Hippie the Hippo

Though it was a fine day, it seemed like the end for Hippie, a lone River Hippo lost deep in the heart of Africa.  A lion had carried her away months ago and she could not find the way back to her pod.  It was nearing dusk, so Hippie figured she should get out of the water soon.

  She was just about to  climb out and eat that appetizing grass she had been keeping her eyes on for sooooo long.  She saw something out of the corner of her eye, looked, and spotted three snow-white swans.

“I didn’t think you would be in the water at this hour,” chided the first swan.

“Yeah!” teased the second, a boy.

  “ Please, don’t listen to them!”  the third one was speaking now.  “They’re  mean and ignorant.”

“No, we aren’t!”  chorused the first and second swans.  They then sped out of sight.

“Good, now they’re gone," sighed Hippie.

“No, that’s their  little trick!” exclaimed the third swan, Melissa.  “Duck under the surface, hurry!”

Hippie ducked underwater and swam downstream, following Melissa.  Finally, she lunged out of the water, gasping for breath.

“Wow, you stayed underwater for six whole minutes!” exclaimed Melissa.

  “Thanks.”

“Hey, where are we going?” asked Melissa.

Hippie told the story from beginning to end, the lion carrying her away such a long time ago and everything from there to where she was right now, in the middle of a strange, mysterious place in “Everlasting” Africa.

  “Oh, maybe I can help you find your way back to  your pod,” inquired Melissa.

“Well…first of all, my tummy is becoming enraged with me!” said Hippie, climbing up out of the water.

“What’s your name?” asked Melissa.

“Hippie.”

“Nice name.”

“Thanks.”

The two, River Hippopotamus and Swan, talked for a while and then headed back to swimming.

“Where did you live?” Melissa asked, eagerly.

  Soon, after 95 tiring miles, they were sweating and panting.

“This is arduous!  Never get lost again, Hippie!”

“I’ll try not to.  How many more miles now?”

“26,” replied Melissa bluntly.

  “We can do this!” exclaimed Hippie.

  The two of them started speed swimming and instead of traveling 121 entire miles, they traveled even farther, adding up to around 172 miles.

  “We’ve traveled 172 miles, more than our goal!” shouted Hippie.

“Celebrate!” Melissa yelled.

  “The only problem is, where will we stay the night out here in this deserted place?” asked Hippie.

“Lodging,” read Melissa from her I-pod touch, “The Horned Moose, na, odd name and bad reviews, Hilton, we can stay there!”

  They swam through a small, cozy town, Hippie spotted the Hilton Garden Inn, checked in and walked to room 207.  They swung open the door and Hippie immediately launched herself onto the comfy sofa.

“North of the Big Dipper.”

“Well, according to my amazing I-pod touch, the Big Dipper is way ahead, about three-hundred miles,” stated Melissa.

“That’s really encouraging,” grumbled Hippie.

  The two were getting tired, so  they camped under a large rock.

“Where are we?” asked Hippie.

“Good, we’ve traveled sixty miles so far!” exclaimed Melissa.      

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Chestnut Hill Times

Through the Eyes of a Bird –Bella Dortch

     In 1852, a boy made out of coral and ivory a bird.  This bird saw many family generations spanning numerous years.  It watched, with its scarlet coral eyes, the making of a clipper ship.  It saw the fish swimming by as it plunged in the ocean.  It was treated kindly in times, poorly in others.  It guarded a gliding ship through the sea.   This bird was given the name Seabird.  

     For a limited time, Seabird will be on display at the Harvard Museum of Science and Art.   Tickets will be available from Dec. 1^st thru the 30^th from 9am-5pm.  Refreshments will be served at this family event.

Saving Precious Aboriginal Objects –Bella Dortch

In 1982, two girls named Amy and Lana rescued some ancient Aboriginal objects from falling into the hands of Ricky, the manager of a small store in Alice Springs, Australia.  This is how it happened:  The girls were camping near a water hole with some friends and a relative when they heard a scream.  A young boy named Eddie emerged from the bushes beside the water hole.  He stated in a shaky voice that he had spotted a kadaitcha.  “We can’t take any chances,” a kind lady named Barbara stated.  “Kadaitchas are very dangerous.”  “I’ll hike up there just to take a quick glance,” said Amy’s aunt, Caroline.  Before any of this happened, Lana’s grandma had chanted in her dream,” Someone will die.”  Barbara and Caroline quarreled for a bit, but Caroline won her way.  Amy and Lana watched as the rays from Caroline’s flashlight disappeared.  “I have got to go with her!” Amy shouted.  She jerked her hand away from Lana’s and started up the cliff.  Lana ran after her and joined her.  After walking for a while, the two spotted a light.  “It could be Caroline’s light!” exclaimed Amy.  Then she felt something touch her ear.  She darted ahead of Lana, hearing voices.  Amy covered her ears.  All of a sudden, Lana’s voice invaded her thoughts.  Amy jolted up.  Then she heard a rock.  “Caroline!” she thought. They crawled forward and saw Ricky.  He placed something inside a backpack beside him.  Then a noise cut the darkness. The two girls ran and ran until Amy tripped.  “What do we have here?” Ricky appeared and snarled.   “Get out of here.”  “Pick on someone your own size,” said Caroline, who had stepped out of the darkness while Ricky was talking.  “You were stealing sacred Aboriginal objects.  Leave.”  “Stand over there,” Ricky commanded Lana.  He pulled out a gun and fired it.  Amy tells us that she did not know how long her eyes were closed, but it was not a day.  She finally opened her eyes and saw Caroline, leaning against her.  Lana and Barbara were there, also.  Barbara gave Lana the keys and the two girls drove to many places before they thought of the clinic.  They headed inside the clinic and grabbed the emergency box and drove with it to where Caroline was.  After hooking it up to her, they loaded her into the car and took her to the hospital the next morning.

