I am happy to be a Muslim American.
I ask God to make it easy for me to make good choices.
I do this five times a day to keep myself on the right track.
I treat my neighbors and friends respectfully.
I fast in the month of Ramadan it reminds me to be grateful and to help.
I go for Friday or Jumah prayers at the Mosque, when everyone prays together.
I give charity for the poor and help out when I can.
I tell my friends about Eid celebration at school.
I am very much like everyone else.
I like to see people smile and be happy with each other.
I share the same dreams and worries as my friends.
I like to laugh at jokes, and play tricks on my brothers.
I like macaroni and cheese, and pizza. I just won’t drink alcohol or eat pork.
I like being this way.
I help my team in football, baseball, and basketball.
The world is our team, not a free-for-all.
If we take turns and share, if we can play fair, we can all win again and again.
I am happy to be a Muslim American.
ON TRACK TO AP & HONORS COURSES (VIA THE IMAGINATION) !!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
ALGOL'S BIG DAY By Yusuf R. Age 6
Once upon a time there was a family that owned a dinosaur. The family has one boy and one girl. The boy is 14, his name is Mahad. The girl is Maryam, and she is 8. Their Dad is Mansoor and their mom is Tazeen. The dinosaurs name is Algol. They got him from the Field Museum. He came home with them by walking giant steps behind their car. Bam! Bam! Algol is a brown stegosaurus. He has smooth skin, he is 26 years old, and he is thin.
His best friend is Mahad because they find food together, from the jungle and from a store called Meijer. One day mom was cooking dinner. She forgot the ingredients so she went to the store to buy them. Accidentally she forgot to turn off the stove! And the children didn't dare touch the stove and Algol didn’t touch it because he might do something wrong.
When the mother came back with the ingredients the house was on fire. Swoosh! Swoosh! the fire spread. The dinosaur was sleeping in the yard and so were the kids. They heard the Swoosh and they felt the hotness of the fire and they saw the red fire. They wanted to wake up Algol to blow the fire away but it was too late. The fire already touched the grass and came on to Algol.
Algol screamed "Ouch" and jumped up at the same time. Then he saw the house on fire. Then he said to the family "I’ll blow the fire away."
The family said "OK". He blew the fire out with his mouth. Fooooo!
He said to the family, come on my hand and then he blew on them so they felt cool. And then he blew so hard they began flying. They were going to fall so Algol caught them on his back but not on his spikes.
Then they all felt cool on the grass because the dinosaur had watered the grass before they landed on it. They landed with a soft thud.
Then they said thank you to Algol and went to a forest in the woods where they roasted yummy marshmallows and ate them.
THE END
His best friend is Mahad because they find food together, from the jungle and from a store called Meijer. One day mom was cooking dinner. She forgot the ingredients so she went to the store to buy them. Accidentally she forgot to turn off the stove! And the children didn't dare touch the stove and Algol didn’t touch it because he might do something wrong.
When the mother came back with the ingredients the house was on fire. Swoosh! Swoosh! the fire spread. The dinosaur was sleeping in the yard and so were the kids. They heard the Swoosh and they felt the hotness of the fire and they saw the red fire. They wanted to wake up Algol to blow the fire away but it was too late. The fire already touched the grass and came on to Algol.
Algol screamed "Ouch" and jumped up at the same time. Then he saw the house on fire. Then he said to the family "I’ll blow the fire away."
The family said "OK". He blew the fire out with his mouth. Fooooo!
He said to the family, come on my hand and then he blew on them so they felt cool. And then he blew so hard they began flying. They were going to fall so Algol caught them on his back but not on his spikes.
Then they all felt cool on the grass because the dinosaur had watered the grass before they landed on it. They landed with a soft thud.
Then they said thank you to Algol and went to a forest in the woods where they roasted yummy marshmallows and ate them.
THE END
Thirteen feet tall, By Yusuf R. Age 6
One day my uncle bought me four boxes of candy. Two boxes sounded like chhhh chhhh chhhh. The others sounded like shaka shaka like a maraca. The candy was Raisinets, Air Heads, Nerds and Sour Patch. Raisinets taste like raisins and were mushy. Air Heads feel sticky when you lick them and touch them. They taste sweet. Nerds feel hard but they taste sour. Sour Patch tastes sour but feel soft. When I ate all the candy in one day, I became ten feet tall.
I said "What happened to me?"No one replied because no one recognized me.
My mother said "Get out of here - who are you?"
My father said "Yusuf where are you, I have something for you".
Now that I'm ten feet tall, I can play basketball and do slam dunks. I can only sit in a van because my head will get bumped in a car. Thud. I can go on all the rides in Six Flags. That will feel good - and bad because my stomach will make a gurgle noise and my teeth will chatter if it is a high ride. My clothes will grow with me. I will jump from roof to roof. Swoosh. Swoosh. My shoe size will be 20.
Then by eating healthy food like vegetables and chicken I will grow thirteen feet tall. These foods taste yummy and awesome. They sometimes feel soft and sometimes feel crunchy. Orange chicken or fried chicken is crunchy.
All the kids in the whole universe will buy the same candy and eat them all in one day like me. So then they can become ten feet tall too. But when they will eat healthy food, they can become thirteen feet tall like me.
The End
I said "What happened to me?"No one replied because no one recognized me.
My mother said "Get out of here - who are you?"
My father said "Yusuf where are you, I have something for you".
Now that I'm ten feet tall, I can play basketball and do slam dunks. I can only sit in a van because my head will get bumped in a car. Thud. I can go on all the rides in Six Flags. That will feel good - and bad because my stomach will make a gurgle noise and my teeth will chatter if it is a high ride. My clothes will grow with me. I will jump from roof to roof. Swoosh. Swoosh. My shoe size will be 20.
Then by eating healthy food like vegetables and chicken I will grow thirteen feet tall. These foods taste yummy and awesome. They sometimes feel soft and sometimes feel crunchy. Orange chicken or fried chicken is crunchy.
All the kids in the whole universe will buy the same candy and eat them all in one day like me. So then they can become ten feet tall too. But when they will eat healthy food, they can become thirteen feet tall like me.
The End
Sunday, August 3, 2008
A Model Super Hero By Azhar G. ( first story)
There once was family of superheroes. Parents, Greg and Kathy Wayne, had only one child. They named hin Matthew after his great grandfather. Matthew Wayne A.K.A. The Viper, the greatest superhero on earth.
Greg and Kathy were also great superhroes. Greg Wayne was Mega Man and had super strength as well as the ability to fly. Kathy Wayne was Lightening - Woman. She had super speed and the ability to move things. She was also able to hold onto a force field.
Matthew had just turned thirteen and was hoping to get his powers. After all every super hero got their super powers at about that age. He couldn’t wait. He had already made his costume. One sunny afternoon as Mathew was walking along the sidewalk, to the park he saw a garbage can overflowed with garbage. The smell reminded him of his old friend Roger’s dog. But Roger had moved years ago.
Matthew thought to himself ‘What should I do about this?’. He went straight to City Hall to inform the mayor about the pollution. But sadly the mayor turned him down . Matthew couldn’t just stand there., he had to do something about this.
Matthew went back home to tell his parents about this. His father told him that he should do something about it. His mother agreed. Matthew went back to the park to clean up the mess. Matthew thought to himself, ‘This isn’t as easy as I thought it would be, because I still don’t have my powers’. But that didn’t stop him from cleaning the mess from the park. Matthew even called the janitor of his school to help him. Together they cleaned up the whole park.
