Tails and Tales Story Stroll

As part of our Tails and Tales Summer Reading Challenge, these stories and illustrations were submitted by local kids. They will be on display at parks throughout Washoe County until August 31.

You can find the Java version of the gallery here.

The All-Green

by Jax L., age 11

Hi, my name is Jax and my family and I went on a trip to Madagascar, or what we thought was Madagascar. We took a flight straight to the jungle and once we landed I immediately ran into the jungle with my Swiss Army knife, a twenty four ounce bottle of water, a flashlight, a bag of Doritos and some trail mix. I ran what I thought was about a quarter mile and found a pond with glistening water and exotic fish. It was so beautiful. I kept exploring and found a cliff with something engraved on it so I read it. It said the all-green, a place with animals from all over the world. I climbed to the top, looked down and saw what I assumed were coyotes and wolves and one of the wolves had a shiny silver coat chasing a small deer and because I was at the top of the cliff I could watch the whole thing.

It was getting dark so I decided to go back to the plane. On the way back I saw a banana tree and picked one off the trees. Then suddenly I saw a shadowy figure that looked like a lemur but it had huge glowing red eyes. I pulled out my Swiss Army Knife and my flashlight. It leaped out at me, I dodged it and tackled it. I pointed my flashlight at it and saw a weird animal. It was so disgusting it was... an Aye-aye. A lemur-like creature with crazy red eyes too gross to describe. I put it on the banana tree and left.

I went back to the plane and told my family all about my adventure. All the animals, all the sights and everything about the aye-aye, the wolves, and the pond.

The Burning Phoenix

by Micah B., age 12

I was walking in the desert, in Arizona. I came upon a fiery pit that looked like a horror movie. As I looked at it the hole was about 120 feet deep. I put my face closer to the pit to see deeper in. As soon as I did that, a whiff of hot air made me fall back, little did I know there was a rattlesnake behind me! Not knowing that there was a rattlesnake, I fell back and as soon as I did that, I was in trouble! In fear I jumped forward forgetting there was a fiery pit in front of me. As I fell, I closed my eyes in fear of dying. I heard the sounds of a bird. I opened my eyes, it was a Phoenix, but 10 times bigger and it’s wings were on fire. In disbelief I stared at it, but then I noticed that the bird was heading toward me.

I turned to the side so I didn’t get hit by the bird. I then grabbed the bird's ankles to see how the bird felt. When I first grabbed the bird it was too hot to hold on, but if I did let go I would die. As the bird flew higher it went toward the sun, it's body kept getting hotter. I could barely hold on! My hands slipped, I screamed but no one was there to help me . I was plummeting to earth from thousands of feet in the air. Just when I was about to hit the ground...! woke up! My body soaked in sweat, gasping for air?!

Charlie Bear Moves

by Ayla H., age 9

Once upon a time there lived a bear named Charlie. One day Charlie’s mom told him they were moving. Charlie was very sad. He didn’t want to move.

The next day Charlie went to his friend Llama’s house. Charlie told Llama that he was moving. “Don’t be sad,” said Llama. “It is fun to move. You get to meet new people.” After hearing that Charlie fled home. He rushed to his mom and said “I’m excited to move!”

“Great,” said his mom. “Go pack your bags.” In his new home Charlie made new friends and had a splendid time.

The Chase

by Patrick R., age 11

As a little kid I can remember always dreaming through my eyes and heart in those mythical worlds with dungeons and dragons and castles, and those brave characters that would come to save the day, claiming victory in any way possible. But, what if those creatures and characters are and were no longer a myth? Here’s a table turner for those interested fans that want to hear more!

I’m taking a midnight run through the forest,... my eyes blinded by what I can not yet see, my mind repeating the words I have said over and over again. “Run... keep running, you never know how far. Is it close? Can I hear it? Can I see it? What will it do? What will I do?” The words change in my head. My legs come to a stop as I close my eyes and listen. I hear the growl, I open my eyes in terror and begin to run once more. Where is it? What is it? It’s on my tail. I can hear it panting behind me. I take a deep breath... and turn around and the animal stops. It’s Hobbes!

