Mix It Up Day By Haley Capeci

A few weeks ago something happened. Everyone went to the cafe-

teria at lunch time. When I walked in to the cafeteria, I knew something

was up. A lady who I did not know appeared and gave me a sticker. She

said, “Go find the number on the table that matches your sticker. That’s

where you will be sitting today.” I was very surprised, like everyone else,

and very confused.

Now I was on to a new adventure, finding my seat and who I was

going to sit with. I looked here, and I looked there. I had looked every-

where! I couldn’t find my seat. I looked straight ahead of me, and there it was, number 54. Already I

could tell that I wasn’t prepared for this. Things got really mixed up.my seat. I looked straight ahead of

me, and there it was, number 54. Already I could tell that I wasn’t prepared for this. Things got really

mixed up.

I sat down, and the students in the lunchroom started going insane. People were either looking

for their friends or going nuts because they didn’t know anyone at their table. Did I mention there were

questions on the table? We had to ask the students at our table these questions, and they had to answer as

a way to get us to talk with one another.

When lunch was over, everyone got up and found their buddies. And that’s how we at Sparta Mid-

dle school mix things up.

Winter/early

spring

The Sparta Spirit

Typhoon Haiyan Strikes the Philippines By Simon Levien

Earlier this month of November, the Philippine Islands were hit with Typhoon Yolanda (a.k.a. Typhoon

Haiyan) one of the strongest storms to hit the islands of the Philippines causing an estimated ten thousand

deaths and resulting in whole communities wiped off the map entirely. Many smaller islands have been flooded

or completely submerged into the drink of the Pacific Ocean.

One of the main victims of this typhoon was the inhabited island of Tacloban which had the largest

death toll. Of those surviving, many of their homes collapsed and debris spread throughout the nation. Ships

were run aground, buildings and all structures were no more in these areas.

Many of the survivors weren’t so lucky. Hospitals were crammed with patients, and many died of infec-

tions or diseases that lived off the scarred bodies of those left.

In the midst of all this destruction and desperation, the record-setting Typhoon Haiyan was but a

memory, leaving its marked path in its wake. Many countries that have allied the nation of the Philippines, in-

cluding the United States have began to send relief efforts to the Filipino peoples. Food, clothing and medical

supplies have been the main focus of the UN providing for the Philippines of what they can.

So far things aren’t as bright as they were around the islands of the Philippines, but things are looking

up as relief efforts and foundations begin to rise in support of the people rendered helpless.

By Simon Levien

Scientists at the University of Maryland (U of M.) well-known for their robotics and technological science institu-

tion, have recently configured a large-scale machine that was able to transport an atom of quantum information at the length

of one meter, without any physical movement of the ion.

The machine consists of two spheres with two tubes facing horizontally and vertically, which are called the “Ion

Traps”. Each sphere is facing opposite to each other with one of the ions inside the center of Sphere 1. Inside the vertical

tube is a section of three consecutive lenses.

“Teleportation works because of a remarkable quantum phenomenon called entanglement which only occurs on the

atomic and subatomic scale. Once two objects are put in an entangled state, their properties are inextricably entwined. Alt-

hough those properties are inherently unknowable until a measurement is made, measuring either one of the objects instantly

determines the characteristics of the other, no matter how far apart they are, says an anonymous scientist at the Joint Quan-

tum Institute (JQI), run by the Maryland University.

One of the most important questions that can be asked of the inventors of such a device is: Can this machine be

used for instantaneous human or organism transport?

The answer is: Not quite. JQI claims that to transport the quantum data the size of a human would take about 4.96

quadrillion years to be processed from Point A to PoInt B.

However, this type of futuristic transportation is still being developed by this honorable group of scientists. Though

the teleporter is still in a primitive state, work continues non-stop for the researchers of Maryland.

No pictures of the actual device have surfaced causing speculation to arise in thinking that the invention is a hoax to

boast the capabilities of the University of Maryland and their technical institution.

Teleportation Invented!

Teleportation con’t

Controversy continues among the scientific community, trying to estimate if this invention could

ever be usable for human transport and if the invention could even be mass-produced in the future.

More questions seem to come about among the researchers of the U of M such as what could happen if

this technology gets into the wrong hands? Could a new industry be developed with this profound dis-

covery?

