2014-15 Online Literary Magazine

In Session 4, the following eagles successfully completed the Hero's Journey Short Stories Quest for their Writers' Workshop Badges. Completing this quest is the requirement for publishing pieces in the Acton Academy Literary Magazine. 

Meeting this requirement is a demanding challenge, requiring the completion of the writing process including: 

1. The Drafting process (learning about each elements of the Hero's Journey and choosing how best to organize each piece).

2. The Conventions Badge (in which they test their knowledge of the correct use of commas, apostrophes, and capitalization before completing peer edits and self-edits of their work).

3. The Traits Badge (focusing on two traits of their choosing: organization, voice, idea, word choice, and sentence fluency, before completing the self-critiques and peer critiques).

Congratulations to everyone who completed this quest. Their stories are below and will also be published in our next printed Acton Academy Literary Magazine (to be printed in the summer of 2015). 

In Sessions 2 and 3, two eagles successfully completed the Poetry Quest for their Writers' Workshop Badges. Completing this quest is the requirement for publishing pieces in the Acton Academy Literary Magazine. 

Meeting this requirement is a demanding challenge, requiring the completion of the writing process including: 

1. The Drafting process (learning about different forms of poetry and choosing which to learn about and draft).

2. The Typing Badge (in which eagles type their handwritten first drafts and learn the basics of using Google Docs).

3. The Conventions Badge (in which they test their knowledge of the correct use of commas, apostrophes, and capitalization before completing self- and peer-edits of their work).

4. The Traits Badge (focusing on idea, voice, and organization before completing the self-critiques and peer critiques).

Congratulations to Addie and Ian. Their collections of poetry are below and will also be published in our next printed Acton Academy Literary Magazine (to be printed in the summer of 2015). 

My Collection

by Addie, December 2015

Peacock

I am so gaudy

Feathers spreading out so wide

Beautiful and blue

                             My Flip Flops

                              I love my flip flops

                              my feet are so free,

                              in flip flops I can climb

                                      a tree.

                                      In flip flops I can run like a cheetah;

                                      hop like a rabbit;

                                      or swim like a fish.

London Rain

Drip Drop,

Clip Clop,

Horse drawn carriage rides                    

on a rainy London day.                    

Drip Drop,                               

Clip Clop,

Dancing in the water on a

rainy London day.

Drip Drop,

Clip Clop,

Catching little frogs on

a rainy London day.

Drip Drop,

Clip Clop,

Popping all those bubbles

on a rainy London day.

Drip Drop,

Clip Clop,

Having lots of fun on a

rainy London day.    

My Collection

by Ian, December 2015

Ballad Of Chunky Beef

There once was a planet,

it was Terminosa 11,

the aliens came over,

they tried to break the door down,

but it was made of metal,

and before they could respond,

the ground was suddenly lit up,

by a torrent of bullets.

And then they all walked away,

(actually they didn’t)

the alien king was furious,

he sent a large force to attack,

but chunky beef was too good,

there was a heated duel,

the troops thought that they were dead,

but then suddenly four swords flashed,

and then it was all over.

The leader of chunky beef walked away,

the leader of chunky beef walked away,  

the leader of chunky beef walked away,

and then they had a party.

Ballad Of Chunky Beef 2.0

The leader of chunky beef,

ran up past the enemy,

he came up to the officer,

and then the aliens lost.

Chunky beef jumped for joy,

but then soon found,

that they were outnumbered,

in the blazing fight.

The leader of chunky beef went down in smoke,

but he ran up to the palace,

of the unbelievably cloned king.

He ran up to the guards,

and then he faced the final line,

and then he faced the final line,

and then he faced the final line,

of a giant minigun.

It opened fire instantly,

but the leader of chunky beef carved,

a path straight through the floor.

He dug and dug and dug and dug,

he dug and dug and dug and dug,

he dug and dug and dug and dug,

THIS TO BE CONTINUED!!!!!

Cleaning problems

My brother’s doing spring cleaning,

but he clearly bumped his head,

when he heard the news,

he started cleaning the springs in his bed.