“Hi my name is Calvin”. Calvin, I think we need to get in shape!

Catmas

by Grant D., age 10 

Topsy’s ears pricked up. He thought he had sensed some prey, but perhaps it had just been some person's leftover food. Topsy stretched his legs and yawned. He had wanted to leave Provo, Utah. There was less prey around. Stores were closing, which meant it would be harder to get the provisions necessary to leave. He had always wanted to live at the North Pole. This he planned to do by Christmas.

He would need a car; his friend Bramble was coming too. He knew a store for cats that had a car! So, all he had to do was get Bramble, the car, and then leave Provo!

“Bramble!” Topsy meowed.

Bramble ran out of his hiding place and stopped in front of Topsy.

“What?”

“You know that cat car for two at Cat Accessories?”

“Yes,” meowed Bramble.

The next day they met at Cat Accessories, where they found all they needed for their trip. Cat food and fish were a few of the items.

Bramble announced, “We’re ready to go."

“We’re leaving already?” said Topsy.

“I think it’s better if we leave earlier.”

They hopped in and headed north to their destination. They crossed over the cold Arctic Ocean where they replenished their supply of fish. After an entire week, they stopped the car.

“Here we are. The North Pole. We’ve got to find a place to sleep and eat,” said Topsy.

Bramble found just the right spot. They chopped down a Christmas tree and found ornaments and a star. Then they got ready for bed.

The next morning, Topsy got up. There were no presents in sight. But then Topsy remembered to look under the tree! There were presents! Then Bramble came out. Topsy smiled. If Provo wasn’t home, this place certainly was.

The End

The Dragon as Black as Ink

by Emily M., age 11

Every disaster has a story. Even in places not on earth. Even places not known to men. The story starts with a calm rainforest, almost everything is peaceful, Almost. In the night sky something zooms by shaking the bushes. Then I see FIRE! It’s purple and it’s not spreading. I grab a spear ready to throw. I see a black figure and throw! I hear a scream. I hit it and it was crashing down about a mile away! I decided to wait till morning to go check it out.

I looked around for hours, Then finally I found it! As black as ink, a DRAGON! Everyone thought they went extinct years ago. I hit it’s wing, and it looked like it was in pain. Then it was trying to shoot at me! 1 hid behind a rock and it fired! Then 1 taped the dragon’s mouth and started to drag it home. And when I got home I called the vet. They said they would be there as soon as possible and to just wrap the mouth up and the wing.

The vet came and rolled the dragon into the van and drove down the dirt path. Of course I went along, I shot the last dragon known to men. They checked for any disease and this dragon was in almost perfect health {Of course the wing is why it is “almost” in perfect health.)!

About a month passed and it was time to let the dragon go. It was all healed up and ready to fly! After that no one has seen a dragon since. My people say that when a volcano erupts it is letting us know dragons are still here. 

A Familiar Dog

by Zak, age 10

Once, a few years ago, I had a dog. A white, small labrador. He was a good boy, and he was about three years old when something weird happened. We were taking a stroll through the neighborhood, when he began running to a random house. I hadn't seen it since I was talking to Mom and Dad. He had run into a small house by the crystal-blue waterfront. It was a Mediterranean style house with a villa-like white roof, which was odd, considering we were in Lake Tahoe.

A young man was sitting outside and threw a small red stick. The dog retrieved it and ran away. For a while, when we went to that house, the dog always patiently sat out front. Until a few weeks ago. He saw us, jumped about 30 feet high and landed on mom before she could utter a word.

Mom was mad at the dog, and told him to go home. But he walked with us, and went into our house, to the cat's utter dismay! She freaked out, and ran around our large yet roomy house. Finally, she retreated into her room. And then the dog and cat just lived their normal lives. When we had visitors, neither the dog nor the cat even looked up, which was odd. I had thought animals liked people, notably new people. Other than that they were just normal house pets.

The end.

