Shallowford Falls Elementary
Short Story Collection
Copyright © 2013 Writers Tablet
All rights reserved.
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Editor: DonAli Services
ISBN: 9781311992796
DEDICATION
We dedicate this book to Shallowford Falls Elementary, The Foundation of Shallowford Falls, and the wonderful parents who support their children one hundred percent.
Introduction
In a land not so far away, in a city named Marietta, at a place called Shallowford Falls Elementary, were 12 little writers. They were hungry—hungry to learn what it would take to become a published author. And thus their story began.
I am honored that you allowed me to be a part of your child’s literary development. I have been a writing instructor for three years now. My students’ ages range from kindergarten to adults. My background as a published author has given me the experience needed to impart sound academic knowledge to these 12 aspiring authors.
I have absolutely enjoyed working with each of these talented students. I am blown away by their creativity, exuberance, and willingness to complete the necessary work to become a published author. The stories you will read in this collection are imaginative, delightful, terrifying, and thought provoking. I am so proud of their work and their accomplishment thus far. They have a bright future ahead of them.
Warmest wishes,
Terri Whitmire
www.funcreativewriting.com
Table of Contents
Introduction
Shadows
Dark Knight
Horror in Honolulu
Welcome Home
The Lost Whale
The Sorrow of the Dragon
Dark Moon Rising
The Ghost Kill
Trapped in the Sorcerer’s Stone
Locked Up
Mysterious Force
A Message from the Instructor
Shadows
by Payton Crowe
Chapter 1
“Oh, my gosh. Mom, no! I’m not going to some stupid place in Africa. New York is my home. Why should I leave my house for a non-cell-phone-service place like Africa? You can’t make me!”
“Sweetie, it’s just a week. It’s our family vacation time. A little nature couldn’t hurt you. Anyway, you need some time away from New York City,” Mom says, trying to cool me down.
“But, Mom. I can’t leave. My triple sleepover with Jessica and Lilly is tomorrow!” I scream at the top of my lungs.
“Honey-lamb, I already thought of that. I called their moms. Jessica will be coming, too, but she has a dance and won’t be there till Sunday,” my glorious mother said, calming my worries.
“YOU’RE THE BEST EVA! A GIRLS’ NATURE RETREAT IN AFRICA! YAA! Okay, I’ll start packing. Love ya!”
I run to my room as fast as I can. I make a list of things I need, which includes me—AVIANNAH CLARICE SANTIAGO.
Trip List
Blow-up air mattress
McKenna (my stuffed turtle)
Pillow #1 (curfoof-els)
Fuzzy #7 and #2 (blankets)
Makeup
Hair supplies
Clothes
Bedazzled tent
2 gallons of purified water
3 bags of Mac’n’Cheese
Platform heels and flip flops
“O-M-Gizzle, Frizzle!” I scream, waking up my little sister, Natalie. “Ooooh, I almost forgot my mirror.”
I show my mom the list and she tells me to leave everything except my clothes, shoes, and blow-up bed. I have to say goodbye to: my fluffy curfoof-els, McKenna, and last but not least, my bedazzled tent. So let’s get this straight. ALL I’LL HAVE IS AN EMPTY TENT WITH NOTHING IN IT. I need my stuff. I mean, how do you expect me to spend a week in Africa without my make-up?
Chapter 2
“UGH! We haven’t even got there and I’m ready to leave. Plane ride = bad x 1,000. I had to sit next to a woman complaining to her boyfriend about their relationship and how it wasn’t going to work. On the other side were a man and his airsick baby. That little booger ruined my Lawton designer t-shirt! It was my favorite polka-dot shirt. I’m tired and I can tell this week will be a total disaster! The only good thing, and I mean ONLY GOOD THING is Jessica and... Lilly will… be…” I yawn, “there.” Zzzz Zzzz Zzzzz.
“Alex! Wake up!” my older sister Maya yells, right in my face, I might add. “Get up, we’re leaving! Wake up, NOW!”
