Author: Bree Mobley

Once upon a moonlit night, a young woman raced past all the shops and homes of the city. Passing a host of confused faces peering out of illuminated windows, she finally made her way to the outskirts of town, where the only sounds were train whistles hooting in the far distance. Never looking back even once, she fled into the ominous forest. The city was not safe anymore. As she caught her breath at the foot of a large tree, there was a rustling in the bushes. A chill went up her weary spine. She couldn’t stand this feeling anymore. She ran as fast as she could, stopping abruptly at a bush where light seemed to omit and whispers were carried on the icy wind. Was this the very place of refuge she sought for? She carefully peeled back the undergrowth and peeked into the clearing. Three men in black coats, hats, and sunglasses stood roasting marshmallows on an open fire. Just who she was trying to get away from! She tried to conceal a surprised yell, but it was no use. A strained sound escaped from her dry throat. The shady men wheeled around on their leather-clad feet. They looked around intensely, yet did not spot the frightened woman hiding in the bushes. After they stopped looking for her, she fainted with sheer exhaustion. The woman was awakened when the songbirds belted out their merry tune and the bright sunrise creeped through the forest. She was still lying by the bushes. But the men were gone. She quietly got up and brushed herself off. She was to resume her treacherous journey immediately. Running barefoot through the woods, the poor woman got many nicks and scrapes on her dirty feet. She was worried about her feet, yet kept on running.  She was so busy looking down at her injured feet that she didn’t notice the wall. She ran into it with a loud thump. As she once again got up, she realized that the large brick wall was surrounded by thousands of bright red roses. She gave a very slight smile. She knocked on the wooden door. A friendly face answered. The woman whispered the password. The face nodded, typed something into the door, and suddenly there were multiple clicks, whirs, and beeps as the mechanical gate slowly creaked open. The woman collapsed tiredly inside the safe walls. Many people surrounded the woman- the woman whose name was Rose.

It was Friday, August 13. I rolled out of my lumpy bed, and walked to the mirror. I clearly wasn’t going to let some superstitious Holiday ruin my day. I smiled at myself. “ Hello, beautiful.” I thought as I combed my ratty hair and struggled into my itchy dress.

As I was going downstairs for breakfast, my mom stopped me. “ Good morning, Addison! “ I said good morning back. “ What’s up?” I asked. “ You know about Grandma Louis’s sprain, right?” I nodded worriedly. “ Well, turns out your Aunt couldn’t deliver those oatmeal raisin cookies to her, and I certainly can’t go, since I have a meeting at our house with the bookclub. I was hoping you could take them. After all, you are 12.” “ Ok, mom.” I said. “Good.” She handed me a large map of Oklahoma, and rushed off. “ Lois should be somewhere on West Huckleberry Lane,” She called over her shoulder. “and feel free to ask around for directions if you need them!”  “ Love you, mom!” I called back as I rushed downstairs to enjoy some delicious blueberry pancakes.

Around Five O’clock I pulled on my plaid sweater, said goodbye to mom, and hurried off into the chilly evening. I hopped onto my bike, and put the cookies in the bike basket. I started off confidently, but as the cold evening got even colder, and it got darker, I had second thoughts.

“ Man,” I thought to myself. “ I’m like the present day Little Red Riding Hood.” I looked down at my red sweater. Eventually, I got lost. I got off my bike and studied the map, but in the dark evening, I could barely see a thing. I confused East Herod Way with my grandma’s street, and for the second time this evening, I rode off. 

I looked around as I peddled, and things got stranger and stranger. The woods became darker and more ominous, and strange animals rustled around in the forest. Believe it or not, no matter how many times Grandma Louis visited, I’d never been to her house. I came to an abandoned-looking shack. “ Well, I guess this is grandma’s place.” I mumbled to myself as I shifted uneasily on my seat. As I squinted my eyes, I thought I could detect a a person moving around inside. “ Uh… this place gives me the creeps,” I thought. “ Well, I guess your house would look like that if you lived all alone in the forest…” I remembered the strange noises, and thought I’d better get inside.

I climbed up the creaky steps and knocked on the scratched wooden door. Nobody answered, so I opened it. The house was dark, and cats gently mewed from all directions. I slowly proceeded. The house seemed empty as I tiptoed down the hall, and it had an eerie red glow to it. Suddenly, from behind, a voice whispered a greeting. “Hello, dear” It said. The hairs on my neck stood straight up. I let out a shrill scream.  The lights came on. A woman stood there, horrified, as her hair bristled with curling pins. “ Oh, sorry.” The woman murmured. “ I was expecting my daughter, but I guess she didn’t come tonight.” The woman looked sad. “ I’m sorry about that.” I sympathetically said. “ Why is your house so…“ I couldn’t finish the sentence for fear of hurting her feelings. “…creepy?” She finished. “ Oh, well, that red light you’re seeing is actually my nightlight. Red’s my favorite color, you know. You probably saw me moving around in here, since I was just about to go to bed when you came.” The woman explained. “ Sorry I disrupted you.” I replied. “ Oh, dear, you didn’t bother me one bit. I’m lonely, and that’s why I keep so many cats.” 

The nice lady gave me the directions for Grandma Lois’s house over a cup of tea. Turns out, she and grandma were childhood friends. I got on my way, giving grandma the cookies and telling her hello for the sake of the nice lady, and now every Friday the 13th we visit the nice lady. I’d glad I got lost, because I made a nice new friend!

                                 THE END

“Crash!!!”  People rush to the scene of the wreck.  Yes, sadly it is another car crash because of the lack of sidewalks in our community.  These small-seeming issues can truly affect our health, safety, and overall wellbeing.  Sidewalks may not seem important, yet they have many health and safety benefits.  They also may be able to improve our lives in ways not even imagined!

