Where's My Sock?

     One sunny day, I noticed that one of my favorite socks was missing. My grandma from Florida sent me a pair of white and blue Yankee socks for my birthday. She knew that they are my favorite baseball team. I looked under my messy bed, in my closet, in my big toy box, and even in my favorite train for my sock. Then I remembered that my sister named Shyan dresses everythink up. She dresses up my toys, her toys, our stuffed animals, and sometimes even real animals.
     That gave me an idea. Since Shyan likes to dress up Nico, our dog, maybe she put one of my Yankee socks on the dog! So I ran to look for Nico. He wasn't in the cold basement and he wasn't in the doghouse. Then I ran to Shyan and said, "Have you been dressing up any dogs lately?" Then she said, "Are you looking for Nico? He went in the backyard." Then I said, "Thanks. See yah." I ran to the backyard and saw my dog burying something. So I ran to Nico. "My sock!" I yelled. Then I said to Nico, "No! Bad dog!" I saw my favorite Yankee sock all ripped up, dirty, and torn. That blue sock wasn't my favorite sock anymore!

by Kevin F.
Class of 2003-2004

by John J.
Class of 2003-2004
My Stuffed Animal

     One night while my body was sleeping, my fluffy toucan Sam, which is a stuffed animal, woke me up! It was walking around in my big room. I was freaked out!! Then he spoke. I was even more freaked out!! Then he said, "Get on my back." I thought in my mind that his beautiful feathers were soft.
     So we flew and flew, until we got to Florida. It was 100 degrees. We went to the hot beach. We surfed, boogie, and we body surfed. Then we went to awesome Disney World. We went on the best roller coaster in the world! We went on wet water rides too. Then we got something to eat. I had a delicious cheeseburger and some salty french fries. Toucan Sam had a yummy salad, some french fries, and some warm chicken. The food was very good.
     Tehn we went to play some games. I played this game that you have to throw small ping pong balls on these plates. Toucan Sam played the game where you have knock down three cans to win a prize of your choice. Then we went to the airport and got on a plane. When we were going, a tornado hit. We were scared!! We heard a whistling sound from the hard tornado. The cool plane was going upside down. Then brave Toucan Sam said, "I'll help." He flew the plane all by himself and we landed safely. Then I woke up.
Missing For Several Weeks

     Usually we put our zipper boots, jacket, minuscule clothes, and socks in my closet. Then one morning, we opened my wooden closet. We saw my boots, jacket, clothes, but we did not see my favorite socks. Then my mom and I looked all around the yellow house but we still did not find them.
     Next day, when my friends and I came back from school, we started searching for my missing socks, behind the TV, underneath the sofa, inside the furniture, under my expensive bed, but we still could find them. Then three days later, when my father came back from his ice cream buisness tour, I told him about my socks. My dad said, "I will help you look for those missing socks of yours."
     We went upstairs in my mom and dad's bedroom, we still couldn't find them. So we looked in my sister's room, we still couldn't find them. Then we looked in my colorful room. We looked everywhere in my room because my mom and dad thought it was there the most. I looked behind the large TV, in the wooden closet, and under my expensive bed, and we had no luck.
     Then one morning, we were going to the mall. My little sister was going to put on her old shiny boots. Then she pulled them out, and they were my blue socks. So that's how we found my favorite socks. I was so happy that they were found!

by Raj P.
Class of 2003-2004

by Vincent G.
Class of 2003-2004
The Cow

     Hi, my name is Cheesy. I live in New York state. I am a jersey cow who loved normalness. I live on a dairy farm. Something weird happened to me last week. I woke up with three eyes!!
     It is not hard to guess that three eyes is a big problem. Everyone who saw me ran away screaming. They were petrified. People were so scared that no one would visit the farm. My owner was so scared that I had to put in the barn until they could fix me. The other cows were scared so they had to leave. I made so much clamor.
     After one day, I became very sad. I had no sweet cow comrades. When humans saw me, they either trembled in fear or laughed at my third pupil. Worst of all, my nice owner decided that he was going to ship me to a deserted island.
     I left for the green island three days later. As soon as I got there, I heard noises in the trees. I looked up and saw an old planter. The farmer was not afraid of my third eye. We got aquainted with each other and I found out that he was an ancient wizard. I asked him if he could make my third eye disappear. He tod me to get ready to be milked.
     I got ready and he began to milk me with his bare hands. This was very unusual because today cows are milked by machine. I was never milked by hand. All of a sudden, I felt blissful. My hooves began to feel like chocolate pudding. My third eye began to shrink. Finally, my eye vanished into thin air.
     The farmer then brought me to a magic palm tree and threw coconut milk over the tree. Before I could blink, I was back with two green eyes at my farm in New York state. There, I was happily making high fat milk.
The First Thanksgiving

     I had just created the first time machine ever! It looked like a gray, rectangular box with a tiny window. Also, it had a miniscule door. Inside it was filled with buttons. It was an inventor's colossal dream to make a time machine, and I did! Since Thanksgiving was coming up, my brain decided to get it back for November 22, 1621. I stepped inside my cool invention and pressed the big, red button to send me back to November 22, 1621. In a burst of black and blue light, I was off! I felt my feet lift from the hard ground, my head was spinning! It seemed like tons of hours before my feet could feel land again. But soon enough, I was back in the time of the Pilgrims.
     I had landed in a green forrest filled with emerald trees, chartreuse bushes, and green and red apples. My legs had been walking for several minutes when I heard sweet drums and then an Indian call. "This must be it." Sonn my ears heard soft music.
     I looked through a bush. There it was, the first Thanksgiving! There was dancing and games. My legs stepped out on the wide clearing. My eyes could see the colossal Mayflower floating on the blue water. The Mayflower was brown with sails as white as paper. Some of the wood on the ship was falling apart.
     I sat down at the table. It was made of wood and looked rickety. The table was huge! It was about the size of a half a football field. On it, there was turkey and cranberry sauce, chicken and salad, cornbread, and corn. Not to mention, yellow butter, also ham. It was a huge feast. My mouth couldn't stop eating! Everything was so good and tasty, that it was impossible to stop!
     After the delicious feast, there were fun game like bobbing for apples. Also, the funny Indians had a little aiming with their deadly bows and arrows. I showed the Pilgrims the pencil my pocket had. They were very interested in it. Since I didn't have a sharpener, my hand took a sharp knife and showed them how to sharpen it. The strong Indians let me try to shoot a perilous bow and arrow. "You're pretty good," they replied.
     I got to go on the Mayflower! Inside was pretty cool. The small rooms were very nice. Inside each room were two candles, one beg, and one desk.
     It was getting late, and my body needed to get back to my own, more technical time period. But before my body left, I asked the Indians if I could have a cool bow and arrow so I could remember my journey through time.
     I shouted goodbye, also thanked everyone for their hospitality, stepped inside the rectangular box, and set it back to November 27, 2003. In the blink of an eye, I was off! I got back around 4:00 p.m. My eyes had just seen the opening Pilgrim Holiday, and it was a blast!

