Conflict Types

Person vs. Nature
Coyote stood, absorbed in his memories about the storm.  He wished that he could erase them from his mind.  Why did that tornado have to come anyway?  And why to his desert, of all of them in the Grand Canyon state?  Before, the food was prosperous: Elf owls , jackrabbits and snakes.  But now, all that was left were plants.  How long had it been since he'd had fresh meat?  Months, now.  He couldn't live like this forever.  Could the desert be restored to its primer form?
Person vs. Self
Ella wasn't sure what she wanted her fate to be.  Choose the million dollars, and live an easy, laid-back lifestyle.  She could buy a mansion!  Or forget the treasure and try to find her great great great great Grandma, Hera.  Supposedly, a lion at a zoo had eaten her alive.  Most believed the story, but that just didn't seem very likely to Ella.  A part of her wanted to follow her sisters and brothers, but that meant choosing the million dollars, and Ella didn't think that she could travel often if she had such a large sum of money with her.  So she also felt a strong tug inside her, urging her to be different, and find Hera.  Which seemed a wiser choice?
Person vs. Person
My nemesis is Sarah Grounds.  Every day when I arrive at school, there's always something on my chair: Bubblegum, tacks, a Black Widow spider.  I can't keep track of how many times I have politely asked her to stop.  She's always disliked me from the first day I came to school.  The teacher announced, "This is Meggie Hughs.  She moved here from Whistler, Canada.  It's a very beautiful location.  There was a chorus of ooh's and aah's.  Then Sarah  said that if it was beautiful, how come an ugly person like me came from there.  She didn't even go to the principles.  Sarah's outrageous!  I'll never be able to forgive her!

Keeper

Keeper is an exceptionally well-written book by Kathi Appelt.  Keeper, a keen girl with a sense of adventure, wants to find her mermaid mom, Meggie Marie.  Because she has mermaid blood in her veins, Keeper has an incident on Blue Moon day.  Every year, Signe, Keeper’s caretaker, makes Blue Moon Crab gumbo.  But while sitting in the kitchen next to the tub of crabs, they send Keeper a message: Help me.

  While Signe is running an errand, Keeper gives in, and rescues the crabs.  She breaks Mr. Beauchamp’s night-blooming cyrus.  Keeper thinks that everyone will not forgive her.  So, in the middle of the dark Texas night, Keeper sails away in a little, pond-worthy boat, to find her mom.  She drifts past the old sandbar, De Vaca’s Rock, and is whisked out to the Gulf of Mexico. Will she find her mom in this cold, vicious ocean? 

Keeper really is that under-the-covers fantasy book.  If you would like to find out the rest of the story, then Keeper is a perfect book for you.  

 

-Bella D.

Epic: An interview with Sir. John Shire

  John is a knight from King Arthur’s army.  He was given a high position due to his strength and loyalty to the King.  When we asked Arthur which of his knights he would like us to interview, he chose John above all 300 leagues.

When did you begin training as a knight, John?

  “When I was 7, I became a page.  I joined Daniel the II and was adopted as part of his household, and he trained me well.  I handled small weapons like knives, and practiced with them.  “Come hither!  I bid you, after 9 long years of being a page, would you like upgrade to a squire?”  Daniel questioned me one day.  “Hence?” I asked.  “In one week.  What say you?”  Daniel inquired.  “Tis most splendid!” I exclaimed.  My years as a squire taught me well.  Soon, I twas of age, and was dubbed a knight.”

What was your ceremony like?

“King Arthur gave me armor, which can weigh up to 100lbs, gilt spurs, and a heavy sword.  He tapped me lightly on each shoulder with his sword, called an accolade, and said, “I dub you knight.”

  When asked about his family, John answered, “My sister was a poppet.  When I became a squire, she was yet 8.  She was most beauteous.  My mother was Arabella Shire, and father was Sir. Montagu Shire.”

Do you own any horses?

“Aye, verily it is so.  A goodly length in times past, I bought a bay stallion Courser named Antagnia.  Now, that was a while ago, and he passed away.  Instead, I purchased a brown stallion Palfrey and white Destrier, by the names Ultrie and Phantom.  His Majesty gave me a gray mare Courser, Spurs.  Later on, I bought a black stallion Rouncy called France.”