Since the original announcement of teleportation, the continuum of research has caught the at-

tention of the US government, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) in which funds from both

sources have been supplementary to the project.

With the recent influx in funding to the teleportation research, the U of M trudges on to continue their

work in this field, and hopefully one day in the future, humans could be able to instantaneously travel

any distance as so they choose.

Sources

-Monroe, Christopher . "Long-Distance Teleportation Between Two Atoms Achieved :: University

Communications Newsdesk, University of Maryland." Long-Distance Teleportation Between Two At-

oms Achieved :: University Communications Newsdesk, University of Maryland. University of Mary-

land, 22 Jan. 2009. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. <http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/scitech/release.cfm?

ArticleID=1818>.

-"First Teleportation Between Distant Atoms." Joint Quantum Institute. Joint Quantum Institute, 2 Jan.

2009. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. <http://jqi.umd.edu/news/first-teleportation-between-distant-atoms>.

Small white crystals,

Neither big and tall,

Slowly descend,

‘Till all of them fall,

They freeze the lake,

But melt on your nose,

They’ll dissolve in hot choco-

late,

Yet chill your toes,

***Snowflakes*** By Ande Wittenmeier

With a nose as a carrot,

They’ll vary in size,

Snow’s good as ammo,

In a cold winter fight,

And a fine artist,

As it frosts all the night

But when it comes to sum-

mer,

It isn’t all that strong,

For all this fun will melt,

And soon will be long gone!

The Sochi Winter Olympics of 2014

By simon Levien

After years of planning and building the magnificent structures

to hold the games, on February 7th of this year the most ex-

pensive Olympics to date began to flourish with its opening

ceremony.

Over five years ago, Russia began to plan the Winter

Games in their hometown of Sochi, with stadiums; elaborate,

modern structures to hold all the events. within a small radius.

After years of straining work and determination, the

Sochi Olympics complex was finally completed less than a

year ago. The excitement of the approaching games was

captured shortly after the decision to hold the Olympics in Sochi was announced. Russia decided on an act that would

bring the country together to celebrate the Olympics. All across the great nation of the Russian Federation, 40 individ-

ual carriers passed the Olympic torch around the major cities and towns presenting to the Russian society the unifying

and momentous achievement of finally holding the Winter Games.

On February 7th, the gate was opened, and spectators and athletes from around the world poured into the

roads of the Games, with almost one half of the world watching from television and hundreds of thousands watching

the games in person. In response to much speculation that Sochi, as would be considered as a perfect place to strike

for terrorists the Russians deployed over thirty-seven thousand security officers.

The opening ceremony of the games started with a bang, with Irina Rodnina, a famous skater lighting the huge

Olympic cauldron, blazing in the night sky. Throughout the opening ceremony many were disappointed, annoyed, hap-

py, and/or felt a great euphoria. In the Sochi opening ceremony, five large rings of intense light beamed down upon

the eyes of all in the stadium, with the top right ring, failing to “open” correctly, making four rings and a star-like shape

as a fifth. In addition to this error, numerous acting miscalculations occurred causing some actors to perform false

actions or reacting late and missing cues. After the opening ceremony, many began to speculate (mostly over the inter-

net) thinking that after spending tens of billions of rubles (the Russian currency) the organization should made sure

everything was functioning correctly. Two companies, Audi and a Japanese-Russian delicacy chain exploited these fail-

ures with an Audi ad claiming “When four rings is all you need”. The Olympic ring mistake then blew up all over the

internet, with t-shirts being made with the “new” Olympic logo on it and many different types of internet memes

popped up.

Being that Russian does not want to release information concerning the total cost of the opening ceremony,

many have speculated on how much it actually did cost. The London 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony cost

43 million. Speculation is that the cost of the Sochi Olympics is much higher.

As the opening ceremony came to a close, the Winter Games had begun. With a constant broadcast

across television and even a live-stream online providing the latest events straight from a computer screen24/7, athletes

competed for the gold in dozens of sports from Speed-Skating to Curling. Such viewing truly unified the world as both

viewers and participants enjoyed this global event.