by Conor R.
Class of 2003-2004

by William P.
Class of 2003-2004
Poor Rover

     Hi, my name is Dr. Paruta. One of my patients at my Dog Clinic is a quiet labrador dog named Rover. He is very sick and has a bad disease, called the Doggy Blahs.
     Rover got this disease in a crowded place called Florida. He was at Florida on vacation. The Doggy Blahs is many different odd shapes and sizes of big green dots all over the body. Rover has a serious amount of them!
     The bad thing that causes the Doggy Blahs is not sleeping normally. It is a very rare disease to get. But unfortunately, quiet Rover has it. I will try to cure it by giving him a lot of non-pulp orange juice and lots of thins that have calcium C in it. I might even let Rover have a multicolored vitamin everyday. He also has to get plenty of sleep. No one will be allowed in Rover's room except nurses and myself. He is not allowed to get out of bed until he is cured or he has to exercise.
     While he is in my clinic, his organized schedule will be...
      On Monday, get up and eat breakfast, go down to the pool and swim for an hour and a half. Then had has to dry off and go work out at our AC excerise room. Next, he must go drink some OJ. After that, he must go take a nap. After he finished his nap, he must take a walk around the park and come back for lunch. Lunch will be some rice and turkey with ketchup. He only can have one bowl of everything, so he has to eat slow. A half hour later, Rover has dessert. Dessert shall be ice-cream. But before he has that, he must have some fruit with calcium C in it. Then Rover can do whatever he wants.
     On Tuesday, he must eat a small breakfast because we do not want him to throw up. Rover can't eat candy or chocolate. He is not allowed to eat hard food either. Rover had to eat healthy food. I am deciding if Rover can drink milk at lunch. After breakfast, Rover must take a walk around the park. Then he must come in for some swimming lessons. After his swimming lessons, Rover must eat some lunch. His lunch will be pasta with Francisco Ranoldi red sauce on it. His drink will be water. After lunch, Rover will take a nap.
     On Wednesday, Rover will eat a medium-sized breakfast which will be a bagel. After he eats, he will walk on our new treadmill. He will walk on it for an hour. Then Rover will have a snack. His snack will be an oatmeal bar. Then Rover will have a quick swimming lesson. After that, he will have Dominos pizza.
     On Thursday, Rover has a 9:00 cursive lesson. After that, he will have some breakfast. After breakfast, Rover will go to see "Home on the Range." Then Rover will come to take a nap. After his nap, he will go ride his bike in the park. He will then go have lunch at Fridays. Then Rover will come back for one nurse's birthday. He will have vanilla cake with fruit punch. By that time, it will be 7:00. So Rover will have to go to bed pretty soon.
     On Friday, Rover will have a cursive lesson again. Then he will have pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast, Rover will ride his bike in the park. Then he must come back for a nap. Then Rover will have some chinese food. Then he will have his final swimming lesson. Then he will have an ice cream sundae with a big cherry. We will try to make him happy by giving him a stuff animal or a good-bye treat. We will try to make him healthy by giving him a free box of vitamins.
     We have just cured Rover and we are so thankful that he was such a good patient for us!
The Rebmains

     Once upon a time, in 13501, I was walking home from Cedar Hill School. While I was walking, I noticed an older man waiting for the yellow bus. He was dressed nicely, but looked very sad. He is carrying a beautifully wrapped package. The man is waiting for the bus because he is going to a huge space shuttle for a party in outer space on the planet Rebma. In the beautiful package is an awesome Rebmain suit to fit in. The suit does not have any weird buttons or crazy zippers. So, it can slip on and off. But most of all, it can change colors so he does not look messed-up.
     He is sad because he is leaving his only son and is visiting his great, great, great grandpa. He is 9,001 years old. Bobby didn't want to go. But he had to go because he is from a different planet and the Rebmains would love to see him. Finally, the yellow bus came. Bobby Bush got on. He took a seat and got to the space shuttle. Then he blasted off.
     When he got there, he sighed of relief. Then he quickly slipped on the suit. He went inside. Every single Rebmain welcomed him. He felt welcomed. Then something happened. "*&#%$@" a Rebmain yelped. "#*@&^$@$^@*!!!! (Got to Go)" siad two Rebmains. Then Bobby ran outside to see what happened. Outside, there was a Rebmain stuck to a flag pole. Oh No!! Bobby knew what to do. Bobby went to the flag pole and started climbing until to go to the Rebmain. He untangled the Rebmain. Bobby saved the day! Bobby helped the Rebmain down from the pole. When the party was over, the Rebmains thanked him for saving his life.
     Then Bobby went home. When he got there, he was proud of himself. He was happy that he knew what to do. He had a good time after all! That is the man's story.

by Amber P.
Class of 2003-2004

by Ashley B.
Class of 2003-2004
Water Wave Journey

     Hi, my name is Pipsqueak Pea. I am a mouse. I was born in 1603 in the city of London. I lived in the castle of King James I. Around the long year of 1606, there was much talk of sending three huge ships with several passengers and full of cargo to the New World. I was tired of my humdrum life and wanted to go on this long voyage. I kept my blue eyes and furry ears open so I could see and hear about the plans to travel to the New World.
     In October, I put on my dapper scarlet suit and affixed myself to the trunk of George Percy. We commenced our trup to Plymouth, which is about two hundred miles from London. It is a busy port on the clear Atlantic Ocean. After traveling for a couple of months, we reached Plymouth on December 20, 1606. It was very frigid and windy because of the wavey ocean. When I looked at the wooden docks, I saw three colossal ships. There were many big people in line to board the ships. George and I stood in line for many hours. Finally, we went aboard the beautiful Susan Constant. This is where my journey begins.
     The ship was made of wood and had large sapphire sails. Eventhough the ship seemed large, once the passengers and cargo were aboard, the quarters were cramped. Most of us were frightened. It would be a long journey to the New World. The Captain informed us that due to the new ship designs, the voyage would not take as long. However, this was a paramount journey and could still be perilous. As we looked around at the passengers, we realized there were no woman or girls, only men and boys. I listened to the men to find out why where were no women. They said the voyage would take almost half a year and that the colony would need to be built before the women came.
     We were excited as we set set. The ship had a musty smell and a salty smell from the ocean. The water would spray up on my face. The huge ship bounced on the rough seas. We entertained ourselves by reading and playing cards. We helped prepare our food, but it was not tasty. We were allowed eight ounces of water each day. We had to make sure we had enough fresh water for the journey. The rest of the days were spent working on the ship and planning the colony. We decided to call the colony Jamestown after the king.
     January, February, and March were terrible. It was cold, wet, and windy. The ship ran into many storms and tossed all around. During this time, many became ill. Everyone on the ship was afraid. We didn't want to get sick too. We were anxious to get off the ship. You could smell sickness in the air on the ship. In April, the weather started to warm up and we knew we were almost there. We had many different feelings. We were melancholy because some of our comrades had died from their illnesses. We were hungry because our food supplies were low. We spent the last month of the journey finalizing the plans for Jamestown. On May 13, we watched the sun set from the deck for the last time. The sky was a beautiful bright red and the sun sank into the ocean.
     On May 14, 1607, we landed in the New World. As I stepped onto this new green land, I looked forward to see if these brave men and boys would be able to succeed. I wondered if they would be able to make more money from the natural resources of this new land as they discussed many times during our voyage across the ocean. I knew they must be overwhelmed with all the things they had to do. I will write soon to let you know how things are going here in the New World.
     Godspeed!
Teddy Bear Adventure