This important issue needs to be addressed because our safety is in jeopardy!  Pedestrians that are forced onto the road because of the lack of sidewalks may accidentally be plowed into by a vehicle.  These accidents are both dangerous to automobiles and walkers.  Sidewalks would also provide a safe riding habitat for bikers.  Don’t you want your children to grow up in a safe city? 

Another reason why we need sidewalks in Jasper is because they promote health by an active lifestyle.  People can get out of shape because they can’t walk or ride their bikes around safely in our beautiful city!  Jasper’s adult obesity rate has skyrocketed!  What used be 20.5% is now 33.6%.  The obesity problem could be improved by the installation of sidewalks.

Even though Jasper may be a bit of a small city, the installation of sidewalks could help grow the economy here, helping businesses thrive!  There are many small businesses and important public buildings in Jasper that are located within walking distance of each other.  Sidewalks could make shopping and other activities more conveniently accessed by pedestrians.  This would also increase the opportunity for these businesses to sell their goods and services, therefore growing the economy.  Sidewalks in Jasper could be the path to a brighter financial future!

As you can see, sidewalks are an important investment in Jasper.  They’re an investment in our health because they promote an active and healthy lifestyle.  Sidewalks are an investment in our safety because they keep you off the road and out of harms way.  And lastly, sidewalks are an investment in our economy because they make businesses more accessible.  If you want our community to be safer, healthier, and more successful, then sidewalks are a step up!

CHAPTER 1

Farmer Brown

Farmer Brown sighed. He was tilling the ground by his farm, and he wanted to find the tool that was just right. His eyes fell to the old pitchfork. He smiled and picked up the tattered piece of metal. It always seemed to hold the answer. Suddenly, it started to rain an orange liquid. He held out his hand to touch the enchanting substance, but winched in pain and drew his hand back quickly. He stared at his hand in awe. It was smeared with blood. “I won’t last long in this storm,” He thought. “ It has just rained, and this lava stuff will make a deadly flood!” Some people would have lost hope, and at first Mr. Brown did, but then something marvelous happened. He thought of the pitchfork. Without even thinking, he grabbed the sturdy fork and stuck it into the ground. He grabbed his rake, and then his shovel, and sunk those Into the ground, too. He was making a path to the big oak that was a few feet away from him. He climbed onto the pitchfork and smiled in satisfaction as the fork groaned, then settled with a high-pitched squeak. He gathered his breath, and with a mighty leap jumped to the rake. But the trouble came when he jumped on the shovel. As he was about to jump to the mighty oak, the shovel broke. He yelled out in surprise. “ This is the end!” He cried.   

CHAPTER 2

Sequoia

“Cheery Up, Cheerily! Cheery Up, Cheerily!” Sequoiasighed. “ There is wisdom in your words, Robin.” She whispered. Sequoia’s mother had died earlier in the month. She was very close to her.  Sequoia was jolted back to reality when she noticed a strange sap oozing out of a nearby tree. A small leaf filled with water tipped out of the same tree, dousing the odd sap. It immediately turned black. She reached out in wonder, but some of the sap fell from the sky, right on her! The sap stung like a bullet. She quietly rubbed her arm while thinking. After a few minutes, she had pieced all the pieces of the puzzle together. “ Lava!”  She cried. “It’s lava!”  Just at that moment, a baby raccoon stalked up to her. It was all alone and smudged with dirt. She scooped the baby in her arms and they huddled together through the deadly rain.

CHAPTER 3

Karla 

Karla Johnston wiped her head in satisfaction as she surveyed the  delicious batch of cookies that  just came out of the oven. Her gaze shifted from the cookies to the smiling  painting of her mom. Darlene Johnston looked proudly down from her stoop on the wall. Karla smiled wearily. “ I kept my promise, mama.” She quietly said.    “ I’ve ran the bakery.”  Her daddy had drawn that picture of mom when Karla was very little. Now, her mom was in a nursing home and barely ever called or visited. Karla had ran mama’s little bakery for a over a year now. She wiped her flour-stained hands on her apron, and decided she needed to go shopping. As she was about to walk down from her cozy apartment, she stopped dead in her tracks. Below her was a boiling vat of lava! She rubbed her eyes, half expecting to wake up with her head on the marble counter, but nothing happened. She gulped, and ran unto her room. “PAWS!!!” She cried. The little kitten slowly walked up to her. She picked up paws and held him to her face. “ We need to get out of here- NOW!”

CHAPTER 4

Danika.

“Like… this is taking like-forever!” Danika Larson angrily tapped her foot, until a text popped up on her screen. It read:

She and her friend, Mattie, had a long, looong  conversation.

Basically, Mattie thought they would have their party (yes, they were having a party.) in the city, but  Danika said they were going to have it in the mountains, and got all upset. Mattie understood and was sorry, and then Danika asked if she had remembered to hire a car driver. Danika forgot, and so Mattie just gave up.

“Uhh…” Danika thought.  “ Mattie’s nice… but she sometimes gets on my nerves.” “DAN!” Came a cry from the living room. “DAAAN!!!” “What, sis?” Danika yelled back, running into the living room. “Orange juice!” She happily stated as she pointed to a bubbling orange mixture. “ Uhh… hate to burst your bubble- BUT THAT’S LAVA!!!” She screamed. “WE HAVE TO GET AWAY!!!!!!!!” She grabbed her sister, Harriette, and slung her over her shoulder. She dashed away from the frothy lava.

CHAPTER 5

Farmer Brown

Mr. Brown slowly opened his eyes. Was he dead? He looked around him.  There was lava swirling everywhere. Why wasn’t he burning? He looked down. There was a gray slab of concrete. He remembered. “I fell on The  Ruins…” “The Ruins” goes back a hundred years, when Mr. Brown’s great grandpa settled the land and built a thriving, bustling farmhouse. After many years of use, the old farmhouse fell apart, and only a particular slab of concrete remained. Mr. Brown fell into a dreamy daze… and only woke up when he burned. The lava had risen, and his arm had fallen in the it. He pulled it out of the horrible brew. “I need to go to the Oak!” He thought as he stood up. He gathered his breath and jumped onto the majestic tree.