Many countries won, for example, the Netherlands who this year owned speed skating, winning 23

medals, and nullifying the rest of their foreign competitors,. Yet others left it in solemn defeat, such as the US Olympic

Hockey’ Team who lost to the Canadian team. This victory of Canada in Olympic Hockey didn’t surprise the Canada

Hockey Federation, who claimed on social media the hockey superiority of Canada over the United States. “Sorry

Team USA, Canada IS hockey,” an anonymous Canadian put it.

Many unusual events occurred at Sochi include the display of a new type of sculpture., the morphing piston

sculpture. This marvel is a large box like building which, on the inside, hides the secret of 3000 pulsing and moving

piston-like machineries to form three-dimensional shapes. On the outside, it bears a large screen-like side, with the

Russian technology company’s logo right on top of the face of the building, Megaphone.

Olympics (con’t)

One of the first things you’d see at the Sochi complexes was this magnificent entryway with this “Piston Head”

sculpture right outside the main gate.

Photographers would take a picture of a lucky athlete or person participating at the Games and upload

it into the motherboard of the large computer that ran the system. Then the pistons would begin to morph. The

heads and faces would begin to appear on the screen Mount Rushmore style. After some calculating, the com-

puter would match the proportions to a bigger size and begin to shape with noses and lips and chins and all faci-

al features taking a physical, 3D place.

April Fools! By Ande Wittenmeier

It’s time for pranks,

It’s time for fun,

Now that winter

Is all done!

Kids get ready,

With tricks galore,

Now that snow,

Is no more!

Without the frost,

Without the freeze,

We’re ready for

A summer’s breeze!

So pack your bags,

‘Cause we’re gonna

shout,

“Summer’s almost

here!”

The Smallest Little Something

By Kasey Senatore

A foot of space

Is like a whole new world

For those taught to think inside of the box.

A firefly

Is like a blast of light

For those who were raised in the dark.

The smallest grain of rice

Is like a monstrous feast

In the eyes of those who are starving.

A small act of pity

Is an act of heroism

For those who have never seen kindness.

When you have nothing,

Have nothing to hope for,

Have nothing to hold onto –

When you strive for nothing,

See nothing,

Hear nothing –

When you have lived your life as nothing,

The smallest little something

Becomes everything.

Little Things

By Kasey Senatore

Snowflakes that stick to the ground

Leaves that snap and fill the world with sound

The feeling of saltwater on your skin

The ice on the water when it’s wearing thin

The way ceramic mugs hold heat from the tea

The way it all smells as you head towards the sea

The taste of happy tears that slip through your lips

The feeling of soft cloth as it brushes your hips

The weight of the text as you turn the final page

The joy of a bird as it flies from its cage

The rush of the silence as you draw in clean air

The beauty of laughter that comes without a care

It’s these little things that come to your mind

It’s these little things that you leave behind

It’s these little things that you’ve come to disregard

It’s those bigger things that you hold in high regard

It’s these little things that make up what’s vast

It’s these little things that make up our past

It’s these little things that make the world go round

It’s these little things – these sights, smells, feelings,

tastes, and sounds

It’s these little things that you can’t live without.

Lost

By Ande Wittenmeier

A frosty wind chilled my bones and I gave a small shiver. It stirred up the weak

branches of a dying pine tree above me and made icy snow and sharp brown pine needles

topple on top of me. I was lost; and I needed to be found.

I trudged on, oblivious to the freezing snow stinging my neck. This old winter coat

didn’t offer me much warmth, and there were too many holes in the gloves and hat to help.

The temperature was surely below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and I didn’t feel like I was any

warmer than my surroundings. That was saying a lot, because right now I was hiking the

Rocky Mountains.

I should have been more careful, but I obviously wasn’t. I had begun traveling in Oc-

tober, and I hadn’t realized was that it would take me this long to reach the end of them, in

the U.S. that is, so soon. Plus, I should have packed more warm clothes, with winter knock-

ing on my door. Only Lakota, my malamute companion, and I, were hiking the deserted

mountains. As the sky became a scarlet red; someone else may have taken pictures for its

beauty; but I had been out here long enough to understand it was a warning signal that an

even colder nighttime was approaching.

