"And be careful not to skate on the black ice," warned Mother as she gave the twins their skating bags. "You'll fall through."
"We won't, Mama, I promise," said Jennifer.
"Me too," said Lucy.
So the twins walked and walked and walked in the cold winter weather until they came to a frozen pond."Let's begin," said Jennifer.
"Me too," said Lucy.
It was quite a large pond, so Jennifer went skating around it to make sure was safe.
"Fine, except for some black ice," she reported when she came back.
"Well, we can just skate around it," said Lucy.
They skated for a few minutes until Lucy said,"Jennifer, go skate on that black ice."
"No," said Jennifer, "you do it."
"Me too," said Lucy.
So Lucy went over the black ice and easily skated over it. "Now it's your turn," she told Jennifer when she came back.
Jennifer went to the black ice. When she was halfway through skating over it, there was a sudden crack.
"Uh-oh," said Lucy.
She quickly skated over to the black ice just in time to grab Jennifer by the arms and pull her out. Then they warmed each other up until the only evidence of them having an encounter with black ice was their hands: they had turned black.
When they got home, Mother asked them, "What have you two been up to?"
"Nothing," they both innocently said, hiding their bare hands behind their backs.
Dec 21, 2008
Dec 7, 2008
The Stairs to Antville
Antville was a high town for ants. It was so high there were stairs to climb to get to it.
One day, two ant friends were climbing those stairs. It was taking them a long time.
"It's been a long time since we started," said one ant.
"Maybe we should turn back," suggusted the other.
"Of course not!" screamed the first ant, so loudly that they both started laughing.
"I feel the stairs wobbling," noticed the first ant.
"Let's run!" screamed the second ant, and they did.
But they were too late. All the stairs toppled down onto the ants.
"I never noticed the stairs to Antville were made of blocks," said the first ant.
"Me neither," agreed the second one.
And there they fell asleep in a pile of blocks.
One day, two ant friends were climbing those stairs. It was taking them a long time.
"It's been a long time since we started," said one ant.
"Maybe we should turn back," suggusted the other.
"Of course not!" screamed the first ant, so loudly that they both started laughing.
"I feel the stairs wobbling," noticed the first ant.
"Let's run!" screamed the second ant, and they did.
But they were too late. All the stairs toppled down onto the ants.
"I never noticed the stairs to Antville were made of blocks," said the first ant.
"Me neither," agreed the second one.
And there they fell asleep in a pile of blocks.
Nov 15, 2008
The Plan
Every ant had to climb a big, tall tree. When Lulu was 15, her turn came.
Lulu tried her best to get ready for the big event. It was on her 15th birthday, and on the night before, she lay in bed thinking. Soon she had a plan.
In the morning, Lulu met with three friends. She told them the plan. After a lot of laughing, they all went their separate ways. Lulu went up to her room, and her three friends went to their houses.
Lulu started to get ready, but then she got a bit afraid. After a few minutes of relaxing, she was okay again.
When Lulu's mom called upstairs that Lulu had to get ready to go, Lulu answered, "Okay!" She put some stuff in a pack and ran downstairs. She kept running to the tree she was going to climb, and there were her friends, waiting for her.
"Hi," Lulu said. They played together until it was time. Then, everyone got in their positions.
Lulu began to climb- or, at least, that was what it looked like. The secret was this:
Lulu was attached to a rope. Her three friends, at the top of the tree, pulled her in such a way that it looked like Lulu was climbing.
When Lulu got to the top, she jumped down. And that is the end.
Lulu tried her best to get ready for the big event. It was on her 15th birthday, and on the night before, she lay in bed thinking. Soon she had a plan.
In the morning, Lulu met with three friends. She told them the plan. After a lot of laughing, they all went their separate ways. Lulu went up to her room, and her three friends went to their houses.
Lulu started to get ready, but then she got a bit afraid. After a few minutes of relaxing, she was okay again.
When Lulu's mom called upstairs that Lulu had to get ready to go, Lulu answered, "Okay!" She put some stuff in a pack and ran downstairs. She kept running to the tree she was going to climb, and there were her friends, waiting for her.
"Hi," Lulu said. They played together until it was time. Then, everyone got in their positions.
Lulu began to climb- or, at least, that was what it looked like. The secret was this:
Lulu was attached to a rope. Her three friends, at the top of the tree, pulled her in such a way that it looked like Lulu was climbing.
When Lulu got to the top, she jumped down. And that is the end.