The Fox and the Wolf

by Brooklyn, age 9

Once upon a time there lived a little fox and her name was Foxxy. She was napping in her den. A little after she woke up, she wanted to go for a walk. She leaped, hopped, and jumped then she stopped for a drink of water at the pond.

She heard a little bark, looked up, and saw a baby wolf. The fox asked, “What is your name?” The wolf said, “Wendy! Let’s go play!” Foxxy asked Wendy if she wanted to play in the water and Wendy said, “Yes! Let’s go.”

They laughed, splashed in the water, and got soaking wet. It was the best day.

Then Foxxy told Wendy that she had to go home. Wendy said, “Ok. Tomorrow, let’s meet here.” The next day they both met at the pond, and Wendy told Foxxy that she had made her a friendship bracelet. The bracelet was purple, pink, and sparkly.

Foxxy said, “Oh my gosh, thank you! It is so pretty.” Foxxy and Wendy put on their bracelets and agreed to go play in the woods. They jumped on and off of logs and decided to be best friends forever.

They played every day for years and one day they decided to play in the pond again. Foxxy said, “I am so glad I went to the pond to get a drink of water the day that I met you, best friend.” Just like always, they had fun and were together forever.

The End

The Ghost Of Dallas: A Partly True Story

by Stellan H., age 11

One day, a week after my dog, Dallas, died, I was taking a stroll in the dog park with my new dog, Dakota and I heard something that sounded like a whoosh. I looked around and saw nothing anywhere. I kept walking, and I saw something, a ghost of some sorts dash across my path. It was the ghost of an animal, maybe a dog. I thought nothing of it, so I just walked home. That night while I was in bed, I heard the faint howl of a dog off in the distance. I went outside and saw the source of the howling. It was my dog Dallas, or his ghost at least, sitting on the front porch. I tried to pet him, but my hand went right through him. “I'm sorry buddy, I wish I could have had you for longer.” I said. He whined, then he disappeared. That night I cried myself to sleep, until I was out of tears.

Since that night, I often hear the faint howl of Dallas. My new dog, Dakota, always seems to be barking at nothing, but I really think she is barking at the ghost of Dallas. I wish it was all just a dream, and that Dallas was still alive, but I know that he’s never coming back. This all led to the dream I had last night that inspired me to write this story. When t was in a world where Dallas was still dead, and I never stopped crying. I still hear that faint howl every night, and I hear Dakota howl back, and I still wonder, maybe he’s still out there, waiting to be found, waiting for his owner to come back, waiting for his heart to start beating again, waiting to come back to life, waiting.

The Hedgehog and the Fox

by Michael G., age 5

The Hedgehog and the Fox play because it is nighttime. They live at the park. They play on the playground at night. They are shy and nocturnal so they play late at night. Hedgehog and Fox run home together at sunrise. They will be back at out at sunset to play together again.

How the Princess Saved the Animals

by Claire W., age 8

Once upon a time there was a Princess with 10 unicorns. Her mom and dad loved hummingbirds. The world is a magical place that is home to many strange and ordinary creatures. Wizards learned about these creatures by studying them in their labs, then setting them free.

One day a new wizard named Harry and his son, Baldemere, arrived to help the other wizards study the mysterious and magical animals. Baldemere didn’t like what the other wizards were doing. He decided, “When the wizards let the animals free, I will capture them until there are no more left.”

The princess heard his plan through the door. She tried to tell her father about the plan, but the king and queen had gone out to make peace with the other lands. She went to tell Harry about his son’s plan. Unfortunately, he was talking with his son.

“Father,” said Baldemere, “I overheard Merlin say that when the wizards let the animals free, he would capture them until there were no more left.” The princess could not take it any longer.

She burst into the room. Luckily, when the princess had listened in on Baldemere, she had a recorder going. “I have a recording I want your dad to hear.”

The princess pressed the play button. They heard Baldemere’s voice. “When the wizards let the animals free, I will capture them until there are no more left.”

“I have three things to say,” said Harry. “First, thank you for your help, princess. Second, I think we shall move away now. Third, I am hereby banning my son from wild animals.”

