liked to experiment using different shapes

such as rectangles and circles in abstract art.

Born in 1879 in Munchenbuchsee,

Switzerland, he grew up in a very artistic

family, with one of his parents being a music

teacher. When he was younger he went to

study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich,

where he learned various techniques. He later

went on to be very successful after signing a

contract with Hans Goltz, which gave him

exposure and much more success. At his peak,

he produced nearly 500 pieces of art in one

single year, and was said to one of the best

young artists in Germany, by art critics. Klee

also spoke out and gave lectures on color

theory, and invested much of his time

exploring it and trying to understand and

teach it. Klee would later die at the age of 60

from wasting disease, that was often expressed

in his last pieces of art. He had a very

successful life, producing an estimated total of

10,00 paintings and traveling the world doing

what he loved, teaching and painting.

Overall I really enjoyed this art unit, it

forced me to take a step back and really think

outside of the box in some areas. I think I

enjoyed it because it wasnt all easy and a nice

smooth ride the whole way through. The way

I chose to perceive the space in this piece

made for a challenge everyday in art class to

carefully pay attention to every detail and

really think out the whole process. Finishing

the piece and seeing how all of my hard work

had paid off, taught me that it wont always be

easy, but if you put your mind to something

and stay on track, you can really accomplish

something big. Going into this project I didnt

think I would actually come out of it with a

piece I could be very happy with, but now I

can say I did, and if I could go back and

change anything, I wouldnt change a thing.

Bibliography http://www.paulklee.net/arab-song.jsp - "MOST POPULAR

PAINTINGS." Arab Song, 1932, by Paul Klee. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_art - Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

http://www.biography.com/people/paul-klee-9366304 - Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Klee - Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Jetli

ne

rs by

Aid

en

H

en

dry

Forever By Jordan Wolf

All the

Fun all

The games

All the

Good and

The bad

Erased

All the

Greatness

All the

Sadness

All when

I was

Only two

Years old

No more

Times to play

No more

Times to

Remember

All of it

Disappeared

Her gray

Hairs getting

Grayer

Her wrinkles

Getting

Wrinklier

All she

Can do

Is sit in

Her

Wheelchair

Doing nothing

But stare

Sitting in the

Nursing home

With nobody

She can

Remember

All of it

Erased from

Her memory

Forever

Modigliani Self-Portraits

Nick Macmaster

Nico Pitre

Untitled

by Sarah Greenlaw

The sky was a deep sapphire blue,

tainted only by dangerous, steel grey clouds,

hinting at the storm to come. I sat upon my

favorite rock, a rock that had rendered many

a car bumper useless, waiting for the rain to

wet my face. Suddenly, the sapphire split,

pouring droplets of the palest, most

translucent blue, down upon my seafoam blue

hair and alabaster porcelain skin. The rain

was like a warm blanket and as droplets

streaked down my skin in tiny rivers they

washed away all the sorrow and anger I held

deep within, streaking down my skin in the

tiny rivers now slightly colder.

You could paint my days in only

three colors of paint, white, black, and bright

blue. An ombre of dove grey to ink black.

Dove Friday to ink Thursday. A splash of

bright blue would touch only one day, the

color of tears in her eyes. This is the day I

remember Grandma.

As I sat in the rain my thoughts had

reminded me of her. She was gone and

nothing could change that. Tears had joined

the droplets coursing down my face as the

image of her face, short curly white hair,

wrinkles defining eyes of the brightest blue

and curling thin lips into an everlasting,

radiant smile, had flashed through my minds

eye. My azure blue eyes had opened to show

the steel blue color of my strength. Almost

grey, sad, angry eyes that turned into the

happy, bright ultramarine blue that

Grandmas had been when she was alive.

Grandma had taught my sister and

I at an early age how to make rude Italian

gestures at people meaning things we didnt

understand and the five fastest ways to tick off

your parents, siblings, and strangers. My

parents had always said that instead of having

two children they had three, my sister,

Grandma, and I. She had taught us good

things and bad for the eight years she had

lived with us, and then it had all changed.

When I had learned that Grandma

was in the hospital it was like the world had

stopped and stolen my breath as it held its

own. Every time Grandma had gone to the

hospital before she had been told that the

cancer had spread or come back. Everytime

she had been given eight weeks at most, but

this time it had been true.

It had found her lungs, liver, and

colon. Stage in her lungs and stage in

her liver and colon. There are only four

stages of cancer, each getting closer to death

the higher the number. She had lived to

eighty five years old, twenty years with CAT

scans that lit up like christmas trees, a

phenomenal woman.

The sky had gone abruptly dry,

startling me from my reverie. Sunlight had

turned my eyelids scarlet with the fiery orange

rays that burst through honeydew grey clouds.

You would have loved my new

hair, Grandma, Im sorry you're not here, I

whispered as I wandered towards her favorite

chair.

I miss you.

Untit

led

by J

ann

a Br

ale

y

What eer men do, or say, or think, or dream, our motley paper seizes for its theme.

-byline from The Tatler (Eng. 18th c.) -from Juvenal (Roman satirist 2nd c. AD)

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