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13-year old Ketzal crept into the bedroom she shared with her older sister Lisa, taking care to be quiet. It was very late, probably around four in the morning, and the sun was already starting to rise. She had been out late, walking around her small village and enjoying the nighttime. This was something she did frequently; she preferred the night to the day. It was calm and quiet, whereas the day was loud and busy.
Ketzal used the very small amount of light coming through the window to look at herself in the mirror and giggled softly at her eyes. Most people's eyes would be tired looking at four in the morning but her bright green eyes were lit up happily, no sign of fatigue anywhere.
She turned away from the mirror and, without bothering to comb it, pulled her waist length copper hair into a low ponytail, tying it with a white ribbon. She changed into a bland, white nightgown and crawled into bed.
Just moments after she had gotten into bed, she heard faint shouts. Her eyes flew open and she saw the silhouette of her sister sitting up.
"Ketzal?" Lisa whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Do you hear that?"
"What is it?" Ketzal asked as a response.
"I don't know," said Lisa. She swung out of bed. "Let's ask Mother and Father." Ketzal got out of bed and followed her sister to their parents' bedroom. Before they could open the door, it flew open and their parents, Martha and Jack, were standing there, looking frightened. "What's going on?" Lisa asked.
"The witch burnings," Martha said.
"There are no witches here," Lisa said, looking puzzled.
"They say that anyone with green eyes is a witch because the color is so uncommon," Jack said. Martha and Lisa had blue eyes but Ketzal had inherited her green eyes from her father. Men weren't considered witches, but Ketzal could be captured. She felt a wave of nausea and fear.
"They kill everyone in town too," Martha said, looking slightly green. "They say that the townspeople are guilty of protecting the witches."
"That's...." Ketzal couldn't think of a good word.
"Horrible, I know," Martha said. "We must try to escape. Don't bother changing. Just get a coat. We must run. Now."
By the time Ketzal, Lisa, and their parents made it outside, it was chaos. Townspeople were running around, armed men were capturing them, screams were everywhere, and torches were being dropped carelessly, starting fires. Instinctively, Ketzal turned and started to run. People, fire, and even some pools of blood, were everywhere.
As she turned a corner, a soldier grabbed her. He looked into her eyes and then looked triumphant.
"This one's a witch!" he shouted.
"Let-go-of-me!" Ketzal screamed, struggling to get free. A fist came out of nowhere and the soldier holding her crumpled to the ground. The fist belonged to a friend of Lisa's. "Thanks," Ketzal said. She didn't wait for an answer and continued to run. She finally reached the edges of town but didn't stop until she had sprinted up the tall hill for a full five minutes. She stopped where it leveled out and tried to catch her breath as she looked down on her town in the valley. It was lit up: fires were now burning everywhere. She heard screams, even as far up as she was.
Ketzal realized that not many people could possibly escape from this. There was only a very slim chance that her own family would survive, let alone anyone else She fell to the ground and hugged her knees to her chest in a fetal position, suddenly shaking with sobs.
Her family was unquestionably gone.
She noticed a figure running swiftly out of the lit up town with something in his arms. A soldier, no doubt, carrying something harmful. She stood and, trying to stay balanced, hurried into the forest behind her. She only went a few feet before realizing that any soldier could probably catch her if she stayed on the ground.
She looked behind her quickly and then pulled herself onto the lowest branch of a tree. She climbed up thirteen branches nimbly and quickly, waiting for the soldier to pass under her.
The figure she had seen came up over the top of the hill and started into the forest at a slow, cautious walk.
"Hello?" it said. "Is someone up here?" Ketzal noticed the attire of the boy at the same time that he placed the thing he was carrying on the ground. What she had assumed to be a weapon was actually a girl about five years old. They were both wearing sleeping attire and looked very frightened.
Ketzal climbed down the branches and jumped softly in front of them. Almost in the same second as the girl started to scream, the boy clapped a hand over her mouth.
"It's a girl!" he said. "Not a soldier." He took his hand away from the girl's mouth and peered at Ketzal. "Who are you?"
"I’m Ketzal. Who are you?"
"Will. This is my sister Sally," he said. "My parents told me to take her and run. I thought I saw someone up here."
"Yes, I escaped," Ketzal said. "My parents and sister are still down there though, I assume."
"My parents and older brother are too," said Will.
"Are they going to die?" Sally asked, her bottom lip trembling. Will and Ketzal exchanged a quick glance, though they barely knew each other.
"No, Sally," Will finally said. "They're not going to die."
“How do you know?” she whined.
“Just trust me they’re not going to die. In the end this will all blow over and we’ll be a happy family again,” Will said this in a surely voice, but he didn’t know what would happen. He was scared too.
“Hey guys, do you want to come up here, it’s safer to be hidden,” Ketzal tried to be optimistic.
“No we better be going,” Will started to turn around.
“Where are you, going to go?” Ketzal questioned him.
“Home.”
“Remember you don’t have a house now. Where your house used to be, there are many soldiers burning our family and friends. Do you really want to go back there? I don’t mean to scare you but look at the reality of it.”
“C’mon Will I really want to go up in the tree,” Sally whined in her obnoxious high-pitched voice. Before he could even think about what she was asking she had started up the tree, swinging her featherweight body on the branches.