Over time, Matthew learned that you don’t need to have powers to be a hero. You can be a hero just by cleaning the enviroment.
Matthew grew up , got married and had kids but he never got his powers. But he was powerful in his own little way and would live on to influence people and their lives.
THE END!!!
Greg and Kathy were also great superhroes. Greg Wayne was Mega Man and had super strength as well as the ability to fly. Kathy Wayne was Lightening - Woman. She had super speed and the ability to move things. She was also able to hold onto a force field.
Matthew had just turned thirteen and was hoping to get his powers. After all every super hero got their super powers at about that age. He couldn’t wait. He had already made his costume. One sunny afternoon as Mathew was walking along the sidewalk, to the park he saw a garbage can overflowed with garbage. The smell reminded him of his old friend Roger’s dog. But Roger had moved years ago.
Matthew thought to himself ‘What should I do about this?’. He went straight to City Hall to inform the mayor about the pollution. But sadly the mayor turned him down . Matthew couldn’t just stand there., he had to do something about this.
Matthew went back home to tell his parents about this. His father told him that he should do something about it. His mother agreed. Matthew went back to the park to clean up the mess. Matthew thought to himself, ‘This isn’t as easy as I thought it would be, because I still don’t have my powers’. But that didn’t stop him from cleaning the mess from the park. Matthew even called the janitor of his school to help him. Together they cleaned up the whole park.
Over time, Matthew learned that you don’t need to have powers to be a hero. You can be a hero just by cleaning the enviroment.
Matthew grew up , got married and had kids but he never got his powers. But he was powerful in his own little way and would live on to influence people and their lives.
THE END!!!
A Peculiar Vacation By Zahra G. ( First Story)
One day my mother told me we were going to Mexico. ‘We are leaving there in three days,’ she said. It was going to be just her and I. I was delighted because I’ve always wanted to go there. The next morning we started packing for our trip and we did more of it the day after that.
The day night before we were leaving I had to get a good night sleep because we had to wake up at 6:oo a.m. The next day we went to the airport and waited at the gates for about 2 hours. After that we finally went in the airplane.
It took four hours to get to Mexico. First we went to a hotel called Grand Marine. Our Room was awesome and overlooked the sea! The room number was 204. We went to a beach and while I was collecting some seashells I found a red ruby diamond. I quickly put it in my sack and didn’t know if I should tell my mom.
We ate lunch at Sam & Harry’s but my mom finished quicker and left. I sat there finishing my fish and by then I'd forgotten my room number. I just knew it was 20 something. It was at that moment, that I passed this awkward looking man who asked another man, "Did you find the red ruby?"
“No,”the other man replied.
I think my room number was 208. I put the card in the slot & it opened. But when I took one step forward , I realized that it was the wrong room. Then I heard the same men in the hallway.
"How come you didn’t find the red ruby?" said one.
“It wasn’t there,”the other replied.
"Wait !" I said to myself. "I have the ruby!" I slowly tried to get out of the wrong room but the man caught me.
“Well what have we here? Who are you?” he said.
"I’m Zahra” I told him but couldn't imagine I was dumb. I thought I shouldn’t have told him my name.”
"Who are you?” I asked.
“I’m Carl,”he said.
I quickly left before he could ask anything else . As I passed it, I suddenly remembered the room number! It’s 204. When I went in the room my mom asked, "What took you so long?” .
“I had to finish my nachos," I said with guilt.
When we went to sleep all these questions were in my head. “Why do they want the ruby so bad”? “Why did I pick the ruby up”?
The next morning , I just couldn’t take it anymore. I called the police & they rushed over. I opened the thieves door and told the police the whole story.
The police said to the men, “You are under arrest.”
I gave the police the ruby . “Wait a minute ,these guys are on the ten most wanted list”. “That means you get $1,000!” I was filled with joy.
All through this, my mom stayed clueless and didn’t know a thing that happened . THAT’S WHAT I CALL A PECULIAR VACATION!
The day night before we were leaving I had to get a good night sleep because we had to wake up at 6:oo a.m. The next day we went to the airport and waited at the gates for about 2 hours. After that we finally went in the airplane.
It took four hours to get to Mexico. First we went to a hotel called Grand Marine. Our Room was awesome and overlooked the sea! The room number was 204. We went to a beach and while I was collecting some seashells I found a red ruby diamond. I quickly put it in my sack and didn’t know if I should tell my mom.
We ate lunch at Sam & Harry’s but my mom finished quicker and left. I sat there finishing my fish and by then I'd forgotten my room number. I just knew it was 20 something. It was at that moment, that I passed this awkward looking man who asked another man, "Did you find the red ruby?"
“No,”the other man replied.
I think my room number was 208. I put the card in the slot & it opened. But when I took one step forward , I realized that it was the wrong room. Then I heard the same men in the hallway.
"How come you didn’t find the red ruby?" said one.
“It wasn’t there,”the other replied.
"Wait !" I said to myself. "I have the ruby!" I slowly tried to get out of the wrong room but the man caught me.
“Well what have we here? Who are you?” he said.
"I’m Zahra” I told him but couldn't imagine I was dumb. I thought I shouldn’t have told him my name.”
"Who are you?” I asked.
“I’m Carl,”he said.
I quickly left before he could ask anything else . As I passed it, I suddenly remembered the room number! It’s 204. When I went in the room my mom asked, "What took you so long?” .
“I had to finish my nachos," I said with guilt.
When we went to sleep all these questions were in my head. “Why do they want the ruby so bad”? “Why did I pick the ruby up”?
The next morning , I just couldn’t take it anymore. I called the police & they rushed over. I opened the thieves door and told the police the whole story.
The police said to the men, “You are under arrest.”
I gave the police the ruby . “Wait a minute ,these guys are on the ten most wanted list”. “That means you get $1,000!” I was filled with joy.
All through this, my mom stayed clueless and didn’t know a thing that happened . THAT’S WHAT I CALL A PECULIAR VACATION!
Big Bunny’s Surprise By Anisa Q.(first story)
One cool summer day, Big Bunny woke up in his awesome beach room. It had “sand” on the floor and his bed looked like a shark with the roof looking kind of like an umbrella.What's more, there was a small little pool just for him outside. IT WAS THE BEST!
When he awoke, he knew something was different, he just knew it but he didn’t quite know what was different.
“I wonder, I wonder, well, what’s going on?” said Big Bunny.
All the same he got on with the day. First, he brushed his teeth and washed his face and then he went outside for a little dip in the pool. When he returned, he dried himself off and put on his warm morning clothes. Then, he walked up to his parents room and found they were already awake and to top that they were building something! His parents didn’t notice him, and Big Bunny thought there were working on some toy, so he walked downstairs. He remained curious even as he readied himself for breakfast. But instead of cereal and milk, across from him, there was scrambled eggs and mush! The eggs smelled okay but the mush smelled just horrible! What on earth was that green stuff he wondered to himself?
By now, Big Bunny was very curious, so, he quickly ran upstairs to ask Mom and Dad Bunny what was going on? As he got there he could hear extremely loud crying and it smelled really, really horrible! And when he got there, he saw a BABY Bunny!
Big Bunny completely freaked out! His eyes popped out, his mouth fell open and he went completely nuts!
He yelled, “I have a sibling! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We were but we wanted it to be a surprise”, they said.
“Well it sure is!” Big Bunny said! But Big Bunny didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl. But he didn't care. After the initial shock wore off, Big Bunny found he was so HAPPY! He now had a sibling! But Big Bunny also felt sad because the baby would get all of the attention and he would get none. But guess what? It turned out that Big Bunny got treated the same way! And they both loved each other! The baby loved her crib and her name was Baby Bunny. WHAT A SURPRISE!!
