’

The stories inside this issue are veiled

narratives about their inner thoughts and

beliefs, even though most of their stories

are fantasy or quirky surrealism. They live

in magical kingdoms—places where their

subnormal lives can breathe and be more

than human. Fiction becomes the only place

where they can write happy endings, because

so much has already happened to them.

Most of them have a strong desire to love

and be loved, and for over an hour each

morning, they write and discuss fiction with

enthusiasm. It releases the creative

imagination and calms them. It becomes a

place where anything is possible, a place

where they can be themselves—free of

judgment, a place where they belong, where

they can feel like part of a group, a place

that reminds them that they are alive and

things will get better.

I do not edit the stories or correct them

in any way. They appear as the student

typed them. Enjoy their imaginations!

—Robert Stofel, Editor

2

One Angry Angel Baby By Uniqua

When people see this baby,

they laugh. They make fun

of him, joke on him and

also tease him about his

shoe size. He ignores then,

and goes on by himself,

thinking, and hoping

they’{{ stop. He’s sweet,

kind, and fun to be

around, but everyone else

thinjs he’s a mean and

evil baby. His nick name is Mini-Mee, he’s on{y

a one year old angry angel baby. Deep down

in his heart he wishes he was older, bigger,

wiser, and stronger. Mini-Mee has angel wings

with an evil look on his face, his hair curls

at the top, and his cheeks are fat. The angry

ange{ baby fina{{y rea{izes that everybody’s

not perfect, everyone’s not cute, but peop{e

have problems in life. Now that frown on

Mini-Mee’s face turned into a smi{e, and it

doesn’t matter who picjs on him, he’s sti{{ an

angel.

3

Only In a Dream By Uniqua

Only in a dream

where imaginary

people come and

greet you. Where

the land is very

pretty, and the

neighborhoods are like heaven. Nothing bad

ever happens, only good memories. The face of

a teenage girl, with happy branches as her

face, comes and tells you all about her life

as she grew up in the prettiest woods, with

lovely animals—birds chirping, squirrels

tip-toeing, owls howling, insects silences,

and butterflies beautiful in majesty. She

always wonder whydoes everything have to be

perfect? Why can’t she have one problem to

solve at least, or why not just be a normal

person?

She’s not rea{, and her intelligence comes

alive only in your dreams. Her face looks

kind of weird, but she’s a good person. If you

sleep enough and rest well, you’{{ meet her.

She’s {ije a part of your dream that you’{{

never forget.

4

She lives in everyone’s dreams and majes you

smile every second of each minute of every

hour. It’s a very specia{ p{ace that I’d {ove to

live.

The girl never told me her name, only

everything e{se in her {ife. She said she’s

God’s daughter. It made me {augh. We had good

times together, and she taught me to never let

nothing or anyone get to me. She taught me a

lot in my dream. I really never wanted to

waje up, but that’s how she was in mines, and

she woke me up to a place like heaven, Only

in my head…..

5

Jermaine was an average kid in

many ways. He loved video

games, pizza and TV. There was

something different about

Jermaine. He was 15-years-old

and only 5 ft. 5 inches. This

did not stop him from playing

basketball. Basketball was his

life. His idol was Kobe Bryant.

He watched Kobe and all of

basketball, read about basketball, memorized

basketball stats, collected basketball

memorabilia, and talked basketball. He

practiced for 3 hours twice daily. He had a

routine. Start by stretching. He would then

run around while dribbling. He passed the

ball between his hands so smoothly you

wou{dn’t have jnown he was right handed.

Next the ball went cleanly through his

legs, behind his back, and into his left

hand.

After dribbling for a while, Jermaine

did lay-ups. From finger ro{{s to 360’s. He

did 25 in a row. Next he shot free throws.

The swish that accompanied almost every

shot gave him a huge boost of confidence.

6

After this, it was 3-point-time. Starting on the

right side of the court and moving left,

Jermaine shot three after three. 8 out of 10. 80.

Not cool. That iust wou{dn’t cut it with him. This

is another thing I didn’t te{{ you about

Jermaine. He would never give up. He worked and

worked on his shot. Squaring towards the basket,

shoulders level, right hand under the ball, and

left on the side. The release was something that

had taken months to perfect. Modeling after his

idol, Kobe Bryant, he released. Simultaneously

his left hand left the side of the ball while he

flicked his wrist. Just right. The spin on the

ball looked perfect. Score. The ball fell cleanly

through the hoop. Repeat and move. More and

more iump shots. Jermaine cou{dn’t have asjed

for anything else. Basketball. He was doing

what he loved.

Ba{{in’!

7

I am a horse with superpowers.

I am going to save the world.

There isn’t anything

that can stop me.

The world needs

a superhero like me

to keep the world safe

from evil things.

There is nothing

that can out run me.

I always get what I need.

When lightning strikes the ground,

I know evil is here.

Have no fear super horse is here.

“P{ease get me out of this tree,”

said the boy.

