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by brenan gately Knock knock knock. ” Who is that?” Fredward asked his mom. “I don’t know” she replied. Fredward went to the front door. He opened the door and saw his Uncle Bob. Fredward and his family were spending the week at his beach house right on the sandy dunes in Florida. Fredward had to sleep in the attic this weekend since the rooms were all full. There was a broken window in the attic which made him feel very scared to sleep up there. It was about bed time and Fredward went upstairs. He saw a letter and a magnifying glass lying on the floor in the attic. Fredward opened the letter and noticed its heading was anonymous. The letter was about why the window was cracked. There was also some old boots with some blood splattered all over them in the back corner of the attic. This made Fredward so scared to sleep that night. So he decided not to sleep at all. The next morning his family went down to the sand dunes outside. Fredward decided to stay home at the beach house and sleep. About an hour later he heard footsteps downstairs. He was thinking to himself that it was just his mom and his family. He went downstairs to get lunch and there was a tall man standing there in the kitchen with a knife. The man turned around and went to chase Fredward. Fredward was so scared he ran out the back door, down the creek and out to the sand dunes. The man caught him and stabbed him in the back three times. Fredward woke up from his nap and realized it was all a dream. He got in the car and headed to his beach house.

“Would that be all for you miss?” said a young man “Yes that’s all” said Joyice she got up. She left money to pay for the bill and the tip and left. Joyice was 67 year old woman. Her husband had died 2 years earlier battling cancer. Joyice had no children or grand children. Joyice was lonely a lot; her only friend in town was her husband so now she feels like there is no way to go on without him. The pain was unbearable sometimes. After dinner Joyice went down to her favorite spot in Savannah, Georgia, lovers’ dock. It was an old legend that lovers’ dock was the spot where the sailors in the 1700’s would come with their families to say goodbye before they went out to sea to fight in battles. Sometime joyice goes down there to remember the good times her and her husband had together. Joyice had known that her husband was slowly dying but was not ready to say goodbye so when he past through the night she didn’t really get to say her true love goodbye. She still missed him and hadn’t moved on yet. She’s has been going to the spot more and more. “Sweetie are you there I want you to know that I love you and we will be together soon, goodnight and sleep tight see you same time tomorrow” As she got up she could see something in the ocean. “What is that” she said She could see a bottle like shape from the moonlight. As it came closer she could see that it was indeed a bottle but there was something in the bottle. She waited to the bottle came close enough so she can grab it. Inside the bottle was a piece of paper but how she would get the paper out without ripping it. She needed help to get it out but who would help her she had no friends and everyone in town thought she was a crazy old lady. She took the bottle home and hoped to figure out a way to get the paper out but nothing came to mind. The next day she went down to the coffee shop and met a nice man named Bert. Bert lived on the other side of town but was looking for another house because his house was too big for just him. His wife died 6 months earlier from a heart attack. Bert saw Joyce there and the bottle and offered to help her get out the paper. As they were working they told each other their life story. They pulled out the paper it was a letter and it said Dear my love Annette, I wrote you this note to say goodbye since you couldn’t be here at the dock. I love you and will never forget you. I now that you love me too. So if anything should happen to me I want you to know it ok to move and go on with your life. Love your true love, John Joyce read this and took at a sign from her husband. She felt closure and she started to move on with her life. Her and Bert remained friends forever. One day she looked up and said “Maybe we won’t be together as soon as I thought” by meghan lemberg Take 5 Writing Contest By: Maddy Carroll Letters of Death On the 5th of December, 1986, my mother and father received a death, **letter** in the mail. Written in stickers, my parents and the police could never solve the letter. Those next few months, my mother and father took shifts on who would stay up to watch the house. With a knife by the back door, a gun by the front door and 2 metal baseball bats by the garage door, I thought that nobody would dare to have come in. I mean, my parents lived on the beach, overlooking the ocean and gorgeous **sand dunes**.Well I was wrong. VERY WRONG. The next 2 months were hard. “I really wish that the police could just figure out what the problem was. You know?” says mother, crying. “Yes honey. I agree, maybe we should take it into our own hands. What do you think of that? “Well that would be an O.K. idea, but hey, if that means I’ll be able to sleep, then I will do about anything.” “O.K. well, we will start in the morning and until we figure something out, we will just half to continue the shifts.” “Alright.” As the night becomes day, my mom is on the shift, so she goes to wake up dad. While in the back of the house, she hears a crash as loud as a tree falling down and hitting the ground. She runs out of the master bedroom and grabs the gun and cocks it just in case. She stands there to find a **broken window**. **Pigeons** are flying everywhere around the house. “I can’t believe that those pigeons already flew through the house.” Mom says in a wondering voice. But then, something weird is on their porch. A pair of my father’s **old boots**. “Honey?” “Yes?” “Did you put your old boots on the front porch last night?” “No.” “Oh my god,” whispers mother. ‘’This cannot be.” “Why, what’s wrong?” asks father in a shaky voice. “Well, they are on the porch and I did not put them there.” “Something’s after us,” my worried mother whispers to herself. She goes back to the master bedroom to get my father to come out in the living room. As she approaches the room she finds and ax in his head. To think I never grew up with a father. I was sad. L As I tell this story to you, I sit in jail wondering how I could have done such a bad thing. I guess nobody shall ever know.