“Sally, get back down here right now,” Will called. He was careful to not make too much noise in fear that soldiers would find them. Sally didn’t even consider going back down and she kept on climbing until she reached a nice solid branch a little ways higher than where Ketzal was positioned. Finally Will gave up hopes that she would come down and had no other choice than to climb up the tree and catch her.
“Good choice,” Ketzal remarked as she watched in awe as he easily flung himself up the tree. He gracefully grabbed one branch by the next completely oblivious to the fact that Ketzal was watching every move he made. To her disappointment he continued on a couple branches above her instead of stopping on the branch beside hers.
“So what part of town did you live?” Will easily started a conversation.
“Umm. We lived on the North side up by the crops.”
“Oh, so you were farmers?”
“Yah we were. What about your family? Where did you live?”
“We lived on the East side of town, you know by some of the markets. My dad is a merchant so it made sense to live there, instead in a prettier part of town.’’
“What did your dad sell?”
“Well really all sorts of things but mainly jewelry and decorations.” Ketzal could see where this was headed. How they were rich and she was poor. So she decided to change subjects.
“So what do you think about these witch burnings? Aren’t they just stupid?”
“In my opinion if we lose all of those poor women with green eyes and the soldiers leave us away than I would be quite content. In fact all of those women with the green eyes should have just gave themselves up so they wouldn’t have to put us through all this torture.” Ketzal was shocked at his response and made sure to cover her eyes.
“Will, can I climb higher?” Sally whined. He didn’t hear her as he was focused on the view towards the village. “Will!” she screamed, this time.
“Sally you can’t yell. You’re going to get us all killed if you’re not careful.” Will whispered.
All of a sudden there was a rustle in the bushes.
“I thought I heard a voice over here,” said a fat soldier in uniform.
“Didn’t hear a thing,” said another tall skinny man with a ponytail. They were both dressed in the traditional red uniform with a loaded gun on their back.
“Well I think we should rest here and make sure there are no villagers hanging out in these woods,” decided the fat one was all red in the face.
“Good with me, I could use a break too.” Ketzal slowly kept creeping up the tree. Branch by branch she slowly made her way up. She would check the branch first to make sure it was okay to put her weight on and then would step. Then she got off balance and lost her balance. She was hanging by her hands. The only reason they couldn’t see her was because it was still dawn and they were hidden under the leaves of the trees.
“What was that?” The fat one stood up.
“Relax Pete. If someone was here they try to run, then I would catch them.”
“Bill I just have a sense that someone is watching us. I just have that instinct feeling. You know?”
“I know what you’re talking about but really haven’t we killed enough people already?”
Sally had started to cry and had tears streaming down her face. Will gave her a glance, telling her that if she blew it they would be headed for the fires too.
“I just heard something again. Didn’t you?” The skinny one shook his head. “Bill you must be deaf. It was loud and clear, a sniffle of a child. Wanna bet that there is a witch around here hiding her baby? I can sense.”
“Pete would you relax? Don’t you already feel sorry for the people we’ve killed and lives we’ve destroyed.”
“Nope. Each person I kill, the happier I become.” The children were frozen with terror by this point. There was a little reassurance the skinny guy would be able to talk Pete out of killing them, if they were found, but it sounded like once Pete wanted to kill you he was going to kill you.
“Pete I’m going with or without you. I’ve had enough of this silly stalking. See you later.”
“C’mon Bill we’re a team you can’t quit,” and he waddled to catch up to Bill.
“Close call,” mumbled Ketzal. Will still wasn’t satisfied that they were gone so he motioned for her to be silent. Finally after a while, Will spoke.
“So James how’d you escape?”
“Who’s James,” Ketzal blurted out.
‘Oh. That would be me,” a boy on the other side of the tree waved his hand.
To Ketzal’s great embarrassment she nearly lost her footing on the sturdy branch that she was clinging onto again. She had already had enough near death experiences for one day and she certainly didn’t want anymore.
“What, did I scare you?” The boy that Ketzal assumed to be James laughed in a not-too-kind way. Her cheeks flamed red and she felt a strong surge of sorrow as she thought back to her kind, loving family who had just that night been tragically taken from her.
“Well, Will, When I heard them coming I woke up my family and shot out of that door. I didn’t wait for them, not even when I heard them calling for me. How could I have done so? I knew that if I didn’t leave the area soon I would be captured and killed! I wish I could save them now but at least I’m alive and for now safe.” The boy James answered, looking down. His voice had never cracked in sadness once, and as he stood there on his branch it almost seemed impossible to Ketzal that he ever had felt pain. Will sighed, and a dreadful silence went about them as they heard the screams back down in their village slowly die away. Their homes, right at that very moment, were being destroyed at the hands of soldiers and fire.
We’ll save them, won’t we Will? We have to save them. Will, save Mama and Papa!” Sally cried out in her little, ringing voice.
“Stop it!” Will yelled, for once loosing his temper with his little sister whom he had sworn to protect. Before Sally could react they heard the softest crack of a booted foot breaking twigs.