Oct 24, 2008
Nonsense
Nonsense words were floating in the air, waiting for someone to say them. When someone said them, they disappeared the instant the word came out of the person's mouth. "Good bye!" They would usually include those two words in the mix of word that came out of their mouth when they realized they were going and never coming back.
"I didn't come here because I wanted to," declared oEJWNe. "We all had to come here. We didn't want to be at the direct risk of..." None of the nonsense words dared to say that word. "But the queen made us come here to be lookouts. And we're best friends, aren't we?"
All the other nonsense words nodded in agreement. It was quite a coincidence that a group of best friends all got picked for the lookout job.
But then they heard a sound that all of them, especially oEJWNe , feared. Someone seemed to have a name that was, or at least was like oEJWNe. So someone had called,"oEJWNe!"
First, oEJWNe started to dissolve. Then, he did a sweeping kind of motion, and shouted,"GoodbyehelloseeyoutomorrowhopeI'llseeyouagain!"
When he had completely dissolved into the air, a gloominess spread over the group. One nonsense word, xLPHONE(EE)s, started to cry.
"Don't worry," XENALINEEEEE said comfortingly. "We're best friends, and we can fix this."
After a while, all of the friends felt comforted, too. Especially since oEJWNe had came back, more ghostly than before, but still oEJWNe.
"Come on," announced LeakOUiKkn. "I think our lookout period is almost over. So let's iieeijdiffoos;OOOS
kdskjdksjddddsodirfiidifiddiiiiiifdhfihaiidhhusiiadhhussd
hnusksidosihysudhsdhn!*"
*NonsenseWord for "get going!"
"I didn't come here because I wanted to," declared oEJWNe. "We all had to come here. We didn't want to be at the direct risk of..." None of the nonsense words dared to say that word. "But the queen made us come here to be lookouts. And we're best friends, aren't we?"
All the other nonsense words nodded in agreement. It was quite a coincidence that a group of best friends all got picked for the lookout job.
But then they heard a sound that all of them, especially oEJWNe , feared. Someone seemed to have a name that was, or at least was like oEJWNe. So someone had called,"oEJWNe!"
First, oEJWNe started to dissolve. Then, he did a sweeping kind of motion, and shouted,"GoodbyehelloseeyoutomorrowhopeI'llseeyouagain!"
When he had completely dissolved into the air, a gloominess spread over the group. One nonsense word, xLPHONE(EE)s, started to cry.
"Don't worry," XENALINEEEEE said comfortingly. "We're best friends, and we can fix this."
After a while, all of the friends felt comforted, too. Especially since oEJWNe had came back, more ghostly than before, but still oEJWNe.
"Come on," announced LeakOUiKkn. "I think our lookout period is almost over. So let's iieeijdiffoos;OOOS
kdskjdksjddddsodirfiidifiddiiiiiifdhfihaiidhhusiiadhhussd
hnusksidosihysudhsdhn!*"
*NonsenseWord for "get going!"
Sep 28, 2008
Kenna Cat Bup (Episode 1)
"O0OO0O0O0": that is what Kewin (Also known as Kenna Cat Bup or Kennte: pronounced KENT) says the first thing every morning. She believes it is good luck. But one morning she forgot to say it. This is the story of what happened then:
"Kennte, your science project is due today," Kennte's mother was calling from the kitchen. This made Kennte unhappy, because her science project (seeing how fast mini plants could grow as opposed to larger ones) wasn't even finished.
"Mom, I need a full ten days!" Kennte called back sleepily, only to hear her mother saying,"Well, anyway, you need to get dressed and come downstairs." And it was getting hard to resist: the smell of French toast drifting up from the kitchen was so good it was getting hard to disobey.
Kennte pulled on her second-favorite leggings with a cute cat dress. Maybe it'll make me feel better, she thought as she wobble-walked downstairs for breakfast.
When she got downstairs, Kennte immediately wished she hadn't. Her big sister, Leanne, was at the table too.
"Hurry up, you two," Kennte's mom (call her Vanessa) called from the stove. She was mixing something that Kennte couldn't see in a pot and was turning a knob on the stove at the same time. But if Kennte knew what was in the pot or not, it didn't matter in a minute because Vanessa told them the answer to that question.
Now we will skip ahead a while, and come to the part of Kennte's terrible but highly interesting day where there was a spelling test. That was the only part of the day where Kennte felt completely normal. She felt she had done very badly, but that was the same feeling she had had after all the spelling tests she had ever taken.