Three days after the murder of Jack Bailey, Angela Bailey was found with an ax in her head. Their eldest daughter Jamie was found guilty of 2 counts of 1st degree murder.

Take 5 Story The Storm Kush Pathak

It was a bright and sunny day in the Sonora Desert we were in copter 5 flying through to deliver the most important **letter** to the commander. “Jim mount the ladder were going in”. We would have to make a smooth landing down the ladder on to the **sand dune**. ”Jeez Jim get you pair a new pair of shoes those **old boots** Can’t cut the job we have to deliver this letter in time we can’t have our shoe’s holding us back” Said Tom. We were making great progress throughout the steaming hot temperature of the Sonora. It was all silent everybody was focused on the job at hand if this letter was delivered wrong we would all pay. We see the site of a **pigeon** it lands on front of us and just stands there and the wind picks up we have no idea what’s going on and we are hurtling around trying to dodge the sand and when we get us and the wind settles down we get up and he pigeon is gone we don’t pay much attention to it. But that is about the only movement we see. We were about 3 miles from the point of giving the letter and with our Army experience we could do that in an hour. Now this letter isn’t just a note it is a confirmation to the Commander or the U.S Army to release gun fire the fate of millions of lives relied on when this letter was delivered. About 2 miles away we hear the sound of my radio go off. “This is omega 14 to the copter 5 crew we have a major problem there is a sand storm of the century picking up about a mile east of your exact positioning”. “You must get to cover as quick as you can the wind is going to start to pick up and it’s all downhill from there”. We are running for our lives because we all know the dangers of a sand storm. We see a small house in the horizon as we reach we realize that the **window is broken**. Now the sand is circling all around us pelting us in the face and backs like thumbtacks hitting you at a hundred miles an hour. And before we know it the whole shed flings above us and is completely off the ground. Out of nowhere the storm settles and everything is calm. We see a helicopter land right by us and the Commander himself stepped out. “I heard about that retched storm, you men are brave I need that letter now”. We hand the Commander the letter and he notices that there is nothing inside he is furious. “I give you one mission one! And you screw it up. And we in the middle of his rampage the pigeon from earlier came back and dropped the letter right in front of him. “Well I will be darned”.

