Chapter 2

Direction

 

Amanda stepped into the dark, spooky forest.  She walked, and walked until she saw something flutter by.  “Ahh!”  Screamed Amanda as she ran in circles.  

 

“What was that?”  Spoke a voice.  The creature fluttered down on Amanda’s back.  But to Amanda’s surprise, it was just Twyla.  

 

”Thanks for scaring me Twyla.”  Said Amanda sarcastically.

 

“Lets search together,”  says Twyla.  

 

“Ok, better than alone.”  Answers Amanda, “Lets go toward the tree, but search while we walk.”

 

They started walking, when something else fluttered by.  “Twyla…”  Amanda said angrily.  

 

“What?  It wasn’t me.”  Said Twyla quietly.

 

“Then who was it?”  Asks Amanda.  

 

“D-don’t know.”  Answers Twyla.  “Probably just the wind.”  The two kept on walking, and walking to the great tree.  

 

In the east, Caitlin was walking, when suddenly she saw a dark figure.  She started running, when she bumped into something. She realized it was just Hannah.  “Did you see that dark figure?”  Hannah asked.

 

“Yes, of course I did!”  Answered Caitlin.  “Do you think that it was the owl?”  They both shuddered for a moment, but then stood still.  

 

“Well, it may have been, but I won’t stick around to find out.”  Says Caitlin.  Hannah agreed.  They headed toward the tree.  4 minutes later…

 

“Ok, everybody is at the tree now.”  Announced Amanda, “anybody find anything?”

 

Caitlin spoke up, “Hannah and I think that we may have seen it, but were not really sure.”

 

“Yes, we did,”  says Hannah next.  “It fluttered by, but couldn’t it have been another owl?”

 

“Yes, it could’ve been.”  Answered Caitlin.  “Any sightings from you two?”

 

“We thought we saw it, but we think it was just the wind.”  Says Amanda, “I thought I saw it before that, but it was actually some owl named Twyla.”  All four of them giggled for a moment.

 

“Anything else,”  asked Twyla.

 

“Nope!”  Everyone said.  “Then let’s go back to tell the widow.”  The four friends walked to the cottage.

 

Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki was born in Akebono-cho in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.  His native nam is 宮崎 駿.  His father fought in World War II.  Miyazaki was only 3 years old when he evacuated to Utsunomiya with his family.  Later in his life they went to Kanuma.  In 1947 he began school at Utsunomiya City Elementary, he completed 1st-3rd grade before he moved to Suginami-ku, where he completed 4th grade at Omiya Elementary School.  For 5th grade he went to Eifuku Elementary school.  He graduated from Eifuku, and went to Omiya Junior High.  During that time, his mom was suffering from spinal tuberculosis.  During the first years she had it she was in the hospital, but then she could be nursed from home.  

 

Miyazaki became a manga artist from a very young age.  After graduating from Omiya Junior High, Miyazaki went to Toyotama High School.  After 3 years in the school, the film “The Tale of The White Serpent” sparked Miyazaki’s interest for animation.  After graduating from Toyotama, he attended Gakushuin University.  Miyazaki graduated in 1963.

 

In October 1965, Miyazaki married an animator named Akemi Ota, and had 2 sons, Gorō and Keisuke.  Hayao Miyazaki has made many films including one of the most popular, “My Neighbor Totoro”.  He even is in Studio Ghibli.

 

In the rainforest it is dark, and scary

Were you see the gorillas, who are big, and harry

And those kangaroos over there are with their joies

Wait!  What?  Kangaroos?

Is this near Australia?

This is not real, I’m just in a dream

I just closed my eyes, and went to sleep

On our trip to the Gondwana Rainforest!

 

The Gondwana Rainforest is a rainforest in Australia.

 

The VR was awesome.  I hope we do more, and more throughout the whole year.  (:

Dude Men & Dude Man

Chapter 1

The Old Widow

 

One day four friends were walking in the woods.  Amanda, Twyla, Caitlin, and Hannah were their names.  They saw a little cottage.  They all wanted to go in, except for Twyla, who thought they may get in trouble.  They all walked into the cottage, only to see an old widow.  The widow said, “I was expecting you.”  The four quivered for a moment, but then they stood still.  “Come closer, Twyla,” said the widow in a crackling voice.  

 

Twyla shuttered, ”H-how do you know my name?”

“I know everyone’s name, now come closer,” crackled the widow.  “Twyla, you have the power of the owl.”  Then, suddenly, Twyla turned into an owl.  