Her mom and dad got back. She told them about what she had done.

“WOW!” they said.

“I am happy they moved away,” said the king.

“Me too,” the princess said. 

The Journey

by Richard F., age 10

Once upon a time there was a snow monkey that lived on a snowy island in Japan. The monkey's name was Takeo, meaning brave warrior. He had two younger brothers. Their names were Kenzo, meaning wise one, and Satoshi, meaning intelligent, sharp. There has been a war for thousands of years against the other monkey tribe. Their father had been fighting in it since the brothers were very little. Their mother had been killed in a village raid and the brothers ran away. Since then they have been living by themselves for about 7 years now. Takeo had been the younger brothers’ mentor. They have been on a journey to find their father but they have not found him yet. One day when the brothers were scouting for food they came across an old shack with food, armor and letters. The brothers were very hungry and ate some of the food. After they finished Satoshi got curious and looked at one of the !etters. Look! Satoshi said it is a letter from the village! Takeo and Kenzo came running over and it was to their dad! They were so excited until Kenzo saw a shadow walking towards them. Dad!!!

Lucky

by Karissa T. (age 10)

“Come on Lucky, you can do this,” Elsey whispered into the horse’s ear.

Only one more jump. You can do this. Lucky reassured herself.

The brown horse was sweaty all over, and Elsey could feel it. She was almost as nervous as the horse. But it was as though Lucky knew that she had to win the contest to get Elsey’s family money. If Lucky won the contest, she would be announced the most athletic horse in Kentucky. If not, Elsey would have to move to another state just because her father couldn’t find a job right for him. Lucky seemed to magically know all of this, and she was more motivated than Elsey.

Elsey’s job was to direct Lucky and hold on tight. Elsey had loved horse riding since she was a toddler, and she had always wanted to steer a horse under bright spotlights. Today was a dream come true for her.

And Lucky had been waiting a long time for this moment, too. She could just imagine a red ribbon on her stable door...

Focus! Lucky interrupted her own daydream. Three, two, one, jump!

Like lightning, she rocketed into the air with one strong kick of her hind legs. Lucky and Elsey soared up higher than anyone could stand on tiptoes.

Almost there, Lucky reminded herself. Just a little higher!

Luckily, the mare finally sailed over the bar with that big of a leap. The horse and girl landed smoothly on the dirt. People stood up immediately to cheer. As soon as they had landed safely, Lucky felt as though a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

I did do it. I won the red ribbon.

The prize did look great on Lucky’s stable door.

There was one thing to say.

“Good job, Lucky.”

Marley’s Tale

by Ariel, age 11

It was a stormy night at the dog shelter I was all alone in my crate, there was only a bed, food and water, and one stuffed bear. I am a white and brown boxer, with hazelnut eyes. I’m also four years old, hoping for someone to adopt me.

That night I couldn’t sleep, all I thought about was how no one would adopt me, how I was too old. I finally fell asleep. I slowly opened my eyes and sunshine was blinding me. Too bad dogs can’t wear sunglasses! I ate my food hoping it would make me feel better.

Later in the evening, a person came in. She had dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a little boy. He looked young but not a baby. He walked toward my cage and said. “ This one!” in a voice that sounded like he just learned how to speak. Then something that never happened to me happened, they opened the crate, put a leash on me, and then handed it to the girl. I was overjoyed to have a new owner. They brought me into their car and when we stopped I saw my new home. It was the best part of my life, being here, with MY family.

A few years later, we went to the vet but everyone seemed sad, tears dripping down their faces. What was wrong? What happened? ! tried to cheer them up but they just cried more.

We stepped into the building and I was brought to a room I’ve never been in before. I couldn’t wait till we got home. Then a needle pierced my skin. I was hard to see and then it went black, my memories fading away.

In remembrance of my Boxer, Marley. Thank you for all the good times!

Mythology

by Noah H.