     Once upon a time, my favorite teddy bear came alive! The teddy bear came out of my room and then he went downstairs. The first adventure was in the kitchen. He was looking for some cookies.
     He said, "Humm? I wonder where the cookies are hiding?" Then the teddy bear was going to climb up the refrigerator. But then the door was opening. He was about to fall. But as quick as he could, the teddy bear grabbed onto the handle. Then he was looking all around the colossal kitchen curiously. Then it was time when he spotted the cookie jar!
     He was so excited that he could hardly wait. Hw was running thoward the cookie jar. But all of a sudden, someone took the jar. The teddy bear was so upset that he was overreacting. He was stomping, pounding his feet, and screaming that he wanted some cookies. But then he fell into a pile of rubish. The teddy bear thought he was dallying his time. He wanted to go back to where he dwelled. He sure wanted some of those chocolate chip cookies. After the long ride, he was poky and humdrum. The he realized that he had a rip. He was so scared.
     Then the teddy bear went back to Ellie's room. Ellie sewed his arm back together. Then he was happy again. But he really, really, really, really wanted some of those chocolate chip cookies still.

by Ellie G.
Class of 2003-2004

by Trey J.
Class of 2003-2004
The Case of the Sock

     One freezing cold winter night, as I was going to my comfty bed, my sensitive feet became cold. So I decided to wear my favorite colorful socks. I really like them because they were from serene Norway. When I was on vacation, a strange old man sold me these socks. The socks were green, red, and white. He said my feet would never be cold when I wear them. He was right. That is why they are my favorite foot warmers.
     I went in my heavy drawer to get my favorite foot warmers out; there was only one there! It was late, so I went to bed with only one on. The next morning when I woke up, I had one warm foot and one freezing food. I had to find my colorful sock.
     My timid brother helped me search the unique house. We looked in the dingy laundry basket and under the bed, but no sock. This was going to be harder than I thought. My sock has been missing for several weeks. I thought and thought until my brain hatched an idea. I was thinking of where I had it last. I remembered my cat Rosie playing with it. Rosie loves to play with socks. Now I had to think like a cat. Where would I put a sock if I was a cat?
     Just then, under my desk, I grabbed my flashlight and followed her. You'll never guess what I found. In the corner, I found a pile of socks. First, my mom's pink sock, then my dad's blue sock, my brother's blue and white sock. Finally, at the bottom of the pile, there it was- my favorite sock from Norway. That night, I wnt to bed with two warm feet.
Kid President

     It was a cloudy Fall Tuesdy. I was walking to my abode feeling melancholy when I saw a sign affixed to a phone pole. I began to peruse it. It read, "Join a long run. The day is July 6. The race is from quiet Montville to busy Hoboken, 26 miles." Of course I wanted to join! It sounded entertaining!
     I read on, "All fast runners under 20 are allowed. (My age was under 20!) The first place prize was a great trip to Florida or to be President of Florida for one day." I started training right away.
     I began lifting heavy weights to get stronger and used my dad's Bowflex. I also ran on the tiring treadmill for two hours a day. When the day of the race came, I felt ready.
     "Go! Go! Go!" the judge yelled. I went berzerk! I ran so hard and was in first place. After what felt like four and a half hours, I had three long miles to go. Someone was getting closer. I kept running hard to keep my lead and saw the finish line. Finally, my body crossed it and I had won. I did it. I felt blissful.
     For my prize, I chose to be president for a day. I flew to Washington, D.C. right away. The first thing I did was go see the U.S. Armed Forces. Man, do they work hard. Then I went up in a cool TK-584. My arms shot some M16's for practice.
     After that, I went to the amazing White House. I went skateboarding through the long halls and did some nice kickflips, cool heelflips, and sensational pop shovits. The halls of the White House were so big and the lengthy floors were so smooth.
     The best part of all was when I made a great law that said, "Skateboarders can skate anywhere!" Too bad I can only be President for a day. I had a lot of fun being president, and will enter the running race next year!

by T.J.
Class of 2003-2004

by Adriana P.
Class of 2003-2004
Trip Through Digestion

     One sunny Monday, Anna went to her huge school in a hurry. Anna was about to miss health class at 9:00 a.m. When everyone got to the loud class, we started. The teacher said in a low mad voice that we will be having a digestion quiz on Wednesday. My dry hands got sweaty and felt like there was furry butterflies in my stomach.
     When the loud bell rang, Anna ran home very fast. She told her mother that she had a major digestion quiz on Wednesday. But she didn't know anything about digestion.
     Mom said, "Stop fretting! Take out my gold shrinkray." "Why?" "I'll shrink you, and you cao go inside of me!" So mom shrunk me. Here is where the story begins.
     I went in mom's lunch. First, she took a bite. Her loud teeth hurt my little ears. I was soaking with wet saliva. Anna was rolled together with saliva and mushed food. Then she swallowed me.
     The esophagus squeezed me down to the stomach with its strong muscles. The muscles were slimy and squishy. As soon as I got down, the acid burned my brown eyes. I was mixed together with bile, insulin, acid, and saliva.
     After a while, Anna had a long voyage down to the small intestine. I tried to get away from muscles taking out nutrients. Anna was afraid that she would get sucked in. So she swam down to the large intestine.
     The large intestine was disgusting and brown. It didn't take long to get to the rectum. The rectum was smooth. I was there for a few hours.
     When I got out, I felt strange. I took notes about what I learned, and studied them. Mom said, "The appendix has no function in digestion."
     When Anna went to school on Wednesday, she took her test. Some easy questions were: "What does the small intestine do?" "True or False: stomach makes biles" "What organ holds waste? a) stomach b) rectum c) esophagus" I got 100% and my mother was so proud of me. Now I know about digestion!
My Favorite Sock

