Pandora's Dream

I sit on the cool floor, calm…waiting. I taste the silent seconds, rolling them around in my mouth. I sit silently, eyes closed, listening to the sound of nothing. I am not lonely, only alone with myself, begging myself to stay still and not open my eyes. I don’t know why, but I know that I must not move.

What is out there? I wonder. Just a peek, just a little peek. What could possibly happen? I know that now that the thought has leaked into my brain, I won’t be able to get it out of my head, less it drives me blind. I crack open an eyelid. A gust of wind strong enough to knock the wind out of me hits me like a train. I am not thrown back though. Instead, the wind pushes me forward, towards the blackness. Then the whispering begins.

The whispers slither into my ears and through my open mind, possessing and caressing me. They urge me forward, whispering all the way. I can’t understand what’s being said, but the whispers are soft and soothing. I feel as though I am in a dream, floating on the breath of whispers. Something touches me, pulling me out of my dream. I whip my head to the side and look around me. I can’t tell what is there at first, but I see movement. Finally I realize what they are. Bodies. Creatures. Slowly reaching out to grab me. Whispering. They are barely moving, as though they are chained down by some imaginary force. I’m scared- terrified. I want to go back, back to the silence, to the safety. I squeeze my eyes shut. Cool, clammy hands run down my legs and arms and grab my hands and ankles. They force me to move forward, even though all I’m trying to do is turn around. Then, all at once, they freeze, holding me in place. The whispers stop. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought I was alone. I slowly open my eyes. There is something in front of me.

It is a box. A small box, almost like a jar. Colors swirl all around it, glowing. Reds, blues, purples, and yellows move all along the box, even past the edges of it. I stare at it for what seems like hours. Suddenly, the whispers start again. The creatures start pulsating, along with the glow of the box, along with the beat of my heart. I feel my hands being released and gently pushed forward, towards the box. I take control of my hands and move them up more, closer and closer to the box. The whispers get louder. I put my hands on the lid. I feel it move underneath me, as though it’s alive. The creatures are pulsating faster, whispering to me, touching me all over. I’m terrified again, but temptation has gotten the best of me. I open the lid. 

~Amy

VEX- Ed the son of Ned

The Performance

            It was cold and dark. The stars were gone, and even with the sharpest knife you could not cut through the black. We sat on the ruins of the once powerful, but fallen, Napoleon, waiting. We wait for her, patiently, and with a great sense of anticipation. While she is still a long way off, we can see her beauty. She dances towards us, slow, steady, painting the walls as she goes. Oranges, reds, pinks, and the palest blues are the colors she chose, bringing to life everything she touches. She does not come to us alone, bringing with her sounds and smells. The rooster begins its crowing when she gives him her subtle signal, the birds sing as she peeks into their nests. The sight and sound of a fish jumping merrily to greet her are brought to us on a cool breeze. My heart begins to race, and I refuse to blink. She’s so near, closing in on us and I dare not miss the finale. I breathe in, drawing her into every fiber of my being. Out, and yet she stays with me. So close now, I am blinded by her radiance and elegance. She looks me straight in the eyes, lifts her brush, and begins to paint my face. Warmth and color wash over me; she steps back and twirls away. With a running start she goes for the grand finale, leaping off the edge of the fort. She does not fall. She does not fail. Stuck there in the sky she has finished her morning ritual. My heart beat slows as I applaud her magnificent performance. As we walk back to town I can’t help but feel that it was a special show just for me; a sunrise all my own.~ Anna

    

the Descent

                Standing at the top of the towering mountains the bottom of my board moistens, like a salivating dog expecting a biscuit, ready to carve its imprint into the untouched slopes. “Click, Click, Click, and a Snap” I tighten my bindings until the flow of blood rushes away from my feet.  My heart rate races as the adrenal glands release epinephrine in preparation for the descent.  A red tint from my goggles deters the suns attempt to blind me.  The slight traces of water vapor leaving my mouth quickly vanish right before my eyes.  Gravity begins to slowly pull me down the hill and eventually I give in.  In a matter of seconds I am plummeting towards the earth.  Shifting my weight back and forth I begin to make S’s in the soft powder, shattered snow left in my wake.  The screeching of ice against the edges of my board breaks the serenity of the mountain.

