Campbell Middle School Campbell Courier

Transcription

1 Spotlight on Writers December, 2018 Volume 1, Issue 1 Campbell Middle School Campbell Courier Waves by Siena Carpenter My sister trembles. I hug my legs to my chest and lean back against the wall. We wait. I hear someone crying, their sobs reverberating around the reinforced plastic metal walls of the bunker. We wait. I rise, too nervous to stay still, and pace back and forth in front of the window, looking out at the stars every so often, and rubbing my charm, hoping that I will survive. We wait. I look out across the room and watch the many families gathered here whisper in hushed tones, in fear. We wait. I think back to when you could moon walk in the cosmos worst barrage of sonic waves, and feel only a tickle. I remember the million tons of background energy I flushed into the universe every time I fabricated a new moon. We wait. I relive the memory of watching as those storms of waves ever so slightly worsened. We wait. I recall hearing the news, that my mother s ship had been caught in one of those waves, and that she wasn t coming back, that my sister and I were orphans, that we were on our own. I remember running, anguish clouding my vision, down to the air lock, attempting to push the button to open the inner doors, but instead opening the outer ones; and then the wave, the one we couldn t predict, the one whose magnitude we caused, and the trash that the wave pushed in. I think back to picking myself up, closing the outer doors, and opening the inner ones. Then looking at the trash and seeing within the heaps of junk our civilization regularly produces, something that had drifted from far away, a small strip of metal twisted into a wave-like shape. A wave brought by a wave. I knew, and still know, that it had to mean something. I grabbed it and stuffed it into one of the pockets of my multipurpose citizen utility belt. It s protected me from the waves ever since; well, that s INSIDE THIS ISSUE Waves...2 The Other World.3-5 WRITERS Siena Carpenter Anaya Clark Teacher Sponsor: Ms. Vasquez

2 WAVES - SIENA CARPENTER what I like to think anyway. It s been my charm of sorts. I give it one last squeeze for luck, put it back in my belt s pocket, then walk over to my sister. She s still shaking. I sit down beside her. It will be all right, I whisper, but both of us know that s not true; the amount of daily background energy we dump into the universe has tripled in the last decade, and the other colonies have given reports about sonic wave barrages that could rip apart a bunker of this model, like the plastic-foil wrappers on the emergency food rations we ve been eating. I lean back against the wall and my sister grabs my hand, then clutches it. Stonna, relax, we ll get through this together, I promise. And if we don t? I lean back against the wall and my sister grabs my hand, then clutches it. ABOUT THE WRITER SIENA CARPENTER Sixth grade student, Siena Carpenter, enjoys writing short stories and poetry in her spare time. In addition to her interest in writing, she enjoys reading, swimming and being with her friends. WAVES - CONTINUED We think on that for awhile. An alarm goes off, signaling that a sonic wave storm is near. I listen for the beeps. The emergency shelter staff tells us that the more beeps there are the stronger the waves will be, and that the longer the beeps are, the longer the barrage will last. The first beep lasts a minute. I close my eyes and can almost see our likelihood of survival going down. Then the beep is followed by seventeen others just like it. Seventeen. Stonna hears it too. This isn t how I wanted to die, she sobs. I know. I don t want to die here either, but we have to remember that this isn t the end, our souls will go to a place of rest and our bodies, the molecules that make up everything we are, will be dispersed and used to create new life, in millions of other places. We have to remember that, so that our last moments bring serenity to our being. I don t know where the words came from. I just said them, but I know they re true. Maybe it s just my imagination, but I feel the charm grow a little bit warmer where the belt pocket presses against my skin. I smile a bittersweet smile, as Stonna and I wait for the waves, the monster of our own people s creation to take us into our next lives. 2

3 ABOUT THE WRITER ANAYA CLARK Sixth grade student, Anaya Clark, loves to write (fiction or fantasy). In addition, she has a passion for art (painting and drawing). The Other World BY ANAYA CLARK I sat on my windowsill, enjoying the silence as I stared at the starry night sky whilst my older sister, Scarlet tapped away at her phone screen. I turned my head and looked over my shoulder to take a peek at what Scarlet was doing, but I couldn't see on account of the way my body was turned. Scarlet stopped looking at her phone, looked up at me, and let out a tiny smile, then turned back to her phone. I smiled back and resumed observing the sky. A while later, Scarlet set her phone down on her desk, then sat cross-legged on her bed and rested her head in her hands. ''What's wrong?'' I ask, twisting my body to look at my sister. ''Not much. I'm just bored.'' Scarlet replied, seeming way sadder than usual. I scan the room to find something to do, then the television caught my eye. ''We should watch a movie!'' I suggested, flinging myself off of the windowsill, onto the floor, and landing on my bottom. Scarlet giggled and picked me up off of the ground, as I blushed sheepishly. ''That's a good idea. I'll get snacks. Who's picking the movie?'' We sat in silence for a while, contemplating in our heads. I then snapped back to reality and responded, 'Ill pick it, since you take too long. And you'll surely pick something stupid!'' Scarlet laughed and pushed me slightly. As Scarlet walked off to the kitchen, I slid a DVD into the sleek, black, DVD player on the T.V. stand. I grabbed the remote and clicked the television on as Scarlet dumped some snacks on her bed and cleared a place for me to sit next to her. I pressed play on the remote, and ate some snacks as the movie played. The movie was about a girl who gets sent to another world and it's up to someone else to save her. I shuddered at the thought of that happening to me. 3