     One day I was looking for my favorite sock. I couldn't find it any place. I asked my mom if she saw it and she said, "No." She told me to try looking in my room under the bed and in the closet. I looked in my room, but no luck. I still couldn't find my sock. My mom started to help me look. We looked all over the house and still couldn't find it. "I bet you the sock was thrown out by mistake," my mom said. So we stopped looking.
     Soon it was spring. My mom asked me if I wanted to help her plant some flowers outside in the yard. I said, "Yes," because I love to dig in the dirt. My dog Barkley likes to dig too. So I helped my mom bring the plants outside. We decided where we were going to plant the flowers and started to dig.
     Guess what we found when we started to dig? I'm sure you guessed, my sock! My dog Barkley must have taken the sock from my room. He took it outside and buried it in the yard. When Barkley saw the sock, he grabbed it in his mouth and started to run around the yard. We chased him until we got the sock back. My favorite sock didn't look very good, but my mom said she would wash it. It will now be as good as new.

by Kimberly S.
Class of 2003-2004

by Dereck I.
Class of 2003-2004
Shrinking Towards Digestion

     When I was twelve years old I was in a science club in middle school. The Mosh Junior High ordered new science equipment. The bell was about to ring and the club members were in the lab. We found out that the new equipment was a shrink ray. My partner was fooling around with the buttons, levers, and knobs.
     Zap! I was hit with a shrink ray. I felt myself shrinking as everything around me became colossal. My partner measured me to be only 1/2 inch tall. Fortunately, the lazer split into two and it shrunk our model of the Apollo 11. This meant that once the loud bell rang, I could travel to investigate the problem to my shrinkage.
     I was traveling through school when a gust of win created mega-turbulence in my flying vessel. My vessel turned around and saw a fan blowing. With the force of the fan, I had no control over the Apollo. When I turned my head, I saw the wide open mouth of the big fat principal!! I knew it would be a bumpy ride.     Entering his mouth was not a problem until he closed it. Suddenly, it got pitch black. Once the headlights were found, I discovered that our principal had a very big sweet tooth. I counted 24 ardent cavities.
     Mr. Cha must have been thirsty because a sip of soda came and I zoomed down the esophagus. I had to put my vessel's speed dial from slow to lightspeed. Next, I saw oncoming pizza bites. I felt like I was in an exciting video game dodging unchewed morsels of food. Just in the nick of time, I reached the stomach. Bile, insulin, acid, and saliva were underneath my floating vessel. I had to be sure to stay above the bubbling fluids or I would get burnt up along with my ship from the acid and bile. My journey became relaxed until Mr. Cha drank not a sip, but a gulp of soda and....splash! His stomach became a roaring cyclone in the sea. His colossal digestive juices were reaching their ultimate height because they were mixing with the fizz from the soda.
     Finally, the bottom hole of the stomach opened into the small intestine. My ride would be long and winding. My ship did not have much room to navigate in because the disgusting upper intesting is narrow. I felt dizzy winding down and around his insides.
     By now everyone was looking for me. I saw a spray of nutrients going through the intestinal wall. As I entered the large intestine, I was relieved to have more room to fly in. Very soon after, I passed the icky rectum. The stench made me sick to the stomach. I put the Apollo back into super lightspeed to find my way out.     Finally, the excited Mr. Cha went to the bathroom and I exited the smelly Apollo. I thought really hard about how to get back to my normal size. It was a good thing the shrink ray's beam wore off in twenty-four hours.
My Stuff Animal

      My nice dad bought me the coolest fat teddy bear for my fun birthday. It is cute and fuzzy. My teddy bear is very melancholy because I don't have any real best friends. The only fun toys were my great friends. The boring toys were the only things I played with.
      Then Poops, a fairy God Mother came and made my cool bear into a real big bear. It also could talk and move. I was so happy and my teddy bear was a real good friend. The first thing we did was play tag. It was fun that my bear kept on getting me tagged. Then we played with my Bratz dolls. That was really fun. After we finished that, we went outside. My friend and I ran and raced around my abode. The best part was when my teddy bear didn't win the race. Then my teddy bear and I went to eat. After that, we brushed our teeth and went to bed. We had a dream that we were flying to space in Mars.
      I'm so happy that the funny, fairy God Mother came. Now I have a best friend to play with all the time. This day was the best of all days. I wish it will happen again.

by Jessica W.
Class of 2003-2004

by Alexa L.
Class of 2003-2004
My Vacation Adventure

     I went to the tropical Hawaii for my fun summer vacation, and this is how my story begins! I met a girl named Kowucu. Kowucu and I became great friends and she showed me around Hawaii.
     One day we went up to the towering and fascinating volcano is hot Hawaii. Climbing the volcano was very difficult because it was steep and rocky. Finally, we reached the zenith of the colossal volcano. Kowucu and I ate our delicious lunch. Then out of nowhere, we heard rumbling from inside of the dangerous volcano. Quickly we packed up our lunch and started running down the humungous volcano. As we scuttled down the volcano, thick smoke started coming from the life-taking volcano's cone. It was very difficult getting down the landfrom because all of the dry lava from the past eruptions and there was a lot of bumpy rocks.
     Then to our surprise, the huge mountain of fire erupted! Kowucu and I ran even faster, but then she fell and hurt her leg. The lava was really scary! It got closer and closer, and we knew we had very little time. Kowucu was badly hurt and I had to help carry her down the rest of the way. Lava started pouring down the volcano as we finally reached the bottom. There was no one in sight to help me with my friend. So we started to go to the water. Once we got there, Kowucu and I found a rowboat. I put Kowucu into the boat and I pushed the boat into the water. I got in. Kowucu and I started to row away from the land.
     When we looked back at the volcano, all we saw was scarlet lava. Kowucu and I were very fortunate to escape the deadly volcano. We had quite a wild adventure today. I for one don't think I will be visiting Hawaii again for a very long time!
My Journey Through the Digestive System

