The Power of Will
By: Richard Denson
Winter Edition 2013
Once upon a time in a land far
away, there lived a little boy
who dreamed of being the sav-
ior of his planet. His world was
crumbling before him as a
group of invaders, tyrants
more per se, engulfed the
planet and turned it into a
place of anarchy and violence.
They ruled the planet with an
iron fist. As the little boy grew
older, he dreamed of defeating
the invaders. He spent all of
his time learning and studying
them. Every day he would
sneak off into their bases and
hide in various spots and van-
tage points where he would
study their movements and
patterns in order to find their
weaknesses. His mom would
always worry, and she tried so
hard to convince him that he
alone wouldn’t be able to de-
feat the invaders or even lead
an army to triumph over the
invaders. She tried to get him
to stick to the status quo and
reassure him that everything
would be alright. She didn’t
want to lose another son. He
was determined though, and
he saw the toll it was taking on
his mother despite her optimis-
tic words. He refused to keep
living like this. He assured her
that his will would guide him to
victory.
He wasn’t quite ready
to confront them because
he knew it would be a battle
he couldn’t win. He wanted
for it to be when he did
overcome them that it
would be unforeseen. Over
those years though, the
invaders got stronger and
he started to get the feeling
that it was impossible to
defeat them. Although he
had gathered his planet’s
best warriors, he still had
that sense that victory
would not come, and he
began to lose hope. He
thought to himself “What
should I do? I’m not strong
enough, I’ll fail my planet
and get my men and I
killed.” But then he thought
of his mother and his broth-
er, and how they were
abused and mistreated and
how his older brother was
even locked up and thrown
into prison. Something rose
inside of him, and he pro-
claimed that “Whatever hap-
pens, happens. I’ve come to
far to give up. I will save the
world for me and my family.”
So he ran off into the
woods...
As he scaled the trees, he noticed that the invaders had indeed been following him. They had learned of him, they knew he
Editor In-Chief: Richard Denson
Art Editor: Carlos Hernandez
Writing Staff: ZaCouria McGowan, Sierra San Inocencio, Ayanna Flye, Tennice Yee, Yaffa Hunter, A’Sheriah Jackson, Culani Burks,
La’Dell Finnister, A’Jahni Aska
Creekside HS Literary Magazine
Page 1
was a threat because of the team he was putting together. The invaders had decided that they’d put an end to him before he could succeed in putting them down. The leader even had accompa-nied his men. Within seconds the invaders had him surrounded. The young man under-stood the circumstanc-es and ruled that this is what he had been training all these years for. It was now or nev-er.
Luckily, he had a trick up his sleeve, and his army appeared out of nowhere, pre-pared for battle. They quickly evened the odds. It was going to
be a full out war in the woods! The war began and it was ever so grue-some. After severe casual-ties on both sides, the young man stood toe-to-toe with the leader of the invaders. They engaged in a vicious one-on-one bat-tle, and eventually the young man defeated him when he without mercy, decapitated the leader with a samurai sword his broth-er had passed down to him. As his head descend-ed to the ground, the lead-er’s mask fell off.
A sudden realiza-tion then hit the young man. He had discovered the identity of the leader was that of his older broth-er who escaped from pris-on. The young man fell to his knees and screamed a heavy scream full of pain,
suffering and mourning. Legends say that his screams can still be heard across the universe.
Why?
By: Ashley Baker
Why are we here?
What is our purpose?
Why do we look the way we do?
Who created us?
Why do I not have friends?
Why am I so alone?
Why doesn’t anyone ask me what’s wrong?
Why don’t you care?
Why do I care?
Why don’t you want me to be here with you?
Why did you send me away?
Why am I so far away from love?
Why don’t you need mine?
All these inevitable questions that may never be answered, but all I can ask is why.