“I know your there, and don’t try to hide it. You won’t deceive me this time. I’m prepared, and you better not even think of running. There’s no hope for you now. This time you will die at the hands at either my sword or tied up to the stack, burning in fire!” They children recognized the ruff, cruel whine of the soldier, Pete, who had almost discovered them only a few minutes before now.
James cleared his throat. “Yes, yes. You have found us, but please, let me talk first. Hear me out!” James jumped out of his place in the tree. It was easy for both Ketzal and Will to see what was going on, but Sally was unable to see because of a large branch in front of her face. There were around twenty soldiers surrounding them, and their chances did not look good.
“Yes, what is it? Be quick.” The head soldier said gruffly.
“I’d just like to say that we are but children and there are no witches among us, so…” James motioned to Will and soon both he and his friend were standing in front of the soldier.
“Oh, I don’t have time for this! Get them!” Pete ordered his fellow soldiers. The armed men advanced forwards and the four kids found an escape.
Ketzal lifted Sally into her arms and flung herself out of the tree, landed daintily on her feet. Will swung around and pushed himself, Ketzal behind him, through an opening between the soldiers. This all happened in a matter of mere seconds, and then they were running. James, who had already gotten through, took off through the forest. The one thing skipping in the children’s minds was that they had to run fast, away from the soldiers, and far away from their village.
The soldiers were close behind them, but they were weighed down with weapons and couldn’t sprint like their escapees could. They were grunting with the effort to run and keep up with children they were after, but the distance between them was opening up, and the large group of soldiers was having trouble navigating through the trees.
Sally, now in Will’s arms, slowed them down, and the fact that all of them were growing tired. The only thing that kept them moving was the fact that if they stopped they would. If they kept going, there was hope of survival.
Then, just as the thought of giving up reached their minds, light shown through the tree branches.
In front of them the ground fell away into a cavernous ravine, sloping sharply down to a rushing stream. James, the fastest and farthest ahead of the group, skidded to a halt, his feet slipping dangerously close to the edge. Ketzal jerked around and looked backwards. Will looked close to dropping Sally, and the soldiers thundering behind them. Soon, the officers would see them. They had to do something, now. Ketzal’s mind raced, searching for some way to get out of sight of the soldiers. But they were trapped, pinned against a sheer cliff…
Ketzal ran to the precipice and swung her feet over the side.
“Are you nuts?” James asked, wide eyed with shock.
“We have to get out of sight!” Ketzal hissed back. James glanced incredulously back to Will, who nodded in agreement.
Ketzal went first, her feet slipping down the bare rock. Sharp outcroppings scratched at her pristine nightgown, lacing it with streaks of red blood from scrapes. She hugged the cliff face tightly anyways. Debris scattered her from above as Will, James and Sally descended after her. Ketzal looked down and saw a rocky ledge protruding from the main face. She stared at it and judged the distance, determining how far they had to go. She was just lowering her foot to the next hold when the moss covering it slipped under her weight.
The roots were not very strong, and the plant crumbled away. Ketzal swung wildly, trying not to look down. She clambered to catch a grip as the gray rock skidded past, but all she got was a bruised hand and nicked forefinger. Sweat coursed on her still remaining hand, coating it with a sticky sheen. Her stomach clenched as her last few fingers lost their grip. She felt a weightless sensation coming over her. She was falling…falling…falling…
Will grabbed her wrist and yanked it up. She dangled from his single hand, but he wasn’t letting go. She clawed at the overhang until her still-sweaty fingers found purchase around a young sapling.
Slowly, more carefully this time, she picked her way down to the ledge she had first seen. Dropping down to it on all fours, she rubbed her fingers, numb and tense with stress. Ketzal glanced up and saw that the ledge she had landed on wasn’t just a ledge. A gaping cave loomed widely in front of her. Ketzal stared at if for a few seconds before Will fell beside her. He reached up to help Sally and James down.
But before Sally’s feet had even touched the ground, shouts started to issue from above. Snapping her eyes back into focus, Ketzal and the others dived for the cave and drew back as far as they could. Above them, someone yelled, “They must have gone this way!” They held their breath and waited for the unmistakable clunks and scrapes of the soldiers descending the bluff to reach their ears.
But it never came.
Eventually, the footsteps receded, fading off into the distance. Ketzal let out her breath and then coughed again as the sudden movement in the air stirred up a cloud of dust. The cave smelled of dirt, musty droppings and rancid meat, all laced with decaying foliage. Ketzal covered her nose with the neckline of her nightgown and tried not to breath much. They weren’t the only users of the cave, it seemed.
Cautiously, they snuck back out to the mouth of the cave, where daylight made things more visible. They all slumped down on the floor of the cavern to catch their breath, their hearts still pounding. Ketzal gazed at Will in awe. He had saved her. He had saved them all. Ketzal kept watching as he ran his hands through his hair, trying to think. His brow furrowed a little, then he stood up and said, “Okay, I know what we’re going to do.”
“First of all,” he explained, “We don’t even know if the town is even still standing. The soldiers could have done anything to it. And if they did destroy it, we’ll have to have somewhere to come back to. I suggest this cave. It’s high above most predators, there’s cold water at the bottom, it has a roof and it’s dry, so we can build a fire, and it’s close to the village.”
“Yes”, smirked James, “But it smells so bad. Imagine trying to sleep in there!” Sally wrinkled up her nose in agreement.”