The Missing Pigeon By: Kara Brueggemeier

One day I was walking home from school and my best friend Beatrice, we call her Bea, ran up to me. “Hey Kara,” she said sadly. “Hey. Bea, is everything ok?” I asked. We are both in the 8th grade and love to talk because we understand each other really well. Also we have known each other since kindergarten. “No, my stuffed pigeon has been stolen,” she replied. Now I know what you are thinking. You’re in the 8th grade for crying out loud, you shouldn’t care if you lose your stuffed pigeon. Well that is where you are wrong. Bea absolutely loves the pigeon because that was the last gift her dad gave her before he died. She was only 2 years old. “Ok. I’ll come over after I drop my stuff off at home.” I raced home and then ran all the way back. “Did you leave it on your nightstand last night?” I asked. “Yeah, I miss it so much.” “Don’t worry we will find it,” I said reassuringly. I opened her window to get the room lighter and the window was broken. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear that last night.” I stated. “I’m a heavy sleeper,” Bea replied. “Let’s look around for anything that wasn’t here yesterday.” After a while of looking around we finally found something. The thing we found was a letter. I opened the letter and it said //Go to the sand domes with the stuffed pigeon and I will explain everything. You know where I will meet you. Get rid of this letter once you have read this//. “Well he sure didn’t get rid of it.” I started towards the sand domes. We searched everywhere; we couldn’t find anything so we headed to the area where no one goes and found boots. We headed to the police to get the boots analyzed. “How can I help you?” the police man asked. “We would like to see the sheriff,” we said at the same time. “Ok. The office is to the right and first door on the left.” “Thank you,” we replied. “How can I help you?” said the sheriff. “We would like you to analyze this boot.” “Ok. I will get back to you in about a week,” the sheriff replied. One week later. “Bea look at what I got today,” I said. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“No way, that is so awesome. Open it,” she replied. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“Ok, ok. Calm down.” I opened it. //The boot that you found is owned by John Wailing. He has stolen many things, so be on the lookout.// <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“Well at least we know who took it,” Bea said. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“Well let’s go and search for him.” <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">While we were walking home we heard people talking in the old house, so we called the police. When the police got there we told them what happened. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“Good job. You just captured two of the most wanted people around. Here is your pigeon.” <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“Yes!” we screamed. “Case closed.”

Take 5: Kaegan turner FRAMED I was walking over a sand dune on the beach I live next to. The sand was getting inside my worn out old boots. As I walked by the old abandoned light house, pigeons were flying just above the red spiral top. I noticed there was a broken window, on the first floor. I had never been inside the lighthouse, and I don’t think anyone had actually. So I decided to go through the broken window, the hole that was broken was just big enough for me to fit into. After I squeezed through I looked around there was nothing but old storage crates and dust. I walked farther into the bottom room of the lighthouse; towards one of the biggest crates it was broken. There was a letter ready to be mailed, inside the broken crate that makes no sense that there was just a random letter in an abandoned light house? I picked it up it was just sent here recently. I didn’t know what to think of it. I picked it up and read it, it was completely blank. I heard a ticking noise…tick, tick, tick I looked around and couldn’t see where it was coming from. I spun in all different directions to see where it was coming from. So I stopped so I could actually listen It was really close, closer than I thought. So close that the noise almost forced me to look in the envelope. There was faint red light blinking inside. The beeping got louder and faster then I realized it was a BOMB!!! I ran back to the broken window, and jumped through it really fast, and inaccurate I had a sharp pain deep in my lower back. I reached back to feel it, when I brought my hand back it was drenched in blood but, I ran and ran and ran. I got passed the sand dune and ducked behind it, and laid on my back making sure I was on my stomach so I didn’t get sand in my deep cut. Then as if time had just come to a sudden slow, the lighthouse burst like a bubble, flames, shards of glass, and bricks were flying everywhere! I put my hands over my head to protect me from all the debris. I couldn’t even stand up because of the cut and from the shock I was in. I didn’t know what to do so I just stayed there in shock. I was in so much pain. The blood was staining the sand bye the big sand dune. My house was far, I couldn’t make it with this gash in my back. I knew for a fact that there was no pay phone any where… Just then as my thoughts came to life, the police showed up. They looked awestruck to see the lighthouse destroyed. They came towards me and looked at me curiously.

They said that all the evidence pointed to me… Framed!

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">Take 5 Writing Contest: Jakub Toomey <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">I was taking my pigeon for a walk when I found a letter on the ground. For some reason it had my name on it. Inside the envelope there was a letter telling me to go to the sand dune at 12:00 P.M. <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">As I was walking home thoughts were rushing through my mind. ” What did I do?” <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I stumbled through the front door and lay down on the couch; midnight was approaching quickly. The hands on the clock were moving faster than Usain Bolt and eventually the clock struck 12 P.M. I slipped on my old boots and walked out into the cold, dark night. <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The wind pierced my skin like a million icicles. I made it to the sand dune at 12:01. “You’re late,” whispered a voice. <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“Who are you, why did you call me here?” <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">A dark figure came out of mist. “You left your magnifying glass at my house,” replied the man in a mask. <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“Who are you?” I asked again. <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">He replied, “Your worst nightmare...”