4 By the middle of the movie, my eyes were heavy. It felt like weights pulling at my eyelids. Not long after, I dozed off in Scarlet s lap. Scarlet looked down at me and giggled, then carried me to my bed and tucked me in. Goodnight, sis, Scarlet crooned. Goodnight I whispered, then drifted peacefully to sleep. Girls, time to wake up. I have a surprise for you two after breakfast! Mom shouted from the kitchen. Surprise? My head sprang off of my pillow in excitement, with a wide smile on my face. I dashed to the kitchen where my mom was making breakfast. Where s the surprise? I asked excitedly, my head jutting this way and that, waiting for something to happen. I said after breakfast, missy. Now go wake your sister. Maybe your enthusiasm will wake her up. A rising tide lifts all boats, you. I nodded quickly as I ran off to me and my sister s bedroom, my bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor in the corridor. After a few minutes of screaming and smacking Scarlet with a pillow. Scarlet finally came stomping down the hall in her shorts and bathrobe. I stifled a laugh as I observed her wardrobe and hair. I thought I saw mom laugh as Scarlet glared at us with the meanest look she could give us under tired eyes. Mom walked over to us at the table and set our plates down in front of us. I looked hungrily at the flapjacks, eggs, and grits mom piled on our plates. Be careful, it s a little hot. I don t want to have to take you to the hospital for a burned tongue, April. Okay, I replied, already stuffing my face full of eggs and grits. I wanted to finish breakfast quickly so I We, could get our surprise. Mom set down a beautifully decorated box with paw prints and hearts. There were small holes poked into the sides of the box. I tried to peek inside; then the box started to shake. Scarlet and I jumped back. Open it; it won t bite...maybe, Mom joked. I turned and glared at her as I jumped from my chair to open the box. I motioned for Scarlet to come open it with me. She came down on the floor, cross-legged. I held my breath and tore back the flaps of the box. Suddenly, a brown blob knocked into me and I found myself on my back with a wet face. I eyed chocolate Labrador I have ever seen. A mile-wide smile spread across my face as I jumped up and ran to hug mom. "It's a puppy! It's A puppy! I have a dog!" I cried, jumping up and down. I calmed myself down and kneeled got up, blinking, trying to put together what was going on. I then gaze downwards at the most stunning, green down in front of the dog and it rested its head in my lap. 4

5 "Well, what are you going to name him?'' Mom asked. I sat in silence for a few seconds and said, 'Smith. I'll name him Smith.'' and grinned. Come here, boy! I beckoned for Smith to come to me. He trotted over and rested his head in my lap. He gazed up at me with his lime-green eyes and smiled. I smiled back, and scratched behind his head. Scarlet had came outside in a turquoise tank top and blue sweatpants. She looked over in my direction and grinned. I arose from the soft patch of grass I was sitting on and dusted off my skirt, and went to hug her. Going to the mall today? No, but I can hop on my motorcycle and get you a snack or something, if you d like. Or maybe get you a pizza. Or a doughnut. Or I tapped her shoulder to cut her off. It s okay, really. I beckon her over to a flower patch. I found some chrysanthemums and daisies, and morning glories I think. We glance over at the vivid, colorful assortment of flowers near the oak wood forest Hey, why don t we surprise mom and make her a bouquet? Great idea! I call to her, already at the flower patch. Scarlet shook her head and smirked, then kneeled over next to me to help pick half done picking flowers when I saw a shiny layer of whaflowers. this Scarlet came over and looked at what seemed like a portal to another dimension. All I remember was blacking out; then, I was gone... We were half done picking flowers when I saw a shiny layer of what seemed like gravel encircled by an assortment of flowers Morning Glories, Chrysanthemums, and Daisies. I cautiously walked over to it, and kneeled over it for a better look, Scar, look at 5

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