Finding an overhang to shield us from any oncoming snow, I called to Lakota as I set

up the tent. She replied with a one note howl, and I soon found her black and white fur

brushing next to me. I ate the last beef jerky stick from my backpack and tried to start a fire

to no avail. I had collected some sticks on the ground from a dead tree earlier, but they were

too damp to catch the weak spark I had made with the cigarette lighter I had brought. Sigh-

ing, I snuggled down into my sleeping bag, with my companion’s soft snores already filling

the shelter.

I had known we were lost after not seeing any sheltering home for 10 miles. They

were there to offer some better coverage, and usually had a medical kit inside. But somehow

I had gone the wrong way and now; well, I was here. The few water bottles I brought were

now almost empty. I was low on food, and even worse on Lakota’s dog food. Although I tried

to remain hopeful, the sinking feeling wouldn’t leave my stomach.

As I woke up, the cold air was only colder, so I tried to sink back into my sleeping

bag. It was the only thing here that seemed to keep me a little warm. Wait, where was Lako-

ta? I immediately sat up, trying to locate her in the dim light. The tent’s flap was open. She

was gone.

Lost continued

I quickly got dressed and packed up my things, leaving the kindling behind. If

Lakota had gone, she wouldn’t probably make it that long without me. Although

she was a large, strong dog, the malamute was an old age of 10, and always looked

to me for her next meal. I have heard of pets leaving their homes to die peacefully,

but I wouldn’t believe that. Although up in age, she was healthy and energetic.

Lakota had willingly come with me on the trip. Nervously glancing around, I hur-

ried on.

We heard the dog long before we saw it. At the campsite, we held our guns

close to us as the noises continued to come closer. The grunts and whines of it made

it sound like a bear. So when this large, black and white dog appeared, we were a

little surprised.

“It’s a malamute,” someone explained, breaking the silence.

“Well, where’s its owner? You don’t see those out in the Rocky’s by them-

selves,” called another.

“It’s got a tag!” I was looking at the dog, who seemed rather friendly. Some-

thing was off about it, though.

Within seconds the rest of the hunters had gathered around. Getting the collar

off, they read the name out loud, “Lakota. Her name is Lakota.”

“Who’s the owner, though?” someone asked from the back.

“We’re getting to that!” they shouted, “It’s… it’s…”

They broke off, “It’s only an address!”

The rest of us groaned.

“Just lost, are you?” jeered a large man, “Just decided to run off to the

Rocky’s, did you?”

“Cut it out!” I shouted, “This guy might be in trouble! Why would his dog leave

him unless he needed help?”

As if in answer, Lakota barked.

Well then?” I asked, “Are you coming or what?”

Without waiting for a reply, I turned and followed the dog, trying to keep down

the dark idea inside of me. When we got there, it might be too late.

To be continued

Time Travel: Possible or Not? By William Theilacker

We have always marveled at the thought of time travel in sci-fi books and movies but

are we actually able to travel through time? One theory is that you can time travel by

getting stuck in a black hole. When you are in a black hole time-space alters but once

you are in a black hole you can’t escape it. Around the opening on a black hole there is

an egg sized region called the ergoshpere. You can be ejected from the ergoshpere by

gaining energy from the holes rotation. Once you were ejected from the ergoshpere

you could be in a different time. Because you would be in a different time and you wouldn’t know how far

forward you time traveled you would have to set up future generations to keep track of the mission. You

could only do this with a rotating black hole and it has a very unpredictable outcome.

Even though this is considered as time travel you would have to travel all the way to a black hole

and most likely not even come back alive. Wasting countless lives and resources on a small glimpse of glo-

ry, all for what? If the person on the spaceship were to actually travel in time and space, they might travel

such an insignificant distance forward in time and space that we wouldn't even notice. They might travel

forward one millisecond or twenty million years. Since no one has ever come back from a black hole there

could be an infinite amount of outcomes depending on how the black hole reacts to the spaceship and its

passenger. So now here is the real question, can we time travel without leaving earth?

Well the answer to that question is no. Even if we had a time travel device on Earth the possibili-

ties of traveling back in time would be limited. If we traveled back in time and accidentally stop a major

event in history from happening then the world would be forever different. For example, if you went back

to kill you grandfather then you would never had been born so then if you weren’t born you couldn’t have

gone back to kill your grandfather. This is called a paradox and more specifically known as the Grandfather

Paradox.