“Okay, I heard you the first time,” I screech back at her, still half asleep. The plane finally comes to a stop. Maya grabs my things from the overhead compartment and throws them at me. I fall back into my neighbor’s seat. Yes, the one with the barfing baby. And guess what, she barfs AGAIN! So now my shirt is ruined, dead, gone… forever. Well, it’s official; I hate that baby, Africa and my annoying sister.
Chapter 3
Once we are all off the plane, we walk to the place where you rent a “Cabu-I.” I think the word means an old cab that smells like toe fungus with a family of rats living in the trunk. We’re stuffed in the cab like sardines when suddenly we come to a stop.
“Uh Oh. This can’t be good.”
To Be Continued
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Payton Crowe is a ten year old, fifth grader at Shallowford Falls Elementary. She hopes to become a kid or adult author. Some of her many hobbies are piano, art, dance, swimming, and obviously writing. Her writing teacher, Mrs. Terri Whitmire has taught her a lot in the after school program called, Fun Creative Writing. She and her best friend, Samantha worked hard to complete the program and publish their first book. She dedicates her first book, Shadows, to Samantha, along with her family and her writing teacher, Mrs. Terri Whitmire.
Dark Knight
By Oscar Ding
Hi, my name is Max and I am 64 years old. You think that is old, right? Well, it’s not. The oldest person here is the dark knight. He is the scariest person on the planet and worse yet we don’t really know who he is. The only thing I know about him is he was the reason for the war. It happened a long, long time ago. There was a battle and I fought against him. I remember it like it was just yesterday. The trees whistled, the animals scattered and the people moaned. The battle had just begun. Out came a brave knight, my dad, he was supposed to defeat the dark knight. The only way was to remove his helmet. But something happened…. He waited and waited but the dark knight didn’t come. So he put away his weapons. Later I heard someone pounding on my door.
“Wake up, time for breakfast.”
“Huh? Darn, I’m not in a war. It was all a dream.”
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Oscar Ding is a nine year old, fourth grader. He lives with his dad, mom, brother, and a pet dog. Oscar enjoys playing soccer and art. When he grows up he wants to be a police officer. The Dark Knight is Oscar’s first published work.
Horror in Honolulu
by Samantha Flores
MAISY
My name is Maisy and I am a 12-year-old loser. I live in Honolulu, Hawaii, in a condo with my dad, my twin sister Kaylen, my snobby teenage sister Kylie, my Grandma Lu, and my dog Rico. No one in my family supports me but Grandma. It’s mainly because of t
he “incident.” My mom died when I was two years old, and ever since then my dad has ignored me and rarely smiles. Anyway, I’m in 7th grade, I have an obsession with art, and I LOVE playing piano. I have a best friend named Lila. Lila is so sweet. She stands up for me and helps me when I’m being bullied. Right now, I’m pretty sure that my life stinks.
LILA
What’s up? I’m Lila and I have a serious case of BFF phobia! Just kidding. I’m in 7th grade. I have two sisters and two parents. I have an awesome BFF named Maisy. Her beautiful mother died ten years ago, before I knew her. She’s still sad about it, so I try and help her out as much as possible. OMG, you should meet her family. They are da bomb! Anyway, my hobbies are art and cheerleading. I’m never afraid to give people a piece of my mind, but only if they deserve it. There’s this one girl whose name is Gabby (I call her Gossip Gabby). She is out to get Maisy and me. If you don’t know what I mean, then just wait until you’re in middle school. No matter how many teachers I tell, she just doesn’t quit. I’ve learned a variety of comebacks to hurl at “Gossip Gabby.” Occasionally, it shuts her up.
MAISY
The cold tide was washing against my feet as Lila and I walked the beautiful beach toward the ice cream truck. Lunch was almost over and we would be heading out soon. Suddenly, Gabby Gershwin walked right up to my face and said, “Nice plaid bikini, short stack!” Everyone turned their head and looked at me. I just froze with a tear hanging from my eyelash. Lila’s soft face quickly turned to a scowl.