                Silence… I begin to travel through the air fluttering my arms in an effort to regain balance.  Seconds pass as I visualize the landing, bending my knees to absorb the impact.  “Thud” I stomp the landing and come to as quick a halt as my momentum will allow.  

Looking back up the mountain I see what I have done.  The undisturbed slope has been altered.  Only I can tell the difference as the snowflakes continue to fall.  Soon my path will be covered erasing any traces of disturbance, but I know the truth.   

~Garrett

ShowTime!

I was backstage and show time was almost here. Ten more minutes. Counting down the time. Always looking at the clock. The nerves were running through my veins. I was whispering my first lines, which happened to be a song, all the more reason for my nerves. Acting was the easy part but singing? That was hard. At least I wouldn't be alone. Seven more minutes. Everyone was running around finding their props, throwing on their costumes, looking for microphones. It was chaotic backstage. I had always thought a play ran so smoothly, the way it looks from the audience is nothing like from backstage. Backstage was a whole new world. And being an actress was so much different than just working the technology backstage. five more minutes. It built up your nerves, messed with your mind. what if I forgot the words to a song? Or my lines? i never had to worry about that when I ran the power point projector last year. Even the skits I did in drama were just skits, easy to memorize. This on the other hand was an entire play! Three more minutes. Most people are in their palces at this point. The director is talking to the audience about the musical. Breathe, that's all I had to do. Control my nerves so my voice wouldn't shake. 3...2....1.....lights up and go!

~Sara

Playground Adventure

    There's nothing but sunshine, blinding with its perfection, lighting the world in a marvelous array of colors.  The sky has never been a more energetic blue, or the grass a more vibrant green.  Yet, all this is nothing compared to the miracle staring me in the face.  My vision is consumed with primary colors mightier than any artist's pallet.  Brilliant crossbars and steadfast support structures jut from the ground forming a majestic cartoon castle come to life.  The wind brings the smell of freshly cut grass, flowers, and trees to my nose and the rich sound of laughter like wind chimes to my ears.  It teases my hair and greets my face with butterfly kisses, daring me to take off.  My mouth dries with a thirst quenchable only by the exertion of my muscles, to run, to jump, to climb, and to fly.  Tearing my gaze from the glorious sight before me, I catch my mother's eye.  Perched on the pinnacle between attaining my dream and having a glass door slammed closed on my hopes, I wait for an agonizing moment in time.  My mother smiles, love in her eyes.  She nods, and I'm running without a backwards glance.  In the humid air, my body's buoyant as a red balloon.  My feet have wings.  I'm blind to everything around me; I see only my destination.  The laughter is louder.  My legs move faster.  The colors are brighter.  I'm at a full sprint.  I've reached my fantasy, the playground.

~Emily

Vingette

An ordinary student walked into a country unknown to him. He was scared and afraid but curious of what this country had to offer. He felt the stares of the native people on the back of his head. He felt as if he was unwanted. So, he started to doubt himself, “Why am I here? Can I do this? Am I capable?”, but somewhere deep down in his heart, there was mild spring of courage that kept him walking into the realm of the unknown.

Chad is a poor country, but it captured the student in utter bliss. The children, even with their illnesses and needs, were blooming smiles that could only come from pure happiness and the appreciation of life, something that the student never experienced. Because of this, the student became attached to them and enjoyed every moment in their presence.

When the last day of his journey arrived, the student realized that he has fallen in love with the children of Chad. He promised to himself that he would live and learn for them. So that one day, he could return, able to heal their injuries and fill their needs.

The once ordinary student finished the walk as a man with determination and motivation to learn and to love.

What makes a football...a football.

~Garrett

Harry Potter Wands

Made out of PAPER!

~Emily

Ode to Speedo

Ode to Speedo

Your child so small

With a teeny, tiny hat

Began to form in you a ball

Of jealousy, fat cat

You became so enraged

That out you struck

Hissing your pain

No longer able to keep it caged

Kitten in a Tiny Hat had no time to duck

Tell me Speedo, what did you gain?

 ~Anna

a few seconds

a few seconds in the past.
there was a girl

and there was a boy
these two human beings did not know each other too much
knew just the face
knew just the name
a few seconds passed.
now present
there is a girl
and there is a boy
these two human beings have known each other for a few seconds
more than just the face
more than just the name
a few more seconds passed.
there is no girl
there is no boy
these two human beings are no longer

but their love, their relationship remains

a few seconds in the past.

Davy.

3D Art

~Sara