     Once I had a stuffed animal named Poochie. He had blue eyes and long ears. This talkative animal had a big red heart on his stomach.
     One day the short creature was bored. I told him to solve a small puzzle. The toy dog said that yesterday I forgot to feed him and he ate every puzzle in the house. I frowned at the toy. "I'm going on a hike," the annoying little dog said. "That's fine with me," I agreed.      While he was on his long hike, his eyes didn't follow the narrow trail and was lost. When he realized where his feet had taken him, he found that his position was not on the map. When foolish Poochie got home, the little dog told me what had happened. The one who told him it was possible to own the place was me. The dog bounced up and down until he bounced into a hard wall. Poochie slid off the wall and screamed. My horrible legs gave me a cut!
     After that, he started to cry. When he stopped, the dog went to Town Hall. He had to sign some papers for the swampy area to be his own. Poochie made a few adjustments to the place he found. The bathrooms smelled like waste. You could taste the trees made of rich, Hershey chocolate. You could see happy faces on all the buildings. At Care Bears Castle, every time you took a step, a voice out of nowhere would say, "I love you."

by Emma C.
Class of 2003-2004

by June T.
Class of 2003-2004
Jackie's Digestion Adventure

     Jackie was a child who loved science. She was a science maniac. One day, she came home very happy. Her mother asked why she was so happy. Jackie said, "We are having a pre-science test on germs! That means we get a lesson on science and germs!" She was so excited. That peaceful night, Jackie wished on a shooting star that she was microscopic in order to study for her germ test.
     The next morning, Jackie felt strange. She felt weak, tired, and hot. Then Jackie realized Jackie's whole entire body was under the burning covers. But when Jackie got out, she knew why she felt strange. Her wish had come true. She was shrunken down to microscopic size. Then Jackie noticed some weird things floating around. "Germs!" She exclaimed. She started taking notes.
     When Jackie got to the good-smelling kitchen, everything smelled great. Then Jackie noticed how hungry she was. She climbed up the high table by jumping on smaller things to get to higher places. When Jackie finally got on the table, she saw her sister, Stefanie, eating a cheesy cheesedoodle. Jackie was hungry so she jumped on one of the farthest cheesedoodles from Stefanie and started eating. When Jackie was finished, she noticed she made a bunch of holes in the cheesy cheesedoodles. She started jumping to one hole and then another. Jackie was having so much fun, she didn't realize that her sister's hand was right about to pick up the cheesedoodle she was in.
     When Jackie finally realized that her sister was about to eat her, she was already lifted high into the air. Jackie started screaming, "Don't eat me Stefanie!" But Stefanie could not see her sister because she was microscopic. When Jackie fell into her sister's mouth, Jackie's digestion adventure begun.
     When Jackie was inside her sister's moist mouth, it fell wet and warm. The air tasted stale and disgusting. Then something under Jackie started moving. Jackie was terrified. Then after a few more movements, she realized the moving object was Stefanie's toungue moving around. She also realized that while she was being moved around, other big chunks were moving too. Jackie instantly knew what those big chunks were. It was her sister's half chewed-up food. "Yuck," said Jackie. Then all of a sudden, Stefanie's tongue lifted up so high. Jackie fell into the esophagus with the food, and was being squeezed down the long tube. Jackie felt queezy getting squezed down the esophagus with food at either side of her.      When Jackie got pushed down about six inches, she could see the liquidy stomach acids ready to turn her into liquid. Jackie had to think of something to get across with to get out of the stomach. Jackie thought and thought. She always carried gum because she liked it so much. She thought that if she blew a big enough bubble, she could get to the other side. Jackie tried her idea. It was hard blowing a bubble while being squished between chew-up food. But she managed to make a bubble to sail across the stomach acid. When Jackie was just about to fall into the stomach, she took her bubble out of her mouth, put it under her, and sat on it like a horseback rider. Jackie was now floating in acid. It smelled like eggs, vomit, and cheese. It smelled so bad, that Jackie almost got sick.
     It was a rough journey through the stomach. But finally, she got out. Then she realized she was now in the small intestine. It was the longest organ in the digestive system. It was also underwater. "How would I get across?" Jackie wondered. Then she though of something. She made another bubble, a little bit bigger than the last time. Then Jackie used some of her hair as oars to move the bubble. Then Jackie stuck the hairs inside the bubble with one more piece of gum to support each oar. Then she made a small hole, got in quickly, and closed it up again. She started rowing and got to other side in no time.
     Then Jackie was in the large intestine. That was easy to get through. She just had to dodge some of Stefanie's waste. When she got to the end, she was in the rectum. To get out, Stefanie started tickling her sister's rectum. She tickled it so much, that her sister's rectum opened up and had passing gas!
     Now, she was in her sister's pants! Luckily, it had microscopic holes between the fibers. That's how Jackie got out. That warm night she wished on the first star that she was normal sized. The next morning, Jackie was normal again. Then she said in her smar mind, "This is the ending to a great adventure."
My Journey Through the Digestive System

     On Wednesday, my smart father was working on a cool invention. The invention could shrink anything the size of a tiny cereal. On Sunday, my father was done with his invention. During lunch, I snuck into my dad's lab. He always says, "Don't come in my lab." But my dad's invention was something everyone would want to see. I looked around the lab and there I saw the shiny, silver invention. I was amazed! I walked over to it. I wondered how it worked. So, my hand started pressing some green buttons. Nothing happened. So my body stood in front of it. Suddenly, a yellow beam shot at me. I had shrunk! I called for help but nobody could see or hear me. The next morning, my legs were walking across the table but on accident the I fell into my mother's red cereal bowl. I tried to get out but was too small! Soon my mother was eating her cereal! I kept trying to run away from the spoon but I was too slow. I was eaten up!
     I was in the mouth. I did not get chopped up by the teeth. I went down the esophagus into the stomach. When I went down the esophagus, I felt lik going down a wet slide. It was fun! But when I was in the stomach, it was different. I felt like being in a washing machine. I was thrown around and mixed with digestive juices. It felt very slippery. After a few hours, I was ejected into the small intestine with the liquidy food. It was so dark and I was wondering what would happen next. Every few minutes I felt like I was being pushed further down. Now, I was in the large intestine. There was more room here. I felt like I was in a swimming pool. But I was certainly not! Now I am in the rectum.
     I felt a shake. I was falling. I was wondering what was happening. I fell into the white toilet! I got flushed down. It was a very scary ride! In a splat, I fell into the dirty sewer. I caught onto a large stick that was hanging onto the top of the sewer. I climbed up and got out. The sewer was close to my house. So I followed some signs and finally reached home. I rolled myself on a towel and to dry off. I went into my dad's lab and pressed some small buttons on the machine again. I stood in front of it. Again, a beam shot at me. But this time I did not shrink. I was back to my normal self. And it felt very good. My mom and dad asked me where I was. I told them a long story, they wouldn't believe it.

by Sajni D.
Class of 2003-2004

by Skyler R.
Class of 2002-2003
Do Your Homework First!