Mythology, more vast than silence
With never ending tales
A world with peace, love and violence
No buses, cars, only long trails

Back to the time of the empire
The Egyptian, the Roman, the Greek
Back to the time of knight and squire
The more you puzzle, the more you seek

Medusa, a woman with the hair of snakes
Her eyes that can turn you to stone,
Cerberus, your head this beast takes
Not afraid to eat flesh and bone.

A household pet to Hades
Kind to him only
He sees the ghosts of men and ladies
And just the slightest bit lonely

With the upper body of a human
And the lower of a goat
With the name Elise, or Rubin
A Styx, would never slice a single throat

Mythology, with so much to offer
Has stories here and there
Some harsh, others much softer
An eagle, lion, or a tiger bear

Nelly and Pearl: The Narwhals

by Carolina A., age 12

Once upon a time there was a Narwhal named Nelly. One day she was swimming in the beautiful Atlantic Ocean with her friend Pearl when they noticed a bunch of pretty shells at the bottom of the sea. Nelly and Pearl swam to the shells and then....

The sea went black. Nelly looked up and saw a ship. “They took Pearl!", she thought. Nelly hid behind the ship and saw Pearl lying on the ship’s deck. “They captured her for her tusk!” Nelly screamed. Nelly could hardly breathe, she was never going to see her friend again.

Nelly the Narwhal quickly thought of a plan. She whistled to all of the sea creatures. Octopi, dolphins, narwhals, and whales came rushing to help Peart. Olive the Octopus squirted her ink at the Captain and the sailors. Then Dolly the Dolphin did her tricks in the water. Willow the Whale shook the ship and Nelly helped Pearl get off of the ship. The Captain and his sailors fell overboard from the shaking of the ship. “Pearl is FREE” said Nelly. Pearl was very thankful for her friends and nobody knows what happened to the sailors on their adventure at sea. 

The Phoenix

by Kai K., age 11

Of all birds one stands out, The one you will never see wandering about. Has wings of fire that's what I say, But never reveals itself in any way. It lives in secret but must be found, And rumors could start to go around. Many people treasured this ancient bird, But now it seems like not many people have even said a word.

At least I think this bird is alive, And I hope I can see this bird's pride, If I were grown up I would search long and hard For this majestic bird that's not ever round. I know it would take hours, months and years But if I find it, it will fill my eyes with tears. I have have pictures in my mind of how it moves But none give any clues about the bird's news.

In ancient legends it used to live, But many people think it still is. The most hidden place that's where it's home stays But if we find it we will see where it lays Rumors and legends can be fake or true, But if someone finds it I would not disapprove That takes me to the end of this report Do's please listen and try to support, Of this mythical legend of the Phoenix bird.

The Phoenix

by Rowland H., age 10

In the early days of mankind there was a little peaceful village and the villagers recently discovered a new substance called oil. Well, the people figured out that if you light it on fire then it will provide light, so they decided to take it out to go hunting. They dumped it everywhere and were going to light it on fire when a bird or chicken went by. Eventually a bunch of chickens went by so they lit the oil and well let me just say it did not go well but the good news is that they did catch the chickens but they set the entire forest on fire!

One day it was burning hot and the fire was still going on so the villagers decided to go to the local lake, however, on the way there they saw an odd looking fire and they went to take a look. It was not a fire at all, but instead it was a tiny bird. They carefully picked it up using some leaves and brought it back to the village. The villagers all went to sleep and had at least two people guarding it at all times. When they woke up, the bird was gone. They looked everywhere, but could never find it. Every year from then on they would make an offering to the Phoenix hoping to come back but it did not. Before they knew it, the day that they were waiting for came, they looked up into the sky and there was this really big and familiar bird that came to the village and flew off and was never seen again. And that was how the Phoenix was born.

Ragen

by Mackenzie, age 11

One peaceful evening, everyone in the house was asleep. I was about two years old and I had a dog named Ragen, she was so cute. Out of nowhere she dashed out of my room and went down stairs. I didn’t know because I was asleep. And then there was barking. I woke up instantly, and it didn’t sound like a good or nice kind of bark. It sounded mean. I tried hard to get out of my crib. I fell back asleep. The next day my mom and dad told me what happened. So apparently our library is haunted. There are spirits in there. And that’s why Ragen barked. The next day a weird man came with a didgeridoo. He blew into it, and left. The next night Ragen didn’t bark.