CHAPTER 6

Sequoia 

“Whimper. Whimper.” As the bubbling lava turned into puddles, baby raccoon whimpered. “Shh… baby raccoon, shh…” Sequoia comforted the raccoon. The lava encircled them, and the kind Cherokee girl began to worry. “I know what we need to do.” She stated as she quietly stood up. There were trees all around, and she planned to jump from tree to tree. She put the raccoon around her trembling neck like a scarf, and gathered her wits. She finally jumped onto a tree, and held on for dear life. She swung until she had gathered enough momentum. She then let go, and she flew to the other tree effortlessly. This went on until Sequoia felt she would burst with soreness. She groggily climbed the mighty Elm she was currently on, and closed her eyes with exhaustion. Before she knew it, she was dreaming. She dreamed she saw two men walking on the lava. They walked right to her Elm and held up a pair of rock-shoes. “Wait a minute…” She thought. “I’m not dreaming!” With trembling hands, she grabbed the rock-shoes and put them on. The men explained everything. “We knew a lava crisis was coming,” One man said. “ And John here thought rocks wouldn’t burn apart if they were submerged. Well, he was right , and he also thoughtup the brilliant idea of rock-shoes.” They talked as they walked the long way to higher ground, and even raccoon felt at ease.

CHAPTER 7

Karla

Paws meowed and wiggled. “Now don’t you knock us off here.” Karla quietly reprimanded him. They had found no place to get out, so here they were, sitting on the window ledge with no place to go. Karla thought hard as she stared at the gurgling mess in front of her. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She reached for the scissors she kept in her pocket. “Always be prepared.” Her mom had always said when they were baking. Karla could almost hear mom speaking to her right by her side. She looked at her thick, black hair. “ Man…” She thought. “This hair won medals!” She took yet another solemn moment to look at her hair. After she finished, she carefully cut each of her separate, long braids, and quickly tied them together. “Hard as steel.” She thought to herself as she pulled on the sturdy braid-rope. She tied the rope to her bedroom window, and carefully climbed down, Paws clawing at her neck like a jaguar. She climbed until she reached a tree stump, and hopped on.

CHAPTER 8

Danika.

Danika franticly texted her friend.

Danika said that lava makes her very sad and that she and her sis were trapped on a car, and Mattie rolled her eyes. Danika then said she was very carsick, and then Mattie was surprised.

This fits in with the story, because Danika and her sister were trapped on a car. They jumped from their apartment building to get away from the lava and landed on an overturned car, and there they were. “Uhh…” Danika said. “ I don’t feel so good…” Harriette giggled.“ Big wave come up!” She said.  Danika suddenly became ever-alert. “That wave could kill us!” She whispered. The wave quickly washed past, but knocked Danika’s phone into the lava! “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!” Danika screamed. “NOT THE PHONE!!!!!! ANYTHING BUT THE PHONE!!!!” She watched in horror and resentment as her Apple I-phone slowly sunk into the glowing, orange liquid.

CHAPTER 9

Farmer Brown

Mr. Brown shivered. “Strange I’m cold” He thought. “I’m a few feet away from scalding lava!” There was no sound around him. Not a bird. Not even a cricket. Lucky for him, the lava seemed to be going down. “All gone…” He whispered to himself. “it’s all gone…” He looked down at his house. It was a heap of charred bricks, in the midst of swirling lava. He fell asleep looking at the house. When he woke up, the lava was gone. There was no grass, just unrecognizable heaps of black stone. He gingerly climbed down from the tree. He walked through a new world. He almost stepped on an object, which he picked up. It was a pitch-black skull. He shivered at the thought of what had happened to the owner of the fragment of bone. It was child-sized, with a hole on the top. He shed a single tear. He walked for a while, and sighed with relief. There was his wife, surveying the damage done by the lava. He walked over and hugged her.

CHAPTER 10

Sequoia 

Sequoia laughed. “Dawson is funny.”  She thought. John and Dawson took her to their home on top of a hill, where they introduced her to their sister, Carmela. They gave her some clean clothes, and waited while the lava went down. She looked at the little raccoon, which she had named F.S.. (“F.S.” Stood for Fire Stormer) He was happily nibbling on a cracker. Sequoia was going to keep him as a pet, since his mom was probably killed by the lava. She gathered the baby raccoon in her arms, and rocked him in her chair. “Hey, everyone!” John said. “The lava’s all gone!” Everyone in the room cheered, and John walked over with smile on his face. He walked right over to Sequoia, and got on one knee. “I never thought we’d survive this.” He said to her. “Will you-“  He started. “Yes.” Sequoia said. “Yes!” She hugged John tight and grinned. F.S. climbed onto Sequoia, and snuggled into her shoulder.

CHAPTER 11

Karla

Paws  walked to the other side of the stump anxiously. His tail accidentally dropped into the lava, and he hissed with pain. “Smart move,” Said Karla sarcastically. “I was getting your tail clipped, anyway.” The lava was going down quick, and soon a group of people appeared. They kept saying things like “We survived!” And “Thank God!” Karla looked at her shoes. She had given up on religion ever since her dad died. “Why do they look so happy?” She thought. “They seem so carefree- like they never worry!” She waved her hands to get their attention, and they came over. A woman in the group smiled. “Mom?!” Karla cried. “Is that you?” The lady hugged her. “Sorry I never visited!” She cried. “It’s all right.” Karla said. “I guess I didn’t make an effort to keep in touch with you.” Darlene whispered something in her ear. “Yes!!” Karla cried. “I’d love to join your group!” She hugged her mom again. “Let’s go home.” Her mom said. And they did.

