re-post for September (make up)

Why I Appreciate American Veterans

        Why do I appreciate American Veterans? American Veterans fought or are fighting for every US citizen’s freedom. Even though they don’t know me, and I don’t know most of them, but I know that they are very brave and loyal to the country we live in. There are over 22,658,000 Veterans fighting for me and I know they are very loyal to this country. I Appreciate American Veterans also because they don’t even know me, and they are fighting for me, and everyone I know. They show respect to our country, which means a lot, because not very many people know how lucky we are to live in a free land, and make the decisions that we want to make. Veterans risk their life for freedom, because they truly believe that freedom is an amazing thing, and so do I. Veterans work hard not just only in war, But they fix planes, helped injured soldiers, and so much more. Veterans show great heroism and how much they care and love this country unconditionally. Many Veterans die every day because they want you to have freedom. Some people just have no idea what is risked for them every day and how lucky they are to have such kind and brave people risk their lives for strangers.

True Friends

True Friends

In my mind,

these are the things you will find.

Your smile;

I can see from half a mile.

Becoming friends was the right choice,

and there is courage in your voice

You showed me how to be happy,

even when I walk around sadly.

Your beating, loving heart is full,

and you have the brightest soul.

Your personality teaches me,

what I am not able to see.

You are there for me when I fall,

and there when I need a call.

I see life in a whole different way,

just because of the things you say.

So this is a big thank you,

for all the things that you do.

Accidents Prologe

                                              Before the Accident

“O.C, get down here now!”  my mom yells as she got ready to go to Wal-Mart.  “Can’t I stay home?”  I yell back, “I’m responsible enough!”  “Get down here and we will talk about it!”  My mom could be a pretty laid back woman, however she wasn't that woman often.  “Frank, do you have the grocery list?” I heard my mom ask my dad as I pulled on my combat boots and leather jacket and climbed down the stairs.  “Of course I have it Sarah, geez you need to loosen up.” my father’s gentle voice full of confidence said. Before my mother could start whining I asked “May I please stay home?”  I see my father’s short cut raven black hair and strong figure as well as my mother’s brick red straightened ponytail and runner like body.  

“No, now what are you wearing”  

“Of course you can.” says my father as he cuts off my mother from criticizing my outfit.

“Sarah, she hardly ever as time to herself.  I’m sure she will be fine for one hour, right O.C.”  he winks as he looks at me.  

“You know I will, I might be reading The Maze Runner the whole time anyway.”

“Ugh, fine, however if I come home and the house is a mess you are grounded til the day you die.” says my mother with a voice as sharp as glass.    

“Ta ta you need to get going Wal-Mart closes in three hours.  Bye love you.” I say as I close the door and lock it.

  “For heaven’s sake Frank, you can’t even let your daughter walk down the driveway alone, do you truly trust her to be safe on her own for an hour.” Suppressing a laugh as they drove in their 1997 Audi A4 Sedan, down Canyon boulevard, Frank said.  “Hun, she is sixteen I’m pretty sure she can’t burn the house down just yet.”   

“But, Frank what if she”

“She will be just fine Sarah, loosen up a little it gives you worry lines.”

“Frank!” Sarah whined, she was absolutely concerned about her appearance especially when she hits the town.  “She will be fine Sarah.”  said Frank as he reached over to grab his wife’s hand.  “Husband’s oath.” Blushing terribly, Sarah grabbed her husband’s hand and looked into his eyes.  “I’m worried about her, Frank.”  Frank turned returning her gaze  “I know, Sarah, I know.”  All of a sudden a bright light light up the car, glass shattered everywhere, and Sarah and Frank saw their lives flash before their eyes.

“Frank!  Frank!  Are you okay!” Sarah screamed as she saw her husband’s head pressed up against the steering wheel.  Carefully, she pulled Frank’s head up with her left hand, if these were his last moments she wanted him to be the last thing he saw not the steering wheel which was sticky with bright red blood.  “Sarah.” Frank mumbled barely audible.  “Frank, it will be okay, you got that don’t even think about dying on me.  Frank do you hear me don’t die on me okay.” Sarah’s voice cracked as she felt her head spinning and a sticky liquid run down her forehead.  Tugging her right hand out from between the door she reached up and touched the blood that now had almost reached her mouth.  “Frank, don’t die.” Sarah said before everything went dark.