The End
When he awoke, he knew something was different, he just knew it but he didn’t quite know what was different.
“I wonder, I wonder, well, what’s going on?” said Big Bunny.
All the same he got on with the day. First, he brushed his teeth and washed his face and then he went outside for a little dip in the pool. When he returned, he dried himself off and put on his warm morning clothes. Then, he walked up to his parents room and found they were already awake and to top that they were building something! His parents didn’t notice him, and Big Bunny thought there were working on some toy, so he walked downstairs. He remained curious even as he readied himself for breakfast. But instead of cereal and milk, across from him, there was scrambled eggs and mush! The eggs smelled okay but the mush smelled just horrible! What on earth was that green stuff he wondered to himself?
By now, Big Bunny was very curious, so, he quickly ran upstairs to ask Mom and Dad Bunny what was going on? As he got there he could hear extremely loud crying and it smelled really, really horrible! And when he got there, he saw a BABY Bunny!
Big Bunny completely freaked out! His eyes popped out, his mouth fell open and he went completely nuts!
He yelled, “I have a sibling! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We were but we wanted it to be a surprise”, they said.
“Well it sure is!” Big Bunny said! But Big Bunny didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl. But he didn't care. After the initial shock wore off, Big Bunny found he was so HAPPY! He now had a sibling! But Big Bunny also felt sad because the baby would get all of the attention and he would get none. But guess what? It turned out that Big Bunny got treated the same way! And they both loved each other! The baby loved her crib and her name was Baby Bunny. WHAT A SURPRISE!!
The End
Lost in the Woods By Huma Fatima N..(first story)
Once upon a time, I was wandering through some very dark and spooky woods, searching for my best friend, Jill. It had all started when Jack, her brother, scared Jill away when he popped out of the closet very quickly to scare her. He knew that Jill was a very sensitive person but he did it anyways. Since this wasn't the first time he had scared her, she overreacted and ran away from our village. I went running after Jill because I didn't want her to get lost…..unfortunately, I couldn’t find her!
All of a sudden, with a whoosh and a swish horses came galloping at me. I fled for my life! Where had they suddenly appeared from? I thought, feeling as if my heart would jump out of y skin. I had loved horses since I was a little girl, but the horde had startled me by appearing out of nowhere. Suddenly, my curiousity won the upper hand over fear and I wanted to see where these quick and fast horses were headed. to. I hoped they were headed for Beanville, my village, or else I would be stranded. I didn't want them to run away from me, so I followed them sleathily hoping that they would not see me, a small child who was lost. I was very tired, and my eyes drooped. * * *
At the crack of dawn, the horses stopped galloping and I too had become tired and sleepy. The run had lasted a very enormous period of time, much longer than I had thought it did. Before long, I was asleep by a tree.
When I awoke, I was frightened and sad because Beanville wasn't even on the horizon. Weary from running, I decided I would just get on the horses, insteaded of chasing them. I jumped up on one of them.
I think I passed out again because when I awoke from my slumber, I was completely unaware of which town I was in. When I looked up, I saw a great, big castle made of candy and chocolate! Marshmallows, Jollyranchers, Twizlers, Hersheys, Sour Straws, frosting (which stuck the candy together) and many other different kinds of candies and chocolates!! But I warned myself that those delicious candies had to be ignored until I knew who lived in there! That curiosity of mine I know one day would really damage my diminutive brain!
As my curiosity and the horses led me to the left wing of the candy castle, I spotted three odd looking doors. I was hoping Jill would be there. I desperately wanted her to come back home!
The first door led to the horses’ room where small, medium, and big sized horses lived. I saw a lot of grass and hay in that room too! It smelled putrid! The horse that had me on his soft, fluffy back dropped me gently and all of the horses went inside that monstrous sized room. Jill wasn't there though.
When I forced an entrance at the second strange door, I found the runaway Gingerbread Man and his girlfriend having breakfast together. They were eating candy and the whole room was made out of gingerbread! I was very surprised to see them here and noticed that they were very embarrassed to be seen by me, so I said sorry, closed the door, and went to the third door. I shook my head sadly. Jill hadn't been in there either.
The third and last door I saw was painted with beautiful, prettye Blue Jays, chirping above two crowns. That looked really creative! What was more, I heard ballroom music from the inside of the room. I opened the door very slowly and who should I see but Snow White and the Prince dancing in the ballroom! This time I knew I had to ask why they, the royal couple, were living here and if Jill was near by.
* * *
It turned out that the prince had ordered the castle to be made when he was addicted to candy, at the age of 10. They would live in it until all of it was devoured. Snow White and the Prince also welcomed runaway creatures, such as the horses, to live with him because he needed help eating the castle, before the candy rotted away or spoiled. The horses had run away from their owners because they had wanted a free life. They were coming back from getting some exercise after a heavy meal, when I happened to take a ride. Snow White also told me that Jill was living in the right wing! She told me that she had found Jill wandering around hopelessly while she, Snow White, had been out looking for berries. Snow White had brought Jill back with her to the castle.
I had to meet her! My best friend was really happy to see me as I was to see her and we hugged each other. She also thanked me profusely for having made such an effort to bring her home. Afterall, she said, she'd worried about never seeing home again. After my joyful meeting with my best bud, I asked Snow White to show me the directions to Beanville, our hometown. She gave Jill and I huge pieces of her candy castle and sent a horse to bring us home! We had the most enjoyable ride home and what it made it all the more special was that my best friend was returning with me !!
That adventure was the most best experience of my life! I would never forget it!
All of a sudden, with a whoosh and a swish horses came galloping at me. I fled for my life! Where had they suddenly appeared from? I thought, feeling as if my heart would jump out of y skin. I had loved horses since I was a little girl, but the horde had startled me by appearing out of nowhere. Suddenly, my curiousity won the upper hand over fear and I wanted to see where these quick and fast horses were headed. to. I hoped they were headed for Beanville, my village, or else I would be stranded. I didn't want them to run away from me, so I followed them sleathily hoping that they would not see me, a small child who was lost. I was very tired, and my eyes drooped. * * *
At the crack of dawn, the horses stopped galloping and I too had become tired and sleepy. The run had lasted a very enormous period of time, much longer than I had thought it did. Before long, I was asleep by a tree.
When I awoke, I was frightened and sad because Beanville wasn't even on the horizon. Weary from running, I decided I would just get on the horses, insteaded of chasing them. I jumped up on one of them.
I think I passed out again because when I awoke from my slumber, I was completely unaware of which town I was in. When I looked up, I saw a great, big castle made of candy and chocolate! Marshmallows, Jollyranchers, Twizlers, Hersheys, Sour Straws, frosting (which stuck the candy together) and many other different kinds of candies and chocolates!! But I warned myself that those delicious candies had to be ignored until I knew who lived in there! That curiosity of mine I know one day would really damage my diminutive brain!
As my curiosity and the horses led me to the left wing of the candy castle, I spotted three odd looking doors. I was hoping Jill would be there. I desperately wanted her to come back home!
The first door led to the horses’ room where small, medium, and big sized horses lived. I saw a lot of grass and hay in that room too! It smelled putrid! The horse that had me on his soft, fluffy back dropped me gently and all of the horses went inside that monstrous sized room. Jill wasn't there though.