“We’ll have to make due with it, I guess.” replied Will. “Unless, of course, you have some brilliant place that you’re just dying to show us.” James mumbled a low, “No,” and scratched in the dirt with his shoe.
“That’s what I thought.” Will said. “We better start setting up and gathering stuff,” he continued, “If we want this place to be at all livable by tonight.”
It took many trips back and forth from the cave to the available bit of woods to gather enough supplies to last the night. Halfway through, Will got grumpy and disagreeable, and when James tried to talk some sense into him, Will exploded.
“Here I am, tiring myself out just for you, and you think I will be fine listening to you complain about my company? Well, if you’d rather go hang out with the soldiers, be my guest. Just don’t come running back to me when they tell you they are leaving for who knows where!” With that, he stomped off to sit alone in the darkest part of the cave.
James rolled his eyes at Ketzal, then shrugged and said “, He always gets like this. Don’t take it personally.” He grinned at her, and she returned his smile half-heartedly.
Another day passed, then another. Will’s foul mood vanished for small periods of time, and then returned at the blink of an eye. After the first night, which was wet and cold, Ketzal began to imagine a steaming pot of soup, and a nice feather bed. Her fantasies never lasted long, and in a few hours, she would find herself forcing down the atrocious concoction that James had cooked on a small campfire. Usually, their meals consisted of wild mushrooms, some meat, and a few wilted greens. All too soon, the four kids found themselves bickering relentlessly. It was about noon on the third day, and the sun was high in the sky. Ketzal and Sally had finally given up hope that James would start being more creative about their food, and decided to take over the cooking. That was just fine with James, who sat back against the wall of the cave and dozed off.
Ketzal stood up slowly, and stretched her back. She felt around the cave for any leftover scraps, and, finding nothing, left the small confines of the cave.
The day was hot and humid, and the dark sky promised rain. Ketzal climbed into a sturdy tree, and looked east, toward the soldier’s camp. The children had kept a keen eye on the soldiers, and they had not moved their camp. In fact, they weren’t even sure that any of the soldiers had moved at all except to switch a position. Ketzal noted no change in the appearance of the camp. She climbed back down the tree, and began searching for edible plants. When she finally returned to the cave, Will was in an amiable mood, playing tic-tac-toe in the dirt with Sally. Ketzal sighed, and walked resignedly over to the campfire that Will had started an hour before. It was still burning brightly, so Ketzal set the pot on the stone floor. She walked over to Will, hoping with all her heart that his good mood would last.
“Will,” she asked tentatively, “can I borrow your pocketknife?”
“What do you need my pocketknife for?” he asked, curious.
“To stab James in his sleep.” Ketzal joked.
“No, really, why do you need it?” Will asked, searching her face for an answer. His dark eyes glistened with expectancy. Ketzal found it hard to speak. When she finally found her voice, Ketzal explained her idea.
“Well, it’s been a little while since I had a descent meal, so I thought I might make a small meal,” Ketzal said resignedly, emphasizing the last word. Will looked confused.
“But where will you get the supplies,” he inquired. Ketzal sighed with relief. Will’s good mood had lasted.
“Oh, I have my ways.” Ketzal smiled her special smile that she usually reserved for her sister’s birthday. Ketzal pushed the distressing image of Lisa’s big, blue, frightened eyes out of her head. It wasn’t the time to be thinking about that now.
Ketzal’s hands worked quickly, chopping the leafy greens into small pieces. James had caught a few rabbits the day before, so she added some of the meat to the meal. The whole production must have taken about an hour, and by the time she was done, the skin on Ketzal’s hands were raw and dry.
She divided the portions evenly then called for Will, Sally, and James. They came quickly, eager to discover the source of the delicious scents that had drifted to them from the fire. The four children ate in silence, devouring the food within minutes. When they were all finished, James lay back against the cave wall and gave a deep sigh of contentment. Rubbing his belly, he dozed off once more into peaceful slumber, only to be woken seconds later by an extremely annoyed Will.
“What? Can't a man get a moment to sleep?” asked James, also getting annoyed.
“Not when there's stuff to do," replied Will. "You’ve been sleeping all day.”
“Well, it didn’t seem to bother you before,” James explained. Ketzal took Sally’s hand and started to lead her away from the two arguing boys. They played a game with some sticks for a couple minutes. When Ketzal finally looked up, Will and James were both on their feet, and Will looked murderous.
“Ketzal,” he suddenly ordered, “clean up lunch.”
“Don’t order her around, too,” James spat at Will.
“James, calm down,” Ketzal said calmly. “Will, you too. Now listen to me, both of you. There is no need to get mad at each other yet.” Will was about to object, but Ketzal held up her hands to stop him.
“Let me finish,” she ordered. “Will, you need to be more patient with all of us if we are ever going to survive out here. We are all trying our best to cope with our displeasure right now. I think Sally and I would have to agree with James on this one. He’s right; you need to calm down and try to compromise.”
“What are you, my mother?” mumbled Will, glaring furiously at Ketzal, who stared back into his deep, brown eyes.
“No, but seeing as I’m a witch, you’d better not argue with me,” Ketzal declared.