The Aboriginal objects were saved and Ricky was found out of town by the Police.  Peace was restored to Alice Springs, which everybody enjoyed, and Caroline was taken straight to the hospital, and eventually became better.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Dear Editor,

As a witness on the ship leaving the Island of the Blue Dolphins, I was displeased to hear the mates commanding Karana that she could not save her brother.  That is not just being a bad example, it is inhumane.

Being discoursed to help someone is possibly one of the meanest actions.  Nobody wants to have to leave behind a relative.  Even the toughest people don’t want to break the ties of family.

Therefore, I command that there should be a timer placed on that island that will sound when the boat is about to leave to insure that no one is left behind.

A Beast Book

I walked to the Bookstore one day, And found a deep red book.  So I picked it up, And undialed it’s lock.  Out from that cover appeared one of the scariest things, Fangs, And this beast book chased me….

And I’ll tell you the truth, why I stopped writing there.  Because I’m in the stomach of……………………………………………. THE EVIL BEASTIVORE!

Trick

September Fool’s Day

   Who says you have to employ your trick on April Fool’s Day? I performed mine in September.  The story I am about to tell you is of the best trick I ever played on April Fool’s.

    My family and I were on a trip to the North-East and were staying at a grand hotel in New Hampshire with a water park.  Our dad said we could swim in it, so I was dressing in my swimsuit when I had a hilarious idea.  I didn’t want to take the time to climb out of my boots, so I removed my jeans and boots at the same time.  Studying them, I noticed that it looked like I was still in them.  I took the prop and stuck it under the queen bed my mom and dad were to sleep on that night.  Then I raced into the bathroom and shouted, “Eeewwww, there is a piece of gum under here!”  I had to shout it two more times before my family heard me.  They really thought I was under there!  My dad said, “Bella, we tell you never to go under hotel beds!  You don’t know what is under them!”

  When we reached the water park, I declared it awesome.  It had four water slides, two for younger kids, and they were all open-aired except one.  It took lots of courage for me to slide down it, but I sang away my fear of getting trapped in each time.  Also, there was a harsh turn on that slide that I prepared for, but it always took me by surprise.  The only sad thing about the water park was that kids weren’t allowed in the hot tub.  Most of my family thought that seemed weird, for “Live free or die” was New Hampshire’s State slogan.                                                                                                                      

    Later, before my bedtime, my mom said the first thought that came to her head when I performed my trick was, “Is she really under there?”

    I stayed up thinking about what scheme I would perform next April Fool’s Day.  Then I thought of my sister’s chocolate Maya waste stunt performed earlier in the year.   Reassuring myself that mine would be even better than her’s next year, I fell asleep.

Paraphrased

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” Matthew 9:37.

Some do not understand this biblical saying in depth, they think of it literally.  It does not mean, “Hey, my harvest is plentiful but hardly anybody works for me.”  You have to think Submarine, not Hovercraft, you have to think in depth.

Its paraphrase is, “Everyone can believe, but not many choose to.”  In Matthew 9:37, the word harvest means God’s word.  Well, what is God’s word?  Believing, acknowledging, discovering and applying the biblical word to your life.  (Study Bibles and Parallel Bibles are great for this)  The workers symbolize us.  Sheep, goats, guinea pigs Etc. 

     Have you ever heard the story of the Lost Sheep?  Once there was a shepherd who owned 100 sheep.  One disappeared, driving the shepherd to leave the 99 and search for the 1 lost sheep.  He found it and returned it to the rest of the sheep.

  That lost sheep represents us and the shepherd is God.  He loves all of us, just like the shepherd loved the lost sheep and the flock.  God wants all of us to do holy work in His field, harvesting the word (Grain) and giving it freely to whoever wants it.

  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7-8.

Envy

Envy’s brown eyes are full of jealousy,

As I swiftly walk into my room.

His small, thin body has never known love,

His pursed lips never felt a kiss.

All of him seems to abominate me,

Including his hazelnut hair.

I command him to leave,

He does unwillingly.

Never to come back again.

Molly the Amazing

  A rat lay slumbering in the forest underbrush.  Twas a shy rat, who never wandered far from the place she called home.  Fear dwelled in her, causing her to be lonely and friendless.  

  Her home was narrow and moist, blanketed with layers of pine needles.  Her mobile bed had been placed near the back of a stone crevice.

  This rat lived in an inconspicuous cracked boulder in an un-occupied part of Colorado.  Because of the cold climate, this rat would block the entryway to her home with wet, balled up leaves.  This kept the cold draft out.

  On a cold December day, the rat, named Molly, was foraging for provisions when she heard WHOOSH WHOOSH.  Molly thought she recognized that sound, but kept scavenging.

  Then she recognized the rush of air.  She had heard it when her mother had been murdered by a white and brown flying monster with a heart-shaped face.

  She was almost upon a bag of bread crumbs when WHOOSH, she saw a shadow and heard talons or claws frightfully extending.  Molly fled, past her bread crumbs and into a land she had never witnessed.

  The unknown flying creature lost altitude and screeched Molly to a halt.  She looked into its dark, never-ending black eyes that were thoroughly searching her.  She cowered while he began his bombastic speech.  He elucidated that he had been very hungry and the first sign of food was Molly.  But then he deduced that she was still young and had philanthropy on her, sparing her life.

  Then, the owl articulated that Molly was the first rat ever to have made chums with an owl.  Of course, that made Molly giddy with joy and excited to have acquired her first friend.

  To this day, Molly and Strike, the owl, are pals.  They shall be until upon their death.