A time travel device on Earth would have to be a portable wormhole or travel at the speed of

light. Both theories are impossible today because of the lack of technology and materials. Scientists have

found a way to super-cool atoms by slowing them down using laser beams. Then they use microwaves to

see how fast the atoms are traveling. They think that if you perform this experiment in the International

Space Station that the atoms might travel faster or slower because of the free fall environment. Even

though we have no time travel devices today, who knows? We could be going back to the age of the dino-

Legend: By Marie Lu: A Review by Lomaani Ranasinghe

After hearing great reviews for the new trilogy, I read the first novel to the popular book series Leg-

end by Marie Lu. The book was filled with intense action and unexpected plot twists. The novel is written in

two perspectives from two 15 year-old teens. The first perspective is from a boy named Day. Day is very

smart and clever but is a wanted criminal in the setting of futuristic United States. The other perspective is

from a girl named June, who is also very smart. When June’s brother Metias dies, Day is immediately suspect-

ed. June decides to go undercover and search for Day, who has been wanted by the officials of their dystopi-

an society, called the Republic. The story continues about their adventures and what happens. This novel was

well-written and kept me on the edge of my seat. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

The Battle For Magic continued

by William Theilacker Fal looked towards Rinso with a longing look in his eyes. I quickly hurried towards him in a

weird kind of limp run. I observed that Fal’s wing was bent backwards. When I tried to get a closer look, he put on a burst of energy and ran towards Rinso. I hurried to follow him, but he was just going too fast for my damaged leg. Fal backtracked and let me ride his back to Rinso. When we got there I gently jumped off his back onto the ground. I told Fal to hide and then knocked on the front gate of Rinso. A young guard opened it and let me inside after checking me for weapons. When he turned around, I whis-pered “giden” and the young guard fell to the ground frozen. I called Fal out of hiding and led him in through the front gates. We moved stealthily from then on so that Fal would not be sighted. When we reached the prison I said “vonger” and the front door lock opened. We snuck inside being as quiet as we could be. Fal heard his son whimpering and rushed past me down the stairs. I limped after him as quick-ly as I could not knowing if the strange man was still in the building. As I turned the corner I was filled with relief. The man was not here, and Daf wasn’t too badly hurt. I ran up to the door of the cell and said “vonger” to unlock its lock. Daf rushed over to his father and gave him a friendly nuzzle. I urged them along as they recounted their journeys. When Fal finally acknowledged me we set off toward the front door. As soon as we left the cell room, I felt as if I were being watched and quickly scanned the room. I found nothing so continued to follow Fal and Daf to the exit.

Suddenly, I heard a buzzing noise and whipped my head around. As I saw the projectile coming, I dived to the left from an instinct and glimpsed the strange man. The sparkling blue arrow smashed into the wall and exploded. The blast shot me across the room and against the opposite wall knocking the wind out of me. I gathered my senses though as I saw a red arrow flying towards me. As I tried to get up the pain in my leg increased.

I yelled out in pain, and Fal grabbed me by the tip of my cloak. Fal rushed toward the door, but the arrow turned and followed us. Daf jumped from the side and grabbed the back of the arrow firmly in his beak. He then guided the arrow into the wall and flew up as it exploded in a turquoise flash. The blast gave Fal an extra boost by pushing him along. We waited a few seconds, and Daf soon emerged from the smoky building. By now though the whole village had crowded around the building. They stared in awe at Fal and Daf. Fal let me onto his back and was about to fly when he remembered his damaged wing. Fal quickly ran off after sighting the man who had been shooting arrows at us. As I took one last glimpse behind me, I saw all of the villagers fall to the ground dead and knew that this strange man was not go-ing to play fair to catch us. He would obviously do anything no matter the cost to complete his task. When Fal sprinted through the front gates, we heard a magnified voice yell out “Fal I am Lawrence Freejus, remember when you killed my father? Well I will get you back you ugly beast!” the strange man yelled. Fal stopped as he flashed back to that day and then ran faster than he had ever run before. While he ran, I tried to tell him to calm down but the roaring wind silenced my voice. Fal got tired even-tually and slowed down to catch his breath. As soon as he stopped, I started to heal his wing with herbs and medicine. While I was fixing his wing, Fal fell asleep with Daf next to him. This gave me about an hour to fix his wing. When I had finished putting all the herbs on, I let them sit there and laid down next to Fal to watch the clouds roll by.