Will gasped in astonishment. Apparently, she had done a good job disguising her eyes. Will was speechless. When Will finally found his voice, it was full of disloyalty and repulsion.
“Why are you here? Why did you not turn yourself in and save us all from your evil
deeds?”
“Do you really believe that nonsense? I have never done any magic in my life, nor do I worship Satan,” Ketzal said, offended.
“Why do you always side with James? It’s not fair.”
“Because he has a point.”
“I do too!” Will objected.
“If that’s what you want to think, then that’s fine with me. Just remember what I said before.” Ketzal reminded him. “Maybe once you think that over, you will see what I mean. Why I know that what you are saying is wrong,” Ketzal finished. Then, she stalked off toward the back of cave toward Sally, who was just sitting there, looking cross at being abandoned. Ketzal hoped she hadn’t caught the gist of the conversation.
“Yeah, Will. Quit being a grumpy pants,” she said loudly, pouting. So she had been listening. Ketzal supposed that it was hard not to hear the conversation.
Will, looking murderous again, plopped down on the cave floor where he was, and put his head in his hands. He was shaking hard. Ketzal couldn’t tell if it was from anger, tears, or a combination of both. She looked away. Ketzal was suddenly shivering, too. Will saw her shivers, and threw his jacket at her. She acknowledged his kindness with a nod, and curled up under the jacket. Ketzal could feel eyes boring into the back of her head, so she looked back at Will.
She recoiled immediately from the glare and the waves of hostility that seemed to emanate from him. His glare was piercing, but pained at the same time.
As Ketzal watched, a single tear escaped from one of his eyes, and made a watery track down the side of his face. This single tear was followed by many more. Ketzal looked away out of respect.
It was a few hours later that she woke, unaware that she had ever fallen asleep. She sat up, listening carefully for any small sound that Sally had woken too, but Sally wasn’t beside her. She was still sleeping beside Will. Outside, the sky was dark. Rain was pouring down relentlessly, and the nearby river was rushing along at a furious pace. A slight snuffling caught her attention, and, looking around found the source. Sally had sat up, waking up Will in the effort. Will whispered soothing words to her, and kissed the top of her head. James snorted, and Ketzal realized that the rain had woken him too. Silence fell, and continued for many more minutes. Finally, Sally’s breathing evened out, and she was asleep again.
Ketzal watched Will carefully, hoping that James wouldn't catch her looking. Will looked tired and worn out, like an old scarf that had been worn much too many times. He was still angry with her, she could tell, but he had a kind of brightness to him, even now. Ketzal had noticed that his eyes were a deep, dark chocolate brown, a color she had never seen before. All of her family had either blue or green eyes, and she had only been into the village center twice.
The thing that had caught Ketzal’s attention was Will’s hair. It was dark brown, like his eyes. It was slightly wavy, and its length was such that it could brush the bottom of his ears. In the light, Will’s hair seemed to gleam and shine like a pool of sunlight glinting off of freshly fallen snow, or a beam of light reflecting off of a shiny, new, copper pot.
Ketzal decided that he was perfect in every way. Not only was he strikingly handsome, but he also took care of Sally with the most love that Ketzal thought she had ever seen. Ketzal imagined him with the rest of his family, laughing and playing around. Maybe he even wrestled with his older brother sometimes. Ketzal’s fantasies ended when Sally barreled into her from behind, to demand a drink of water.
As she poured the water for Sally, Ketzal peeked once more at Will. She saw again his gorgeous features, and sighed deeply. It would take a while, but he would warm up to her eventually. At least she hoped he would. Ketzal couldn’t predict the future, but of one fact she was certain; she was positively, absolutely, unquestionably in love with Will.
Brooke’s Great Fall based on an interview by Cupipig667 One year a girl named Brooke was skiing at Mad River Glen at the age of eight. She wanted to go on the single chair, so she and her family got in line to get on. A couple minutes later she noticed that you had to be 5 ft or taller to get on the single chair, and she was only 4 ft 9. She still got on but not so easily. When she was getting on, the chair lift guy was pushing and shoving her to get on and yelling at her. “Little girl you need to get on the CHAIR, NOW!!!!” the guy screamed. Then the guy who was controlling the chair was off in la la land and wasn’t paying attention and didn’t stop the chair to let her on. She ended up getting on the chair hanging by her hands! Then finally when she was at the highest point of the mountain (which reminded Brooke of a giant wave that was going to collapse on her) the chair lift stopped. The guy who was controlling the chair lift had appeared to be under Brooke shouting up at her like an elephant who was about to run all over her! “Little girl stay here and hang on as tight as possible, I will be back with a ladder to help you down,” the guy controlling the chair lift said. Then all of a sudden she started slipping! THEN she lost her reach of the chair and fell off! She blacked out and then opened her eyes and noticed she was in a toboggan heading down a trail going to the ambulance. I don’t think that Brooke enjoyed this horrible experience of falling off a chairlift and then going down in a toboggan twisting and turning down a hill then getting 1 or 2 shots, on a cold freezing day with the wind blowing and the snow falling. She doesn’t remember much of the falling part because she closed her eyes the whole time she was falling then when she opened her eyes back up she was surrounded by people. When she was in the hospital her mom and sister and father visited her. I asked her what her an her father talked about. Her father said, quote “How are you doing?”