When I forced an entrance at the second strange door, I found the runaway Gingerbread Man and his girlfriend having breakfast together. They were eating candy and the whole room was made out of gingerbread! I was very surprised to see them here and noticed that they were very embarrassed to be seen by me, so I said sorry, closed the door, and went to the third door. I shook my head sadly. Jill hadn't been in there either.
The third and last door I saw was painted with beautiful, prettye Blue Jays, chirping above two crowns. That looked really creative! What was more, I heard ballroom music from the inside of the room. I opened the door very slowly and who should I see but Snow White and the Prince dancing in the ballroom! This time I knew I had to ask why they, the royal couple, were living here and if Jill was near by.
* * *
It turned out that the prince had ordered the castle to be made when he was addicted to candy, at the age of 10. They would live in it until all of it was devoured. Snow White and the Prince also welcomed runaway creatures, such as the horses, to live with him because he needed help eating the castle, before the candy rotted away or spoiled. The horses had run away from their owners because they had wanted a free life. They were coming back from getting some exercise after a heavy meal, when I happened to take a ride. Snow White also told me that Jill was living in the right wing! She told me that she had found Jill wandering around hopelessly while she, Snow White, had been out looking for berries. Snow White had brought Jill back with her to the castle.
I had to meet her! My best friend was really happy to see me as I was to see her and we hugged each other. She also thanked me profusely for having made such an effort to bring her home. Afterall, she said, she'd worried about never seeing home again. After my joyful meeting with my best bud, I asked Snow White to show me the directions to Beanville, our hometown. She gave Jill and I huge pieces of her candy castle and sent a horse to bring us home! We had the most enjoyable ride home and what it made it all the more special was that my best friend was returning with me !!
That adventure was the most best experience of my life! I would never forget it!
A JUBILANT CHANGE By Zara V.
On July 23rd, 3:01 a.m., I found myself face-to-face with the biggest change of my life. I was blessed with a pair of identical twin brothers. I had been so excited when I'd initially found out my mom was having one baby boy, but when she discovered she was having a pair of twins, my heart raced with joy! I couldn’t wait for those nine months to finish because I wanted to see my siblings' adorable faces. During those nine months, I made quilts for each of them, and went shopping to get their clothes, toys, blankets, strollers, and swing.
Then came the day, and my twin brothers were born into this world. It was a jubilant change to my life. “Aww, they are so cute,” was all I could utter. I had these two adorable brothers and I didn’t know which one to hold first. The first one was named Ismail and the other one was Ishaq. Ismail was born three minutes before Ishaq. They both had brown hair and sky blue eyes. Ismail was 8 ounces and 18 inches while Ishaq was 7.2 ounces and 19 inches.
They smelled so fresh, looked so cute, but when they cried, my ears would hurt because of their piercing cry. They didn’t cry that much, but when they did, it was very loud. What was most difficult was when they started crying at the same time. It was challenging for my mom as well. She had to take care of two babies at the same time. My dad, siblings, and I helped my mom a lot. They kicked and later rolled all over when you tried to put on their diaper. When I tried to feed the babies their apple sauce, sometimes they ate it but when they didn't want to, they spat it out on my face. They burped all over their clothes and make them so dirty. Their toys and various accessories also made the house untidy and messy. But we weren't just helping mother out with the babies, we shared the housework as well. We did the dishes, sweeping, moping, and cleaned the counter tops.
I loved watching my twin brothers grow and even though they were very small, over a few months they developed their own, cute personalities. Ismail cried more than Ishaq but Ishaq made more of a mess. Ismail always pretends to talk on the phone and Ishaq loved to watch TV and pretend to drink coke.
It is hard to have a pair of twins but a great pleasure having them around too. They fill our life with color, and I am not just talking about all the finger painting handprints all over the walls!!!
Then came the day, and my twin brothers were born into this world. It was a jubilant change to my life. “Aww, they are so cute,” was all I could utter. I had these two adorable brothers and I didn’t know which one to hold first. The first one was named Ismail and the other one was Ishaq. Ismail was born three minutes before Ishaq. They both had brown hair and sky blue eyes. Ismail was 8 ounces and 18 inches while Ishaq was 7.2 ounces and 19 inches.
They smelled so fresh, looked so cute, but when they cried, my ears would hurt because of their piercing cry. They didn’t cry that much, but when they did, it was very loud. What was most difficult was when they started crying at the same time. It was challenging for my mom as well. She had to take care of two babies at the same time. My dad, siblings, and I helped my mom a lot. They kicked and later rolled all over when you tried to put on their diaper. When I tried to feed the babies their apple sauce, sometimes they ate it but when they didn't want to, they spat it out on my face. They burped all over their clothes and make them so dirty. Their toys and various accessories also made the house untidy and messy. But we weren't just helping mother out with the babies, we shared the housework as well. We did the dishes, sweeping, moping, and cleaned the counter tops.
I loved watching my twin brothers grow and even though they were very small, over a few months they developed their own, cute personalities. Ismail cried more than Ishaq but Ishaq made more of a mess. Ismail always pretends to talk on the phone and Ishaq loved to watch TV and pretend to drink coke.
It is hard to have a pair of twins but a great pleasure having them around too. They fill our life with color, and I am not just talking about all the finger painting handprints all over the walls!!!
A Night of Terror By Ayesha V..(first story)
Once, on a cold winter night, I was alone, and feeling increasingly scared . To keep my mind off of it, I made popcorn which was crunchy and delicious and watched a movie called "KungFu Panda". Suddenly I heard a creek and I jumped. Then I heard a thud which made me even more frightened.
Then the phone rang ,I walked slowly to answer the phone but no one spoke. I was scared so I went upstairs with a stick. I walked very slowly the stairs creaked as I walked into my parents room - the biggest room of all time. To my horror, that's when I spotted the shadow. I fled down stairs and tried to call my parents and they didn’t pick up the phone so I had to think of something and I locked myself in my bedroom closet.” Oh my god I made a mistake, I can’t leave now if I do he’ll probably kill me."
I was so scared I said the shahada, a prayer thinking it was my last day to live. My body hurt from staying in that teeny place for so long. The pain was unbearable for me. I wanted
my parents to show up fast so I could go to them and not feel as worried.
I was still scared but I stepped out anyways thinking I would rather die than continue to be squished in that closet for an hour longer. I tiptoed to check my sisters room. There was no one there. It was the same with my room. The only room left was the scariest, the master bedroom. I can’t do it, I thought. Building up some courage I said the Three Kul prayers and started walking with a bat and a knife. Everything was fine until I found myself upside down. I was trapped!! I wiggled so much that I escaped.
Suddenly, I heard a door fly open and hid under the bed. The the person started screaming my name "Ayesha", and it sounded like my mom. So I rushed down stairs and saw my mom, dad, and sister. I gave my mom a big hug; and as soon as I turned around I glimpsed the man by the hiding behind the stairs . I screamed so loud that my parents too saw what has frightened me. They called the police. They arrested the man and took him far away from me. But ever since that day, I've always been scared that one day he will return for revenge. He'd come to kill me. Maybe next time he would do worse things. I try and push the fear aside. I tell myself, I am safe and secure, that Allah will protect me, that for now I should just be happy and live life.
Then the phone rang ,I walked slowly to answer the phone but no one spoke. I was scared so I went upstairs with a stick. I walked very slowly the stairs creaked as I walked into my parents room - the biggest room of all time. To my horror, that's when I spotted the shadow. I fled down stairs and tried to call my parents and they didn’t pick up the phone so I had to think of something and I locked myself in my bedroom closet.” Oh my god I made a mistake, I can’t leave now if I do he’ll probably kill me."
