Christmas.....Maybe? Totally!

I crept downstairs to the family room on Christmas Morning, making sure not to step on the creaky stairs. I passed by my cat, Churro, who started.....roaring. When I got to the family room, my family was there waiting for me. I opened one of my presents.... and inside was a tornado!!! I cried out in terror as I was sucked into the dark, black expanses of nothingness.

My eyes shot open, heart pounding, face wet with tears. I wearily sat up to make sure my room was still there. It was Christmas Day, a regular Christmas Day. Churro was laying at the end of my bed, softly mewing, not roaring. I relaxed a little, enough to get out of bed.

I walked downstairs, not caring where I stepped. My mom was in the kitchen, making breakfast. I was tempted by the smell of pancakes, so I grabbed a plateful and plopped down into a chair. Snow was falling outside, covering everything in a thick blanket of white. Suddenly this felt like a very normal Christmas, like nothing could go wrong.

My little brother was already in the family room, along with my dad. I finished my breakfast and joined everyone to open presents. My brother opened his presents, then I started ripping the wrapping paper off of one of mine. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the flap of the box. And inside was a...... whirlpool! Just kidding. Inside was the cutest little puppy that ever existed.

"What are you going to name her?" My brother asked.

"Daisy. I'll call her Daisy," I said, staring into the puppy's pleading eyes. "Because she's perfect and sweet just like a daisy."

Snow

A blanket of white covers the ground
clinging to streetlights and buildings
falling from rooftops and trees
landing on people's heads and feet.

Now the tiny white crystals
are coming down once again
children laughing and playing
adults watching and shoveling.

Snowmen popping up everywhere
sleds and tubes racing to and fro
everyone in a jolly mood
wishes for more snow in the air.

We're in a winter wonderland,
with hopes that the holidays
will finally be here.

The College Guy who Wanted to Drop Out of College

     BEEP! BEEP!BEEP! Tim's alarm clock went off. It's not like he really needed it though, what with his roommate snoring away in the lower bunk. That idiot Bob could sleep through a hurricane and a tornado thunderstorm, while Tim would wake up from just a little mouse scurrying along the floor. Although, with the condition of the college, there probably would be mice hiding in the damp corners of the walls.

           This was basically why Tim hated this college: boring classes, no great opportunities, a disgusting room, and a roommate he couldn't stand. Tim took a glance at Bob, who was still snoozing like there was no tomorrow, and who never seemed to get up before 3 in the afternoon. Tim rolled his eyes and went to get ready for his first class.

           At 3 pm, after class, Tim started seriously thinking about dropping out of college, good idea or not.   He walked over to his friend, Jerry, who was having a conversation with the snack bar dude, Chad. Apparently they were having a debate on  whether or not cheese would taste good dipped in chocolate and rolled in sprinkles.

           Chad thought it would be a great addition to his menu; Jerry thought it would be unhealthy and just make everyone fat. Tim had been listening the whole time, and had completely forgotten about dropping out of college. He got in on the conversation, and in the end everyone decided that cheese dipped in chocolate and rolled in sprinkles would not be a good idea.

           Tim was about to say something, when a police siren rang out in the distance. Everyone inside started pouring out of the living quarters, and the rest just began panicking. Tim stared at the dorm room building and saw some doofus boys leaning out a window. But he looked closer, and saw a bright reddish-orange glow. The building was on fire!
           Almost immediately after that, Tim heard more sirens and saw flashing lights coming closer. all of a sudden, firemen jumped out of their trucks to calm the fire. It took a while, but finally they were able to reduce the flaming building to a smoldering pile of ash and rock.

           The last of the ambulances had just left, and Tim had thought of something: he was going to drop out, and now since his dorm was gone, he had no place to live! Well, moving back in with his parents was a possibility........No. Tim wouldn't drop out. He needed a job, and money. He needed this education, even if his roommate was a lunatic. By the way, where was Bob?

Creative Writing Piece

             I heard rustling down the hall, rousing me from my deep and peaceful sleep. All of a sudden it stopped, so I was able to doze off. But a few minutes later, the sound came again. I freaked out a little, considering the fact that we have had mice in our house in the past. I turned to my side to wake up my husband, but my hand pressed down on nothing except pillows and blankets.

  I had just found out about his decoy, thinking all this time that the mass of pillows had been my husband covered in a blanket. I was steamed, because that meant he hadn't been watching the movie with me. So I decided to track him down, then chew him out for pulling something like that on me.