She replied, quote, “I’m fine but in pain.” Luckily she was out of the hospital in at least 2 days, so she could get back to school!
On a sunny hot day in June, four-year-old Christopher and his father went fishing on the St. Lawerence River. Excited Christopher ran ahead towards the sparkling blue water.
“Look Daddy, there is a Pike in the water!” shouted Christopher.
“Try to catch it,” replied his father.
“Okay,” replied Christopher. He took out his small children’s fishing rod and placed a big fat worm on the hook.
“Will you help me catch the Pike, Daddy?” asked Christopher.
“No, Honey, I’d like you to try it yourself first,” replied his father.
“Okay, here I go,” said Christopher, taking a deep breath. He carefully lowered the hook into the water. After waiting for what seemed like hours, he felt a tug on his line. He excitedly reeled in his catch.
“Yay, I caught a Fish!” Christopher squealed.
“Congratulations!” his father said, his face glowing with pride like a light bulb. Then things started going wrong.
Christopher saw a lot of splashing in the water and thought nothing of it. He kept on reeling the fish in. It felt very heavy to him.
Christopher exclaimed, “I think I’ve got a big one!” Then the fish came into view.
“It’s a sunfish!” shouted his dad.
But then Christopher saw that there was a second fish on the line. “Daddy, there is the Pike and it’s trying to eat the Sunfish,” Christopher shouted.
“Daddy help me!” shouted Christopher even louder.
All of a sudden there was a big tug that almost pulled Christopher off his feet and into the river. His father, not responding to his yelling, kept right on humming and looking at the view. Christopher, very frightened, dropped his fishing pole into the water, and ran away screaming.
To this day Christopher loves fishing even though he had a scary experience his first time trying it.
It was a clear night. The moon's pale reflection glimmered on the placid pond and the crickets in the tall grasses struck up a chorus of chirps and hums. Lily couldn't sleep. In fact, she could barely lie still in the bed she had made herself of pine needles and grass. Something was missing. After a while, Lily got up. As she meandered around the perimeter of the pond, she noticed a dark shape sitting alone in the tall grass. As she approached the figure, it quietly whispered, "Sam?" "No. It's Lily." Lily's voice was soft too, almost soothing. "Listen, I'm sorry about this morning. I… " Max's apology trailed off into silence. They sat there for a while, just staring up at the stars and breathing. "I thought you'd left for good." "So did I. After the fight, I was furious with myself. I… I don't know. It felt different without... well… I guess I…" Max buried his face in his hands, and Lily could sense his frustration. "It's okay. I understand. It was… different… without you around to nag me about this or that. I almost missed it." Lily meant for this statement to be kind, but she unintentionally added what she had been through with him around. "I'm so sorry. I've been a fool, acting like I was so much better than you. I… While I was gone, I missed you too." Max's resolve shattered, and his words tumbled and tripped over each other like a small child's feet, only just learning to walk. "I missed you like I've never missed anyone before. I… I… I guess I never noticed before, but when you hold Charles like that, and look at him that way, you remind me of my mother, and when you look at me with pain in your eyes… I just can't stand it. And when I'm near you, whenever I see you now, my heart beats wildly against my chest like it's ready to burst right through me just to be closer to you, and my mind goes blank, and I always say the wrong thing. When I left… it nearly tore me in half to know that I might never see you again, and I…" Lily silently pressed her finger to his lips, and whispered, "Quiet now, or you'll wake Sam and Charles with your lovesick talk." Lily's teasing smile was more beautiful than ever because of the tears that silently streaked her smooth face. "If it makes you feel any better, I love you too." Lily's tone was surprised but pleased. They lay in the tall grass, gazing up at the stars. "Everything will be different now." Max's statement needed no reply, but Lily provided one anyway. "Yes." Max turned to face her. "Lily, will you do me a favor?" He was desperate now, pleading. "That depends on what it is." Lily stretched up on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his waist, and leaned into his chest. Max's finger found her chin and gently raised her head to look at him. His other hand reached up and brushed away a fresh tear. Max ran his fingers through Lily's hair, then down to the small of her back. Their eyes met in a loving stare. They leaned closer, then paused uncertainly for a moment. Lily's eyes closed and Max leaned the last two inches until their soft lips brushed for the briefest second; then they were kissing passionately. The pale moon watched high above as the young couple completed their walk around the perimeter of the pond, and lay once again under the stars, dreaming of what tomorrow would bring.
Today we talked about many different themes for the novel we've been working on. Use the comments function to put in your ideas on the question. Remember that one novel can have many themes (ex. bullying, friendship, courage, independence...).
Remember to use three (3) complete sentences to express your opinion.
(Note: may contain spoilers and all of the quotes are in Bella’s point of view)
Lately I have been reading the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer which includes the books: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I recently finished reading the last book (so far) Breaking Dawn. Stephenie Meyer writes books that are fantasy. Along with the Twilight Saga she has also written The Host. The cover of this book doesn’t tell you anything about this book. However, the mini-story kind of does. The mini-story is just a quote from the book but it shows the love that Bella and Edward share for each other.