     Once, I came home from a field trip and I was going upstairs to do my arduous homework. When I got to my room, my hand flipped on the scarlet light switch. But instead of the light turning on, eerie monsters appeared! The first monster looked like a bloody vampire. I felt super-scared when I saw the 180-amer eyed, smelly monster with claws as 5 inch needles.
     My chubby body (not) was shaking like crazy because my brain thought that the 180-amber eyed monster was going to attack me. It did, but it had fake claws. The claws felt like mushy rubber. My brain realized that the two monsters were just tricksters. I noticed that that monsters just wanted to be friends. I showed them how to play Monopoly. They enjoyed the game. A few minutes later, we started to horse around with all sorts of objects.
     At about 6:48 PM, my mom asked, "Are you doing your arduous homework?" I replied, "Yes, Mom." Right after that, we kept messing around. The vampire was in the mood for dancing music, so he turned on the loud boom box. My mom was shocked to hear the sound from my bedroom. She came upstairs to check on me.
     When she came upstairs, she opened the door. All the monsters disappeared. She looked at my homework and unfortunately discovered that I didn't do it! You can guess she hit the ceiling and it looked like she was going to blow.
     When I finally finished my homework 45 minutes later, I promised myself that next time I play with the monsters, I'll do my homework first! I was really weary, so I snored and dreamt about the monster buddies.
     One rainy day in October, the windows were open and I was looking at the endless rain. My doll, Kit, was sitting on the windowsill. I looked very closely at the rain. Kit did too. Then I noticed the raindrops were rainbow colored! One of those multi-colored raindrops landed on Kit. I tried to pull out of the way but a blinding light hit my eyes.
     The next I heard, someone was saying, "...what amazing technology!" and "...what is the big box with the moving cartoons in it?" I turned around. It was Kit! She was smiling at me. This was extraordinary! Then she told me that I was the one who tucks her into bed. That is true! I guess she might have watched me while I did it. Then we decided to have some fun.
     I showed her all the secret parts in the house. Then she said, "I know a secret place that you don't know about." "Yeah, right." I said sarcastically. She told me to go to the mirrow. I did. Kit informed me, "If you look very closely, you can step into the mirror. Then you wou will be in Dollworld." I said, "So are you going with me?" "Of course!"
     Then we went in. I then turned into a doll. I saw a dollhouse and met many other American Girl Dolls. We had tea parties but the tea was torrid. Dollworld was in a toystore.
     One day, a girl decided to buy me. I had no choice but to be bought. The girl took me to her house. I missed Kit and the other dolls. Back at Dollworld, Kit was worrying and worrying. Suddenly, she had an idea, "...so I will go through the mirror to the girl's house and put perminate marker on Michelle's face. Then she won't want her anymore. She will return Michelle to the store. Then she can go home!"
     That is just what she did. It worked! When Kit and I got home, I washed the marker off my face. I told Mom the story. She didn't believe me.
Oh well...
by Michelle S.
Class of 2002-2003

by Paige G.
Class of 2002-2003
      Last week, my teacher Mr. Krygier, assigned our class to do a colossal model of the Solar System. Since I needed materials, Mom took me to A.C. Moore where I purchased styrofoam balls, markers, and glitter magic.
     After dinner, I went to my room and commenced work on my project. My project was going along splendidly, until I got to the planet Venus. That's when the accident happened. The top of the Glitter Magic must have been loose, because when I went to sprinkle it on, the Glitter Magic was all over the place. It went on the table, the floor, and especially all over my stuffed lamb, Winter.
     I stared, and stared at Winter. Then all of a sudden, I saw him twitch his head. I picked up Winter. I looked into his eyes. Then Winter said, "Hello!" Before I knew what was happening, Winter ran out of my room and down the hall straight for the bathroom. When I arrived at the bathroom door, there was Winter drinking out of the toilet! "No, Winter, that's disgusting." I said. Then he ran into the kitchen, jumped up on the cabinet, and tore open a box of cookies. I chased Winter into the livingroom, but he left a trail of cookies wherever he ran.
     I knew Mom would be irate when she saw this mess, but what could I do to stop Winter? Suddenly I was inspired. The answer was simple. All I needed to do was clean the Glitter Magic off of Winter and everything should be back to normal. Now all I had to do was find Winter. So I turned around and there he was, chasing the cat up a tree. I ran outside to grab him, but he was much too quick for me. I needed something to catch him with. In the linen closet, I discovered a pillow case that looked just the right size for a stuffed animal. "Winter must be hungry after all that running around." I thought. I quickly put some Cheerios in a bowl and waited for him to see them.
     It wasn't long before Winter meandered by the bowl. This was my chance. I cunningly sneaked up behind him and threw the pillowcase over him. As he squirmed around, I attempted to wipe the Glitter Magic off my lamb. Little by little, Winter slowed down until he stopped moving. I carefully opened the pillowcase and there was my lamb back to his old, stuffed, animal self. I threw out all of the leftover Glitter Magic before anything else came to life. Next time I have a project, I think I'll just use paint.
The Tired Christmas Tree

     Hello. My name is Dandy. I am at a Christmas tree shop waiting for someone to take me home. A Canadian Fir Christmas tree is what I am. My arms and legs feel rickety from standing for such a long time. As you know the holiday season is very busy. Children are waiting for Santa to come. Young and old are buying gifts for the ones they love. It is paramount that I rest my weary branched in a cozy abode.
     In the hustle and bustle of people looking for the "perfect Christmas tree", I was being pushed and shoved around by people trying to beat the clock. Suddenly a family with happy faces and good cheer smiled at me and touched my branches. The little girl said, "Daddy, I love it!" The dad whistled to the boy that worked in the shop. The boy picked me up and tied me up to get ready to take my excursion.
     The ride to the Kringles' house was relaxing and thank goodness the boy in the shop didn't tie my arms and legs too tight! I was filled with zest as I gazed up to the sapphire sky. Suddenly, the truck ceased and I thought my heart would fall out of my chest! Mr. Kringle decided to hoist me up before lowering me off the truck! I was carried into the Kringles' home. Oh no! Now it's time to stand up again. I was then put in a tree stand. My mouth was parched and I was hoping that little Susie would give me some water. She must have heard me, because she ran to get the watering can. All of a sudden, they lit up my life with beautiful bulbs and adorned me with scarlet ornament and silver and gold garland. However, just when I thought the decorating was done, the Kringles continued to put more and more decorations on me, that got heavier.
     Well, I just didn't think I would make it until Christmas Day. The presents were crowding my feet, the star was falling off of my head, and I had to get a load off of my feet. When the Kringles came down the stairs from their hot cocoa break, they wondered how I fell to the ground. Ah! Finally a nap!