Zenit Contest

Dear Congress,

    Marine Jose Armenta and military dog Zenit began training together in 2010. In August of 2011 the pair was stationed in Sagin, Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off. Armenta was severely injured. While he waited for medical help, Zenit waited right by his side. When Armenta woke up, he was back in America, missing both his legs and longing for his dog. Not long after, he discovered that Zenit was reassigned to another trainer. He was devastated. After a tragic experience like that, don’t you think that Armenta and Zenit should have been together?

    If we allowed veterans to adopt their military dogs, we would do many great things. When a veteran is with his dog, he feels much more secure. A soldier needs that reassuring feeling during and after their services, especially if they were injured on duty. Also, the veteran and his dog have shared many experiences of war. When you have someone who knows what you have been through, it makes you feel better and lets you know you’re not alone. In addition, military dogs are trained to help find wounded soldiers and get them medical help. If a dog helped to save your life, wouldn’t you want to be with that dog? Shouldn’t you be able to adopt a dog that helped save you?

    Just think of all the good that we would do if veterans could adopt military dogs. Imagine all the happiness we could bring to our retired veterans. The sense of security that we could bring to those injured soldiers is priceless. Please take these reasons under consideration. I believe you might just change your mind.

Think about it,

Skylar Reid

What the pledge of allegiance means to me!

America, the country of freedom, right, and beauty. We the people might not think of the pledge of allegiance as something something special. Numerous people think of it as a bunch of words jumbled together. The pledge of allegiance isn’t anything like that, it’s about pledging our fidelity to this astounding country we live in and bringing pride to our nation. Seldom people think of it that way, but I do! This province deserves loyalty and honor for the rights we have and the way of life it gives to many people. Our pledge of allegiance means many things but what it means to me is love.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

               Once upon a time, there was a Scientist named Dr. Charles. It was getting to the moment in time that he goes and discovers new things with new technology. An idea struck him. “Why don’t we build a submarine to drill to the center of the Earth,” He said. He told his employees to put all of the things on it we might need. He also built suits just in case.

                He assigned Locklin captain and Ethan first officer. “Awesome,” Ethan said. “I can’t wait,” said Locklin. After several months of building they got ready and took it outside. They had a drill on the sub so they drilled through the crust, made of very hard and crusty minerals.

                 Eventually they reached the mantle. On the way, they saw lots of aluminium and iron. It was very big and filled with lots of plasticy, gooey lava. “I gotta take a picture of this!” Ethan said. “Is the pressure and the heat of the ship holding?”, Locklin asked. “Yes captain.”

                  After a LONG time, they finally reached the outer core. “Hows the pressure gauge?”, Locklin said. “It went up, but it’s still good,” he replied. On the way, they saw plenty of iron and sulphur. The pressure went up drastically, and Locklin was starting to get worried.

                   Finally, they had reached the inner core. They saw lots of iron and it was very dense from the pressure. “Sir, the pressure gauge is reaching dangerously high,” Ethan said. “Mmmmm…perhaps we should turn back.” Then he heard Ethan say, “First I want to get a picture of that giant rock of fire hurtling towards the sub,”  “GET OVER HERE!,” Locklin screamed. As Ethan ran to the back of the sub, the rock hit the front of it, making a giant hole in the sub. Suddenly, the ship started to shrink and they were being pulled to the center of the Earth. The engines couldn’t fight the force of gravity, Locklin had to think of something quick.

                   He had an idea. “Ethan! fire all torpedoes!” “Good idea!” Ethan said. The explosion of the torpedoes had enough force to push them through the inner core and the outer core. When they reached the mantle, the flow of the plasticy lava caused them to shoot straight through the hole they came through. They shot up a hundred feet up in to the air and they were very lucky to have survived that fall. When they recovered, Locklin told Dr. Charles, “Everything was exactly as you predicted Dr..” “Accept that there are giant balls of fire,” Ethan added in. Dr. Charles, Locklin, and Ethan resumed normal life and got ready for their next mission.           By Locklin Hammett

"Sister of the Swans"

Here is the first part of the novel I've been working on for too long. I get busy and I don't look at it for months, then I write a bunch and repeat the cycle. My goal is to finish this year. Since a YA audience is my target, any feedback is appreciated:) It's a retelling of the fairy tale "Six Swans" by the Grimms.