The most important characters in this book are: Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Bella, Renesmee, Jacob and all of the other wolves, the Volturi, the Volturi Guard and a bunch of other vampire covens. In Breaking Dawn Edward finally asks Bella to marry him. Bella says yes and they have a beautiful wedding. For their honeymoon they go to Isle Esme which Carlisle gave to Esme as a gift. While they’re there Bella becomes pregnant, but this is not your usual pregnancy. Carlisle is befuddled when he finds out because he had never heard of a vampire and a human having a baby together. What’s even more confusing is that the baby grows very big and quickly in Bella. The baby is so strong that when it kicks it breaks Bella’s ribs. When it was time for the baby come out it broke Bella’s spine and to get the baby out, Edward cut her stomach open. To save Bella from dying after the baby was out Edward bit Bella so she would become a vampire. The baby wasn’t just a human; it was half human and half vampire. Later in the book they have a problem with the Volturi but if I say too much it will give away the ending.
The author uses great description, she is very creative and uses good dialogue. A very interesting thing that Stephenie Meyer did in this book was creating three “books” in one. The first and the third “book” were in Bella’s point of view and the second “book” was in Jacob’s point of view. Stephenie Meyer uses great description in her books. Example: “The stranger-child in Rosalie’s arms had to be weeks, if not months, old. She was maybe twice the size of the baby in my dim memory, and she seemed to be supporting her own torso easily as she stretched towards me. Her shiny bronze color hair fell in ringlets past her shoulders. Her chocolate brown eyes examined me with an interest that was not at all childlike; it was adult, aware and intelligent. She raised one hand, reaching in my direction for a moment, and then reached back to touch Rosalie’s throat.” Stephenie Meyer uses sensory description very well. Like when Bella is on her first hunt and Edward asks her what she smells and she thinks to herself, “Mostly him- his strange honey-lilac-and-sun perfume. But also the rich, earthy smell of rot and moss, the resin in the evergreens, the warm, almost nutty aroma of the small rodents cowering beneath the tree roots. And then, reaching out again, the clean smell of the water, which was surprisingly unappealing despite my thirst. I focused toward the water and found the scent that must have gone with the lapping noise and the pounding heart. Another warm smell, rich and tangy, stronger than the others. And yet nearly as unappealing as the brook.” Stephenie Meyer describes Edward’s facial features a lot and I can always picture them so clearly. Examples: “His eyes were a buttery burning gold; his perfect face was almost severe with the depth of his emotion.” “I looked into Edward’s shining, triumphant eyes and knew that I was winning too.” and “His eyes looked silver in his ice-colored face.” I would keep listing them but it would take forever to finish.
Breaking Dawn, along with all of the other books in the Twilight Saga, was great. I wouldn’t change a thing about this book. Some of the things I really like were how Stephenie Meyer made you feel like you were there and how she gives you a different perspective on vampires and werewolves. I would like to recommend this book to everyone who loves to read. This series is very interesting and I love it.
I was breathing heavily, with my hand on my heart, my face beet red. I had just had a terrible unrealistic dream. It was raining. A thunder storm. The biggest lightning bolts I had ever seen in my life. Our cows were going crazy. Their eyes were bright red and they were kicking the walls of the barn. Then, suddenly they broke down the door and started stampeding out. They got faster and faster then took off into the air, without wings or anything. They were flying as if they were born to soar through the air. The storm got worse. The lightning seemed to be coming every second. Soon the cows started dropping out of the sky. It took me a while to figure out why, but then I realized they were struck by lightning. Most of the cows were on the ground. But the ones that avoided the lightning flew higher toward the moon. I decided to go back to sleep and take a deep breath. It was just a dream anyway. The next day there were about twenty cows spread out dead all over the pasture. And on the radio, a reporter was saying they detected life on the moon. Ironic.
Last week we read Maya Angelou and Roald Dahl. These writings showed us a variety of literary devices that storytellers use to engage readers. This week we will be listening to StoryCorps interviews from the series played on NPR. At the same time students are experimenting with stylish writings of their own--metaphor, dialogue, sensory detail, & character action.
National Novel Writing Month began November 1st!!! About ten seventh graders are participating and these students will not have the same homework expectations as their classmates. Instead each will be writing 750 to 1000 words per night toward the goal of finishing a rough draft version of a novel by the end of the month.
All students should be reading an autobiography or biography every day. The next independent reading project will happen in three weeks.
All, When I look out at the beginning of English class, I often see the novelists inside my students, ready to jump up and begin. Many of you are ready to get to the work of putting words on pages...page after page, to weave a great adventure or a romance or a story about something mysterious and important or all of these at once. Some of you seem ready to begin with no idea where your inspiration will lead. Join me and other novelists all across the country!
If you're interested, join us for NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. Register at the official website and let Mr Potts know you would like special consideration when it comes to homework this month. I'll be joining you as a writer and trying to support everyone with inspiring activities in class too.
The good news...This is a volunteer opportunity (not required) and since we are using the Young Writers Program version, we will set our own word count goal. When I know how many of us are going to begin, we can decide a goal.
Gossamer by Lois Lowry (by Anonymous#3) When I went to get this book I had a short time to pick it out in the Harwood Union library. I saw the author, Lois Lowry and had heard her books, such as “The Giver” and “Number The Stars” were quite good. My expectations after reading the mini story was that it was going to be very interesting and with lots of detail.