"Oh, if my day had gone better, I would feel so much happier," Kennte moaned to her friend at recess. But her friend just patted her back comfortingly and said, "Never mind how you feel. Let's go play a game of hopscotch."
Amazingly, though, hopscotch made Kennte feel aa little better, like her day was not going as badly as it was. And by the time she got home, Kennte felt great!
"I guess it was what I said that did the trick," Kennte told her friend later. And amazingly enough, she was right.
"Kennte, your science project is due today," Kennte's mother was calling from the kitchen. This made Kennte unhappy, because her science project (seeing how fast mini plants could grow as opposed to larger ones) wasn't even finished.
"Mom, I need a full ten days!" Kennte called back sleepily, only to hear her mother saying,"Well, anyway, you need to get dressed and come downstairs." And it was getting hard to resist: the smell of French toast drifting up from the kitchen was so good it was getting hard to disobey.
Kennte pulled on her second-favorite leggings with a cute cat dress. Maybe it'll make me feel better, she thought as she wobble-walked downstairs for breakfast.
When she got downstairs, Kennte immediately wished she hadn't. Her big sister, Leanne, was at the table too.
"Hurry up, you two," Kennte's mom (call her Vanessa) called from the stove. She was mixing something that Kennte couldn't see in a pot and was turning a knob on the stove at the same time. But if Kennte knew what was in the pot or not, it didn't matter in a minute because Vanessa told them the answer to that question.
Now we will skip ahead a while, and come to the part of Kennte's terrible but highly interesting day where there was a spelling test. That was the only part of the day where Kennte felt completely normal. She felt she had done very badly, but that was the same feeling she had had after all the spelling tests she had ever taken.
"Oh, if my day had gone better, I would feel so much happier," Kennte moaned to her friend at recess. But her friend just patted her back comfortingly and said, "Never mind how you feel. Let's go play a game of hopscotch."
Amazingly, though, hopscotch made Kennte feel aa little better, like her day was not going as badly as it was. And by the time she got home, Kennte felt great!
"I guess it was what I said that did the trick," Kennte told her friend later. And amazingly enough, she was right.
Aug 13, 2008
"Never Mind"
Sarah was a regular kind of girl. But her friend, Mirian, was different.
Mirian wasn't all that far from being the regular type, like Sarah. But what she liked to say was...
Wait. You can guess first. Look all over this blog, the answer is here somewhere.
Now for the answer. Did you guess,"Mine is Treats"? Or maybe,"Look! A cat"? If you guessed anything like that, you were wrong. There's only one right answer and it's..."Never mind."
One day, Sarah and Mirian were walking home from school together, when Sarah asked,"What day of the week is your birthday this year?" Mirian was about to answer,"Monday", when she changed her mind and said,"Never mind."
They were walking to Mirian's grandma's house. Mirian's grandmother liked to say that,"Someday the Never Mind monster will come get you." But today was different. After serving hot chocolate and cookies, Mirian's grandmother told them both to sit down."I have a story for you," she explained.
But this was no ordinary story. It was one about two kids who got trapped by the Never Mind monster.
The next day, as Sarah and Mirian walked to school together, Sarah tried again. "What day of the week does your birthday fall on this year?"
But Mirian didn't say never mind! Instead she proudly said,"Monday. By the way, it's this Monday! Will you come to my party?"
So that was the end of the never mind girl.
Mirian wasn't all that far from being the regular type, like Sarah. But what she liked to say was...
Wait. You can guess first. Look all over this blog, the answer is here somewhere.
Now for the answer. Did you guess,"Mine is Treats"? Or maybe,"Look! A cat"? If you guessed anything like that, you were wrong. There's only one right answer and it's..."Never mind."
One day, Sarah and Mirian were walking home from school together, when Sarah asked,"What day of the week is your birthday this year?" Mirian was about to answer,"Monday", when she changed her mind and said,"Never mind."
They were walking to Mirian's grandma's house. Mirian's grandmother liked to say that,"Someday the Never Mind monster will come get you." But today was different. After serving hot chocolate and cookies, Mirian's grandmother told them both to sit down."I have a story for you," she explained.
But this was no ordinary story. It was one about two kids who got trapped by the Never Mind monster.
The next day, as Sarah and Mirian walked to school together, Sarah tried again. "What day of the week does your birthday fall on this year?"
But Mirian didn't say never mind! Instead she proudly said,"Monday. By the way, it's this Monday! Will you come to my party?"
So that was the end of the never mind girl.
Jul 26, 2008
Ball Adventures ( Chapter 1 )
CHAPTER ONE: BALL
Ball was just a ball.