How much are you paid for your diligent work?

“2 to 4 shillings a day.  On days when I excel, I am paid more.”

Lastly, John, what is the Code of Chivalry?

“A knight’s code of behavior.  It means to stay loyal to the King, and protect women and children.

“I will see you anon!”

John Shire is now with his beloved King, preparing for war.  He is to ride his Palfrey, Ultrie.

-Bella D.  2012-01-13

13 Silhouette St.

13 Silhouette St.

Part 1

Brittany Lupus lived on this street in a large, most of the time plain, house. But today it wasn’t quaint.  It was ominous, for today was Halloween.  Brittany was in her room, pulling on her costume.  This year, Brittany was a Barn Owl.  She was wearing a long, itchy, fancy white speckled dress with a mask to match.  It had white tissue paper shaped in a heart for the center, but the rim was lined with light brown.

Brittany’s mom passed her the candy bucket, and she fled out the door, joining up with her two best friends, Hannah Forte and Kevin Bellum.  Standing next to him was his little brother, Aidan Bellum.  “Where’s Alex Forte?”  Brittany asked.  “Oh, he’s inside, getting into his costume.  You’ll LOVE it!”  Hannah exclaimed.

“Brittany, wait up!”  called Brittany’s sister, Alisha.   “Oh, hi guys!  I’m a black cat.  Kevin, where’s Grace?”  “Inside.  She’s a dancer.”

“Let’s get going!”  Said Alex, dressed up like Harry Potter.  All the children raced down the street, not missing one house.  When they had visited all the houses, Brittany stated, “If we cut through the forest in your backyard, Kevin, I think we could save loads of time.”  “Yeah, let’s do that!  We could get more candy, faster!” said Kevin excitedly.

Everyone seemed to be up for the plan, so they walked, with their bags full of candy, all the way up to the edge of the forest.  “Wow, its dark in there!” Aidan said, shaking.  “Come oooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn!  Let’s go!” Brittany boldly said, but she wouldn’t be courageous for long.  As they tromped inside, Brittany, Alisha and Kevin began to hear voices.  “So, how long till this forest begins…Oh, I mean ends?”  Alisha fearfully inquired.  “I’m beginning to get cold…Brrrrrrrrr!”  “I hear voices, Brittany,” Kevin said.  “You guys all told me NOT to be scared and now you are!” Aidan stated, and everyone understood what he meant.

“Come on, scaredy-cats, it’s not scareeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!  Run!” Alex Forte screamed.  A ghost had brushed his cheek. “Look!  Werewolves!”  Hannah yelled.  Thirteen Werewolves, fangs bared, encircled the group.  Kevin pulled out his sharp pocket knife and heroically stabbed the largest of them, but he only aggravated it.  Alisha attempted to run out of the forest, but she tripped on a root and fell.  A burly Werewolf came up to her and bit her.  Brittany and Kevin hurled themselves upon it and beat it up.  Soon, it had enough and ran away, calling the others over.

“I’ve had enough of these tricks!  I just want to go back home!” Aidan said.  “Well then, let’s leave; we can go to my house and rest.” A worn out Brittany said.  So they streaked through the forest like a dart, and didn’t stop until they saw Grace Bellum.  “Alisha looks sick.  Is she ok?”  Grace asked, worried.  “Oh, yes!  Alisha received a bite from a Werewolf.  I think she’ll be fine, though she might only turn into a Werewolf on full moons,” stated Brittany.  “Let’s go inside.  Grace, you can come in.”

As the children reached the front door, a girl said hi to them.  “Lily!  Hhhow arrre youuu?” Hannah stuttered, still shocked.  “I’m just great!  Brittany, Miss Lupus is so kind; she gave me five pieces of candy, see?”  Lily held up five Dum Dums.  “Come inside, Lily.  You don’t have to, but it would be fun,” said Brittany sweetly.  “I would love to come!”