A Christmas Poem

It is christmas eve and everyone is wondering,

what brings presents?

Is it your parents,

is it santa claus,     

or is it some fat dude who comes at night and does it for the applause?

This trimester (January-March 2014), seven eagles successfully completed the Revising and Editing Quest for their memoirs. Completing this quest is the requirement for publishing pieces in the Acton Academy Literary Magazine. Using the following prompts, the eagles wrote their memoirs as series of three stories:

1. Write about a time when nothing in particular was happening.

2. Write about a time when you (or someone you were with) were eating unusual things.

3. Write about a special day or a special place you love to go. 

Meeting this requirement is a demanding challenge, requiring the completion of three badges: 

1. The Typing Badge (in which eagles type their handwritten first drafts and learn the basics of using Google Docs).

2. The Conventions Badge (in which they test their knowledge of the correct use of commas, apostrophes, and capitalization before completing self- and peer-edits of their work).

3. A choice between the Traits Badge or the Story Elements Badge (in which they revise their work with a focus on word choice, organization, and sentence fluency or character, setting, and plot).

Congratulations to Lauren, Mary, Anna, Derek, Chase H., Bodhi, and Tate. Their pieces are below and will also be published in our next printed Acton Academy Literary Magazine (to be printed in the summer of 2014). 

Memories from My Life

by Lauren, March 2014

Chapter 1: Not Doing Anything

“Get up, get up!” I was about to go skiing at my house in Colorado, but I was not skiing. Ava was being mean to me, so my dad sat on her. I started back talking to my dad, so then my dad sat on me. I felt like a stone. I could not move for minutes and seconds. There was snow outside but the room was hot. Ava jumped on me and said, “Dog pile.” Then, she jumped up and sprinted away. I still could not move. My dad was still sitting on me. My dad sat on me for more minutes and seconds. Nothing was happening. I was bored. I finally asked him if he would get up. He did not. He sat on me for a few more seconds. I was extremely bored. He would not get up! I felt like a table with a lot of food on it. Inside, I was wondering when he would get up and if we we’re going to be late for skiing. My dad got a text so he had to get up. Finally!

Chapter 2: Coke Land

This is the most disgusting thing on earth! Once I was at Disney World, and my family had a tour guide. Her name was Stephanie. We were all walking, and Stephanie said, ”Here is the Coke store.” We were standing in front of it and we saw a huge Coke bottle that looked so good. Then we walked in, right in front of us was a big table with different kinds of Cokes. Stephanie asked, “Do you want to taste cokes from around the world? “Yes, yes, yes,” I said. So my mom, my sister and I all grabbed a cup. First I tasted the German Coke. It tasted kind of like Sprite. Then my mom said, “I’m going to taste the Irish Coke.” She filled the cup and took a sip. She immediately spit it back out into her cup and said, “Oh, that’s horrible.”  Then I grabbed another cup and filled it up with the Irish Coke. I tasted it, and then I spit it out into my cup. I said that’s the most disgusting thing I have ever drank. It tasted like every soda mixed together. I shook my head. Stephanie said, “In Ireland they eat their meal, and then they drink the coke to get the taste out of their mouth.” “Who would want to drink that?” I asked. It was the most disgusting thing on Earth!

Chapter 3: Colorado Happiness

“I’m so wet!” The Ritz Carlton is one of my favorite places to go because I have been going there since I was a baby with big cheeks. It is one of my favorite places to go because I know a lot of the people that work there. There’s a lady named Daniela, she works at the club level and knows what I like for breakfast. Another reason I like the Ritz is because it is in Colorado. Colorado is a place that has snow, so I can ski, and in the summer it is not so hot. One time in Colorado my mom, my sister and I were at a pond, and I got super close to the edge of it, and my mom said, “Step back, you are going to fall.” I said, “I’m not going to fall.” Then I tripped and fell into the pond. I was all wet! I screamed! I jumped out, and my mom and sister were giggling. I said in a mad voice, “Stop. It’s not funny.” Then we went back to the Ritz and I got changed into dry clothes. That’s why I like the Ritz and Colorado.