She could feel the sting of the burning fire upon her cheeks as she approached the growing flames.  Tightly she held to the shirts, frantically searching the skies.  She stared intently, not hearing the rising cries of the crowd.  In the distance, she could see their wings flap and her voice broke out carrying her pleas into the heavens.  At last, there was hope…

-1-

The Silver Stag

The sound of thundering hooves cut through the silent forest. “Come on, Bishop, faster, faster!” exclaimed King Rankin. He had just seen a sliver of white disappear through the thick grove of trees and he knew that today was the day that he would finally capture the elusive white stag.

Rankin had been catching glimpses of the beast ever since he was a young man and this was the closest he had ever been to the stag. He smiled to himself as he thought of mounting the head above his table at the banquet hall and how the kingdom would tell the story for years to come. He could see his six sons smiling with pride and his daughter wrinkling her nose.

“Your Majesty! Wait!" The impassioned plea slipped past his ears. The King raised a jeweled hand and waved it back. He knew he was losing his hunting party; it wouldn't be the first time. He rode harder and faster than anyone he knew--and his horse, Bishop, well, he was as fast as the wind itself. Besides, the party would always catch up. No one could track him as well as his faithful guard, Loren.  Loren would look at him with a hint of reproach but he was as excited as the King when they would haul back the bounty of the hunt to the castle.

There it was again, another flash of white, glimmering starkly against the darkening woods. He was in an unfamiliar part of the forest, but no matter, he was getting closer and closer to his prize. The King's hunt in the wood had yielded modest results but bagging the white stag would be worth the wait. It was uncanny really; he had actually seen the stag standing still for the first time today. He had always seen it running, but never at rest.  It was a regal animal, far taller and broader than any deer with a magnificent rack of silver antlers that glistened in the sunlight.  The stag’s coat was whiter than the snows that would blanket the forest in winter; the King had never seen it’s equal.

  The stag had been feeding in the meadow when Rankin caught sight of him.  He silently slid off Bishop and began creeping closer and closer.  His bow was taunt and ready to find its target.  The stag seemed oblivious to presence as he prepared to strike.  Then, without warning, the stag raised his head and his bright eyes penetrated Rankin.  The stag’s eyes were colorless save for pink rings around the outer edges.  This odd sight caused Rankin to momentarily pause and the stag took advantage of the hesitation and bounded into the dark woods.  Rankin dug his heels into Bishop’s flank and took off after the stag, chasing the flashes of silver throughout the wood.

There he was again, this time a hint of silver rounding the bottom of a rise covered in dark, dense trees. “So close”, Rankin muttered and turned after the stag but came up against a sheer cliff.  He pulled Bishop right then sharply left. Frantically searching the perimeter, his experienced eyes took in everything around him.  He could see no sign of the stag and had no idea how he could have rounded the cliff without him seeing him.

Rankin jumped off Bishop and began circling around the horse.  “Unbelievable”, he said aloud but there was no reply in the silence of the trees and cliffs. He took a deep breath; the excitement of the hunt had fatigued him. Rankin felt a shroud of intense disappointment.  He had almost had him, so very close.  He turned and looked at Bishop who was now covered in sweat with his chest heaving in exhaustion. 

“Ah, Bishop”, said the King, “We lost him again, maybe next time…” Rankin grasped the horse’s reins and led him to a nearby stream.  He rubbed his hands on Bishop’s damp neck as the horse bent down to drink of the crisp, cool water.  Rankin leaned down himself and let the water run down his throat and splashed it over his face.  It did taste delicious; he never knew water could taste anything but tepid, like the well-water he had at the castle.  He dismissed the brief memory of his mother telling him to never drink from the forest deep.  Swallowing again, he wondered if one of his men had a way to bring some of this sweet forest water back.

           Straightening up, he listened closely for any sounds of the party.  After they caught up there would be some good-natured teasing when they found the elusive stag had escaped again.  The men in his hunting party were good men, his trusted advisers and friends.  Rankin had known them since he was a child; most of them had grown up together and although he took the crown almost twenty years ago, the ease and friendship remained.  His six sons were in the party as well.  They had hunted with their father since they were boys and he knew they would have a good laugh at his expense later tonight.