Take Five Thea Carroll ** The Heart ** <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I live in a red house the shape of a heart, on top of a **sand dune** in the shape of a heart. Hearts are my favorite shape; red is my favorite color, for I love red hearts. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">One day I walked into my house to find my **window broken**. There was glass shattered everywhere and in the middle of the room there was a red rock in the shape of a heart. I didn’t know what to do so I just kept this heart rock in a drawer; I acted as if it was a gift. I fixed the window and forgot everything that happened. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I took a walk the next day and went to the beach not that far from my house. I started to feed the **pigeons** like I do once every week. They started swarming everywhere around me and I could not see anything but feathers. The next thing you know something dropped onto my head and knocked me out. I woke up and found that it was a heart shaped rock and I put it in the same drawer as the other rock. I knew something was up so I just kept an eye out for anything unusual. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The next morning I walked outside to drink my cup of coffee and found a pair of **old boots**- very dirty too. I took them inside and found another red heart shaped rock and I put it in the drawer of my new collection of heart rocks. I left the boots on the porch last night to see if the person would take it back. The porch was free of boots but there was a **letter** that was quite heavy. I opened the letter and it was another heart rock but it was different this time; it had numbers counting down. It was a bomb and I didn’t have time to escape!?! I was afraid it was too late. Three, two, one, goodbye.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Constantia','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">Take Five Writing Contest <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Constantia','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">Courtney Bode <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Constantia','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">Letters to Sara <span style="font-family: 'Constantia','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">It’s been a long time since Sara has died, but I feel like she’s still here. I have tried to go on with my life and tried to focus on something else like sports, but it’s hard. Sara was more than my sister; she was my best friend. <span style="font-family: 'Constantia','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I still wait by her locker at the end of the day so we can walk out to the bus together. My parents tell me that we need to move on but how can I? Sara and I would do everything together, <span style="font-family: 'Constantia','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Since it has been almost a year since she has died there have been a lot of things that have changed; Mom and Dad fight every night which keeps me up till late. And I keep pushing my friends away even when I need them the most. <span style="font-family: 'Constantia','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The only one I want to talk to is Sara, but I can’t. I remember when we would go to the sand dunes and find this little mud hole in the middle of the dunes- it was the best of times! We would take our old boots and get them so muddy and we would just leave them in our car, and then mom would get really mad! <span style="font-family: 'Constantia','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Sara and I were both very good at sports; we loved softball. Most of the time we would go out in our backyard to play. We went out one time after it just stopped raining, and Sara threw the ball really far and as I ran to go get it I ran right through our window! Luckily I only had a few scratches but our window was broken. Sara and I still would have laughed about it. When I got all cleaned up we took our magnifying glass and looked at the little broken pieces and act like we were investigators. <span style="font-family: 'Constantia','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Since I would always talk to Sara about everything, I knew now that she is gone I needed to talk to someone else. I remembered in 2nd grade my teacher told us that if we needed to we could write letters to anyone we wanted. So I decided to write to Sara. Dear Sara, <span style="font-family: 'Script MT Bold'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I miss you so much; I wish you were still here. Everything is different now that you’re gone, Mom and Dad won’t stop fighting and it’s making me mad! They always say that everything is okay but I know it’s not. Jessica and Meghan come over to make sure everything is okay and I always say everything is fine, even though it’s not. Sara, please come back nothing is better, and it never will. Remember when we threw rocks at pigeons? I do. <span style="font-family: 'Script MT Bold'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">For our birthday I bought you a present and it is something that I know you would have loved! Sara please, please, please come back. I want you back…. I need you back. <span style="font-family: 'Script MT Bold'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Love your sister, <span style="font-family: 'Script MT Bold'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Mary