Memories from My Life

by Mary, March 2014

Chapter 1: Sleeping     

I was sleeping. Nothing was happening. I was just lying there. Lying in my bed, sleeping. My doll was sleeping too. My eyes and my doll’s eyes were both closed. The light was off. I had my footies on and my doll had her PJs on. I think it was raining. I was kicking around in my sleep. In my dream I was cuddling with a baby monkey, well, I was sleeping with her. After that, I woke up (in the dream) and the monkey was gone. Then in the dream, I went back to sleep. After that I woke up and it was morning, I was grumpy and quiet, so I grumpily walked downstairs. A few minutes later I noticed the pears were rotting on the counter, they were all a greenish-brown color. They smelled weird too, but right now there wasn't really anything happening to them. After I smelled the pears I had breakfast. I ate scrambled eggs and bacon with some milk. Still, nothing was really happening, I wasn’t talking or anything.

Chapter 2: When I Ate a Penny

One time I ate a penny. I sucked on it first, and then I swallowed it. I was two or three when I ate it so I did not know much, which is why I ate the penny. I found it on the ground. I was in a house on the coast of some place that I forgot the name of when I ate it. When I finished eating it, I said “My belly hurts,” and it did. Then my mom whacked my back. The penny did not come out, but I did not choke either. The next day I went to the bathroom and my tummy still hurt. Everyone was crowding around me to see if the penny would come out. Then we heard a little splash! So we looked in the toilet and there was the penny! I yelled super loud with happiness, “YES!” After that I wiped my behind very quickly and let out a little sigh. We were on vacation so it was kind of weird, but at least I got it out. The next six years passed and I wrote this story about it!

Chapter 3: A Special Place I Went 

A special place I went to is Telluride, Colorado. I love Telluride, Colorado! I usually stay at the Franz Klammer. The Franz Klammer is a lodge and it is very big. I love Telluride, Colorado because it snows so much (that is only one of the reasons) and I love snow! But I hate ski school! My mom says she will teach me how to ski instead of ski school! 

One time I went to the Franz Klammer and I went into the hot tub, it was hot but it felt really good! I went with my sister and my friends. We even put on some music!  Another time I went there, we went up to the Crow’s Nest and opened a door that leads to the roof. We went on top of the roof and then slid down because the roof was slanted! It was getting fun until our time was up for playing.

Another time when I went to Telluride, Colorado Addie and I asked if we could play with Molly and Jane, our friends. Mom said we could so we went to their room and asked if they wanted to play. We played hide and seek on teams. The teams were: Jane and I and Addie with Molly. Jane and I had a really good hiding place: it was the gym. We found my dad there and asked him not to tell anybody where we were and he said he wouldn't tell. “Phew” Jane and I said. Then we heard footsteps. It was Molly and Addie! We held our breath, and then finally let it out after they went back out the door. After a while they found us and said, “You were hard to find!” We answered, “We know!”

Another time I went to Telluride, Colorado was on April Fools Day. We had so much fun. I’ll tell you what we did. First, we got supplies: a ski pole and lots of ski stuff, like ski glasses, ski pants, a coat, etc. After we got the supplies, we leaned the ski pole against the wall and put all the ski stuff on it and perfected it until it looked like a man ready to ski. We tricked exactly four people! Addie made the man walk (his name was Bob) and I made him talk! I am going there again soon.                               

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Chase Holtz, Chris Carpenter, and Jaden Mann for Peer Editing my piece. Also thanks to Samantha Simpson for Guide Editing my piece. It was very fun to make this piece. Special thanks to Acton Academy for having this fun Writers Workshop!

   My Mixed Story

by Chase H., March 2014

Part One: Nothing To Do

I came home from school and had nothing do. I was so bored it was a day that I had nothing to do and I was just walking around the house. I walked around the house and time flew by. My parents were going to a party and my sister, Kenzie, was at volleyball. Weston (my brother) and I were now home alone. We started to watch TV  for a long time because that is all we could do and all we really wanted to do. I thought I was getting sick. We watched two hours of TV, including, Wizard Of the Waverly Place. BARK!  BARK! Kodi and Simda, our dogs, started to bark at something. “Be quiet” Weston said. Then they ran back to the couch to go to sleep again. I called my mom. When I was on the phone, and the phone was just ringing, I was asking myself, “What if she doesn’t answer? Or...” “Hello?” said my mom. “Hi, it is Chase. When are coming home?” “We will be home in 30 minutes. Make sure you brush your teeth,” said my mom. “Ok,” I said. Weston and I were brushing our teeth when we heard the door open. Our parents thought we were asleep.