Fal awoke with an enormous yawn and stretch out his long legs. He then stretched out his wing and realized that his wing was fixed. He immediately leapt into the air and flew around in circles. When I called him back down to put on his saddle, he landed gently next to me. I secured all of the straps then hopped on and put my feet in the foot holds. Fal jumped into the air full of joy for being able to fly again and did several loops in rapid succession. Then Fal flew towards

the mountains with Daf following closely behind him. The two flew playfully around each other with no worries or cares. As I finally began to relax,I heard the buzzing noise from the prison and looked around through the clouds. I thought I was imagining it until a red arrow burst through the near-est cloud. Fal had sensed my alarm and had already warned Daf to go faster. My brain raced as I tried to think of a solution to the attack. The thought popped into my head, and I whipped out my sling. I opened my ammo pouch and pulled out a smooth pebble to load into my sling. Then I swung the sling around and shot the stone straight at the arrow’s tip. As soon as the stone hit the tip, the arrow blew into bits casting a black dust on the clouds surrounding it. Fal screeched happily as he saw the arrow explode behind us. From then on, I stayed alert until we reached the mountains.

Fal landed hard on the snowy ground of the mountain and let me climb off his saddle. For the first time, my legs were wobbly when I got off of Fal. Fal quickly took notice of this and helped me to a mossy ledge where I lied down. The warm sun beat down on my ledge lulling me into a false sense of security. Daf laid down the ground next to me and then curled up into a feathery ball. Fal was the only one who was still cautious, and he showed this by standing guard at the edge of our camp. As I drifted off into a deep sleep,I heard Fal trying to wake Daf up desperately. I tried to stay awake but sleep over-whelmed m,e and I was deaf to the world around me. Throughout my slumber though, I kept catching glimpses of what was going on around me. Even though it only lasted for a second, I knew that I was in grave danger and so was Fal. Then I murmured a spell in my sleep and got shocked by an electrical charge that I had created. While I was gaining awareness,I loaded a stone into my sling. As soon as I was fully awake, I leapt off of the ledge and fired five stones at Lawrence that hit him in the head with a dull thud. Lawrence fell to the ground unconscious and stiff as a board. Fal whipped around to see what had helped him and gleefully bounded over when he saw that I was awake. I patted his beak and thathealed the few scratches that he had obtained. Fal then bent down his back and allowed me to climb onto his saddle. He then told Daf that we had to leave with haste and took off into the misty air. The mist stuck to my clothes and soaked them through giving me chills. Fal felt me shivering and glided down to a warmer area in the sky that dried my clothes off in less than an hour. Fal stayed at this height for quite a long time without a destination. As I was looking around, I saw Lawrence come down from the heavy mist above us. I suddenly realized his strength because he could use that much magic for long time.

I immediately warned Fal of the oncoming attacker, and he screeched to warn Daf of the danger. The two turned sharply to the right almost simultaneously making Lawrence pass us and backtrack. This gave us the advantage of escaping from him into the mist. Fal and Daf spiraled upwards towards the thick mist leaving Lawrence to follow us blindly. Fal and Daf knew where each other were by making a noise that echoed for miles. This noise could only be heard by other falcons though so Lawrence heard silence. Lawrence would not give up though and continued to pursue us blindly through the mist. Fal relaxed a little after Lawrence’s screams got distant and flew at a slower pace. Daf took notice of his dad and also slowed his pace. Lawrence shot out of the mist next to us and whipped out his magic bow and arrows. Fal turned sharply towards Lawrence and rammed into his side. Lawrence was so shocked by the sudden attack that he dropped his bow and his quiver full of arrows. Daf took advantage of Law-rence being unarmed and dug his beak deep into Lawrence’s back. Lawrence’s flight faltered and he then fell to the earth with a shout of dismay. Daf and Fal then flew like rockets until we burst out of the mist and into the sunlight. Fal then glided down to the mossy ground. Daf was next to him the whole time. Daf seemed afraid for once in his life so Fal comforted him by nuzzling him lightly until he calmed down. While Fal and Daf were conversing in bird I went off to gather fruit and meat for lunch. I trudged off into the woods to find a tree to climb for fruit and cover to shoot at animals from.