“Look who’s here! It’s Gossip Gabby with her little delinquent friends,” Lila hissed. Of course, Gabby snapped back and the next thing I knew, Gabby and Lila were rolling around on the beach with sand flying everywhere. They were both sent to the lifeguard’s room with minor bruises, and hair full of sand.
LILA
I cannot believe that just happened. Gossip Gabby went right up to Maisy’s face and started being mean and rude. It’s my duty as a best friend to help her out. So, I used one of my snappy comebacks, and then I let her have it (physically). The lifeguard was beyond furious. When Gabby and I started to fight, a crowd formed. Most of the kids were cheering for me because they knew that I’d win (I can’t blame them). Gabby got jealous that everyone was cheering for me, so she punched Leo (Maisy’s crush) right in the nose. She had to write an “I’m sorry” note to him and most likely will have a week of detention (ha-ha!). Unfortunately, I was also in trouble, because as soon as she hit Leo, I punched her right back. I really don’t care that I got in trouble though, because I won the fight.
MAISY
“As you all know, today is the day that we go to Billy Bonga Volcano Center,” said Ms. Sumner.
Everyone cheered. Ms. Sumner is our science teacher who looks like she should be retiring any day.
“So, if you will pick up your journals and any other additional things that you want to bring, we can be on our way,” Ms. Sumner said. “And please, no more incidents or this trip is cancelled.”
As we boarded the bus, Lila and I headed for the backseat (our favorite spot). Suddenly, Gabby slid past us, took the seat, and sneered, “Sorry this seat is currently taken!”
That girl just has some serious issues. Lila looked as if was going to explode. Instead of fighting, we just turned around with our heads held high, and walked to the only seat left, the front seat (our least favorite spot).
LILA
I officially HATE Gossip Gabby! She stole me and Maisy’s seat that we were about to sit in. Then she pretended to act all cute and sorry about it, even though she wasn’t! I totally would’ve beaten her up, but I didn’t want the field trip cancelled. Besides, I have already been to the principal’s office twice for fighting. The next time, I’ll be suspended for six days. Do you know how mad my parents would be? Anyway, Gabby found out about the suspension issue, so now she keeps “stirring the pot” at school. There was one benefit from this event, though: Maisy was sort of getting the hang of standing up for herself. She didn’t cry or get scared like she usually does. She kind of walked away with a smile on her face, like she didn’t care. I’m very proud of her for that.
MAISY
The bus stopped and everyone poured off it. Minutes later, we were on our first hike to the top of the volcano. I noticed some of the cutest, scariest, and coolest things ever. Big waterfalls, pretty palm trees, cute frogs and lizards were everywhere! When we finally reached the top, I saw a little black rail and beyond that a HUGE hole. When I grabbed the rail to test the sturdiness, it didn’t feel safe. It wiggled like the rails around amusement park rides. Shaky is the right word to describe this rail.
I started taking notes about what the volcano looked like and how I felt, when suddenly Lila and Gabby started bickering. At first, it was just them insulting each other, but then it led to little shoves. Then Gabby hit the ground. She got up, brushing off her designer clothes. Let me tell you she had the most evil look in her eyes. Then she hauled back and smacked Lila across the face, hard. It was so hard that it made Lila fall across the shaky railing and down the cliff into Billy Bonga Volcano. I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Liiiiilaaaaa!” I screamed.
LILA
Why does Gabby always have to start with me? I was used to her making fun of me, but then she started talking about my younger sister, Selena. Selena is all my happiness rolled up into a little 5th grade girl, and no one makes fun of her without me giving them some sort of punishment. Then she started shoving me with her so called “game face” on. Without thinking, I shoved her so hard that she fell flat on her face, hitting her head on that tiny railing surrounding the volcano. She stood up and then she slapped me back. That’s when I went sailing over the railing, down, down, down into the volcano.