By: Kelsie Davis
Alphabet Poem
By: Makayla Huggins
Actress wishes
Bad intentions
Common sense that children envision
Doubtful parents
Extra credit reference
Forgotten junior struggle just to feel important
Googled homework
High school sweethearts
Indentured servants that serve education
Jacked up on my mid-terms
Kick it with homies
Late for class “My locker’s jammed, and I don’t wanna get sweeped”
Mama always told me I was smart; I didn’t listen
Never let appearance determine somebody’s diction
Open minded heartbreak that turns into a fist fight
Palpitating heart rate that keeps you thinking all night
Queens that think like peasants
Rambling through their thoughts like 12 year old adolescents
Saving up for college
Taking tolls for fashion sense is busting mama’s wallet
Underclassman lovers grow up without their seniors
Voiding out the issues like listening to guest speakers
Why else would we do this? To satisfy our pigment?
Xenophobic children always frowning on the strange
Yellow slip of paper, saying that I made it
Zipped up backpack two more years of h igh school
By: Osaze Stigler.
By: Osaze Stigler.
Page 3
Art by Celine Samaniego
Art by Osaze Stigler
Remember When
By: Desyree Feagin
Remember when you said you wouldn’t leave?
My heart so broken, pain no one else could see
Remember when you told me you were in love?
A love so sweet. Was it sent from above?
I remember when you used to call me your lady
Late nights on the phone. Conversations daily
Those days are long gone but I wish they weren’t
Realized you messed up and your bridges were burnt
Now as I sit here and write this about you
I want you to know all that I been through
Remember when I wanted a fresh start
You shot me down and shattered my heart
Remember when I gave you my all
But in the end you watched me fall
My love for you will always be true
Even though I can never be with you.
Self-Portrait
By: Cordejah Cousette
The One That Got Away
By: Ayanna Flye
It was a very rainy Valentine’s
Day in the NYC. All Amber could do
was sit in the house and watch love
movies. Suddenly, she got the idea to
go to Baker’s Shop. When Amber got
there, she remembered how she and
Robert used to go there every week-
end to just talk and drink coffee. She
sat all the way across the store parallel
to where she and Rob used to sit.
The waitress came to Amber
and asked her, “What would you like to
order?”
Amber replied, “I’ll have a mo-
cha latte and blueberry muffin for
now.”
The waitress walked away.
Amber had brought her laptop with
her. She was an upcoming paralegal
and took every chance she had to do
work. So by now her drink was halfway
gone and her muffin had two bites into
it. She got a call from her best friend,
Angel, but decided to decline the call.
Amber had been there for over an hour
now and got as much work done as
you would in a room full of crying ba-
bies. For some reason she kept look-
ing up at the spot where she and Rob-
ert used to eat. Amber decided that
she would not dwell on the past and
started on her work. Five minutes into
her work, she felt a tap on the shoul-
der; it was Robert. She could do noth-
ing but stare as if she had seen a
ghost. It was true; he was a ghost to
her because she hadn’t seen him in a
year since they broke up.
He smiled at her then
started to say, “Hi, how have
you been Amber?”
Hesitating, Amber
managed to utter the words,
“Hi, Rob and I’ve been fine.”
Amber hoped and prayed that
he wouldn’t sit down by her, so she put
her bag on the table. Reluctantly, he
still sat down by her. Amber still wasn’t
completely over Robert and was still
angry with him. They had broken up
because Amber cheated with his best
friend. It was the biggest mistake she
had ever made in her life, but in the
end he took her back. After a month
things started going wrong. She had
known he never let it go, but it started
to become more apparent in every ar-
gument they had. They had been on
and off for the next couple of months.
Then things took a really bad turn; he
started treating her really bad. Amber
couldn’t figure out why he was treating
her so badly. He had made her cry
multiple times and every time he apol-
ogized, she took him back. She had
finally had enough of being sad all the
time and she broke things off for good.