Part two: When My Sister Ate A Snail (dead not alive)

“Kenzie, have you ever eaten anything unusual?” I asked. “Well, on the cruise I ate snails.” “GROSS” I respond. When I heard Kenzie say snails I was disgusted. I never had snails but I've held one. They're all slimy and alive, but cool. If I tried to eat a snail I would probably spit it up. I don’t know if you slurp them or gobble them. I didn’t ask, but I did ask her what they taste like. Kenzie said, “They taste like chicken.” I started to crack up. On the car ride home I was thinking, “What do they even look like when they are on the plate?” When I got home I looked up on Google: what do snails look like when they are on a plate? “Oh my gosh!” I said. “I am never trying snails.” This is what they look like in a bowl:

I imagine Kenzie’s face when she saw the plate. It probably looked like she was not going to eat the snails. She said she liked them.

Part Three: The Time I Went Rock Climbing

It was my friend, Stella’s birthday. We went rock climbing. We did not go to an indoor rock-climbing place, we went climbing on real rocks. It was Stella, Olivia and I. All of us went to the top. After that, we went swimming in the lake and there were water snakes! We saw about two. Kenzie (my sister) was also there and she was scared to go in the water because she thought fish were going to eat her. We wanted to jump off of a tall rock, but we did not know how to get up on to the rocks. Then these guys said, “Are you trying to get on the rocks?” We said, “Yes” and so they showed us where we could get up. When I got to the top the view was so pretty, you could see a lot.

 Memoirs from my Life

by Tate, March 2014 

My Reading Place

A special place for me is my closet. I made it into an awesome reading place with all of my favorite books. It is so fun to go crash in my closet with a great book and read for a couple of hours. There are four rooms. I made “My reading place” a choose-your-own-adventure story to make it more interesting.  When you walk into my reading place, you see a bookshelf covered in white cloth with all of my favorite books on it. To the left is the laser room. To the right is the waterfall room. To go left, read on to the following symbol: '⇼'. To go right, read on to <〠>.

'⇼': You enter a room with mirrors on all the walls. An arrow on the far wall points to another room. A laser flies across the room, bouncing on the mirrors one by one. To go back, return to the first paragraph. To go to the room in which the arrow points, go to 1.

<〠>: You turn to face a long waterfall. It seems so real that you reach out to touch it. It is soft. Then you realize there is a cave on the other side of the waterfall. To go inside the cave, go to . To turn back, go to the first chapter/paragraph.    

1: You enter a small room that I take pride in creating. The ground is as soft as silk. You look up to see a rough ceiling of what appears to be stalactites. You are in my favorite room of all: the cave. A strange dial is against the wall. To turn the dial, go to 2. To turn back, go to'⇼'.    

2: You reach out to turn the dial. As you turn it, a glow fills the cavern. The glow is coming from the side of the wall. To turn out the lights and see how awesome it would be to read beneath the glow, go to `~`.

: You walk in the waterfall. You instantly appear on the other side. It is dark. A little pedestal covered in what looks like flowing water is sitting in the corner of the little cave. You turn around to face the waterfall. A little button is hanging on the waterfall. To press the button, go to *~*.

`~`: The lights fade out and the only light you see is the glow of the side of the cave and the occasional laser coming from the laser room. I speak from experience when I say that it is incredibly fun to read in the cave. It’s all soft and warm. It is the best place to knock yourself out with an awesome book.  

*~*: A light shines down making the waterfall glow with light. It is perfect for a book because the light shines right where your book would be if you sat on the pedestal. This is my sister, Savannah’s favorite part of my reading place.