The Rock Hunting Fox

by Annabelle G., Age 8

It was a cold day and Lily, who was a geologist and a cute fox was sniffing for rocks. She picked a shiny crystal out of the river bank. She carried it into her den and placed it down on the soft ground. Later that day Lily was on the beach getting seaweed for her den and she tripped on a rock, it was a giant purple geode. She picked up the amazing rock and headed to her den to sleep. Just another day as a rock hunting fox, Goodnight Lily!

The Secret Life of Cats

by Aubrey T., age 12

I am a cat. My life is boring sometimes, though my 6 servants make life easy for me. My name is Sylvie, or at least that’s what my servants call me. I prefer Empress. One day with me and you will never want to go back to whatever bridge you live under.

I wake up early in the morning, around one P.M., and stroll down the steps. My servants greet me with their usual fanfare: Back from the dead, Sylvie? Argh, they don’t know royalty when they see it. I instead walk over to my food dish, placed boringly on the floor. Crawly-blacks all over my food! They are something I could definitely do without. After finishing my meal (or for lack of a better phrase, Cat Food), I head back upstairs to sleep for a few more hours.

I am rudely woken around four o’clock so that I can be hauled across the room. I do not complain much, because I had been put in the sink. Splashy-blue poured out of the faucet, not as much as I normally get, but I gladly drank until I was satisfied. Then I went back to sleep.

I generally avoid servants 5 and 6. #5 is annoying, and when I take her paw off my nose, Servant #6 throws me into my dung carton. How rude! Servant 6 is also the one responsible for throwing me into my (shudder) cat carrier. And then they take me to the (shudder) doctor. But I don’t speak of that.

The three things in life I enjoy are sleeping, obviously, going out and playing in wavy-green, and more sleeping. My servants have generously provided me with five beds to choose from.

In conclusion, my life is better than yours. I also don’t care about you. Goodbye.

Shadow

Amanda L., age 10

Hello, I’m Kitty, and right now I am running through a dark and incredibly creepy alley in New York City being chased by a dog, and a lady! The lady is chanting words I don’t understand. Then again, f don’t understand human language. Oh no, the dog is gaining on me! “Ouch!” I say to the dog. “Sorry.”. He picks me up by my tail, and throws me into a little dark hole that looks like it goes on forever. Then he jumps in. “I think we’ll be safe in here.” “Why were you chasing me?!” I ask. “What?! Chasing you?! No! I was ru-“ “Shhhhh that lady is going to hear you! Stop talking so loud!”

“Um NO!”. Oh shoot she found us. She is yanking my tail! “HELP!” I yelp, but the dog is nowhere in the hole. When she pulls me out I immediately start licking my tail to try to numb the pain. Then look around, oh the dog is up here. The human starts talking again. I fall asleep.

When I wake up the sky is very bright,and I am in my backyard, but something is different. I call my owner, but my voice, my voice sounds different. She hops out of the pool and screams “Oh that cat, wait that’s Kitty! Oh no you can’t be Kitty! Go! Shoo! LEAVE!”. I run away to the alley and see the dog and he meows! “My owner kicked me out.” “Me too.” The dog says. “Um, so can we find a place for us?” He asks. “Sure.” “By the way what’s your name?” He asks. “Shadow.” I say as we walk out of the alley.

The Singing Song Birds

Enzo V., age 11

This morning I had a dream. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining on the morning’s clouds, making them pink. None of my family was up yet, which made me happy, it was peaceful. I made myself breakfast and went out to the deck to watch the sunrise and watch nature coming to life in the early morning. I got to the deck and it turns out I made it at the right time because everything was coming out of hiding during this beautiful spring morning. Then right behind me, on the clothesline there were two song birds singing the day to life. As they were approaching me I woke up - on the deck with my breakfast in my hand. It was like a playback of the dream. Then I realized I had been living the dream while I was in it. Soon after, I held out a piece of my pancakes and those same two song birds, landing on my hand, took the pancake. As I thought they were leaving, they sat on my shoulder and the three of us watched the morning yawn to life.