“My mom told me not to go to high up in this tree because it was too tall for me and now the

branches are breaking. Please get me down from

here!”

Now that you are on the ground, I’m off to

save the world with my super speed, seeing, and

flying.

Be safe and don’t get in troub{e.

8

House on Elm Street By Thomas

There is a house on elm,

street that no one dares

to come near. There are a

few brave volunteers, but

most are two scared. The

house is surrounded by a

darj intense g{ow. What’s

inside the house will

anyone ever no? All

through the night lights

flicker on and off. If you ask the kids next

door they will tell they saw a ghost. So when

you’re on E{m Street maje sure that you’re

alert. For the big white house with the glow

full burst.

9

I feel like im lost in space.

Just me all alone

not a person to trace.

Im dancing with the stars.

Im walking on mars.

Im sleeping on clouds.

I can be silent or I can be loud.

This is the way I express myself.

Im so close to the sun that I might melt.

Im sleeping on the moon.

Lost in space but ill be home soon.

10

Nowhere to go

I’m trapped in a cage.

My head in the clouds

my mind in a rage.

There’s No way to get out.

The bad thing is

I jnow that I’m trapped.

I want to shed tears but the emotions won’t

come.

At the moment

I was having fun,

but now I realize

my actions were dumb.

11

My Broken Heart By Stephanie

Your heart is broke , but

you can fix it with love.

Your heart will always be broken by

something ,but you just keep on rebuilding

and rebuilding until your heart is built

back up and ready to love again and again ,

because you are fix and ready for anything

to hit your heart and it will all start

again.

Your slowly rebuilding for the loss of a love

one. The people around you are doing

everything they can to help you rebuild, by

helping you see what better thing they will

be doing with their {ife and that they don’t

want you to be upset . They want you to

rebuild until you are fix to love again.

12

Homesick By Stephanie

You have been away from home for a long

time and you are really home sick because

you really want to come home to be with

your family and you really miss been at

home so you can do what you what you want

to like sleeping in ,go out side and play

with family. You are wanting to be back at

home and in joy all the thing so bad that it

makes you home sick.

13

The girl is locked

up in her room

because she is

grounded for

getting suspended

from school for

fighting so her

parents grounded

her and they made

her stay in her room and she can not come

out until she goes back to school. Her

parents said she cou{dn’t go anywhere, talk

on the phone, or watch T.V . at all . And that

is why she is locked up in her room . And

when she gets out she will go back to

school and she and the girl she got to

fighting with will become friends and

forget about the fight they had about a boy

and they will become best friends.

14

Life is hard

I know that,

but perhaps

it’s too hard.

I’ve been

through so

much

a{ready and I’m sti{{ so young. I sti{{ have

my whole life ahead of me, and I want to

give up this earth, but I got to stand

strong I just have to, I can’t give in. I jnow

that I can overcome any obstacle in my way.

I have to and I will. I will never let go I

will forever hold on.

15

I am depressed.

I start popping the pills.

One by one. Two by two.

Soon I have finished

the whole bottle.

I start to feel woozy.

I do things I never dreamed

I’d do.

I fee{ {ije I’m floating.

Flying somewhere. BAM!

I’m out. I wake up two hours later.

I’ve had a trip.

I have cuts and bruises everywhere.

I feel horrible, disgusting, and foolish.

I have an excruciating stomachache.

I am even more depressed than I was before I took the

pills. I feel stupid.

Don’t EVER do drugs. Really.

It WILL NOT help you.

Drugs will eventually destroy you.

My advice:

Don’t take the first sip, puff, swallow, or snort.

It rea{{y isn’t worth it.

16

I am a Vietnam Veteran. I

have scars from war. Scars

from bullets in my legs. A

metal plate in my skull. I

don’t iust have physica{

scars. I have PTSD. Post

Traumatic Stress Disorder

will haunt me for the rest

of my life. At night the

demons come. Bringing back those terrible memories.

I relive the moments when my closest buddies were

ruthlessly killed. I remember being under constant

stress. The uncertainty of tomorrow. The constant

death a{{ around me. I’m in my bed. I hear the shriej

of a bomb. Yelling, I run for cover. I am back in

Vietnam. Back in my own personal hell. I hear the

pop-pop of a machine gun. A comrade yelling in

pain. When will I escape? I am not weird. I am not

psychotic. I am simply scared. I am a Vietnam

Veteran.

(I want to dedicate this short story to Mr. Mack.

Thank You for sharing a little bit of your story

with me. Thank You for your service to our country!)

17

My Heart By Stephanie

My heart has fear.

My heart has love.

My heart has anger.

My heart has devotion.

My heart holds all this things and more.

Your heart has confusion and don’t jnow who

to love. Your heart will always be devotion

and your heart will always hold fear. Your

heart knows no anger, but happy anger. Your

heart don’t iust sit there with out anything

to do. It tell you how to feel when it comes

to all these things like: love, fear, anger,

confusion, and devotion. The heart is

something we can’t {ive without.