I was so scared I said the shahada, a prayer thinking it was my last day to live. My body hurt from staying in that teeny place for so long. The pain was unbearable for me. I wanted
my parents to show up fast so I could go to them and not feel as worried.
I was still scared but I stepped out anyways thinking I would rather die than continue to be squished in that closet for an hour longer. I tiptoed to check my sisters room. There was no one there. It was the same with my room. The only room left was the scariest, the master bedroom. I can’t do it, I thought. Building up some courage I said the Three Kul prayers and started walking with a bat and a knife. Everything was fine until I found myself upside down. I was trapped!! I wiggled so much that I escaped.
Suddenly, I heard a door fly open and hid under the bed. The the person started screaming my name "Ayesha", and it sounded like my mom. So I rushed down stairs and saw my mom, dad, and sister. I gave my mom a big hug; and as soon as I turned around I glimpsed the man by the hiding behind the stairs . I screamed so loud that my parents too saw what has frightened me. They called the police. They arrested the man and took him far away from me. But ever since that day, I've always been scared that one day he will return for revenge. He'd come to kill me. Maybe next time he would do worse things. I try and push the fear aside. I tell myself, I am safe and secure, that Allah will protect me, that for now I should just be happy and live life.
A LIVING NIGHTMARE BY ZARA V. Age 12 .(first story)
One dark, cold, Halloween night, I was walking home from my friend’s house, when I saw a man holding up a knife. He was dressed in a black gown with the hood on his head. I was so scared, that I thought it was my last day to live. I started running at top speed and as I was about to enter the garage, when I tripped on a sharp rock. The jagged edge of the rock went into my knee with the other half still left sticking out. I screamed for the pain was unbearable. I was trembling in fear and my heart was thumping but the man was still there and I knew if I wanted to survive I had to go inside the house.
With tears streaming down my face, I limped into the garage and closed the garage door. I had never experienced something so scary and frightening before. My knee was hurting so much and I was out of breath, but I felt safe and no longer worried about the man.
I dragged myself to my parents’ room, explained the whole story and showed them my knee. They screamed in panic on seeing my knee and quickly called the hospital. An ambulance came to my house and put me on a stretcher. They took me to the hospital, and the nurse took me to a room that smelled of different types of medicines. It was very stuffy in the room. The doctor examined my knee immediately and decided I would need surgery. When I heard that I would need surgery I started crying like there was no tomorrow.
They wrapped my knee and gave me an ice pack. They said they would start the surgery the following morning. I thought of nothing but the surgery the whole night. I did not want to go through with it. I was worried they would cut off my whole leg. I was afraid that something would go wrong in the surgery. What if I was not able to walk again? All these worries in my head were making this surgery a lot scarier. I tried reasoning with myself - I had to get surgery or else the pain in my knee would not go away. It was my only option, so I had to deal with it and have a positive attitude. I tried to get a goodnight's sleep and forced myself to forget about the looming horror.
When I opened my eyes to an early morning, I knew that the surgery would begin; but when I took a quick glimpse at my knee, the rock had been removed.
I limped to my parents and the doctor, and told them the good news. The doctor smiled and said they'd already done the surgery while I was sleeping. I was so happy because it hadn't hurt a bit. I had been worried for nothing!
I was hobbling on my crutches to ask the nurse if I could leave. She said that I would have to stay in the hospital for some more time until my knee healed completely. I was okay with that. When I went to my room the nurse was already there. She examined my knee, and told me that it is not healing. Worse, they needed to do another surgery.
This time the surgery would happen when I was wide awake. I closed my eyes as the doctor brought in the huge needle. He said that they would inject that into my knee, and squeeze out all the bacteria such as pus into a tube. Also they would give me lots of different shots, and antibiotics. I didn’t want to be scared this time, because last time I didn’t feel a thing.
The doctor started the surgery by giving me medicine that numbed me against the all the pain. Then he injected the needle and squeezed out all the pus, blood, and bacteria. It hurt a little bit when he put the needle in my knee. Then he injected a few more shots and gave me antibiotics. The doctor said I could leave after an hour.
I was so happy all the surgery was done. I could finally go home. On the way home I recognized the man with a knife ! He was taking Haloween decorations off his house and I realized the costume and he had been fake. It was only a Halloween costume and theme party that my neighbor had organized! I'd learned the very hard way that things might look scary but in reality are not that bad.
THE END
With tears streaming down my face, I limped into the garage and closed the garage door. I had never experienced something so scary and frightening before. My knee was hurting so much and I was out of breath, but I felt safe and no longer worried about the man.
I dragged myself to my parents’ room, explained the whole story and showed them my knee. They screamed in panic on seeing my knee and quickly called the hospital. An ambulance came to my house and put me on a stretcher. They took me to the hospital, and the nurse took me to a room that smelled of different types of medicines. It was very stuffy in the room. The doctor examined my knee immediately and decided I would need surgery. When I heard that I would need surgery I started crying like there was no tomorrow.
They wrapped my knee and gave me an ice pack. They said they would start the surgery the following morning. I thought of nothing but the surgery the whole night. I did not want to go through with it. I was worried they would cut off my whole leg. I was afraid that something would go wrong in the surgery. What if I was not able to walk again? All these worries in my head were making this surgery a lot scarier. I tried reasoning with myself - I had to get surgery or else the pain in my knee would not go away. It was my only option, so I had to deal with it and have a positive attitude. I tried to get a goodnight's sleep and forced myself to forget about the looming horror.
When I opened my eyes to an early morning, I knew that the surgery would begin; but when I took a quick glimpse at my knee, the rock had been removed.
I limped to my parents and the doctor, and told them the good news. The doctor smiled and said they'd already done the surgery while I was sleeping. I was so happy because it hadn't hurt a bit. I had been worried for nothing!
I was hobbling on my crutches to ask the nurse if I could leave. She said that I would have to stay in the hospital for some more time until my knee healed completely. I was okay with that. When I went to my room the nurse was already there. She examined my knee, and told me that it is not healing. Worse, they needed to do another surgery.
This time the surgery would happen when I was wide awake. I closed my eyes as the doctor brought in the huge needle. He said that they would inject that into my knee, and squeeze out all the bacteria such as pus into a tube. Also they would give me lots of different shots, and antibiotics. I didn’t want to be scared this time, because last time I didn’t feel a thing.
The doctor started the surgery by giving me medicine that numbed me against the all the pain. Then he injected the needle and squeezed out all the pus, blood, and bacteria. It hurt a little bit when he put the needle in my knee. Then he injected a few more shots and gave me antibiotics. The doctor said I could leave after an hour.
I was so happy all the surgery was done. I could finally go home. On the way home I recognized the man with a knife ! He was taking Haloween decorations off his house and I realized the costume and he had been fake. It was only a Halloween costume and theme party that my neighbor had organized! I'd learned the very hard way that things might look scary but in reality are not that bad.
THE END
My Frilled Lizard Project By Azaan K. Age 8
My class was working on an Australian animal project. My animal was the Frilled Lizard. I don`t know why I picked the frilled lizard, I just did. It has those frills to scare away other creatures and I thought it was cool. I did a lot of research, and even went to the library and read books on the subject. Then I started to make lots of notes that night. When I was too tired, I decided to go to sleep.
The next day I didn’t need to take my homework to school so I left my project on my desk in my room. I came back from school and went to my room to do my project, I wasn’t able to find my paper full of notes. I looked all over the room. I still couldn’t find the notes!