After about ten minutes, I found a leafy tree that was packed to the brim with fruit. I shook a branch, and it dropped several ripe apples. My brown haversack sat a foot away waiting to be filled with the luscious fruit. I quickly gathered it up, tossed it into the haversack, and darted up the tree. While I waited for an animal to come into shooting range, I picked more fruit to put in my haversack. The fruit released a sticky waterfall flow down my chin as I bit into one of the plump fruits. I quickly wiped the juice away when the shrubs on my right rustled. With my sling at the ready I waited for the animal to show itself. A fat groundhog slowly waddled out from under the thickest area in the bush. It crawled under my tree branch so I had no clear shot at it with my sling. I knew that Fal could continue flying for a little more so we could reach thicker cover . I sprang out of the tree and landed right on top of the angry animal. It tore my shirt while it was trying to dig its way out. I got a hold on its back leg, but it chomped down on my hand, and I was forced to let go. The groundhog dived for its hole, but I quickly snatched its leg. I pulled it up out of the hole and dealt it a blow on the head with my wrist. This stunned it and gave me enough time to slam it into a tree. After I made sure it was dead, I brought it back to our small camp site and gently woke Fal. He accepted the meat with a grateful nuzzle and then gobbled it down. We both woke Daf, and, then, I adjusted the straps on Fal’s saddle. I jumped up onto the leather throne, and Fal took off with Daf at his side. Fal was losing strength quickly so I searched for the best possible place to land. Soon I had our new hideout, and I told Fal the location of his landing site. It was an aban-doned town that still had most of its houses intact. Fal screeched to Daf, and they both started to circle over the snug little town. Then they glided slowly down to a grassy field with a grace only they could achieve. Fal let Daf land before he came down next to him and let me dismount off onto a cobblestone path.

When I dismounted, a dust cloud rose from the abandoned stone pathway. I used my rough knowledge of bird language to tell Fal that I was going to explore the town. Then I set off into the town to look around and see if I could find a food supply. The first building I found, however, was a library with most of the books still whole. I suddenly had the urge to look around the new area. Since I had a lot of time, I went through a few of the books, but all of their text was faded and could not be read. It was a glowing red box in the corner that caught my eye though. I slowly walked towards it and observed its eerie glare. As soon as I touched it, the box collapsed in a heap revealing a glowing scroll. The papers’ glow was mesmerizing, and I quickly picked it up. The words were not faded at all, and the paper had no marks on it either. I knew it had important infor-mation on it but was forced to put it in my cloak and sprint out of the library because it had started to cave in. I made it out in time to see years of information buried forever. Fal came over to see what the commotion was but was reassured that I was okay when he saw me. I pointed to a large barn on the far side of the village, and Fal woke Daf to bring him inside for the night. When we all were safe and inside the barn, I pulled out the scroll. The words were in an elegant curvy style that had only been used in the old days. This one clue told me that it was a prophecy from the old days, and I eagerly read on. The words it had were,“He who has had his home demolished by the evil fire forces must defeat the great evil and save our world from the hands of black magic.” It then had my full name printed at the bottom, and I realized that this was describing me. Fal felt my sur-

prise and came over to see what was wrong ….. to be continued

The Cool Corner By Ande Wittenmeier

Did you know?

1. We share over 50 percent of DNA with bananas!

2. Honey is the only food that doesn’t rot.

3. Whales can commit suicide.

4. Fish can drown, cough, blink and sneeze!

5. An octopus can open a pickle jar underwater! (And pickle jars are hard

to open!!!)

6. There is no English word that rhymes with “month”.

7. A cubic mile of fog is 56,000 gallons of water!

8. In Denmark, you get PAID to go to school!!! :D (I’m going there!)

Tongue Twister Time

(Say that 5 times fast!)

Toy Boat

Red Wagon

Irish Wristwatch

Red lolly, Yellow lolly

Three free throws