He lived with his mother, Mian Ball and his father, Ayaun Ball.
He went to school every day, except for Saturday and Sunday.
And, most important of all important things in this story, by his school there was a set of stairs that led to a platform. In the middle of the platform, there was an elevator leading to a house that was really, REALLY high up. A few other things were up there that Ball couldn't explain.
Ball did not know what was up there ( except for the elevator, which went all the way up), so, every day after school, he would go there to try figure it out. He tried and tried, but he could not figure it out.
Ball was just a ball.
He lived with his mother, Mian Ball and his father, Ayaun Ball.
He went to school every day, except for Saturday and Sunday.
And, most important of all important things in this story, by his school there was a set of stairs that led to a platform. In the middle of the platform, there was an elevator leading to a house that was really, REALLY high up. A few other things were up there that Ball couldn't explain.
Ball did not know what was up there ( except for the elevator, which went all the way up), so, every day after school, he would go there to try figure it out. He tried and tried, but he could not figure it out.
Jul 24, 2008
Bee's Flower
Bee was a little girl who loved nature. One morning, she sneaked out of bed to hear her mom saying to her dad, "Maybe we should stop planting flowers. You know how Bee brings them into the house..."
Now Bee was mad. She went outside and saw the most beautiful flower she had ever seen. She picked it carefully so she could plant it in the vase in her room that she had been waiting to plant something in. She knew how to plant it, and she did.
Now, you might think this flower caused no trouble at all. But it did. Bee had planned to plant it secretly, but this was harder than she thought. Whenever someone asked her, "What are you doing?" Bee had to make up an answer quickly- and it had to make sense.
A week after the day she had planted the flower, Bee knew she had to do something. She picked the flower carefully and brought it outside. She planted it once again and rushed inside as the raining began.
Now Bee was mad. She went outside and saw the most beautiful flower she had ever seen. She picked it carefully so she could plant it in the vase in her room that she had been waiting to plant something in. She knew how to plant it, and she did.
Now, you might think this flower caused no trouble at all. But it did. Bee had planned to plant it secretly, but this was harder than she thought. Whenever someone asked her, "What are you doing?" Bee had to make up an answer quickly- and it had to make sense.
A week after the day she had planted the flower, Bee knew she had to do something. She picked the flower carefully and brought it outside. She planted it once again and rushed inside as the raining began.
Leaf Days*
Every day, after school, Leaf, Maya's big sister, came home to babysit Maya until Mom and Dad arrived. But today she wasn't coming. Mom was at work, Dad was coming home on the BART train, and Leaf wasn't coming.
Maya started thinking. She went to her favorite thinking position: Her legs up on her head, her arms crossed and her eyes looking up. She thought about all the happy times she and Leaf had spent together as if that would make Leaf come. But she didn't.
Maya went into Leaf's room. She looked at Leaf's neat desk and Leaf's cosy stuffed animal that Maya used to beg to play with. She thought of what to do while she waited. That was when she remembered Leaf saying,"Read for a little while."
Maya went into her room and picked out Leaf's favorite book. Leaf had let Maya bring it into her room so Maya could remember Leaf at night as long as Leaf was allowed to read it sometimes. Maya picked it up. For a five-year-old, reading this sort of book was hard. By the time Maya figured out the first sentence, she heard a knock at the door. Maya rushed to open it and there was Leaf! Maya was so filled with joy and relief that she gave Leaf a great big hug.
* This post was fun to write. I hope you enjoy it.
Maya started thinking. She went to her favorite thinking position: Her legs up on her head, her arms crossed and her eyes looking up. She thought about all the happy times she and Leaf had spent together as if that would make Leaf come. But she didn't.
Maya went into Leaf's room. She looked at Leaf's neat desk and Leaf's cosy stuffed animal that Maya used to beg to play with. She thought of what to do while she waited. That was when she remembered Leaf saying,"Read for a little while."
Maya went into her room and picked out Leaf's favorite book. Leaf had let Maya bring it into her room so Maya could remember Leaf at night as long as Leaf was allowed to read it sometimes. Maya picked it up. For a five-year-old, reading this sort of book was hard. By the time Maya figured out the first sentence, she heard a knock at the door. Maya rushed to open it and there was Leaf! Maya was so filled with joy and relief that she gave Leaf a great big hug.
* This post was fun to write. I hope you enjoy it.
Jul 13, 2008
A New House for an Ant (part 3)
"Well... the house that burned down wasn't ours . It was your friend's. Remember you went to the park?"