  After equipping myself with a flashlight, I headed downstairs, which was where the noise was coming from. I followed the sound to the dining room, where I saw a dark figure huddled under the table. I flipped the light switch, and to my surprise, it wasn't mice at all. There, stuffing his face with chips, was my idiot husband.

  "Mark!!!" I screamed. "Are you crazy? It's four o'clock in the morning! What do you think you're doing?!" Mark struggled to answer all my questions, and I would have enjoyed the bewildered look on his face if he wasn’t the one who had committed the crime.

"Um, well, you see Carol, I uhhh….. Well, let's just say I needed my junk food fix,” he responded. My eyes burned through the guilty look on his face.

“You faked sleeping just to eat junk food?!?!?!?! I seethed through clenched teeth. “I thought you were watching the movie with me! How could you do this to me, Mark? How?” I shook my head and dragged myself upstairs, feeling deceived.

I sighed and got into bed, thinking about whether what just happened was actually real or just a dream. After what seemed like days, I finally fell into a broken and fitful sleep.

Hollis Woods Essay

Think of this: you are just one day old, abandoned by your mother on a dirty street. People walk by as if you aren’t there, carrying on with their lives. You have nothing but a blanket and a tag that tells people what to call you. For Hollis Woods in Pictures of Hollis Woods, this is a reality. She has never fit in with anyone; therefore she feels uncomfortable with everyone.

            Ever since Hollis Woods was abandoned, she has been put through many foster homes and families. Hollis ran away every single time out of not feeling loved or not loving them. She never gave anyone a chance.

            This is the reason Hollis feels so uncomfortable with everyone. She never had a brother or sister, nobody to hang out with.  Hollis had no one she could truly fit in with…until she moved in with Steven’s family.

            Steven’s family was like a dream for Hollis. She had a companion, and a mom and dad to look after her. Hollis really felt at home with them, and she never wanted to leave. But that all changed when Steven got an injury. Hollis ran away because she thought it was her fault that that happened.

            Hollis only acts troublesome because she wants to hide her true feelings. She won’t open up to anyone. But her personality changes when she moves in with Josie. Josie can be a little forgetful sometimes, so Hollis takes care of her. They have a special bond, so that Hollis really feels comfortable and loved.

            Otherwise, Hollis feels like she can’t fit in with anyone and is too defensive. If she hadn’t kept running away from every single family that she stayed with, she could have finally started to feel some affection towards to at least one of her foster families.

Response to Prompt

I chose the Mustard woman as my character. Her point of view:
I believe Hollis should go to school, but I can't find her anywhere! I took her to school once, but now she always hides from me whenever I come to check up on her. Well, I am going to Josie's house to meet her and talk about that troublesome Hollis Woods. At first I thought she was a nice, well behaved young lady, but she is terrible! I work hard to try and find homes for Hollis, but all she does to thank me is run away and get into trouble. Sometimes I think that girl wants to be rid of me forever!

If Dogs Could Fly......

     If dogs could fly, I'd buy about fifteen dogs (all beagles). Then I would ride them everywhere: To school, at home, to the grocery store… the possibilities are endless! The dogs would also have their own puppy house to live in. The dogs wouldn't fly away because they are my loyal and adorable companions. They are also protected by an electric fence so wild animals or other dogs couldn't hurt them. 

     If dogs could fly, I would spend everyday caring for them and  playing with them. I would build a robot puppy-sitter to care for them when I have to go out somewhere they can't go. The dogs would be lovingly trained by me, and obey when I call their names.

     I would name my favorite beagle Lucky, because to me dogs are good luck. Lucky and the others would fly with me on vacation. No one else should have flying dogs, so I would become famous. Then my dogs and I would live happily ever after.

Are You Proud of your country?

I am proud of my country, in some ways. We have a great military, and awesome technology. Our police and firefighters work hard to make sure we are safe. But there are some downsides: There is too much crime, and too many wars.

Rules of The Giver

         Imagine not being able to do or have anything fun. Isn’t that kind of hard to put in your mind? Well, that's basically how it is in The Giver. Life is very orderly and… restrictive, you could say. There is a whole mess of rules In Jonas' Community! You get a bike when you are nine years old. You have coats that button from the back until you turn 7, and then you get regular coats. On top of that, you only get to keep your "comfort object", which is a stuffed animal, until a certain age.  Although some of the rules are good, most of them are bad.