Spiders

by Dylan P, age 10

With their legs,
They scurry away,

From the giants,
Who crush them every day.

Called humans, their tales say,
Tales told by the spider brigade.

Tails and Tales

by Shelby E., age 11

Once upon a time there was a dolphin named Rainbow. Her name was Rainbow for a reason, a very reasonable reason, and here is why... When Rainbow was born she was very different from her siblings. Rainbow was red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and pink, and her siblings were gray like a normal dolphin. Her parents were very confused as to why Rainbow was so colorful, and no one knew. That is why her name is Rainbow.

Today Rainbow’s days are not very up to date. Since Rainbow is well, Rainbow, she is not treated so nicely. At school she is bullied the most and at restaurants she gets other dolphin’s nasty looks. At parks, bowling alleys, ice cream stores, etc. Rainbow gets laughs and unkind comments.

Rainbow does have a best friend though, and her name is Ella. Ella is Rainbow’s only friend, isn’t that sad? Anyway, Ella has so many play dates with Rainbow you couldn’t even count them. Ella has seven siblings and each sibling of Ella’s represent each of the Rainbows colors, (they thought that was so cool) that’s a reason why they are best friends. Rainbow and Ella went to school one day and they saw Lily the bully. Rainbow gasped and wanted to run away. Ella told her “Keep calm and I’ll guide you through it.” Lily came over to them and said “ Why do you look like that. It’s ugly!” Ella said “Don’t say that to her! Just because she’s different doesn’t mean you get to bully her. I’d rather be rainbow than plain gray like you!” Soon after Rainbow told the principal and she expelled Lily from the school and no one ever saw her again.

That Little Adventure

by M.J.T, age 14

Hello, my name is Violet, and I am a noble, heroic cat. My grandkittens asked me to tell the story of my little adventure in 1775. Since you’re already here, I suppose it couldn’t hurt for you to listen too.

On the night of April 18, my human, Paul, was stroking me as I sat on his lap. Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door. Paul pushed me off and got up to answer it. A man told Paul he needed to warn some townspeople about something. This obviously wasn’t as important as me, and I was upset that Paul hadn’t finished stroking me. I jumped in his saddlebag, which he picked up and carried out the door.

Afraid of falling out and being lost forever, I didn’t look outside for a good long while. During the trip, I rocked back and forth nauseatingly, (maybe we were in a boat) and then bounced up and down as I was slung onto the side of a smelly horse and Paul rode throughout the night, shouting “The British are coming!”

After this extreme amount of exercise, I was sure that Paul would go home and take a nap (I knew that was what I wanted to do!), but instead, he rode on for another hour or so. Then I heard at least two other voices. The saddlebag I was in was lifted up, and Paul slung it on his shoulder.

He walked a short distance, then stopped. I tried to open the saddlebag so I could see what was happening, but I accidentally bumped the trigger of Paul’s gun. It went off (luckily I wasn’t hit) and then I heard shouts and more gunshots. I heard later that it was called “The shot heard ’round the world.” Finally, someone recognized my importance!

Untitled

by Oliver, age 10

There was once a forest in South America that was interesting. It was an extraordinary forest with creatures never seen before. The forest was claimed to be magical with animals that were a mix of two or even three animals. The forest was commonly known as The Black Forest. The reasoning behind the name is because it’s pitch black in the forest for twenty to twenty two hours a day. In the forest lived a falcon, but not just any falcon. It was bigger than a Pterodactyl and it had talons that were poisonous if you were scratched by them. Also it had to have extremely good eyesight to see in the dark and had a great sense of smell to find prey.

It was at the top of the food chain and the only thing that challenged it was a snake. The snake was 30 feet long and its fangs were huge. It also had poison all over its body and could slither at 20 miles per hour. The falcon and the snake were the two most powerful animals in the forest and were unstoppable. They almost worked together to take down prey and smaller animals. Scientists around the world think that the animals in the forest were mutations and improvements to regular animals.