CHAPTER 12

Danika

“I’m gonna call Katie on your phone,” Harriet said, reaching for Danika’s pocket.” “You can’t,” Danika bluntly said. “It’s burned up, remember?” Harriet pouted. “I have no life now!” She whined. “ ‘fraid so.” Danika said. Harriet’s eyes widened. Look behind you!” She cried to Danika. “I’m not falling for that, now.” Danika said. “IT’S TRUE!!!” Harriet excitedly yelled. “There’s Mattie!” Danika slowly looked behind her. “Why, you’re right!” She said. “There’s Mattie and her family, and the lava’s gone!” She jumped off the car and ran to Mattie. “Sorry I was so impatient!” She said as she hugged her friend. “It’s all right.” Mattie said. “The lava destroyed your home, so now you can live with us!” “All right!” Danika yelled. “C’mon, Harriet! We’re living with Mattie now!” Harriet ran over to them, and pumped her fist with glee. 

“Hello, you fiendish beast!” Ms. Mouse called to Mr. Tom Cat.  “Are you going off to eat another helpless creature?” 

Mr. Cat looked quite annoyed.  “Every animal, whether herbivore or carnivore, needs to eat, Ms. Mouse,” he politely reasoned.

Ms. Mouse didn’t seem to notice him roll his eyes, and she continued insulting him.  “Ha ha!  Why don’t you go ahead and eat me?”  she said sarcastically.

“Maybe I will,” said Mr. Cat, and he walked on.

The next day, Ms. Mouse still hadn’t learned her manners, and practically ran him down with insults.

“Hello again, you cold-blooded killer!” she greeted him.

“Please go away, Ms. Mouse,” he pleaded.

“Off to eat my neighbors, I suppose?” she questioned.

“NO!!!” he cried.  “I WOULDN’T EAT YOUR NEIGHBORS, BECAUSE, WELL, THEY’RE MY FRIENDS! JUST BECAUSE I’M A CAT DOESN’T MEAN I HATE AND KILL ANIMALS!”  He sighed.  “Listen, Ms. Mouse, if you insult me again, I will eat you…and you’ll be sorry!”

The day after that, Ms. Mouse had forgotten what Mr. Tom Cat had said, and once again insulted him.

“What’s cooking, Cat? A rat?”

Mr. Cat’s face contorted from that of a courteous gentle cat, to that of a very disappointed and angry cat.  He shook his head, and closed in on Ms. Mouse.

“Uh- uh- can we figure this out? I’ll never insult a cat again!” she peeped as she moved closer and closer to a wall of twisting trees.  In a second, the grim scene was over. Cat had eaten Ms.  Mouse.

He looked at the crowd that had gathered.  “That Mouse had a long, long life ahead of her, but she decided to ruin others’ lives by insulting them.  I ate her because I wanted to spare her of a horrible death.  There are some big, ominous bears here…big, sensitive bears.  Look at them wrong, and they’ll swipe your head off.  I just want you all to know, I didn’t want to eat her.  You should learn a lesson from this.”

All the animals quietly nodded their heads and walked away.  Cat shook his head again, and walked into a new forest…a forest without insults.

THE END

“Matilda! Matilda”  Cried Emma Lindowsky as she ran into Matilda Dawson’s room. “Read this paper!” She handed the morning paper to the sleepy-eyed Matilda, who started to read it. “ Aw, someone’s house burned down. I feel so sorry for- wait, that’s- that’s MY house!!!” She said. “ Exactly. The mailman dropped it off. You’re lucky you were at me and Isaac’s house, or you would have been burned alive! The fire happened late last night, so you would’ve been asleep!” Emma grimly stated.“ Oh, what am I going to do?” Matilda replied. “Since I don’t have fire insurance, I have no place to go.” By then, Emma got the message. “ You can stay at our house until you get a new one.” 

“ Thanks,” Matilda said. “ I was really hoping you’d say that. I’ll be well taken care of, since I brought a lot of luggage.” She motioned to a bulging bag in the corner of the room. “ Why don’t we go shopping?” Emma said. “ After all, you might need more clothing, and it’ll be fun.”

“ I’ll need to make a call to the my friend Mr. Clark’s real estate agency first.” Matilda stated as she walked over to the phone. She dialed the number, then made the call. “ Hello!” The kind secretary said. “ Would it be to much trouble if you would look for a house for me?” Matilda said. “ My current one burnt down.” “ I feel so sorry for you!” The woman said. “ No, it wouldn’t be much trouble. I’ll tell Mr. Clark.” “ Thank you.” Matilda said as she hung up. “ Let’s hit the road!” Said Emma. During shopping, Matilda bought a gorgeous green sweater-dress and a pair of boots to go with it. “ As they came home they were talking gaily. “ Oh, wasn’t that little girl cute?” Matilda said. “ She was just so- Hey! Look at this!” Matilda pulled out a piece of paper jammed in the doorway. It said:

Matilda,

My secretary told me she was on the phone with you today, & I heard about your ruined house! So sad! Luckily, I was looking at the houses that very moment, & I found the perfect place for you! It is called Bradley mansion, with 7 bedrooms and 4 baths.It is on 1264 Chestnut Dr., which is a very rich place. It is a bit of a fixer upper, but there is good news, too! It has been on the market so long, it’s price has been dramatically reduced.If you want to look at it, you know where to find me!

                      Your Friend,

                        Wilbert P. Clark

“Oooh…” Said Matilda as she read the letter. “ I can’t believe my good luck!” “ You shouldn’t” Said Emma. “ I’ve looked at that place, and remember that part of the letter when he said “ It’s a bit of a fixer-upper? Well, that’s putting it the nice way. It would cost less to build a whole new mansion!” “ Wow” Said Matilda, speechless. “ Can’t I just look at it? I don’t have to buy it, do I?”