My reading place in the future:

I am going to add the sound of water dripping in the waterfall cave, I am going to get a better laser for the laser room, I am going to expand my reading place to a whole room (not just a closet), and I am going to make a jungle room.

A Time When Nothing Happened

One time I was sick at home. Nothing happened at all. At first I was watching a movie, but it ended. My dad was at work, so I was all alone with my mom (my brothers and sisters were at school). I called for mom, but she was asleep, so I just laid there. The next thing I knew, I was asleep. I was in a land far beyond this one, in a spacious well-lit cave. The ceiling was made out of stone bricks. Torches lit the walls. A waterfall was rolling down the side of the cavern from the beautiful world beyond. Tropical fish swam in the waters below. Ocelots ran about the side of the pool.

I love ocelots. That is probably why they were in my dream. I felt my molecules assemble in the water. It was warm. “It must be summer,” I thought to myself (for it was winter on my planet).

I found I could walk forward. It is a weird feeling, walking in a dream. It’s sort of a combination of flying, and the feeling of getting off a rollercoaster. I liked it. I technically ran to the side of the cave. The walls were soft. Sort of like styrofoam, but more solid. Suddenly, a door materialized in front of my face. I reached out. My fingers groped for it when suddenly, ”Tate, I’m awake.” It was my mom. I sat up, still dazzled by my dream, and ate the lunch mom provided. Then went outside to jump on the trampoline.  

The Food Contest

Once I went to Wyoming to visit my great grandma’s ranch. My aunts, uncles, and cousins came too. My uncle Matt had the Idea to do a food contest. My uncle Matt has the best ideas. The winner got $30, so I happily joined. We had to eat the most disgusting food! We ate raw oysters, stinky cheese, and pickles from a gas station. However, the worst one of all was the BBQ flavored blue cheese. It was rubbery and the BBQ tasted like chunks of butter with earwax mixed in. It was one of the worst things I have ever tasted in my life. It is hard to describe the taste, but butter, earwax, and boogers seem to fit the description. However, $30 was at stake, so I survived it, luckily. After the contest was over I was one of the last ones standing. I won $30 and I bought a fake owl at Harry Potter Land with it!

My Memories

by Anna, March 2014

Part 1: Bored With Nothing To Do

One day I was walking home from my friend’s house, thinking about how I was going to watch TV, but of course it did not work out the way I wanted it to. I was turning on the TV when my mom came in she said, “NO ELECTRONICS!” I went to go read on the Kindle but my brother was on it. Also, when I’m bored, I eat unhealthy foods. But, my mom said only healthy foods, and since I could not find any healthy foods to eat, I went to my friend, Audrey’s house. Audrey was at after school YMCA. I couldn't find any arts and crafts materials to use. My little brother was at his friend’s house, my dad was at the grocery store, my mom was taking a nap, and I didn't not want to wake her, so I just sat there until dinner.

Part 2: The Food Disaster

My friend Kelsey, my other friend Audrey, and I were bored so Audrey suggested a game. In this game one of us would wear a bandana over our eyes and the other two would make some gross food the person with the bandana  would have to eat. This time Audrey had the bandana on and Kelsey and I would make a food or drink. We wanted to make a drink so we got a cup and filled it with some water. This is the list of ingredients: cold water, salt, pepper, OJ, lime juice.

It took a while and when we finished, we made Audrey drink it. First she shook it, then she smelled it, and then she shook her head and said, “No, no, what? No, I’m not drinking that.” “You have to, it's part of the game that you made up,” I said.  “Fine.” So she took a really small sip and put a really weird expression on her face with the blindfold still on. She took off the blindfold and asked, “What did you put in there, poison? Gross. Did I seriously drink that?” “Yeah you did,” we said.