MAISY
“Someone call 911!” Ms. Sumner screamed. I was crying hysterically. Rachel was rubbing my shoulder trying to calm me down. I wasn’t the only one in tears, though. Gabby was sobbing into her hands. She could be sent to jail for this. Lila could be dead or seriously injured. Gabby could be charged for assault or, worse, murder. She made the choice to push Lila and she can’t just smile and say I’m sorry. No, she did it, and I believe that this time she honestly deserves to be punished....
Soon the police, firemen, news reporters, and nurses were on the scene. The officers kept yelling and telling us to leave the area and all of that. I just couldn’t believe that it was really happening. I just needed to wake up. I couldn’t help but think of poor, scared Lila down there probably dead. “Oh, Lila!” I screamed.
LILA
“Hello?” I screeched. My voice echoed. I knew that no one could hear me. My head was in a whirl; my legs and face were all scratched up. I may have sprained my wrist. My ankle was blue and throbbing. It could have been worse. “Come on, guys, this isn’t funny; come on, I know that this can’t be real. We are probably at a special effects studio where you made a fake volcano and pretended to have me fall in it,” I yelled deliriously. I heard silence. I looked down at my bruises and they were real.
“Wait, this isn’t fake. I’m really in a volcano. I could really die!” I said, horrified. I tried to recall what had happened to me and how I’d gotten into the volcano. Then suddenly, I realized that I couldn’t remember anything. My head was spinning.
When is my Birthday? February 6, 1901 (October 6, 2001).
What is my name? Jasmine (Lila).
What is my BFF’s name? Nadia (Maisy).
Ugh! I knew it was wrong. All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and wake up in my warm bedroom, all of this having been just a dream. I’m the type of person who doesn’t get scared or really ever cry, but right now that’s all that I want to do.
MAISY
“This is the Channel 5 Action News Team reporting to you live from Billy Bonga Volcano Center with breaking news. It seems that a girl has fallen into the volcano here on a school field trip. We’re here with 12-year-old Maisy Morrison, who witnessed the whole thing,” said the news lady.
/> I don’t really like to be in the spotlight, and being on television was even worse. It was the worst possible moment for that stupid news team to show up! When I watch the news and see people who just lost their sibling in a murder or something, I’ve always wondered how they even talk about it. It must be so much pressure and sometimes those people just can’t take the pressure and they break down. That’s what happened with me. I looked at that huge camera with my eyes open wide. I stuttered. “I… um.” Then I just ran off with tears in my eyes.
LILA
I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my focus. I looked up and saw pitch black. It must have been early evening. I couldn’t hear anything until about five minutes later when I heard a crumbling sound. I looked around, not being able to seeing anything clearly. Then I felt something next to me. It was a paper sack with something in it. I squealed. I was eager to open it and see what was inside. More than likely some kid dropped his lunch in the volcano from another field trip. There was no telling how long it had been down there. The bag looked torn and old. I opened it and saw a moldy sandwich (ew!), an empty water bottle (gee, thanks), and a… PROTEIN BAR! On the news once, I saw this thing that said that protein bars could last up to two years! I guess I’ll take my chances. Hopefully I’ll find another bag with dinner in it!
MAISY
“No I won’t leave without Lila!” I screamed at Ms. Sumner, running away from the reporters.
“Maisy, stop right now or you will face major consequences also known as suspension,” said Ms. Sumner.
I stopped. I’ve never gotten even one detention and I certainly wasn’t going to get suspended.
“Now, Maisy, Lila would want you to get on that bus and go home. I know that you are best friends with her and all, but right now you just need to go,” said Ms. Sumner soothingly. I thought about that for a minute.
“Do Lila’s parents know yet?” I asked.
“Yes, Mr. Richards does know and he’s on his way here,” said Ms. Sumner.
“Can I stay here and wait for him?” I asked with pleading eyes.