Emma sighed. “ Do what you want, Matilda, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. “ I will definitely call him, then!” Matilda said. She ran to the phone and called the Agency. “ Hello again, dear.” The secretary cheerily said. “ I didn’t expect you to call again so soon.What would you like?” “Well, I have read the letter. Tell Mr. Clark I’d like to see the house.” “ Matilda dear, I don’t know every letter Mr. Clark sends, but I don’t remember him sending one like that. Oh well, I’ll check with him anyway.” The woman replied. Matilda waited patiently as the kind secretary woman checked with Mr. Clark. “ I’m sorry, but Mr. Clark has a bad, and very unexpected  headache. Don’t worry, dear, I’m sure he’ll recover soon.” The woman said. These words reassured Matilda, and she was about to hang up when the secretary stopped her. “ Wait, if you come by early tomorrow, you can have the key to the mansion. Not a lot of people come by the mansion, so it won’t be missed.” “ Alright,” Said Matilda, and after exchanging goodbyes with the kind secretary, she finally hung up. She told Emma about the unexpected headache.  “ Luckily, the secretary said I can stop by and get the key tomorrow.” Emma, a nursing student, looked worried. “ That was very unexpected.” She said. “ In fact, too unexpected. I think Mr. Clark has been poisoned!” “What!?” Matilda exclaimed. “ Not Mr. Clark! It can’t be!” “ Well, it is, though we might be able to get there in time.” Even though Emma looked confident, Matilda new it was barely beyond the realm of possibility and that Emma was just trying to comfort her. “ Well, let’s go, then!” She said. They practically ran to the car and raced down the street in the blue Station Wagon. They got there just in time to see Mr. Clark being wheeled into an ambulance. He was unconscious. “ Oh, poor Mr. Clark!” Matilda moaned. Both girls had been close to the old man since childhood, and it broke their hearts to see him like this. “ The nerve of someone to poison him!” Emma was infuriated. “Well, maybe we can still get the key?” Matilda said. They walked inside. The secretary was pacing nervously around the room. “Oh!” The secretary said, startled. “ I didn’t see you there! I was lost in thought about poor Mr. Clark. Now, what did you girls come for?” “ Well, we know about Mr. Clark and all, and we were coming to see if maybe we could still get the key?” “ Why, go on ahead, dears. Go ahead and take the key. Mr. Clark shouldn’t affect your looking for houses.” “Thank you very much.” Emma said as they eagerly grabbed the key from the kind woman’s hands. “Oh, and is it okay if we search his office?” “ Go ahead, dears. I want Mr. Clark’s poisoner to come to light as much as you do.” They trudged up the dark stairs to his office, which seemed odd and lonely without the man in it. They searched, but found nothing. As they were about to come down, Matilda found a scrap of note on the large mahogany chest, which read:

Meet me in the ce-

The rest of the hand-scribbled note was ripped off. Both girls thought the same thing: they would find the criminal wherever this note said. “ Let’s see what words begin with “ce”.” Emma said. “ Hmm…” Matilda thought hard. Well, cells, center, and century begin with  “ce”. Celsius does, too, but we’re not talking about degrees. Honestly, none of these words would make sense in that note… “ I know!” Emma suddenly exclaimed. “Cellar begins with “ce”. I’m not sure if the criminal knows about Bradley mansion, but maybe they want to meet in the cellar of the old house!” “ Good idea!” Matilda said. “ I say we go there right now and catch the bad guy!!” They raced down the dark steps and hurriedly said goodbye to the kind lady, then raced off in their car, with the note in the front seat with them.  “ 1264 Chestnut… 1264 Chestnut…” Matilda said over and over to herself on the way. “ Boy, this place is hard to find!” Finally, their search brought them to a secluded spot in the middle of the woods. “Well, this is the place, all right.” Emma said while pointing to a rusted sign that said “ 1264 Chestnut.” The two eager girls got out of the car, and both realized how lonely the house looked. “ I thought this place was a “rich neighborhood”.” Matilda questioned to Emma. “ Well,” Emma replied. “ This is the only house in the neighborhood, and it is a mansion, so that makes this place a rich neighborhood.” “Huh.” Matilda said and they walked to the front door. “What?” Emma said as she tried to use the key. “ This key isn’t working!” Suddenly, two men came up from behind and struck them both! It was hours before they came to, because it was dark out when they awoke. “I just thought of something.” Matilda said, and pulled a marker out of her pocket. She took the note out, too, and marked some letters. This is what it looked like:

Meet me in the ce-

“Hey..” Emma said. “ It says “tenth”!” “Exactly. I thought before we were knocked out maybe we didn’t even need the cellar part of the note.” Matilda said. “ Maybe those criminals purposefully tore off the part of the note to lead us on a wild goose chase and to communicate. Also, I think there is a picnic at the tenth street school, so maybe the criminals will be there! Luckily, I brought my phone, so we can call the police and they can meet us at the picnic. She telephoned the police, and they would meet her there. “ Let’s go!” Emma exclaimed. The drive was long, but finally they got there. A man came up to her, saying “Hello. I am a plain-clothes officer. You can call me  Austin.” “ Okay.” Emma replied. They walked until they came to a suspicious looking pair of men, who seemed to be discussing something. “ Those must be the men!” Emma whispered as quietly as she could.  The thieves suddenly looked at the trio, and made a run for it, but the officer stopped them. “ Hello, thieves.” He said smugly.  The remark clearly scared the men, and one of them blurted out, “ How’d you know?!” “Shut it, Jones.” Another man said. “ You don’t scare me. the other man said. We did the whole thing because Mr. Barnes here wanted revenge because the agency Mr. Clark worked for kicked him out of his beautiful house. Since the agency split up, and Mr. Clark is the only person that still does real estating, he wanted to get rid of him so he could satisfy it. “ Mr. Barnes glowered at Jones. “ We sent the note to the girls because we knew they were close to Mr. Clark, and we set up a trap at the Bradley mansion to immediately send them to the hospital. Barnes sent the note, and on purpose he ripped it so that it would confuse the girls. I, however, poisoned Mr. Clark, and I have to tell you, I never want to do this ever again! Take me away, officer.” During the confession, Matilda had called the police. “ Hello, officer,” Matilda said. “ yes, we’ve caught the criminals, and we’d like reinforcements. Okay. Bye.” The conversation ended abruptly, and within a few minutes the police arrived and took the prisoners away. “ Since Jones cooperated with us, he will spend less time behind bars.” A policeman said. “Well,” Emma said to Matilda, “ We’ve just solved a mystery! A few days later, Emma has an exiting conversation with Matilda. “ Guess what?” She says. “ The Police would like to give you a special gift for solving the mystery! Mr. Clark is the most famous real estate agent, and now his poisoner is caught, so they’d like to give you 20,000 dollars! And guess what? Mr. Clark found a good house for you, for real this time!” “ Thank you!” Said Matilda “ I don’t know what I’d do without a friend like you!”