Part 3: My Sixth Birthday

My sixth birthday was one of the best days of my life. We were setting up for the party. My mom was shopping with my little brother for a cake, my dad was putting up streamers and decorating, and my older brother Gage was filling up water balloons and hiding them because my birthday was a balloon scavenger hunt. When you found a balloon, you would throw it at someone. At 2:30pm everyone was arriving. First my friend Helena arrived, then Veronica, then Mary, and so on. Once everyone came we played Duck, Duck, Goose, then Follow the Leader, then the Quiet Game. The scavenger hunt took a while to explain, but finally everyone got it. “READY, SET, GO!” My mom said and we all set off running. When we found the balloons we threw them at each other. Everyone got to throw a balloons and my brother kept throwing them at my dad. When we came inside we were all soaking wet so we put on some dry clothes, and then we got out the chocolate cake. My mom put in the candles and lit them, everyone sang and I wished for a phone. I tried blowing the candles out but they wouldn’t go out so my brother blew them out and we ate the cake. Then I opened the presents. I got some drawing boards and a lot of art supplies. This was one of the best days EVER.

Memoirs of My Life

by Bodhi, March 2014

The Cabin

The Cabin is relaxing, only owned by four people, no cars, just the sound of wind and birds. The air smells like the sea, only an occasional boat breaks the silence. When it’s night, lightning sometimes dances across the sky. One of my favorite parts is that I can walk down the birding trail; the bees humming, the wild flowers mark the edge of the trail, and you feel free and relaxed. Sometimes I scan the shore looking for birds and fish, breaking the schools of mullet. On a hot day the temperature is ninety degrees, when in Austin it is one hundred and ten degrees.

Awesome Food

One of my favorite foods is an Elk burger I get it in Taos, New Mexico at Doc Marten’s. The wait takes at least one hour, but it is worth the wait. The burger is like bison, venison, and beef combined. When it gets to you table the smell is amazing. It is almost impossible to not eat it before the rest of the food comes. When you take a bite, flavor fills your mouth. The burger is huge, so half will fill you up. Doc Marten’s is a place you will never forget and you will want to come back.

The Most Boring Story Ever

One day my mom was dropping my brother off at school to watch a short presentation and I stayed in the car. I waited for about ten minutes and then I started to think, “What if I went inside, I would never find her. What if she came right now? She would not.” Finally, I decided to just sit and wait. After what seemed like hours, I finally saw her exiting the school. When she got to the car I asked her, “What took so long?” She said that the presentation took too long.

Memoirs

by Derek, March 2014

A Time When I Ate Something Unusual

One cold winter day, I went to a Spanish restaurant in Austin, Texas. I went with my sister, my mom, my dad, my aunt, and my grandma. It was my first time there. For our appetizer we had bread with olive oil, and our waiter was really nice. At the end of the meal, I saw some calamari tentacles in my food. I decided to eat them. They tasted good just like fried calamari. Then I told my mom and my dad about it and they were very surprised that I had eaten it.  Then we went home and I felt like I wanted to go there again. I learned a lot of new words, and the food tasted good.     

A Place I Like

I like Camp Mabry because it has a bunch of fighter jets on display. There are two 88mm guns and a rocket. There is a path where there are about 20 tanks and armored vehicles on your left side. There are also helicopters on display next to the fighter jets. There is a barbed wire fence in front of them right next to the road. Behind them, there is a huge grass field. It is really fun to go there when they have reenactments. They have WWII ones and Civil War ones. They also have a real military base with lots of Humvees and Jeeps in a huge parking lot with a barbed wire fence right next to it. There are two huge warehouses. When you see it, it looks really cool. There is also a path that leads to a big open space where they do the reenactments. When they do it there it is really cool. It is my favorite place to go to.

A Time When Nothing Happened

One time in Salt Lake City, Utah, I fell off a chairlift. When I fell off, I was 10 feet in the air and I did not even notice it. Here is the story: I was going up the mountain to meet my group and my instructor. For three minutes almost nothing happened. The only thing that happened was that I went up, up, up, up, up, and up. Then I looked down and around. Then I saw two kids ski past me really fast. Then the chairlift guy came out of the operator box and down the mountain to see if I was ok and not seriously injured. He pulled me up and walked me down the mountain. This took a really long time. My parents were waiting for me at the resort because Ski Patrol had contacted them and let them know that I was okay and I had not broken any bones. Luckily, I had no head injuries whatsoever.  