Gossamer is a fantasy tale about small creatures called dream givers who gather objects representing good memories, then use the memories to create dreams. They then bestow the dreams on humans. Two little dream givers named Littlest and Thin Eldery help a cross little boy named John and a forlorn woman get along by bestowing good dreams and thoughts upon them. Littlest and Thin Elderly become heroes when they help prepare John and the woman to fight against nightmares.
Littlest, Thin Elderly and the group of dream givers face a great challenge when they sense a horde of nightmare-giving creatures gathering to attack John and the woman. Littlest and Thin Elderly must try and stop them before the horde destroys the boy’s past and future. Can they save them?
Lowry goes back and forth with using dialogue and description. In some chapters uses lots of descriptive language and in others she uses quite a lot of dialogue. There aren’t many metaphors or similes but this is one example: “The outdoors was awake and stirring but the little house was dark and silent.” In my perspective, Lois Lowry writes easy to read novels, allowing the reader to remember all of the important (or even minor) elements.
Lowry’s characters show a lot of personal emotion, and experience a lot of sadness. The following passage is a good example: "They thought it was their fault. If they were nicer, or if she cooked better, or spent less money, or picked up the toys, or if they kept their hair combed a different way, then Fun Daddy would come back. So they tried. And sometimes it worked; that was what always threw her of balance, that it worked sometimes, and she could wheedle him out of his ugly mood and it would be the three of them again, laughing. But this happened less and less often. And not that night, the night he broke John’s arm, the night she called the cops, the night she said ‘no more.’" I wonder, why did John’s father break his arm? Why did his mother try so hard?
I love this book and recommend it to anyone because it is very creative and Lowry uses many visuals, allowing you to feel like you are there, in the story. Lois Lowry uses her amazing imagination and brings it all in to make a novel. The moral of the story is classic: if you set your mind to something you can accomplish it. I wouldn’t change anything about Gossamer; it’s well written and the ending is the best I’ve read.
After the official votes were counted, I see that Running from Soldiers, Ketzal Babysits is our choice! This idea got one more vote than Trolls, so those of you who never voted should remember how powerful your opinion might have been. In the end, only 48 students cast an official vote.
So what's next? Well, I'm excited to start writing, but honestly we're going to need to talk in class. I've never been on a writing team with more than 80 people before. We'll make a plan by the end of the week.
In the meantime, check out a new book review every day this week. I will also begin posting other student writings as well--haunted scenes, seven-word stories, tigers... And finally, National Novel Writing Month begins at the end of the week; I remember that several students are considering it. I'm going to give it a try this year too.
Rick Riordan writes fiction books about Camp Half Blood, where the campers are Olympian demigods. Zeus, Poseidon, Hermes, Aphrodite, Hades, or any of the other Olympian gods are their parents. In this book, as in his other books, Riordan launches the main characters into a perilous journey with life or death outcomes.
The Titan’s Curse, the third book in the series, is about Percy, son of Poseidon, Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Annabeth, daughter of Athena, Grover, a satyr (half-goat half- human creature), Zoe, part of Artemis’s archers but not a demigod, and Nico and Bianca di Angelo whose parentage is unknown. Zoe, Thalia, Grover, and Bianca are sent on a quest to save a goddess. Percy, the protagonist, is not included in the quest even though he wants to go, so after the four kids leave, he follows them to a museum where they battle a Nemean Lion (a huge lion with metal fur). They defeat the monster and decide to take Percy along. They hope to rescue the goddess and Annabeth, who earlier in the book fell off a cliff defending them from a monster. This story is interesting because they’re never safe. There’s always something or some one chasing them. You’re always on the edge of your seat.
The author’s style is quick and to the point. He doesn’t take lots of time to describe things, it just comes at you at a hundred miles per hour. Riordan also makes good use of dialogue. One part I enjoyed was when Zoe said,
“Separate on my mark. Try to keep it distracted.’
‘Until when?’ Grover asked.
‘Until I think of a way to kill it.”
Another part I enjoyed was,
“No,” the other girl ordered. ‘I sense no disrespect, Zoe. He is simply distraught. He does not understand.’
The young girl looked at me, her eyes colder and brighter then the winter moon.
‘I am Artemis,” she said. “Goddess of the hunt.’
After seeing Dr. Thorn turn into a monster and plummet off the edge of a cliff with Annabeth, you’d think nothing else could shock me. But when this twelve-year-old girl told me she was the goddess Artemis, I said something really intelligent like,
‘Um... okay.”
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. The author put a lot of suspense in to draw you in and keep you reading. He had something suspenseful going on in every part of the story. I don’t think I would change anything if I was given a chance. This is one of his better books in the series.
Have you ever wondered what your classmates are writing for their homework assignments? Are you looking for opinions on new books to choose for independent reading? Well, keep coming back to HERO!
Everyday we'll be publishing a new piece of work from students in English class, so you'll get to see all the assignments from a variety of perspectives.
You can comment too--support your classmates with positive feedback or suggestions for future reading/writing. The first example of an independent reading project, a review of Rick Riordan's Titan's Curse is ready for feedback.