"Yes." That was Avie and her friend, Samantha.
"Well, we heard your screams, Samantha, and we came running. By that time, Avie was gone and Samantha was crying. We heard her loud sobs from a block ... maybe even a mile away."
" Now you're kidding." Samantha was beginning to giggle.
"Okay. Now let's get to the point. We want Samantha to live with us."
So she did.
The End
"Yes." That was Avie and her friend, Samantha.
"Well, we heard your screams, Samantha, and we came running. By that time, Avie was gone and Samantha was crying. We heard her loud sobs from a block ... maybe even a mile away."
" Now you're kidding." Samantha was beginning to giggle.
"Okay. Now let's get to the point. We want Samantha to live with us."
So she did.
The End
Jul 6, 2008
A New House For An Ant (part 2 )
Avie peeked inside the windows. Inside was... her parents and her best friend!
Avie cautiously opened the door. "Avie!," her best friend said happily. They played together for about an hour. Then Avie's mom said, "Dinner's ready!" Everyone crowded around the kitchen table as the smell of delicious food filled the kitchen. Avie's favorites.
"How did you get here?," she asked her parents and her best friend.
"Well, it's a very long story... very long..."
TO BE CONTINUED
Avie cautiously opened the door. "Avie!," her best friend said happily. They played together for about an hour. Then Avie's mom said, "Dinner's ready!" Everyone crowded around the kitchen table as the smell of delicious food filled the kitchen. Avie's favorites.
"How did you get here?," she asked her parents and her best friend.
"Well, it's a very long story... very long..."
TO BE CONTINUED
A New House For An Ant (part 1)
Avie, an ant, needed a new house. She had been walking for what seemed like hours. Her old house had burned
in a fire and she was looking for a new one. When she had sat down for lunch, she had watched flies walking
across what looked like huge eyes. She was so scared that she ran away from that place and she kept running
until she was a good distance away.
Avie, from then on, while she was walking, no matter how hungry she was, kept on walking. She got to a house
in about an hour.
TO BE CONTINUED
in a fire and she was looking for a new one. When she had sat down for lunch, she had watched flies walking
across what looked like huge eyes. She was so scared that she ran away from that place and she kept running
until she was a good distance away.
Avie, from then on, while she was walking, no matter how hungry she was, kept on walking. She got to a house
in about an hour.
TO BE CONTINUED
Jul 5, 2008
Kenna and the Code Name
The sign said, Day care Kids ages 2-4 Cost :$12.99 per kid. Her moms told her she was going there for the summer. Kenna couldn't wait.
On the day it began, she was there . She turned out to be the oldest one there. "What should I do," she askeda teacher, "If everyone is younger than me?"
"You should teach them stuff."
"But I don't go to school."
"Still."
When everyone arrived and they were doing an art project, one of the kids said ,"You need a code name. Mine
is Treats."
"What's mine?"
"What's your code name... your code name... I have it! Come here."
Kenna came close to the kid and she whispered,"Code Name."
From then on, Kenna really enjoyed day care.
The Cat on The Rock
Once there were two girls who, one day, went to Russian River. One was named Misha, the other was named
Nina. They were getting ready to canoe when Misha said she saw a cat on a big rock on the other side of the
lake.
"Look! A cat!." Misha pointed at the rock the cat was standing on.
"That means there's going to be a storm. Let's get to the hotel fast."
The two girls started to run to towards the hotel they were staying at. And sure enough, just when they got inside, it started to rain. Not just a drizzle, but pouring.
The next day, it had cleared up... mostly. There was still a little drizzle. Misha and Nina put on their raincoats
and rain boots and went to the canoe place by Russian River. When they were getting ready to launch the
canoe, Misha said...
"I see the cat again."
"That means it's going to be sunny."
And sure enough, it was so sunny that Misha and Nina wanted to go for a swim. So that is what they did.
Nina. They were getting ready to canoe when Misha said she saw a cat on a big rock on the other side of the
lake.
"Look! A cat!." Misha pointed at the rock the cat was standing on.
"That means there's going to be a storm. Let's get to the hotel fast."
The two girls started to run to towards the hotel they were staying at. And sure enough, just when they got inside, it started to rain. Not just a drizzle, but pouring.
The next day, it had cleared up... mostly. There was still a little drizzle. Misha and Nina put on their raincoats
and rain boots and went to the canoe place by Russian River. When they were getting ready to launch the
canoe, Misha said...
"I see the cat again."
"That means it's going to be sunny."
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