Suddenly, I saw a messed up paper airplane in the garbage. I realized that it was my page of notes. I tried to read it, but I couldn`t. All my writing had been smeared. Seeing this made me feel angry and sad. I was frustrated that I had to do it all over again. I was trying to figure out how this happened and who did it. I didn’t know what to do. I asked my little brother if he messed up my paper and he quietly said, “Yes.” I was so angry at him, but then I realized that he was very little and I should have kept my notes away from his reach.
Finally, I found mom and told her the whole story. She looked at me and smiled. She said “You should keep your homework away from your little brother”.
I was wondering why she was smiling? Maybe she didn’t think it was important?
She took me to the computer room and told me to turn on the computer.
I turned it on and guess what I saw? I started to smile too. My notes! She had typed them on the computer before my little brother turned it into a messed up airplane.
THE END
The next day I didn’t need to take my homework to school so I left my project on my desk in my room. I came back from school and went to my room to do my project, I wasn’t able to find my paper full of notes. I looked all over the room. I still couldn’t find the notes!
Suddenly, I saw a messed up paper airplane in the garbage. I realized that it was my page of notes. I tried to read it, but I couldn`t. All my writing had been smeared. Seeing this made me feel angry and sad. I was frustrated that I had to do it all over again. I was trying to figure out how this happened and who did it. I didn’t know what to do. I asked my little brother if he messed up my paper and he quietly said, “Yes.” I was so angry at him, but then I realized that he was very little and I should have kept my notes away from his reach.
Finally, I found mom and told her the whole story. She looked at me and smiled. She said “You should keep your homework away from your little brother”.
I was wondering why she was smiling? Maybe she didn’t think it was important?
She took me to the computer room and told me to turn on the computer.
I turned it on and guess what I saw? I started to smile too. My notes! She had typed them on the computer before my little brother turned it into a messed up airplane.
THE END
The Rose Bush Dilemma By Imaani Ali, Age 14
“Ding Dong” went the doorbell at exactly 9:00 A.M., as usual. I smiled as I opened the door to let my friend, Hannah, in. We exchanged brief hellos and headed out for our usual spot under the big oak tree in the backyard. As I stepped outside, I covered my eyes from the bright sun that greeted us and I quickly scrambled to the wonderfully cool shade of the tree. I dropped down onto the grass, while Hannah, being her usual graceful self, lowered herself down next to me with ease.
“So,” she said, “What should we do today?”
I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. It was summer vacation and on the last day of school, Hannah and I agreed to spend everyday of vacation together. Well, after four days of art projects, fashion shows, internet surfing, movies, and kite flying, we were bored out of our minds.
Just then, a blue bird landed on my mother’s favorite rose bush. Suddenly, my mother ran out of the house and towards the bush. Hannah and I giggled as we watched my mother shout at the birds and shoo them away with her flour covered hands. Apparently, she had been in the middle of one of her many baking projects. Finally, the bird flew away.
"Oh, I wish those birds would stay off my bush,” she gasped, out of breath, “They keep trying to build nests and it looks very unattractive.”
That gave me an idea, so I turned to Hannah and said, “I bet we could think of a way to keep the birds away. We could throw something and scare them.” Hannah agreed, but my mother was shaking her head.
“I don’t want you two to hurt the birds,” she said, “just keep them off my bush.” Then she walked back into the house in a huff.
“How about we throw something next to the bush instead of on it?” Hannah suggested.
I agreed and we immediately got to work. We looked all around the house for things to throw. We tried cotton balls, but they were too light. We were going to try spoons, but my mother stopped us because she didn’t want them getting dirty. Next to the rose bush, my mother was very protective of her silverware. When we tried water balloons, they were working for a while, but we had to keep pausing to fill up more and it was taking too long. Hannah and I tried many things, but nothing seemed to work. Finally, we got hungry and looked in the refrigerator for something to eat.
“Whoa!” Hannah exclaimed as she saw the contents of the refrigerator, “You guys have a lot of eggs!”
It was true. Two whole shelves were occupied with just cartons and cartons of eggs.
I smiled and said, “My mom recently learned how to make devilled eggs. She bought all of these eggs so that we can eat them everyday. Although, when she made them, they weren’t that good. Now we’re not so sure what to do with the eggs…” my voice trailed off as an idea formed in my mind. I looked at Hannah.
She smiled at me and I could tell we were both thinking the same thing. We each grabbed a carton of eggs and scurried outside.
When we reached the backyard, there was a whole flock of birds resting on the rose bush. Hannah and I each grabbed an egg, aimed, and fired. As the eggs cracked, the birds fluttered away in fear. Hannah and I high fived each other at our success, and continued chucking eggs. One by one, the eggs left the cartons and landed near the rose bush. Before long, there were 24 cracked eggs around the rose bush and Hannah and I each held an empty carton, laughing hysterically.
“That was so much fun!” Hannah said after she got her laughter under control, “I can’t believe we used up two whole egg cartons!”
“I know! Come on, let’s go get more!” and we both ran back into the house, giggling again. As we entered the kitchen, we met my mother holding a large plastic bag.
“What are you girls up to?” she asked.
“We’re getting more eggs to scare the birds away,” I said quickly as we opened the refrigerator.
“Are you talking about the birds on my rose bush?” my mother questioned, sounding suspicious.
“Yes,” Hannah replied, “We are throwing eggs by the bush to make the birds fly away. But don’t worry, we aren’t hurting them,” she added quickly.
“You’re throwing eggs on my precious rose bush?” my mother said in disbelief.
When we nodded, my mother looked as though she was about to explode. I could almost see the steam coming out of her ears.
“Girls!!” she hollered, “I appreciate the help, but I didn’t want you to throw EGGS!! They will go rotten and smell bad and it will look a lot more unattractive than a bird’s nest!” My mother was fuming.
“We were just trying to solve the bird problem,” I said, trying to act as innocent as I could.
“I didn’t want you to solve it by throwing eggs, and besides,” she said as she revealed the contents of the bag, “I bought this for the birds,” and she held out a birdhouse, “I figured the birds would build their nests in this instead of on my bush.”
“Oh,” Hannah and I said in unison.
“Well,” I said, “I guess we could spend the rest of the day painting the birdhou—“
“NO,” my mother said firmly, and pointed towards the backyard, “You two will spend the rest of the day cleaning up every single egg out there.”
Hannah and I stared at her, open-mouthed, in shock. When my mother’s expression remained the same, we each heaved a sigh and muttered, “Fine,” as I grabbed a bucket and we both trudged outside. This was going to be a long afternoon.
The End
“So,” she said, “What should we do today?”
I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. It was summer vacation and on the last day of school, Hannah and I agreed to spend everyday of vacation together. Well, after four days of art projects, fashion shows, internet surfing, movies, and kite flying, we were bored out of our minds.
Just then, a blue bird landed on my mother’s favorite rose bush. Suddenly, my mother ran out of the house and towards the bush. Hannah and I giggled as we watched my mother shout at the birds and shoo them away with her flour covered hands. Apparently, she had been in the middle of one of her many baking projects. Finally, the bird flew away.
"Oh, I wish those birds would stay off my bush,” she gasped, out of breath, “They keep trying to build nests and it looks very unattractive.”
That gave me an idea, so I turned to Hannah and said, “I bet we could think of a way to keep the birds away. We could throw something and scare them.” Hannah agreed, but my mother was shaking her head.
“I don’t want you two to hurt the birds,” she said, “just keep them off my bush.” Then she walked back into the house in a huff.
“How about we throw something next to the bush instead of on it?” Hannah suggested.