The next month was really hard for
Amber to handle. Everything reminded
her of him and to top things off, her
best friend still had communications
with him. They had become best
friends. When she knew that they were
still friends, her whole world stopped
and crashed and had been that way
ever since. Amber hadn’t realized that
she had been zoned out for at least
five minutes.
“Amber!” Robert yelled. “Are
you okay? You seem distant.” he con-
tinued. All she could do was nod her
head up and down. She was now start-
ing to really reminiscence about every-
thing. Robert knew Amber very well
and could sense that she wasn’t ready
to see him that day. He tried to end the
awkwardness by making a joke but his
joke proved irrelevant to whatever Am-
ber was thinking about. He knew that
things would never be the same be-
tween the two of them. All Amber ever
yearned for was to know how he truly
felt and how he could do what he did.
She didn’t want to bring up the past,
but she did anyway.
Amber blurted out, “How could
you!”
He was startled, but then
asked, “What do you mean?”
Hesitantly, she continued,
“How could you sit there for three
months straight and put me through
torture, and feel no remorse at all?!”
For some reason, Robert knew
it was coming; it just took a matter of
time before she said something. That
question stopped him in his thought
process. He didn’t know what to say or
how to say it. He took a minute before
he answered because he knew his
response could determine the rest of
the conversation. Either Amber would
hit him and storm out or she would sit
there and continue to talk it out with
him.
Robert stated “It was never my
intentions to make you cry like that,”
he continued “I don’t know what made
me act like that, I can’t explain it.”
All Amber wanted to do was
breakdown at that point. She couldn’t
wrap her head around how someone
who claimed that you were his first
love could be so mean to you for so
long. She knew she couldn’t show any
feelings. The only thing that kept her
from crying was replaying the words
Robert told her after they ended
things. They were talking about their
situation; Amber questioned him how
he can just act like nothing matters. He
uttered six deadly words that made
Amber know that this break up was
final.
Robert stated, “Having
feelings will get you hurt.”
Everything was coming to the
forefront. All the things they had with-
held inside for this whole year was
Page 5
about to come out. For Amber this con-
versation would be more about getting
closure and moving on for good. Am-
ber was the type of person that didn’t
feel as though things were finished or
worked out until she talked about it. On
the other hand, Robert didn’t know
what he wanted, he sort of didn’t think
about their situation so he didn’t know
where his feelings were at this point.
The front door was starting to look like
the perfect escape to Rob.
Quickly Amber replied, “that’s
what you have said every time we
talked about it, come up with another
excuse because that is total BS!”
Amber was starting to get re-
ally agitated with him and didn’t know
what to do. Amber knew she had to
calm down and to not let Robert get
her worked up like this. Tired of all the
excuses, tired of being hurt, tired of
holding in everything, Amber broke
down. She got up out of her chair and
walked to the bathroom. Now was the
time to get it together.
She said "Amber, get yourself to-
gether, no longer will you let him con-
trol you." Then she continued "he is no
longer in your life, even though you still
miss that friendship you need to let go
right now!."
Amber had been in there for
over 20 minutes now. As she walked
out she hoped he had left, but he was
still there waiting on her. At this point
Amber was done talking because she
knew they were going to get nowhere
with the conversation. Confused at this
point, Robert was hesitant to ask Am-
ber anything. Then again, being the
person that he is, he still asked.
“Why did you just break down
like that?” Rob asked. Amber was so
tired of going through the same thing
with rob over and over. She finally just
wanted to tell him how she felt.
“Rob, me cheating on you was
the worst thing I could have ever done.
I lost someone I really cared about for
something so stupid and pointless.
Every day I regret doing it but, there is
a point where you have to take respon-
sibility for your actions. No matter what
Angel has said to you, or who side she
takes we both were wrong. I cheated
on you, and you still chose to stick by
my side through everything. Deep
down I knew you weren’t going to for-
get it, but I still thought we could have
moved forward. You started to hurt me
mentally. Not only were you starting to
be mean but you were degrading me.