Acton Academy Online Literary Magazine: 1st Trimester, 2013

This trimester (September-December 2013), three eagles successfully completed our very first Revising and Editing Quest for their short stories. Completing this quest is the requirement for publishing pieces in the Acton Academy Literary Magazine. Meeting this requirement is a demanding challenge, requiring the completion of three badges:

1. The Typing Badge (in which eagles type their handwritten first drafts and learn the basics of using Google Docs)

2. The Conventions Badge (in which they test their knowledge of the correct use of commas, apostrophes, and capitalization before completing self- and peer-edits of their work)

3. A choice between the Traits Badge or the Story Elements Badge (in which they revise their work with a focus on voice, organization, and idea development or character, setting, and plot) 

Congratulations to Bodhi, Derek, and Sam! Their pieces are below and will also be published in our next printed Acton Academy Literary Magazine. 

THE FLOOD

by Bodhi, December 2013

Introduction

I was in my house when I looked outside. My whole yard was flooded, the sidewalk was destroyed, the ditch was destroyed, and there was water as far as I could see. I knew I was trapped. The water was too shallow to run my boat in, but moving too fast too walk in.

Besides the river, it was not normal to be able to see water from my house because it’s on top of Buck Tail Mountain. I looked outside again. The water was high enough, and I realized it was time to act. I gathered my supplies: a hatchet that my friend Bill gave to me before he went missing, a fifty-cal rifle, a twenty-gauge shotgun, two fifty-gallon gas tanks full of gas, a gutting knife, a fishing rod, and a filet knife, all which I loaded into my fifteen- foot Boston Whaler with a twenty-five horse Evenrude motor. With one hundred gallons of gas I should be able to go about eight hundred miles, which would easily be enough to get to the mountains that are tall enough to have about 23,000 acres of land, which is a lot. Along the way I would try to find Bill. I was the only one who knew he was in the mountains.

How I Got Started on this Adventure

My parents left our sunny home in northern California to go to Colorado for work, so I was left alone. When I heard about the flood, I tried to drive to safety, but the road was washed away. So I headed back my house, and then I prepared to move.

When the water got high enough to start the motor, I pulled my boat off my trailer. Then, I got in my boat, made sure I had my supplies, crank-started the engine, and carefully backed out. Once I was out, I floated down the river. With barely any motor I was going forty miles per hour.

Once I got to the lake, I turned on the motor and skimmed across the lake. Then I drove down a river that met the river that went over the spillway after the spillway. When I got to the main river, I drifted to the mountain, then I beached in a sandy spot. When I got out, I tied my boat to a tree about twenty feet up, then I made camp about eighty feet up. Then I saw a little stream next to my camp with trout in it. They were about 18 inches long. After I had seen them all, I got to work building my house. I made a sink, a bed and a fireplace. The main structure was made out of rocks with clay in between.

Just as I finished, I heard a large racket. I grabbed my gun and went outside. I was delighted to see two chipmunks chasing each other. Then I saw a field, and on the opposite edge stood a dark brown shape. I broke into a run. A large animal like that one would give me food for a while. I had to get close enough to take a shot.

When I got to about six hundred yards away, I looked through my scope to see if I wanted to take the shot. When I did, I saw a large male Elk. I put in five hollow point rounds, and just when I tuned off the safety, the Elk went into the forest. I ran to the spot where the Elk disappeared, and I saw a trail obviously made by animals. I started walking down the trail. Once I got about five yards in, I saw the Elk. It was in the next clearing. I decided to go off the trail and climb a small pine near the clearing. Then I would shoot. Once I had climbed up the tree, the Elk burst into a run. It didn’t take long for me to find out what scared it. I heard a loud grunting noise. I turned around. A large bear sow stood next to the tree. It turned around and started walking away. It was just a close call until the bear faced me and charged the tree. With one hit it went down. All I remember are three bangs and a loud crash.

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Crash 

by Derek, December 2013

Billbob Franklin got into his plane with his 2 pet lizards. Beforehand he had told his flight path to a navigator. He said, “That path would lead you to your doom!” Then Billbob yelled, ”You…YOU...YOU!...YOU!!!” and stormed off. But Billbob still went in his plane even though he knew he would die. 8 hours into the flight he was only 237 feet above the water, he was low on fuel, and one of his engines was not working well.