I agreed and we immediately got to work. We looked all around the house for things to throw. We tried cotton balls, but they were too light. We were going to try spoons, but my mother stopped us because she didn’t want them getting dirty. Next to the rose bush, my mother was very protective of her silverware. When we tried water balloons, they were working for a while, but we had to keep pausing to fill up more and it was taking too long. Hannah and I tried many things, but nothing seemed to work. Finally, we got hungry and looked in the refrigerator for something to eat.
“Whoa!” Hannah exclaimed as she saw the contents of the refrigerator, “You guys have a lot of eggs!”
It was true. Two whole shelves were occupied with just cartons and cartons of eggs.
I smiled and said, “My mom recently learned how to make devilled eggs. She bought all of these eggs so that we can eat them everyday. Although, when she made them, they weren’t that good. Now we’re not so sure what to do with the eggs…” my voice trailed off as an idea formed in my mind. I looked at Hannah.
She smiled at me and I could tell we were both thinking the same thing. We each grabbed a carton of eggs and scurried outside.
When we reached the backyard, there was a whole flock of birds resting on the rose bush. Hannah and I each grabbed an egg, aimed, and fired. As the eggs cracked, the birds fluttered away in fear. Hannah and I high fived each other at our success, and continued chucking eggs. One by one, the eggs left the cartons and landed near the rose bush. Before long, there were 24 cracked eggs around the rose bush and Hannah and I each held an empty carton, laughing hysterically.
“That was so much fun!” Hannah said after she got her laughter under control, “I can’t believe we used up two whole egg cartons!”
“I know! Come on, let’s go get more!” and we both ran back into the house, giggling again. As we entered the kitchen, we met my mother holding a large plastic bag.
“What are you girls up to?” she asked.
“We’re getting more eggs to scare the birds away,” I said quickly as we opened the refrigerator.
“Are you talking about the birds on my rose bush?” my mother questioned, sounding suspicious.
“Yes,” Hannah replied, “We are throwing eggs by the bush to make the birds fly away. But don’t worry, we aren’t hurting them,” she added quickly.
“You’re throwing eggs on my precious rose bush?” my mother said in disbelief.
When we nodded, my mother looked as though she was about to explode. I could almost see the steam coming out of her ears.
“Girls!!” she hollered, “I appreciate the help, but I didn’t want you to throw EGGS!! They will go rotten and smell bad and it will look a lot more unattractive than a bird’s nest!” My mother was fuming.
“We were just trying to solve the bird problem,” I said, trying to act as innocent as I could.
“I didn’t want you to solve it by throwing eggs, and besides,” she said as she revealed the contents of the bag, “I bought this for the birds,” and she held out a birdhouse, “I figured the birds would build their nests in this instead of on my bush.”
“Oh,” Hannah and I said in unison.
“Well,” I said, “I guess we could spend the rest of the day painting the birdhou—“
“NO,” my mother said firmly, and pointed towards the backyard, “You two will spend the rest of the day cleaning up every single egg out there.”
Hannah and I stared at her, open-mouthed, in shock. When my mother’s expression remained the same, we each heaved a sigh and muttered, “Fine,” as I grabbed a bucket and we both trudged outside. This was going to be a long afternoon.
The End
The Scarecrow’s Clothes By Sabreen Ali, Grade 6
On Monday morning I woke up at 5:00 am. I made myself a bagel with cream cheese and went out to the porch. It was hot, but there was a gentle breeze which made my hair rustle. I sat in my old rocking chair, and took big bites of my bagel and chewed slowly while I watched the sun rise. Then I went out to the farm and checked on the crops. I found crows eating the corn stalks.
“Get out of here!” I shouted, but only one flew away. I waved my hands in the air at them. Two more flew away. I crossed my arms and grunted in frustration. Those birds always ate my corn stalks! I quickly walked to the shed and got out my whip. Then, when I got to the crows on the corn stalk, I cracked my whip at the remaining birds. They fluttered in fear. “Caw-caw! Caw-caw!”
I need to find a way to get the crows away from my crops, I thought. When I went inside, I decided to look online for ideas. I sat in my pink fluffy chair in front of the computer. Then I typed in the address bar “google.com”. Tap, tap, tap went the keys on the keyboard as I searched “keeping crows away from plants.”
I was amazed by how many results I got! I clicked on the first link. It brought me to a website with many ways to prevent birds from eating crops. This was exactly what I needed! The first thing on the list was “make a scarecrow.” When I read this, I knew it was the perfect idea.
I clicked on “make a scarecrow”, and it showed me the materials needed to make it and instructions. I needed a pole, straw, and clothes. I decided to go to the store just for the pole and straw because I could just use my own clothes for the scarecrow. I went to the store Michaels because I knew they would have everything I needed. I lived in the country and it was a long drive into the city. The car bumped along over gravel until I got on to smooth city roads. On my way, I passed a garage sale. I should stop there on my way back, I thought.
After I bought all I needed from the store, I stopped at the garage sale I had seen earlier. Some things stood out including the different kitchen utensils, but what made my eyes pop was a set of clothes. “They are perfect for my scarecrow!” I thought out loud. The shirt was checkered with red and white squares. There were blue overalls to go over it. There was even a little straw hat to go with it. I have to buy this outfit, I thought. Why waste my own clothes when the perfect clothes to my scarecrow were right here! I brought the clothes over to the lady at the table in front of the driveway.
“Good luck,” she said as I paid her.
What did she mean by ‘good luck’? I thought. You don’t need luck for clothes.
When I got home, I called my friend Stacy, and I invited her to my house to help me make my scarecrow. She arrived ten minutes later. After I showed her the materials and instructions, we got started. We tried to follow the instructions, but we couldn’t understand them. They were too complicated. It told us to attach the straw in difficult ways that we couldn’t figure out how to do. The only thing we managed to do was to hold the pole up vertically, and that was just from common sense. We decided to come up with our own way to make it. Using rubber bands to hold it down, we attached the straw to the pole. We made arms, legs, and a head. We munched on tuna sandwiches while we worked. Then we put the clothes on it.
“It looks perfect!” Stacy exclaimed.
We took the scarecrow outside and staked the pole in the ground next to the corn stalks.
“That should scare the birds away,” I said as we walked inside.
It was nearly sunset by the time by the time Stacy left. I sat on my porch to watch the sunset. I nibbled on some crackers in my wooden rocking chair. I went to bed after eating a small dinner of chicken noodle soup. The next day I didn’t wake up on time to see the sunrise. Most of the time I do, but occasionally I am too tired to wake up so early. I ate a quick breakfast of cereal and milk, and then went to check on the corn stalks. I wonder if the scarecrow worked, I thought. I had my answer right when I saw the crows feasting on my corn stalk.
“Shoo, shoo!” I shouted. Most of them flew away. Isn’t the scarecrow supposed to scare the crows? I thought. That’s when I noticed the scarecrow was missing!
Did someone steal it? Or did the wind blow it away and out of the ground? I stood there thinking of the possibilities for a few minutes. The wind urged me forward as I looked around for the scarecrow. I found it at the cabbage patch. Only, it wasn’t just lying on the ground next to the cabbages, it was eating them! I stood in the gentle breeze, breathless. Scarecrows can’t move around! I thought. And they certainly can’t eat! I threw my arms up in confusion as I spoke to it.
“How can you be alive? You’re just a scarecrow!”
It surprised me when the scarecrow replied. I didn’t expect it to talk back.
“Oh, hello there, my name is Jane.” Apparently it was a girl because of her name and I could tell she was friendly by the way she greeted me.