by Jennifer J.
Class of 2002-2003

by Daniel D.
Class of 2002-2003
Wrong Ralph

     Ralph Chomonton was always wrong. Like the time he went to the wrong booth. Ralph gave the booth man the wrong amount of money and asked him the wrong question. I'm going to tell you about that time. he went to Hershey Park and guess what happened?
     Ralph was at school on day when he found a paper in his folder that said:
Dear Mr. Krygier,
     Ralph will be picked up early today because we are going to Hershey Park.
From,
Mrs. Chomonton

But Ralph couldn't read. So he told his friend to read it. His friend just stood there with her mouth wide open. Ralph's best friend, Jimmy, came over and said, "Are you okay?" She just fell on the floor. Jimmy read it. "Y-your going to H-Hershey P-Park." He was so shocked, he could barely even breathe. He was so happy.
     Once they arrived at Hershey, he wanted to do everything at lonce. He went up to Mom and said, "Dad, can I have some money?" "Mom." said his mom. "I know that!" he said. His mom gave him money and said, "Don't waste it all."
     He was the cotton candy booth. Ralph went to the tattoo booth, handed the guy $50.00. The guy running the booth was the biggest guy Ralph had ever seen in his whole entire life. Ralph said,"One of each is fine." The guy got to work.
     Once Ralph got back to his family, the first his mom said was, "What happened?" "I went to get cotton candy!" His brother said, "That dosen't look like cotton candy! That looks like tattoos all over you!"
     The next day, the only thing the Chomonton family did was clean Ralph for 12 hours. The head took 5 hours, the feet and legs 4 hours. Finally, the arms took 3 hours.
     After that day Ralph learned being wrong was extremely bad and had to stop. So Ralph Chomonton started to pay more attention in school. From that day Ralph's grades always went up and he was happy.
The Pathetic Trick I Fell For

     The best part of the long day had just ended. My delicious dinner was over and it was time to finish my homework. As my feet took me to my room, my puny finger flicked on the sliding light switch. But instead of the bright light coming on, the power went out! I had just remembered in the early morning the smart weatherman said there would be high and fast windstorms.
     So, I went downstairs and called, "Mom! Dad! My homework can't be done because the electric power went out!" There was no answer. My destination was to go to the white laundry room and obtain a flashlight. But no one was there. I was scared. Calling for help came to my mind. Remember the phone lines would be dead came to my intelligent head. The only thing that was possible was to do my homework with a flashlight. It was no use.
     The only thing I could do now was search the colossal house- every room. Now things began to get serious. Before searching my abode, I went to get my gear. To do this right, being prepared was required. My gear included a fanny pack, my dad's tool belt, a secure helmet with a light on top, a sturdy pencil over my ear, and a notebook with the romms of my home.
     The first place was the crowded office. Since is was empty, "no" was written in my notebook. The next place was the creepy bedrooms. They were spotless when my hazel eyes looked. So I wrote "no." The slippery bathrooms were next. Not a quiet sound. So again, "no" was the answer. Almost every room was checked, no was there. The last room had come along. The perilous basement was on my lost list. Now, I was very skittish. My heart was pumping faster than ever. My odorous feet took me toward the smelly basement. When I opened the screechy door, my broad ears heard my kind family laughing and giggling. "What's going on?" I inquired. My tall dad told me that they played a dirty trick on me. Once he told me, I felt terrible. All that work for nothing. When salty tears started falling from my closed eyes, Mom said, "It's ok, everyone gets tricked once in a while."
     What my mom said made me feel better. And I never fell for that deadly trick again.

by Molly S.
Class of 2002-2003

by Bobby Z.
Class of 2002-2003
The Haunted House: The Nice Monster Story

     I'm a thick, industrious Haunted House. I have big castles around me. The castles and I have purple bricks around us. A lot of monsters live inside me. There are numerous birthdays. Their favorite holiday is Halloween. There are green creatures, yellow brutes, red svelte beasts, blue demons, and even purple fiends. As opposed to the other scary kinds of haunted houses, this house lets people leave alive.
     There are five playrooms in each of the four castles. There are playgrounds in the back yards. Everybody plays in a different room each year since the rooms are grouped by age. Speeky, an ordinary monster, was graduating to the top room of the first castle. He was so excited. He would be making new friends. Speeky was a little scared because everything in this room was opposite of what he thought it should be. He knew he would be meeting freaks that are nice and different from the colossal giants. He had heard about timid ogres who were different than the weird ones that he knew. Vampires, in this special castle, drink root beer because blood makes them burp. These monsters are so nice, that they are cool. And what a great party they would have!
     On one special Sunday, Speeky was turning five. This was the age that monsters were allowed to go to the top of the first cozy castle. This special Sunday was to be the day of the best birthday party ever. There was a very big ice cream birthday cake in the shape of an ugly monster that Speeky's famous mother made especially for him. It even had chocolate crunchy stuff on the inside. It looked delicious and I couldn't wait to sink my spoon into it. I made Speeky's favorite bad guy action figures to give him as presents for his birthday. At the party there was a clown. He could talk to spirits, pull rabbits outs of his hat, and make monsters disappear. Something went wrong. When a monster was disappearing in one box, another box broke. The monsters had to fix it before she went into it. They fixed it and party went on all night. It was the longest and most fun sleepver I had ever been at. I cannot wait until Speeky turns six.
     Once there was an orphan that didn't have a family and lived in the woods. His name was Michael. He mad a little home made with sticks and stones. He taught himself to make fires also. Everyday he would have to eat blueberries and blackberries. Eventhough Michael could eat berreis, he was still very hungry and cold in the woods. He stayed there for his whole life except for his first three years. Michael's mother and father died when he was three. He then ran away all by himself into the forest.
     Now he was five years old, and it was winter. Before his mom died, she gave him a little pocket calendar for his third birthday, and he kept it with him ever since. Michael checked his calendar and saw it was the 23rd of December. His mom and dad told him there was something called "Christmas" on the 25th and that a man named Santa Claus made children's wishes come true. He forgot about it the last two years, but he didn't forget this year.
     Michael made a basket out of sticks and put blueberries and blackberries in them. Then Michael made a wish to have a family and went deeper into the woods. After walking for one day, he reached a huge rock. He decided to stay there and make a camp.
     It didn't take long until he made the camp because he had practice. Michael started a fire and started eating some berries. On some bushes Michael saw some other berries. He tried thm but those just made him sick. He saw a full moon in the sky, but he actually thought he heard the ringing of some bells. He saw a sleigh in the sky! It must have been his imagination, but just then he heard a growl behind him.
     Michael quickly turned around and saw a bear roaring at him. He yelled and ran like the wind. Then out of nowhere, a dog came out of the bushes and started barking at the bear. Then the bear and dog started to fight. Several minutes later, Michael saw the bear run away. The dog was hurt, but not too badly. Then Michael though it was a wild dog, but was surprised to see a collar on the dog's neck. The dog ran away but Michael followed.
     About a half an hour later Michael found himself in a small village. He was so happy but kept following the dog. One minute later, Michael was at somebody's doorstep and the dog started barking. A woman opened the door and almost fainted. The women let Michael in and asked him a lot of questions. Then she cleaned him up. Michael slept there. When he woke up, Michael went into the living room and saw a bunch of presents. He even saw presents for him!
     That night, Michael looked out the window and saw the sleigh in the sky. It was the best day of his life.