Epilogue

Within the years to come, Emma and Matilda start to solve mysteries, but they never forget their first. Emma and Matilda end up splitting the money, and Matilda buys the house. They had just finished their fifth mystery, when Emma and Isaac realize they were expecting. Once the baby comes, the proud parents realize that their baby, which they named Abigail, inherits Emma and Matilda’s mystery-solving spirit. To this day, Abigail is a detective for the Jasper Police Department, and no one knows what’s in store for her, maybe even another mystery!

It was Friday, August 13. I rolled out of my lumpy bed, and walked to the mirror. I clearly wasn’t going to let some superstitious Holiday ruin my day. I smiled at myself. “ Hello, beautiful.” I thought as I combed my ratty hair and struggled into my dress.

As I was going downstairs for breakfast, my mom stopped me. “ Morning Addy! “ I said good morning back. “ What’s up?” I asked. “ You know about Grandma Lois’s sprain, right?” I nodded worriedly. “ Well, turns out your Aunt couldn’t deliver those oatmeal raisin cookies to her, and I certainly can’t go, since I have a meeting at our house with the bookclub. I was hoping you could take them, after all, you are 12.” “ Ok, mom.” I said. “Good.” She handed me a large map titled “East Oklahoma”  and rushed off. “ Lois should be somewhere on West Huckleberry Lane, and feel free to ask around for directions!” She called over her shoulder.   “ Love you, mom!” I called back as I hurried downstairs to enjoy some delicious pancakes.

Around Five O’clock I pulled on my plaid sweater, said goodbye to mom, and hurried off into the chilly evening. I hopped onto my bike, and put the cookies in the bike basket. I started off confidently, but as the cold evening got even colder, and it got darker, I had second thoughts.

“ Man,” I thought to myself. “ I’m like the present day Little Red Riding Hood.” I looked down at my red sweater. Eventually, I got lost. I got off my bike and studied the map, but in the dark evening, I could barely see a thing. I confused East Herod Way with my grandma’s street, and for the second time this evening, I rode off.

I looked around as I peddled, and things got stranger and stranger. The woods became darker and more ominous, and strange animals rustled around in the forest. I came to an abandoned-looking house. “ Well, I guess this is grandma’s place.” I mumbled to myself. I then, as I squinted my eyes, I thought I could detect a a person moving around inside. “ Uh… this place gives me the creeps,” I thought. “ Well, I guess your house would look like that if you lived all alone in the forest…” I remembered the strange noises, and thought I’d better get inside.

I climbed up the creaky steps and knocked on the scratched wooden door. Nobody answered, so I opened it. The house was dark, and cats gently mewed from all directions. I slowly proceeded. The house seemed empty as I tiptoed down the hall, and it had an eerie red glow to it. Suddenly, from behind, a voice whispered a greeting. “Hello, dear” It said. The hairs on my neck stood straight up. I let out a shrill scream. The lights came on. A woman stood there, horrified. “ Oh, sorry.” The woman murmured. “ I was expecting my daughter, but I guess she didn’t come tonight.” The woman looked sad. “ I’m sorry about that. Why is your house so creepy?” I asked. “ Oh, well, that red light you’re seeing is actually my nightlight. Red’s my favorite color, you know. You probably saw me moving around in here, I was just about to go to bed when you came.” The woman explained. “ Sorry I disrupted you.” I replied. “ Oh, dear, you didn’t bother me one bit. I’m lonely, and that’s why I keep so many cats.”

The nice lady gave me the directions for Grandma Lois’s house over a cup of tea. Turns out, she and grandma were childhood friends. I got on my way and gave grandma the cookies, and now every Friday the 13th we visit her. I’d glad I got lost, because I made a nice new friend!

                                 THE END

“My stomach doesn’t feel so good…” I said.  Now where was I, you ask. The Dentist?  At a BBQ where I’d eaten too much?  A Porta-Potty?  This may sound crazy, but believe it or not, I was at Holiday World, an awesome amusement park, with my dad and step-mom. 

Well, here’s the actual reason I felt bad; I was about to go on The Voyage, a VERY BIG roller coaster.  I had just gone on a smaller ride, The Legend.  I admit, it was very fun, but The Voyage?  I just didn’t feel up to the challenge.

We walked for ages until we finally came to the line for the massive roller coaster.  My stomach suddenly felt a whole lot worse.  Once I finally got in one of the cars and buckled up, I could’ve literally fainted.  As the car slooowly climbed up the wooden track, I nervously started to talk to my dad.  “It’ll be okay,” he said.  We finally reached the top of the big track, and I was a nervous wreck.  All at once, the car started to fall down the wooden hill at top speed, and everyone started to scream!  I was the loudest of all.  In fact, later on, dad told me I let out an “ear-piercing” scream.

Dad told me to put my hands up, but no. My hands were glued tight to the rail.  It was a thrilling ride, and I loved all the little bumps in the tunnel we went through.  Finally the ride was done, and I loved it!  It was the highlight of my trip.  I can’t believe that after one single trip to the amusement park, a roller coaster hater could be turned to a roller coaster lover.