Once the group came inside, Brittany led them upstairs to her room.  Kevin Bellum flung himself upon her bed, and sat there, panting.  “Hey, I like your room!” Lily exclaimed.  “Mine is so…boring.”  “Is it ok if I check out your closet, Brittany?” Alex Forte inquired.  “Sure, but it’s not amazing.”  Alex stepped inside, and closed the sliding door.  “It’s so small comp…” Alex stated, but nobody understood his last few words, because they were fading away.  Aidan shoved the door aside, and asked, “Where is he?”  Behind him, Hannah shrieked.  Alisha strode over, weak from her experience with the Werewolves.  “He really isn’t there!”  she said mutedly.  “This is the worst Halloween ever!” Hannah cried, about to fall apart.

Part 2

A few days later…

Brittany tossed and turned in her bed.  Visions of ghosts flashed through her mind.  She forced herself to wake up, thinking that otherwise she would do nothing but sleep the entire day.  It was a Saturday, and Brittany couldn’t wait to play outside with her friends. She got ready quickly, (by now everyone was already awake) dashed down the steps, ate a bowl of Cheerios, and skipped out the door.  (By now everyone was already awake)

“Hey, Brittany, maybe we could have a lemonade and snack stand.  It’s hot enough!” Aidan suggested, eyes swelling with excitement.  Mr. Bellum considered that a good idea, and brought out all the necessary supplies, including Gatorade.  “You don’t need to sell any snacks,” Mr. Bellum firmly stated, to Aidan’s disappointment.  Five minutes in, and the two had already sold three cups!  Then Kevin Bellum and Alisha came out and offered to help.

That was when Nick Avoco set up a lemonade and CANDY stand.  Then it became a competition to see who could make the most money.  Nick kept coming over and saying that his stand was better, and that he was going to make more money.  His attitude was all over the place.  Then Brittany left to get a sip of water.  When she came back, all of their money was gone!  Brittany asked Kevin if anyone had stolen it, but they said no!  This must have been by the same creatures that captured Alex.

“Kevin, let’s leave to search the forest,” Brittany seriously said.  “Yeah.”  Brittany ran back to her house and grabbed a huge bug catcher.  She walked up to the forest’s edge and trudged on.

“What are we looking for anyway?” Kevin asked.  “The money, Alex Forte, and the creatures,” Brittany stated.  They had merely been walking for ten minutes when Kevin whispered to Brittany that there was something invisible and lightweight on his shoulder.  “Stand still.  I’ll swipe it right off your shoulder.”  Brittany gracefully caught the creature inside the bug catcher and placed a metal divider inside the catcher, so that they could catch more monsters.  “I will give it some plum bits.  I brought some in my pocket,” Kevin said happily, “We caught one!”  “Just feed it the plum.  Now!” Brittany mumbled through her teeth.  Kevin fed the plum in through the hole, and they waited.  After ten minutes, Brittany protested, “I think you were imagining something on your shoulder.  This is ridiculous.  I’m leaving this place!”

Once at her home, Brittany formed a list:
1. Form a hypothosis.

2. Ask the neighbors.

3. Find some proof.

4. Search the house.

5. Do NOT give up!  

Part 3

“Hey, that guy’s creepy!  I’ve never seen him before!” stated Kevin.  A tall black-haired man with green eyes had just strolled by the house.  He was wearing a top hat, what he does every day.  “Nobody wears top hats anymore, they are outdated!” Kevin argued.  “Kevin, have you seen the new family that just moved in down the street?  Maybe they have something to do with this.”

Just a few moments later, the two were walking down the street to the new family’s house.  Brittany rang the doorbell.  A boy about her age stepped out.  “Hi, I’m Dan.  Hey, I know you!  You’re Kevin and you’re Brittany.”  “Dan, it’s great to meet you!  We were wondering if you could, uh, come outside and, er, play?” Brittany said.  “Yeah, sure!”

“Dan, have you been playing tricks on us?”  Brittany inquired.

“No.”

“Did you sneak into my house?”

“Brittany, of course I didn’t.  I don’t even know where you live!”

“Well, ok.  Kevin, I’ll stay here while you gather some other witnesses.  Hurry!”