45 mins later… Billbob heard a loud boom as one of his engines blew and then he passed out. He woke up in a battle! People were hiding from sniper fire and running from grenades and shells. Dead people were everywhere he looked. Then he heard someone say, “CHARGE!!!” He turned around and saw a bunch of guys with bayonets fixed to their rifles darting at a small tank. They jumped up on the tracks and climbed up to the turret, broke open the hatch, went in, killed the guys inside, and drove the tank away.

Then Billbob was shot in the hand. He managed to crawl away from the fighting and into a jeep. He hid there, but he got captured after the battle. They put him on a chain gang with 5 other guys. The guy leading them said that they were going to a prison ship in the bay nearby. When they got there, they got caught in a prison riot. Billbob managed to slip away, but he got caught. In the first week he was there he made 9 escape attempts. They all failed. After that, they transferred him to a huge prison in Antarctica where he died.

World War III

By Sam, December 2013

With one word the whole world changed: “Strike.” The cruise missiles were launched at Syria. The Russians (who were protecting Syria) struck America with all of their nuclear warheads. Hank, a former Navy SEAL who lives in Long Beach California, survived the Russian’s strike and now is looking for his family.

There are burning buildings and broken street lights laid across the ground to surround Hank in a pile of rubble. Hank breaks out to see his daughter stuck in a burning car. He rushes to help her, but he is too late. Stunned, Hank steps back a few feet then turns and runs. He stops to catch his breath. Behind him he hears a gunshot. Hank spins around to see a Russian soldier. He turns back and runs for his life. While he is running, he sees rusted shears, picks them up, suddenly turns and hurls them at the Russian. Not dead but wounded, the Russian calls for help, which gives Hank just enough time to escape.

Hank notices it is getting dark, so he climbs up a tree and settles for the night. Just before the sunrise, Hank wakes up looking down the barrel of a rifle. Hank jumps to his feet and examines the man holding the gun. The man says, “Are you American?” Hank stammers, “ Yes, my name is Hank. I am a former US Navy SEAL.” The man says, “Sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Rick. Nice to meet you.” “Is it just you, or are there other survivors?” says Hank. “There are two others. We can supply you food and water,” says Rick. “Great!” responds Hank. “I will lead you there,” says Rick.

They walk for what seems like forever. Finally they get there. The two other survivors greet him politely. They make him feel at home and built him a small cabin made of wood. That night, the Russian locates them and kills all of them in a bloody gun fight except for Hank. He escapes before the Russians shoot him to pieces.

Hank finds an apple tree in a un-nuked area. He decides to stay there for the night. The next morning he grabs a nice ripe apple and starts exploring. First he walks north towards a ditch thinking it is a lake. Hank looks into the ditch and sees a small makeshift cabin hardly staying upright. Hank crawls down the hill and takes a few steps towards the cabin before he sees his dog Duke. Hank breaks into a run. He stops at the door because he is looking into the eyes of his son Josh.

“DAD!!” Josh yells and Josh runs into the open arms of his father. Hank feels a tap on his shoulder and turns around to see his wife Carry. “Where is Sarah?” Carry asks. Hank says, “I am sorry, but she didn’t make it.” They take a second to mourn the death of Sarah, then Duke barks to alert Hank of the Russian behind him. Carry pulls out a .44 magnum and pops him in the head. The Russian falls down. Carry says, “The others must have heard that. We must get going.” Josh says, “I’ll get the food.” They run to a hole in the ground. They leap into the dark, dirty, smelly cave with rock walls. Hank and Carry decide to stay there for night. In the morning Hank sets out to try to find supplies. He comes back with a small old-fashioned radio. He turns it on and it is static at first, then turns to KXAN. It says: “Russia is striking us again. All citizens report to Long Beach, California, where US naval ships will be waiting for you.” “That’s just over there! LETS GO!!!” says Josh. Quickly they jog to the docks where they board a battleship and sail away from America.