Thousands of hunters and poachers had tried to get the animals but the only thing they had ever caught was a small bird. The scientist experimented on the bird and found out these creatures in the Black Forest had been formed by radiation, but the real question was how did they get there?

Wait

by Joey J., 11 years old

I want to run, I want to play. But most of all I want to be loved. But no, I'm chained to a rock enclosed by a brick wall. Forced to wait. No bone, no toy, not even a stick. I loved sticks. I’ve been here for a long time. Forced to wait.

I remember that, That day I was in the front lawn eating grass when I was picked up by an unfamiliar smelling man. He took me away and put me here, and for five years I haven’t had anyone who has called me “Buddy”. Forced to wait. I don’t even remember what it feels like to wag my tail.

The gate opens and in comes the man, but this time he is holding something long. It looks like a heavy stick, then he holds it out in front of him... and I no longer have to wait. 

Widow Dog

by Parker C., age 10

The full moon brightens up the pitch black night,
No creature in sight
The sad, passed on dog,
Glistening in the moonlight
All alone, nowhere to go,
This dog is simply not a creature,
Simply just a spirit
This dark and gloomy night
The widow dog will bite.

Carolina, a human simply just visiting her dog’s grave
A shiver goes down her spine.
She acts like she’s fine,
She hears this little chant from a sad old gloomy grave “
Dark and mysterious night, it might give Carolina a fright”
Carolina sees a lonely Labrador retriever,
Looking similar to hers. But instead it has spider webs all over its torso. Carolina standing there, Looking into her old deceased dog

This spider web covered dog, that has been replaced
Standing right in front of her face
Then it just joins the wind, fading away
The memories come rushing in
Of Carolina and him
She turns around walking away,
It doesn’t seem like she’s going anywhere
She starts to sprint,
She looks down, apparently she’s stuck in spider webs.
She blinks, it's there
She blinks again, yet it's closer
It gets closer and closer
She can feel the coldness and wind in the dog
The widow dog moves quickly
Then swiftly around Carolina
She’s tied in spider webs
This may be the end, no one knows.
The widow dog may be right under your nose.

But you may as well know, legends always... Start out true. 

Wings

by Hannah D., age 10

Once, there was a brown dog with large floppy ears. Her name was Sunshine and she gave birth to five puppies, each with floppy ears and a brown coat like hers. The eldest was Lilly. The second eldest was Duke. The middle puppy was Henry. Then there was Chester, the pup who went everywhere with his younger sister, Daisy. They lived together for many years. Then, one day, their mother told them the day had come when they should spread their wings and soar back to their home in the sun. She took them to a meadow where the sun shone and told them to let the sun warm them. So they lay down, waiting. Daisy sighed and looked over at Chester, raising an eyebrow. Chester shrugged and was about to stand up when a howl filled the air. They looked over to see Lilly hovering a few feet from the ground, white, feathery wings unfurled from her back, flapping about wildly. Their mother leaped into the air, wings bursting from her back. However, hers were smooth and brown. She gently steadied Lilly, showing her how to hover properly. Suddenly, another howl erupted, this time from Duke, and he gently lifted up, his wings silver and shiny. Then Henry went up with enormous black wings. Chester smiled at Daisy, for he knew he was next, but several minutes passed and nothing happened. Then, Daisy cried out, for she now had a pair of sparkling gold wings. Their mother began to line them up in the air, and a gust of wind blew them toward the sun. As she rose, Daisy extended a paw Chester and he did too, but it was too late. “Goodbye, Chester” she called to him, and disappeared into the sky.

The End

A Worm

by Gwenyth M., age 9

I once saw a worm, a slimy thing was he,
He wriggled across the sidewalk, trying to get free
He went into the gutter,
The gutter was dark like shutters,
Then I heard a splash,
Then the wind blew over some trash,
I heard him swim off,
I walked away and scoffed.