 

“What the!  How do I turn back?,” she shouted as she fluttered around the room.  

 

“Just imagine yourself as a human again,” answered the widow.  Then Twyla turned back into her normal self.

“Next up is Hannah, come closer,” Hannah came closer without flinching, she loved animals, and she wanted to be one.  “You have the power of the lion,”  Hannah turned into a lion, and roared.  She turned back the same way Twyla did.  

 

“Next up, Caitlin,” Caitlin stepped forward, “You have the power of the wolf,” Caitlin turned into a wolf, and howled.  Then turned back into her normal self.  

 

“And last, but not least, Amanda, you have the power of the panda,” Amanda turned into a panda, and jumped up, and down, which shook the whole cottage.  She stopped and turned back into herself.

“Now you have to go and save the world from the dark creatures,” said the widow.  The four looked questioned.  “Never heard of it, did you?”  Questioned the widow.  All four shook their heads.  “I see,” said the widow, “Long, long ago, in ancient times, there were four friends.  Like you four.  Who had pets.  Wolf, lion, owl, and panda.  They had to fight of the dark creatures, all of the same kind.  And after they defeated them, they started back to their normal life.  But there was a legend that the dark creatures will rise once more, and four new people will be chosen to fight them off.  But since the animals aren’t there anymore, the people will have to turn into them.  But the dark creatures have magic, only elements can fight them off.  You will each have to find your element, so you can fight them off.  The closest one to this old cottage that I actually saw was the dark owl, you can tell him apart from a normal owl because he is a purple, gray, and black.  But I must warn you, the owl can fly as fast as a cheetah, so only greater speed can win, also known as the element of wind.”

“We got it.”  Said Amanda.  

 

“Then go!”  Shouted the widow, and the four set of into the woods, and just in case, turned into the animals.

 

“Let’s split up, but if you see it, don’t attack.  We will meet at the Great Tree in ten minutes, tell the group if you saw it.”  Said Hannah.

 

“Ok, ten minutes starting… NOW!”  Shouted Caitlin.  They all went in different directions, Amanda North, Caitlin East, Twyla South, and Hannah West.  All ready for the journey ahead of them.

I think the reason Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech near the Lincoln Memorial is because Lincoln was another famous man who wanted African American slavery, and judging to stop.  Also, King wanted people to remember Lincoln, and what he did for our country.  In King’s speech he also said how Lincoln helped the U.S.A.

I’m Not BAD!!! The Pigs Are!!!

By:  Ashton, Tyler, and Kate

 

Hello, I am the wolf.  All of you know the story of the three little pigs, and the big bad wolf right? But now I am going to tell you the true story.  I was walking in the woods, when I saw 3 houses, one made out of straw, one made out of sticks, and the last one is made out of bricks.  I wanted to be friends, so then I went to see if they were home. I had NO idea that they were pigs, ham is my favorite food, and I was feeling hungry.

When I went to the first pig’s door and knocked on his little straw house, I noticed it was unsteady.  He told me not to come in, and threw some seeds through the window.  He told me to plant something with them, but the pig didn’t know that I was allergic to seeds, so I huffed, and I puffed, and I sneezed the house down…  Only to see the pig, dead, in the middle of a pile of straw.  And since ham is my favorite food, I gobbled him up.

When I went to the second pig’s door and knocked on his medium stick house, I realized it was a little unsteady.  That pig who was nicer let me inside, and when I saw him, it was hard to resist the fat little pig.  I raced toward him, but then I stopped in front of a plate full of cookies.  I am allergic to cookies, I started to run outside the house before I sneezed, but it was too late.  I sneezed.  I blew the little house down, and saw the other pig laying on the ground.  And though I was full, I still gobbled him up, and set of to the next pig’s house.

At this point I new the other one was a pig, so instead of making a friend, I tried to break into his sturdy brick house.  He did not let me in, and I think I kind of raged.  So this time instead of sneezing, I actually huffed, and puffed, and blew!  Of course I couldn’t knock down that house, so I started climbing up the side of the huge brick house.  But that little pig was ready!  He made a quick fire, and put a pot of boiling water on top of the fire.  I was very stupid in my young age, and I didn’t look before I jumped.  So when I went down the chimney, my bottom turned red.  I ran out of the pig’s house screaming, and from then on, I never ate ham, unless I bought it and cooked it.  THE END!!!