Chapter 1

It was a late January night, and three teens were walking in a darkened Californian  meadow. One of the girls, Willow, spoke up. “ Don’t you think this is a bad idea, Margo? I mean, it would be bad if we were doin’ this during the day, but at midnight?” “ Relax, you chicken. Farmer Britt won’t miss these oranges.” Another girl, Jesse, said. “That pig pays people to farm for him.”  Willow shook her head, and Margo gave her a gentle push. She tumbled into a ditch, and she barely missed tumbling into farmer Britt! “ H-hello Mr-Mr. Britt. How-How’s the orange- I m-mean the farm goin’? Farmer Britt gave her a withering glance, then his gaze turned to the girls. “ Some varmint’s been stealin’ my oranges. I’m gonna catch the thief- then- he’ll pay.” He gave Willow another suspicious stare, then spoke again. “ I hope you haven’t- STOLEN MY ORANGES!?” His face was as red as, well, an orange, as he watched Margo offer Jesse a ripe, delicious orange. “ I’M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKERS!!!!!!” He screamed while making a wild dash for Margo and Jesse. The girls saw, and they ran as fast as their little legs could carry them. Suddenly, the ground caved in, and they fell into a large grotto filled with bottles! Jesse was the first to recover, and she then saw farmer Britt shaking his fists at her. “ You deserve it.” He gave her a sly smile. “ I’ll be back, you thief.” He walked away. Jesse decided then to observe the bottles, and just as she was about to sniff a bottle, Willow woke up. “ STOP! Those could be dangerous!!!” But it was too late. Jesse slumped to the dirt floor.

 Chapter 2

Meanwhile, Jesse was having a dream. She dreamt she was walking along a deserted beach. “ Boy, this place should be packed… it’s gorgeous!” She thought to herself as a lone seagull flew lazily across the sea. She suddenly saw a black cloud of dust drifting towards her. It was slow, but eerie nonetheless. The dust freaked her out, and she screamed. “AUGH! HELP! HEEELLLPPP!!!!!!!!!” She was near hysterical. “ IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, HELP, HELP, HEEELP!!!!!!” Her scream lingered in the salty sea air. As if in answer to her plea, a single bunch of balloons floated down to her. A voice whispered a command.       “ Float away on the soft sea breeze… Do it soon, please…” A tear trickled down her cheek at the couplet. She was saved! She grasped the balloon, and she was lifted up high into the  sunset. She flew high above the beach, which by now was covered in ugly black cloud. Suddenly, the balloon popped. She was falling… falling… falling into the sea.

Chapter 3

Jesse woke up. She was really shaken up, and she was sweating like crazy. She saw Margo rubbing rubbing her shoulders, and Willow waving an old piece of paper, trying to cool her off. “ Thanks, guys, but I just had an epic dream!!! She told the two about the dream, and at the end they were sitting open-mouthed and wide-eyed. “ I-I’m speechless.” Margo stuttered. “ I would’ve fainted.” Willow agreed. “ That’s it.” Margo said determinedly. “ I can’t stand the suspense.” She ran over to the bottle collection, dragging the other two with her. She popped open a bottle, and held it over their noses. “What are you-“ Jesse started to speak, but she then slumped over in a deep sleep. This time, the dream was more intense.

Chapter 4

Now the three girls were in a large ship. There were men everywhere, rowing. Some looked very tired, in fact, one man looked as if he was about to faint. “Wow” Willow breathed. “ It smells bad in here.” “ Well, duh. We’re in a packed room in a stinking ship.” Margo sassily replied. Jesse went pale. “ I’m-I’m getting seasick…” She stuttered. “ Put a sock in it.” Margo said. Willow grumbled. A short man walked over to the trio. He handed them a pair of oars. “ Start paddling.” He shortly commanded. Before they could even start, the ship rumbled loudly. Another man ran into the rowing room. “ Oy! Oy! The ship’s hit an iceberg and I can’t hold er’ much longer Cap’n!” He said with an Irish accent. “ Where are we, sir?” Willow asked the Irishman. “ We’re a few hundred miles off the coast of Newfoundland, lass,” He said. Willow gulped. “ Isn’t that where a certain ship sank in 1912?” The girls looked around nervously. “ This is like reenacting the Titanic, except in an old English ship!” Margo stated. “ Boy,” Jesse said. “ it’s like Noah’s ark, too!” She pointed to a large monkey swinging from a potted plant. Water started to seep in through large cracks in the wood floor. Suddenly, the whole boat capsized! Strangely, the girls could breathe underwater. They saw all the rowers struggling to get to the air, but then, they saw another sight. The Irishman had grown a tail and fins, and he didn’t even try to get to the top for air! “ Ahoy, lasses,” He said as bubbles burst from his mouth. “ I’m a born merman.” He disappeared.

Chapter 5

Just at that moment, the girls woke up. “ ‘I’m glad that’s over,” Margo said. “ That was one weird dream!” Jesse looked relieved to not be on the ship, and all the color returned to her face. “ I just thought of something.” She stated. “ Remember when I waved that piece of paper to cool you off, Jesse? Well, I thought I saw some writing on the back, and I’d like to read it. I think I know where I put it.” She reached to the top of a shelf, and pulled the piece of paper down. It read:

Dear Mr. Britt,

I’ve heard about your amassing of dreams. I have written because I learned about how you experience them. I feel it is my infinite duty to inform you about the worth of your business, which is a fortune! I have made reservations to take you on a ship, otherwise known as the Elinor Mary Louise. It shall take us to a bustling scientific center in the South Pacific, which will test out your invention upon your consent. We shall set out tomorrow, so be sure to pack!

