Welcome to Winchester High School's 2022-2023 Fall/Winter Literary Magazine! We are excited to present to you our latest iteration of this publication, featuring creative works from WHS students, with submissions ranging from after-school silliness to serious contemplations of self-discovery and personal growth. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this edition of the LitMag and we hope you enjoy this amazing collection of stories and artwork. We'll see you in the spring for the next edition!
Sincerely,
The LitMag Editors - Aniana Garciano, Kyle Plosky, and Mahima Kakol
Front cover art from upper left: City Sun: Jay Kwan, Eye Infection: Sierra Williams, Splat: Sierra Williams, Sunlit Afternoon: Ashton Young, Ramen: Ashton Young, Stepped on: Sierra Williams
Back cover art from upper left: Scales and Ice: Jay Kwan, Outward: Jay Kwan, Days of the Week: Sierra Williams, Untitled: Sierra Williams, Blasting: Sierra Williams, Medal Cat: Jay Kwan
Deep in the heart of the jungle, a tiny ladybug stumbled upon a giant, sleeping, something. Its fur was green with algae, and it moved as slowly as the trees. The ladybug, finding it difficult to walk along the creature’s surface, hopped here and there, looking for a face. Maybe it was a friendly something.
I woke from my slumber, which exactly was 34200 seconds. For the average minded person, 9 hours and 30 minutes. I counted each strand of hair, 110,032. Great, no balding yet. I stood up and took 65 steps to get out of my bedroom, past the five other doors in the hallway, to the elevator. It took four seconds for the elevator to get to the bottom floor to reach my boss.
The grandfather clock was made out of old oak wood and brass metal. The grandfather clock was clogged with cobwebs and sprinkled with dust. The minute hand of this clock was also strangely gone. “Oh!” The people in the home felt haunted. “What happened?” The minute hand had a tendency to turn invisible, detach from the clock, and stab random people.
It’s never a good idea to sit around idly, eating onion flavored chips on the stone rim of any sort of well. I mean, it’s not my fault Carl decided to pop out of nowhere. I reassured it. Wells are so terribly frightened of everything. “B-b-be careful,” it told me. I rolled my eyes and kept munching.
It started in the clouds. I lost my keys on a solid cloud. This meant that I wouldn’t be able to start my car, so I had to trek through the fluffy cotton candy-like terrain to find them. It isn’t exactly easy to find car keys in the clouds — it’s a mess of fluff and blinding sunlight that makes it nearly impossible.
The monks gathered in a circle in the hotel lobby, joining their wrinkled hands. Passersby stopped to watch as the leader, marked by his Elvis Presley wig, straightened to his full height to begin the ceremony. He hummed lowly in his chest, before beginning to speak in an ancient-sounding language. Slowly, the other monks joined in. Soon they separated into voice parts; the taller monks took up a lower, rhythmic chant while the others continued as they had before.
Thank you for joining us in celebrating the unique talent of Winchester High School’s creative minds. This edition of the Literary Magazine truly showcases the wonders of Winchester students’ imaginations. We hope you feel proud of and inspired by their incredible work. To every student who submitted, thank you for your creativity and hard work—this would not have been possible without you! See you next semester for the next edition! Hope you enjoyed!
Sincerely,
The LitMag Editors - Aniana Garciano, Kyle Plosky, and Mahima Kakol