** Take Five Writing Contest **

** Try to Remember ** ** By: Kylee Suffridge ** <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Mr. Evans woke up at 5 AM to get ready for work. He got dressed, walked down stairs, and went to make his coffee. As he made his way into the kitchen, he saw that the window above the kitchen sink was broken! He didn’t know what to do! But mysteriously, there was a letter on the counter right next to the sink. Mr. Evans was startled. He had never experienced this. No one where he lived had ever had a broken window. No one had even been robbed there. He didn’t know what to do. He got his reading glasses on and opened the letter. Sadly his reading glasses just didn’t work. He had to get the magnifying glass out of the office drawer in the other room. Mr. Evans finally sat down at the kitchen table. He used the magnifying glass and read the letter. It stated, “Your son, Kush, has been kidnapped, and if you don’t give me a 10,000 dollars, you’ll never get him back.” Mr. Evans was scared to death. He didn’t know what to do. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Mr. Evans got on his old boots and ran outside. He didn’t even know where he was going; he just wanted to find his only child. He didn’t have to take two steps, because he saw Kush standing outside laughing by the mailbox. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Kush told his father “Ha-ha! Gotcha!” <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“What do you mean, you got me?!” Mr. Evans replied. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Then, all of the sudden, Mr. Evans remembered it was April Fool’s Day. He felt so stupid for believing his son’s stupid jokes. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The son, did get in some trouble however, for breaking the window.

**//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Take Five Writing Contest //** **//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Right on Time //** **//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">By: Jahnasia Arnold //**

**//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Kylee got up for work on a sunny, Saturday morning in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She got dressed and went downstairs to get her mail. After that she decided to eat breakfast. She went to check the mail and after she got the mail she walked back inside the house. Then she sat at the table and started eating. //** **//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">She was sitting at the table and suddenly one of the kitchen windows broke. Something landed on the floor; it looked like an old boot. Inside the old boot was a sticker with a pigeon on it. So Kylee took the sticker out of the boot and there was some type of writing on the sticker. So she went back into the backroom and got a magnifying glass, and saw that it said: //** **// On 4th street behind the Embassy Hotel there is a huge Sand Dune and somewhere inside of this huge Sand Dune is $1500. In order for you to get this $1500 you need to show up on Sunday morning no later or earlier then 11:00. //** **//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">The day goes by and she is so happy because she wants to get the money. Kylee takes a shower right before bedtime and sets her alarm clock for 10:00. She goes to sleep and her alarm clock doesn’t go off, and she wakes up at 10:45! She has exactly 15 minutes to get ready. Kylee gets ready and leaves the house by 10:55. She is on her way and forgets the address, now its 10:58. She goes back home and by the time she gets home to get the address, it is already past 11:00. Therefore Kylee can’t get the money because she is past the time so she stays home and is upset that she didn’t wake up on time. //**

** The Ostrich **
 * It was a cold snowy day; Dr. Thompson was at his desk as usual. Then he got a letter saying that the diamond at the museum has been stolen. It was the biggest diamond in the world, named The Ostrich. It was named that because it resembles the torso of an ostrich. Anyway, Thompson put on his old boots and grabbed his magnifying glass and was off. When he got there the first clue that immediately caught his eye was a grey feather. Just outside the building. He concluded it must be a bird who committed the crime. Next he saw a broken window, three stories up. He decided the bird was probably a flying bird, so he excluded ostriches and penguins and such from the list of suspects. He obviously found all clues at the scene, leaving the case unopened. He went home, shamed. He didn’t have another case for weeks. On the 9th day; like every morning, he decided to read the current news. He saw an article about how an escaped prisoner, a pigeon, was still on the loose. So he sent a letter out to the London Police Department. It said “I have concluded the culprit is Peirce the Pigeon.” So the next day, police were all over, searching for Pierce. The manhunt lasted 3 days, until he was found in Dublin. Thompson was compensated for his service, and went back to living his regular, or irregular, life as a detective…**