by David S.
Class of 2002-2003

by Michael C.
Class of 2002-2003
A Tired Christmas Tree

     Thank-God today is January 6, 2003! This has been a very long season. It all started in December. I was growing in the middle of a forest. A little boy ran up to me and said, "Dad this is the one." I was tall, full, and a beautiful Douglas Fir.
     The next thing I knew, a man was chopping me down with an axe. The little boy and man dragged me from the forest and placed me on top of a car. He tied me down and drove miles away from the forest. We pulled up to a house that was lit up with Christmas lights. They untied me and took me down from the top of the car. I was brought into the house.
     I was propped in the corner of the living room. There was the smell of cookies and hot chocolate brewing. There were Christmas cards displayed on a piano. The little boy, man, and mother began to place blinking lights all around me. Then they began to hang different colored balls on my branches. A large bright star was placed on my top. When they were done, the family was saying how good I looked.
     Everyday their family and friends would come to see me as I stood there glowing like a bright full moon. They would stand in front of me as they talked and drank tea. As Christmas Day neared, the people would place wrapped Christmas presents underneath me. The day Christmas arrived, the family woke up early in the morning and surrounded me. All morning, they opened the presents which were underneath me. It was a long day. Christmas Day had ended, but I was left standing in the living room with lights, balls, and a star still on me.
     Three weeks have past since I was dragged from my home in the forest. My limbs started to get tired and my needles were not as green as they use to be. The Christmas balls began to fall and break. I was left standing for two more weeks. One day the family began to remove the decorations from me. My limbs were brown and my needles were falling on the floor. The man placed me in a big plastic bag where it was dark. I was taken from the house and placed at the curb. A big truck came and took me to my final resting place, where I rested in peace.
Crazy Resolution

     It was a lonely evening, the night before New Year's Eve, at Almond University in Nutsville, Ohio. Carlos was just finishing his exams. Carlos's nickname was Cookoo and was given to him by his best friend, Bernard. Bernard thought Carlos did silly things. Not to be outdone, Cookoo gave Bernard a nickname, Birdie. Cookoo thought that Bernard was a bird-brain.
     Cookoo was thinking about his New Year's resolution. "I got a great idea! I want to travel to all fifty states by bike!" Carlos told Birdie about his great idea. Birdie thought this was a stupendously, splendid and scrumptiously sweet plan. They started making arrangements to get ready for their trip. In a week's time, everything was ready. The two were off on their great adventure.
     Their first stop was at Niagara Falls. They tried to take a shortcut, but slipped and off they went for a quick ride down the waterfall. Miraculously, they got away with a few bruises. Now, the friends got back on their bikes and started on their new destination: New York City!
     Cooko and Birdie went through the Lincoln Tunnel. When they reached the end, an officer pulled them over and said, "No bikes allowed in the Lincoln Tunnel!" They had a good night's sleep in jail. The two planned their next adventure
     They rode their bikes day and night and finally arrived in Florida. Cookoo and Birdie wanted to go to Disney World, but instead they got lost. They took the wrong turn and found themselves in a swamp. They heard a noise and turned around. Right in front of their faces, was a crocodile with its mouth wide open. With one scream of "Help!", the boys narrowly escaped out of the swamp. They dried off under the sun and headed towards their next destination: Nevada.
     The friends were approaching Las Vegas. There, they met a gregarious person who took them to the Casino. The boys starting winning a couple of games. However, before they knew it, the two lost all the precious moeny! Cookoo and Birdie were very sad. All they wanted was to go home! They realized this adventure was practically impossible. The friends got a job to earn some money to fly back to Ohio. Cookoo and Birdie were happy when they returned home.

by Michelle S.
Class of 2002-2003

by Evan G.
Class of 2002-2003
The Tired Christmas Tree!

     Hi! My name is Buddy, the Christmas tree. I would like to tell you my story of how I live.
     I am an artificial Japanese pine tree. Most of the year you can find me in the attic. I get put up each year on December 19. That is very boring waiting that long. When I come out, the people stand me up and spread my branches. They decorate me with lights and ornaments. The lights keep me warm on cold nights. The hooks don't hurt too much.
     On Christmas Eve, I see Santa come down the chimney. In the morning, I like to see each kid smile. After all the presents are opened, I get to see what was wrapped.
     After Christmas is over, the family lets me stay up until January 13. Some of my lights go out in that long time. My ornaments and lights are removed from my branches and put away. I get taken down and crunched into a box. I finally get put away in that cold attic.
     Once there was a boy named Billy. Billy had eating problems. He would only eat chocolate. Every day when his mom packed him a sandwich, he would throw it out and go to the vending machine for a chocolate bar.
     The next day he had pizza for lunch. Instead of sprinkling garlic powder, he put chocolate chips on it. Instead of putting steak sauce on his steak, Billy puts chocolate sauce on it. When he eats pretzels, they are always chocolate covered.
     One day at lunch, his friend asked him, "Why do you only eat chocolate." Billy said, "When I was a baby, my parents gave me chocolate for the first thing I ever ate. I liked it so much, that I never liked anything else." Then when Billy came home after school, his mom asked, "Why don't you eat my sandwiches?" Billy answered, "Because the only thing I like is chocolate."
     That night, when Billy was asleep, he felt something. So Billy opened his eye and guess what he saw? His body was turning into a chocolate bar! He yelled for help, but nobody heard him because they were all asleep. Then he saw these people that looked like chocolate people. Billy got scared so he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Billy was in a dungeon. Next, he tried to get out, but he was chained to the wall. So he yelled, "Help!" Nobody came.
     So he decided to talk to the queen. When he saw her, Billy asked her, "How do I turn back into a human?" The queen said, "You have to try new foods." Billy said, "O.K." So, the queen gave him a carrot, and Billy liked it. Finally, Billy was a human again and went home.

by Jeffrey G.
Class of 2002-2003