Soon, Kevin had gathered no less than twenty people.  “Who’s that girl?” Brittany whispered to Kevin.  “Oh, I’m Maxi.  I don’t play outside often.  My dad is Fred Heatherwell, a lawyer; he likes top hats.”  “Oh, him.  Brittany and I saw him earlier today,” Kevin stated, not saying what he thought.  Brittany began questioning Mrs. Forte, Lily’s mother.

“Have you been in the forest recently?”

“No, Brittany, but I have seen some odd activity.”

Well tell us.   We trust you.  You helped us with the Mystery of the lost Kevin.

“Well, uuuuuhhhh, there was a…there has been some odd activity nearrrrrr theeeee forest!  I saw some, eeerrrr, kids, no, monsters with hundreds of arms and whole fields offffff… man eating dragonflies!” At this point, Brittany looked over and saw Kevin.  “You are supposed to take notes,” she said.  “That night, I went to bed and- yes, that’s a great idea- a ghost floated in through my window, aaannnnndddd…

“Miss Forte, just tell us the truth!” Kevin interrupted.

“Ok, the truth is that I never saw anything, and I only said that because I didn’t want you thinking it was me!” Miss Forte exclaimed.

“We would never think that about you.  You are always innocent,” Brittany said, shocked.

The children continued to search, but there were no witnesses.  “This is hopeless,” Brittany cried.

Part 4

Brittany sulked on her bed.  How could they ever find Alex? She walked over to her closet, and went inside.  Maybe there was a door that opened into the wall, and someone had pulled Alex through it.  If there was one, it must be well hidden.  Brittany felt around on all the walls and the floor.  There wasn’t one.  Suddenly, a door in the ceiling swung open. “Aha!” Brittany launched herself up onto the metal shelf, hoping that it would support her weight.  She then slithered in, and closed the door.

There was an abrupt left turn down a hallway that was dimly lit.  Brittany crawled on her hands and knees, noting the dust and strange noises.  Suddenly, the floor turned downward.  Brittany stared at a large spiraling slide, crept onto it, and let herself go.  It seemed that the slide never ended!  Finally, her feet hit the floor with a squish.  There was mud everywhere!  It was layered so thickly that Brittany’s feet couldn’t even touch solid ground.  Here, the ceiling was higher, so Brittany did not have to crawl.  She slowly made her way through the oozy mud.  Soon, Brittany approached a door. She cautiously opened it, and stepped out.  She was in a cave, and rubies were everywhere.  There was a large window ahead of her, and she peered out of it.  It showed a steep cliff.  The window swung open, leading to a flimsy deck.  Brittany stepped out upon it, enjoying the fresh air.  She leaned against the railing, and it completely fell off! Brittany screamed for help.  Not far down the cliff, Brittany noticed a small rope next to her.  She grabbed it and was hoisted up.

Part 5

“Alisha!  Kevin!  How did you get down here?!”

“We followed you,” Alisha said, “I went inside and got a drink.  I heard you going into your closet, so I peeked inside.  When I saw a secret door, I got Kevin immediately.”  “Alisha, Kevin, I came in here looking for Alex.  Have you seen him?”  “No,” Alisha and Kevin said in unison.

“Guys, it’s getting dark.  We should get back home, and search for him tomorrow,” Kevin implied.  Kevin led the team away from the cliff, and back to the neighborhood.

Before she opened the door, Brittany found a disturbing note on the doorknob.  It read:

Damnavi Alexus.  Eris necatum, Appiaria.

Brittany tore it off, unaware for she did not know its meaning.  She got ready for bed, and fell asleep dreaming about the note.

Brittany awoke to a heavy thunderstorm.  Lightning flashed, cutting through the regular stillness of the night.  She got up, and strolled over to her window.  She saw a shadowy figure sitting on the sidewalk.  Brittany couldn’t resist investigating, so she slipped on her rain boots and coat.  She shivered in the cold, wet presence of the outside.  Brittany crept towards the person, to catch her by surprise.  “Who are you?” Brittany sternly demanded.  “It’s Maxi.”  Said a high pitched voice.  “Bye-bye!”  Brittany’s vision went black.