            I just think it’s kind of harsh to have something your whole childhood, then have it get taken away. In most people’s opinions, you should get a bike and learn how to ride it before you turn 6. It would be just plain confusing to me to have to learn how to be interdependent, but then learn how to be independent. It just seems so forceful, to know something but then learn it another way.

            On the other hand, not getting a bike until you are 9 could be a pretty good idea. When you are older, you would be more responsible and not try to run away or things of that nature. Plus, to me, taking away a comfort object is like saying “Hey, it’s time to grow up.”

            Speaking of growing up, when you turn 12, you officially become an adult in The Giver.  You have to start working, which I think is a bad idea. First of all, it’s just cruel. Second of all, 12 years old is kind of young.

            There’s one other weird concept: you have to share your dreams with your family every morning at breakfast. What’s the whole point of that? What if you want to keep your dream a secret? But that’s another thing. You can’t keep secrets. Well, you could just say you didn’t have a dream, but that would be lying. You are not allowed to lie, obviously.

            There are just so many rules that I don’t get how the people in Jonas’ Community could possibly enjoy their lives. It really is hard for me to imagine living without any fun. In this world, I could never do things my own way, and that is not acceptable.

Hooks for Story and Essay

Hook #1

Nico was hanging by just a claw from the towering  Willis Tower. There was a pack of rabid wolves down below, just waiting for Nico to slip so they could tear him apart. Nico meowed for help, but it was to no avail since he was at least a hundred feet in the air. How had he gotten himself into this? His owner had been up in a helicopter, with Nico onboard. Nico had accidentally opened the door, and sailed down to the top of the tower where he now hung. Suddenly, the only thing keeping him from falling slipped. Nico plunged to his doom, everything around him a blur.

Hook #2

The Willis Tower is the tallest building in Chicago. It is an office building, but also a major tourist attraction. It is known for its skydecks on one of the top floors which you can stand in. You can't miss it! On a clear day, when standing  on one of the skydecks, you can see all of Chicago. You can also see quite a bit over Lake Michigan. If you go near the end of the day, you could see a beautiful sunset with a stunning view. So come on! If you want beautiful  views, neat pictures, and fun memories, come down to Chicago.

The Importance of Color

Imagine a world with only black, white, and more black. Boring, right? Color is important because it basically gives your life meaning. Without it, you would be bored all the time, thinking that everything is so dumb because it has no character or life to it. Color is what makes us want to live.
You wouldn't even want to wake up in the morning, because you know there is nothing to look forward to. Color gives everything a kind of vibrant life, which motivates us to do things. For example, if you had a garden, with many different flowers, you wouldn't see the beautiful colors.

Color also helps you distinguish things. For instance, if you stood two people who were the exact same height and weight, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell them apart if you looked at the back of their heads.

Another thing is the amount of appeal it has to you. An example: if you were eating a meal, like breakfast, your toast and jelly wouldn’t look very appetizing if it was just black and white. If you saw a rainbow, it wouldn’t want to make you snap a photo, because it was the same as everything else.

That’s another thing—sameness. It would feel so dull to see the same things every single day. To eat the same colored stuff every day. To wear the same clothes every day.

 If I lived in the Community, I would really miss waking up to a colorful world. If I looked out my window, and all I saw was a black, white, and gray world, I would feel like going back to sleep and never waking up again.
Wouldn’t that be so boring? That’s why we have color. It is fun, not boring, and we won’t feel like there has never been a change of anything, or never will be for as long as we will ever know. In conclusion, I think that without color the world would be boring, lifeless, and ugly.

Stargazing

When I went outside to go stargazing, my mouth dropped in awe. There, in the dark of the

night sky, amongst all the stars, I could see, very clearly, a small blue blur right where a large galaxy used to float. I quickly assembled my telescope, and saw that a new planet had formed.

Intrigued, I went to my garage, pressed a button on my keys, and in mere seconds, my car had transformed into a large space shuttle. As I zoomed into space, I saw in disbelief that my home planet had come back.

After I touched down, everything in my memory returned. It all came back to me: my planet imploding, my parents sending me up into space, me crashing down onto the planet Jucrom…….and now I was back, back to my world. It had returned. This blue planet, my home, had returned.