**//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">-Sam //**

<span style="display: block; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">Wonderful Life <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">Another day all alone, my life is like Rapunzel all over again. Instead of being locked in a castle I live pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Both of my parents are dead so I moved in with my crazy aunt and her soul-mate Jean, who is almost blind so she carries a **magnifying glass** with her. Queen Andrea is my psycho aunt’s name, but she’s not royal or anything, she just makes me call her that. Well, I’m Courtney and this is why I have a wonderful life. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">“Courtney it’s time for school!” Queen Andrea roared from the hallway. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">I live near a **sand dune** in the middle of a desert, so I’m home schooled. Anyways, I ran into the //classroom.// Then I heard a knock on the door. Which is odd since like no one lives here. So when I heard the knock was I freaking out. Still, I answered the door and I was happy to find a smokin’ hot boy standing there with nothing but **old boots** and raggedy pants on. I stood there in awe, surprised that there was actually someone there. Finally I stuttered out “Hhhhhiii” then asked him who he was and why he was here. He said his name was Erick and he didn’t know where he was or what happened. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">“So you don’t have any idea where you are or anything else for that matter?” I questioned. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">“Yes, basically, I mean I don’t remember anything else.” <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">“Well, why don’t you come in and get yourself cleaned up while I tell Queen Andrea.” <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">He just gave me a funny look and searched for the restroom. As soon as he was out of sight I made a hushed squealing noise because I just couldn’t believe there was actually a guy in the house! I ran to Queen Andrea and told her everything. She glared at me but said he could stay as long as he slept in the living room.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">Two Months Later <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">Erick has gotten used to the family, but it kind of scared him when Queen Andrea had **broken the window** and threatened to throw him out of it. We put all that behind us when we got a **letter** that was for Erick telling us that his mother, that he never knew, was dead. Later that night the sound of his tears kept me up, so I went to the living room and sat on the couch while I consoled him as he lay there in my arms crying. Ever since that night Erick and I have become very close.

<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">Three Months Later <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">It’s Saturday and I’m getting ready to go on a date at the closest restaurant which is still pretty far away. “Courtney, you ready?” Erick calls from our room. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">“Just about!” I holler back. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">I run out to the car, where Erick stood. “Wow, you look beautiful.” I smile and get in the car thinking to myself, what a wonderful life.

<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tab-stops: 81.0pt; tabstops: 81.0pt;">Jasmine Jay

Nick Sangermano Take 5 Story Detention Looks like I fell off my bed. “Kush, wake up we have to go to your detention.” “Ugh” I thought. Today was going to be a drag. I knew it would. . Got a <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';">letter saying I had to show up at school early. Six in the morning!! For the dumbest thing ever! I mean, <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';">breaking the school’s <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';">window with a baseball bat was an accident! Oh well, still in the car. My mom is yelling at me as usual. On the way there we hit a <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';">pigeon that must’ve somehow gotten inside the hood of the car because the car refused to budge. The weather outside was unbearably cold. Neither of us wanted to go and walk toward the school in this weather. But me my mom both knew that we had to or else I could get suspended, or even expelled. As we walked out of the car we saw that there was a huge <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';">sand dune that we had to walk over. For some reason my mom had on a pair of <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';">old boots so she didn’t have to worry about getting them ruined when we walked over the sand dune. As for me, I had on a pair of brand new shoes on and I was not a very happy camper when I got practically handfuls of sand in them. As we approached the school area we noticed that the school was practically deserted. We didn’t really know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. But either way the doors were wide open as if someone was expecting us so we walked right on in. It seemed as if the air in here was colder than the air outside. For some reason I was starting to think that this was a dream. Unless someone could explain the unreal cold climate inside here. Everything felt like a dream the more that I thought about it, but it all just seemed too real. It was as if I was living real life while dreaming. I didn’t know what to think of it. But I knew something was definitely wrong. I walked into the cafeteria and realized my mom wasn’t with me. I knew she was with me before, but I don’t even remember her entering the school with me. I started to freak out and shouted for help many times. The air had gotten much warmer, but I couldn’t think of what could’ve been wrong. I started to become paranoid, crazy, I couldn’t think of what caused it. I walked up to the principles desk and found a gun. I wanted to end all of this madness inside my head. I picked up the gun. Loaded it. BAM. Pain everywhere. I opened my eyes. Looks like I fell off my bed. “Kush wake up we have to go to your detention.”