Part 6: The crux of the matter

Someone was shaking Brittany.  She opened her eyes to discover that everyone was staring at her.  “Are you ok?” Lily questioned.  Brittany nodded, and got to her knees shakily.  She was ravenous!  “Guys, my watch says that it’s 10:24am.  I’m gonna go eat,” Brittany said.

After her late breakfast, Brittany was outside again, but of course she had changed clothes and brushed her teeth.  “This is it.  The big catastrophe is ending NOW!  We have to find Alex!  He could be starving out there in the forest or something!  By the way, Maxi was the one who knocked me out.  She is pure EVIL!  Maxi has to do with this, I’m sure,” Brittany said, sternly.

The detectives made their way to the cliff.  “He’s probably hidden deep in the cliff,” Brittany thought out loud.  Brittany tied a rope around her body like a harness, and handed the other end to her friends.  She slowly crept down the sheer rock.  At the base of the cliff, she started scaling back up.  No, Alex had not been seen. Brittany was about to search another spot when she remembered the note.  “I forgot to tell you, but this note was taped to my door yesterday.  Hannah, I need you to help me decipher it.”

Brittany turned on her computer and looked up codes.  Maybe the code was written in Spanish.  Nope… maybe Greek...  no, it wasn’t written in Greek.  Finally, Brittany found a Latin translator.  She typed:

Damnavi Alexus.  Eris necatum, Appiaria.

“Oh my!” Brittany inhaled.  It was translated as: I punished Alex.  You will be killed, Brittany.  “Hannah, let’s run!”

Once back with her friends, Brittany told them about the note, and explained that maybe the criminal had released Alex.  “But I still think we should search for him,” she stated.

So they spread out.  Hannah and Kevin were together, Aidan and Lily were on a team, (to Lily’s disappointment) and Brittany and Alisha would search with each other.

Afterwards, all the teams were supposed to meet in the cul-de-sac. But when team 1, Hannah and Kevin, did not, Brittany returned to them.

Together again, Brittany peered down into a capacious hole.  “We were digging when our shovels hit something hollow.  I dusted away all the dirt and saw a door.  We pried it open, and there was Alex, gagged,” Kevin said.  Brittany still spotted Alex, looking up at them.   She jumped into the hole, and tore off his gag.  “Who did this to you?” She said, worry flooding her voice.  Alex replied, “It was Maxi, Dan, and a tall black-haired man. Last week, when I was in your closet, Brittany, someone grabbed me by my arm and pulled me into the ceiling.”  When Alex stopped, he pointed to the little dents on his arm. “I was dragged through a tunnel, and pushed down a slide. Then, I heard a female’s voice urging me to “Get a move on it!”  I was shoved into a room with extremely high ceilings.  My captor opened a door that led to this shabby hut.  I walked inside and turned around to see who was doing this to me.  When I saw Dan, Maxi and that man, Dan hit me upside the head and gagged me.”

Brittany rushed to Maxi’s house, and rang the doorbell.  To her greatest surprise, both Maxi and Dan answered.  “You two are criminals, and so is your dad, Maxi!”  Brittany smirked at them, and pulled out her phone, dialing the police.

Minutes later, the police arrived on the scene.  He interviewed them, then handcuffed the trio and put them in the back seat.  “You know, these three have committed other crimes.  We have a reward out for them.  I’ll give you eight hundred dollars for ‘em,” the kind police man stated.  He gave her eight hundred dollars, just enough for everyone on the team each to get one hundred dollars!

Before the police man closed the back door, Dan spoke up. “I was that ghost that brushed Alex’s cheek, ya know.  I’m sorry, Brittany.”  “Those werewolves you saw were actually my dogs.  I have so many because my dad breeds dogs, and I secretly stole the money,” Maxi guiltily admitted. “Why does your dad wear a top hat?  I know that’s an odd question,” Brittany asked.  “He keeps a gun up there, and a rat, just to scare people,” Maxi sighed.  “I’m sorry too.  I captured Alex because I didn’t like you.”

Then the police man shut the door, hopped into his car, and drove off.  Brittany sprinted to her friends and gave them each their designated amount of money.

The next morning, Brittany went to fetch the newspaper. She deeply inhaled, discovering that  on the front page was an Ipad 2 advertisement, and an article titled NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN SAVE THE DAY!