                   Best Wishes,

                    Dr. James Spielberg

“Oh no, Oh no, Oh no,” Willow said over and over to herself. “ Oh no.” “ What’s wrong?” Said Jesse. “ Uh… guys,” Willow replied. “ I learned about this ship in history last week. It sunk back in the 1800s!” “ So that means-“  Jesse started. “ Mr Britt and Dr. Spielberg are deceased!” Margo interrupted.  “ I just realized something…” Willow said. “ The letter said it was to “ Mr. Britt”, and there’s a Farmer Britt alive today! They must be related!” The two other girls gasped. “ Well,” Jesse stated “ I think he needs to know. “ All right girls,” Margo said. “ Save your breath, ‘cause we’re gonna get peoples’ attention.

Chapter 6

The girls took deep breaths for a few seconds, then screamed at the top of their lungs. “ HEEELP!!!” Willow screamed. “GET US OUTTA HERE!!!” Jesse yelled. “ WE’RE GONNA DIE IN HERE IF YOU DON’T GET US OUT!!!” Margo exclaimed. “SAVE US!!!!!!” The girls cried in unison. Finally, a familiar face came to their rescue.  “ Mom?” Jesse said. Willow stared at her shoes. Margo tried to hide behind an old shelf. “ GIRLS!? I was so worried ‘bout you! Don’t you EVER scare me like that AGAIN!!! Not to mention, you stayed out ALL NIGHT! You tricked me into thinkin’ you were asleep!” Her soft drawl turned into a loud yell. “ Yer grounded for a week, ya hear?” “ Yes, mama.” Willow whispered. “ Wait-wait, mom,” Jesse said. “ This place, here, is some sort-of place were this dude collected dreams! We had two adventures!” “ You sure ‘bout that?” Their mom said in confusion.  “ Sure I’m sure. Come and see yourself.” Jesse replied while helping her down. “ Wow…” Their mom said, speechless. “ This place looks old!” Margo took a bottle down from the shelf, took off the cap, and held it under her mom’s nose. Their mom fainted.  After an hour, she woke up. “ I just dreamt somethin’ awesome!” She said immediately. “ I was in this garden, and I met this crazy lookin’ gnome! He took me to his little home, ( Not to mention, I was a gnome’s size.) and we had tea! During the drink, he told me his town, Bubbly Brook, needed help. There were invading hornets from all sides, and they bugs were winning. I put on some interesting armor, and went to the battlefield. I launched an attack on the hornet’s nest, and I won! It was so exciting!” The girls gaped at her. She blushed. “ I forgot to show you this, mama.” Margo said as she showed her the piece of paper. As she read it she made some funny faces. “ There’s a farmer named Mr. Britt, too…” she commented. “ That’s what I said.” Willow replied. “ Well, girls,” Their mom said. “ I Think he aught to know about this.” The teens solemnly nodded their heads. They searched for a way out, and their search was rewarded when they found an old, deteriorating wooden stepladder in a corner. They climbed out, and Margo was last. As she was trudging up the ladder, one of the rungs splintered and broke. “ AURGH!!!” She shrieked, afraid to fall back into the darkness, but luckily, their mom helped her out. “ I’m goin’ to work, okay?” She said.  “ You go on and tell Farmer Britt the news.” “ Mom, can you do us a favor?” Margo asked. “ Sure, hun.” Their mom said. “ Shoot away.” “ Can we watch the sunrise?” She asked. “ Go on ahead, darlin’.” Their mom said. “ Thanks!” They said at once. The girls set off to Farmer Britt’s house. “ What’re you thieves up to this time?” He said. “ We came to tell you you’re gonna be a millionaire.” Jesse blankly replied. She told him the whole story, and in the end, he was hugging and kissing them. “ THANK YOU!!!” He exclaimed for the fourteen millionth time.  The girls rolled their eyes. They left him in his glee. As they were going to the lake to watch the sunrise, Jesse entertained them. “ Who knew mean old Mr. Britt had potential-as a millionaire inventor!” The girls giggled. At the  lake, they watched a gorgeous sunrise, in fact, they say it was the most beautiful in California!

THE END

Let me tell you a little story about taking care of other people’s things.  I was at Beaver Lake a few weekends ago having fun with a girl I had just met.  I forget her real name, but for the sake of this story, let’s call her Katie.  Katie had a beautiful toy fishing pole that was decorated with characters from the movie Moana, which she was practicing fishing with.  I asked her if I could use her fishing pole, and of course, she said yes.  I kept trying to let the bobber at the end of the pole go into the lake, because that’s how you fish, of course.  For some reason, I wasn’t doing it correctly, so Katie told me the right way.  Apparently, I wasn’t letting the button go to release the bobber when I should have. When I finally released the bobber correctly, I unfortunately let the whole fishing pole fall into the lake!  We watched in horror as the fishing pole slowly sunk to the murky bottom of the lake.  I felt horrible!  I felt like I might faint from embarrassment!

“I’m so, so sorry!!!” I exclaimed.  “If there’s anything I can do to help, just ask me.”

“It will be fine.  We’ll fish her pole out of the lake,” her dad told me. 

By then, my friend was crying her poor little eyes out!  I felt dozens of eyes on us, searching for what had happened to cause such a commotion.  So, I took her to a rocking swing, and we sat down.  I tried to comfort her. 

“It’ll be okay,” I said.  “It’s all my fault.  I’m sorry.” 

“No, it was my fault,” Katie managed to say between her tears.  “I shouldn’t have let you use it.  *Sniff*  Moana’s my favorite character.  I won’t ever fish again!”

By now, I bet you can guess what I felt like right at that moment.  I wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear!  By my clumsiness, a girl would never fish again!

“Well, if you try hard at fishing, you might be very good someday and catch a lot of fish!” I said trying to cheer her up.

Finally, her father called out that he had got the fishing pole!  (Yippee!!!) Problem solved!  A wave of relief washed over me!  I can’t believe I had lived through the whole ordeal!  That day, I learned a valuable lesson, be very careful with other people’s things…especially when you’re a klutz like me!

THE END