“But you’re just a scarecrow,” I sputtered.
“It’s these clothes,” she explained. “They make me feel so…alive.” The clothes are what are keeping her alive? I tried to think of a logical explanation, but I couldn’t think right. I sat on the grass and calmed myself down. I took a deep breath and thought of everything I knew about the clothes. Then I figured it out. I got those clothes from that garage sale! That’s probably what the lady at the garage sale meant by ‘good luck’. But how did she know about my scarecrow? Maybe she heard me talk to myself about the clothes being perfect for my scarecrow.
“You’re supposed to be scaring crows away from my corn stalks. How come you’re over here, eating my cabbages?” I asked, still shocked that I was talking to a scarecrow.
“Sorry, but I got hungry,” she replied, now just standing in front of me.
“Maybe we can make a deal,” I suggested. “If you keep the birds away from my crops, I will feed you everyday.”
She nodded and said, “I would like that very much.”
The next day went just as expected. I woke up, ate breakfast, and fed the scarecrow. I was pleased to find that there were no crows on my plants. We got to know each other better while exchanging the many stories of our lives. One of them was about when I was five years old. I broke my mother’s favorite vase. I blamed it on my older sister, Martha. I was eventually caught and I got in trouble. I told Jane that my sister currently lived in another state.
Jane told me her stories too. She explained to me how she had come to life as a scarecrow once before. Her owner Lucy, the lady at the garage sale, was afraid of the scarecrow; when she figured out that the clothes made Jane come to life, she took them off. Then she sold them to me.
Jane also told me what she liked to eat. She had tried one of Lucy’s apples and she loved it. One time we played catch, and Jane liked it. We would only play when no one was there. When a car or person passed by, Jane would stand still as if she was lifeless. Jane and I became great friends. The whole experience made me realize that anything is possible!
“Get out of here!” I shouted, but only one flew away. I waved my hands in the air at them. Two more flew away. I crossed my arms and grunted in frustration. Those birds always ate my corn stalks! I quickly walked to the shed and got out my whip. Then, when I got to the crows on the corn stalk, I cracked my whip at the remaining birds. They fluttered in fear. “Caw-caw! Caw-caw!”
I need to find a way to get the crows away from my crops, I thought. When I went inside, I decided to look online for ideas. I sat in my pink fluffy chair in front of the computer. Then I typed in the address bar “google.com”. Tap, tap, tap went the keys on the keyboard as I searched “keeping crows away from plants.”
I was amazed by how many results I got! I clicked on the first link. It brought me to a website with many ways to prevent birds from eating crops. This was exactly what I needed! The first thing on the list was “make a scarecrow.” When I read this, I knew it was the perfect idea.
I clicked on “make a scarecrow”, and it showed me the materials needed to make it and instructions. I needed a pole, straw, and clothes. I decided to go to the store just for the pole and straw because I could just use my own clothes for the scarecrow. I went to the store Michaels because I knew they would have everything I needed. I lived in the country and it was a long drive into the city. The car bumped along over gravel until I got on to smooth city roads. On my way, I passed a garage sale. I should stop there on my way back, I thought.
After I bought all I needed from the store, I stopped at the garage sale I had seen earlier. Some things stood out including the different kitchen utensils, but what made my eyes pop was a set of clothes. “They are perfect for my scarecrow!” I thought out loud. The shirt was checkered with red and white squares. There were blue overalls to go over it. There was even a little straw hat to go with it. I have to buy this outfit, I thought. Why waste my own clothes when the perfect clothes to my scarecrow were right here! I brought the clothes over to the lady at the table in front of the driveway.
“Good luck,” she said as I paid her.
What did she mean by ‘good luck’? I thought. You don’t need luck for clothes.
When I got home, I called my friend Stacy, and I invited her to my house to help me make my scarecrow. She arrived ten minutes later. After I showed her the materials and instructions, we got started. We tried to follow the instructions, but we couldn’t understand them. They were too complicated. It told us to attach the straw in difficult ways that we couldn’t figure out how to do. The only thing we managed to do was to hold the pole up vertically, and that was just from common sense. We decided to come up with our own way to make it. Using rubber bands to hold it down, we attached the straw to the pole. We made arms, legs, and a head. We munched on tuna sandwiches while we worked. Then we put the clothes on it.
“It looks perfect!” Stacy exclaimed.
We took the scarecrow outside and staked the pole in the ground next to the corn stalks.
“That should scare the birds away,” I said as we walked inside.
It was nearly sunset by the time by the time Stacy left. I sat on my porch to watch the sunset. I nibbled on some crackers in my wooden rocking chair. I went to bed after eating a small dinner of chicken noodle soup. The next day I didn’t wake up on time to see the sunrise. Most of the time I do, but occasionally I am too tired to wake up so early. I ate a quick breakfast of cereal and milk, and then went to check on the corn stalks. I wonder if the scarecrow worked, I thought. I had my answer right when I saw the crows feasting on my corn stalk.
“Shoo, shoo!” I shouted. Most of them flew away. Isn’t the scarecrow supposed to scare the crows? I thought. That’s when I noticed the scarecrow was missing!
Did someone steal it? Or did the wind blow it away and out of the ground? I stood there thinking of the possibilities for a few minutes. The wind urged me forward as I looked around for the scarecrow. I found it at the cabbage patch. Only, it wasn’t just lying on the ground next to the cabbages, it was eating them! I stood in the gentle breeze, breathless. Scarecrows can’t move around! I thought. And they certainly can’t eat! I threw my arms up in confusion as I spoke to it.
“How can you be alive? You’re just a scarecrow!”
It surprised me when the scarecrow replied. I didn’t expect it to talk back.
“Oh, hello there, my name is Jane.” Apparently it was a girl because of her name and I could tell she was friendly by the way she greeted me.
“But you’re just a scarecrow,” I sputtered.
“It’s these clothes,” she explained. “They make me feel so…alive.” The clothes are what are keeping her alive? I tried to think of a logical explanation, but I couldn’t think right. I sat on the grass and calmed myself down. I took a deep breath and thought of everything I knew about the clothes. Then I figured it out. I got those clothes from that garage sale! That’s probably what the lady at the garage sale meant by ‘good luck’. But how did she know about my scarecrow? Maybe she heard me talk to myself about the clothes being perfect for my scarecrow.
“You’re supposed to be scaring crows away from my corn stalks. How come you’re over here, eating my cabbages?” I asked, still shocked that I was talking to a scarecrow.
“Sorry, but I got hungry,” she replied, now just standing in front of me.
“Maybe we can make a deal,” I suggested. “If you keep the birds away from my crops, I will feed you everyday.”
She nodded and said, “I would like that very much.”
The next day went just as expected. I woke up, ate breakfast, and fed the scarecrow. I was pleased to find that there were no crows on my plants. We got to know each other better while exchanging the many stories of our lives. One of them was about when I was five years old. I broke my mother’s favorite vase. I blamed it on my older sister, Martha. I was eventually caught and I got in trouble. I told Jane that my sister currently lived in another state.
Jane told me her stories too. She explained to me how she had come to life as a scarecrow once before. Her owner Lucy, the lady at the garage sale, was afraid of the scarecrow; when she figured out that the clothes made Jane come to life, she took them off. Then she sold them to me.
Jane also told me what she liked to eat. She had tried one of Lucy’s apples and she loved it. One time we played catch, and Jane liked it. We would only play when no one was there. When a car or person passed by, Jane would stand still as if she was lifeless. Jane and I became great friends. The whole experience made me realize that anything is possible!
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