Beneath it was a photo of the young detectives.  Brittany smiled.

-Bella Dortch

 2011-11-15

   

13 Silhouette St. 

Bella Laney Dortch

Rabbit

The rabbit bounds about the lawn.

She nibbles at clover here and there.

Slowly making her way back to her babies.

They embrace each-other in their hole,

Hippity-hoppity

Hoppity-hippity

Hippity

Hippity

Hop.

Momma comes back home to her children.

Their bulging eyes are wide open.

Little bodies shiver and shake.

Yet the furry brown monsters know when mom is near,

Hippity-hoppity

Hoppity-hippity

Hippity

Hippity

Hop.

Mom is winded but children are content.

She brings them out to run around.

With a leap their small legs start.

These petite creatures are full of energy,

Hippity-hoppity

Hoppity-hippity

Hippity

Hippity

Hop.

The rabbit is made to please.

Every Easter it comes to delight children.

Mamma’s babies are like a living toy to her.

Rabbit’s are beautiful animals of grace,

Hippity-hoppity

Hoppity-hippity

Hippity

Hippity

Hop.

Mom rabbit is pleased with herself.

She has no need to lose weight.

Her children are perfect gifts from heaven,

Hippity-hoppity

Hoppity-hippity

Hippity

Hippity

Hop.

-Bella D.   2011-12-14

Leopard

The sun sinks low in the blood-stained sky.

The scrubby trees silhouette it.

Creeping, waiting for prey,

Pitter-patter

Patter-pitter

Pitter

Pitter

Pat.

The freckled coat ripples in a graceful, yet dangerous way.

The snarl he wears is a keep-away sign.

Those muscular legs are a match for a lion.

He takes great care of his apparel,

Pitter-patter

Patter-pitter

Pitter

Pitter

Pat.

He never runs out of energy.

He can run like the wind.

Once he’s there.

He’s somewhere else,

Pitter-patter

Patter-pitter

Pitter

Pitter

Pat.

A leopard controls the population.

In a month it can go from 50 to 15.

If too many creatures were living they’d overrun the earth.

That is the leopard duty,

Pitter-patter

Patter-pitter

Pitter

Pitter

Pat.

The leopard knows he is handsome.

Those perfect rings on the sandy uniform.

Your fur is wanted for coats everywhere.

The tiger does not compare to you,

Pitter-patter

Patter-pitter

Pitter

Pitter

Pat.

-Bella D. 2011-12-15

Romans 12:15

What is time?  When you look at a clock, you see the time.  There is a time for everything.  There is even a time for things you do not enjoy doing.     

An animal that rejoices when others rejoice and mourns when others mourn is a mockingbird.  Some of their calls are gloomy, others bright and cheery.  Another is a Chameleon; they know when to change their colors.  They aren’t bright orange on a green leaf.  Chameleons know God’s timing.  As do the Saguaro Cacti, only at night do their precious flowers open.  You would never catch a Saguaro Cactus with its flowers open in daylight.

When I look for an example of time in nature, I think of a bear.  Every year, around the same time, the bear settles down to sleep for several months.  This is their instinct.  The sun also knows timing, it knows when to rise and set.  The sun doesn’t rise at 3pm and set at 5am, God created it to rise and set at around the same timeframe each day.

 Do YOU know timing?  Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples didn’t exactly understand timing.  That’s okay, as humans, we naturally aren’t perfect.  Only one being is perfect and this being isn’t on earth, He dwells in the skies.  Only God is perfect.

One way that you know timing is important is how early you learn it.  It is as important as learning how to eat and sleep.  From a young age, you are required to know time.

 A teacher of mine recently read from the book of Ecclesiastes.  Of everything that she could have read, she read about time, showing me the parallel verse to Romans 12:15.  It is:  There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven… –Ecclesiastes 3:1

Listen and wait for God’s timing.  It is always perfect.  If you try to do things alone, nothing turns out good.  The verse below elaborates upon this point.

Luke 3:23 (Notes) NIV

Don’t jump ahead-trust God’s timing.

A Time

Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn.

~Romans 12:15