You made me feel as though I didn’t
matter at all, also you made it seem
like every time I said something it did-
n’t matter. You never took me seriously
when I told you if something was both-
ering me. I just feel like you didn’t care
anymore. I don’t know how you can tell
someone they are your first love, but
you continuously treat them wrong. Not
only that, but you continuously made
me cry and then you would apologize,
but the stupid thing was you would
apologize and do the same thing over
again. Like how do you put someone
through that and just feel like it’s okay.
I know what I did was wrong, but I feel
like you should have just let it go if you
were going to keep acting like that be-
cause you knew what you were doing.”
Robert had already known
how Amber felt, but this was the first
time he actually got it. He didn’t know
that he had hurt her so bad. She had
always told him two wrongs don’t make
a right. He started feeling really bad
cause he had always told her their re-
lationship was like a fairytale. He was
glad she had given him a second
chance. He didn’t know how to re-
spond to anything she was saying. He
could see she was hurt to the core at
this point and had held everything in.
All he wanted to do was make every-
thing right, but the next thing amber
was going to say would prove this task
difficult.
Amber then said, “How can
you be so mad and you don’t see me
mad after you got into a relationship
two days after we broke up. You didn’t
even let the breakup marinate, before
getting with another female. This
means you were talking to her before
we broke up which makes you no bet-
ter than me. There were a lot of things
that you did wrong that you need to
take responsibility for.”
Tears were now starting to
build up in her eyes again. She was
tired of going through the same thing
over and over with him. He didn’t want
her to cry again, that was something
he couldn’t watch happen.
Finally he said, “I’m sorry Am-
ber. I’m sorry for everything I put you
through. You were my first love and I
didn’t know how to take you cheating. I
blocked out all my feelings and by do-
ing that it resulted in my rudeness. I
know you cheating is not an excuse for
how I treated you. I’m sorry for not lis-
tening to you when you would tell me
how what I was doing was affecting
you. It was my first time in a serious
relationship and I just didn’t know what
I was doing. I know this last year has
been hard for you with your school and
I shouldn’t have added that extra
stress on you. Knowing you, I know it
will be hard for you to get past this, but
all I can ask for is your forgiveness.
You don’t have to talk to me anymore I
just need that pressure taken off my
back.”
Amber had finally gotten the
closure she needed to move on. This
was a breakthrough for her and Rob-
ert. They had the worst communication
ever during their relationship, and this
was the first time they had gotten
something accomplished. She was
happy he finally took responsibility for
what he had done and now she could
learn to be without him. This was the
Interview Setting: Interview con-ducted in classroom of Dr. Arm-strong in Creekside High School. The interview was conducted at 11:00 on Thursday afternoon.
Affiliation with interviewee: My AP Lit class has read Eudora Welty’s short story A Worn Path.
(Start of interview)
McGowan: Good afternoon Mrs. Welty! I’m really excited that you could join me. I guess I should start off by asking who is Eudora Welty?
Welty: Well, I was born is Jack-son, Mississippi. My parents were Webb and Christina, and where I grew up, family was important. We were a close knit family. My broth-ers Edward, Walter and I were very close. I’m really a combination of my mother and my father. My pas-sion for reading and language comes from my mother, and my love for all instruments that instruct and fascinate comes from my fa-ther. My loving and nourishing background molded me.
McGowan: So you are from Jack-son? Did your hometown help mold you also?
Welty: As for Jackson, I have al-ways liked being there. When I was growing up, Jackson had much more of an identity that now because it was smaller. It was so
small that everyone knew each other. It was a free and easy life. There was no sense of danger happening. We had a wonderful school of principals and teachers. Jackson made growing up fun. It is the whole foundation on which my fiction rests.
McGowan: When did you begin writing?
Welty: I did stories in school, but they were not any good. They were not any courses given in so called creative writ-ing when I was in college. I think you have to learn for yourself.
McGowan: Back to Jackson how did it influence your writ-ing?
Welty: It helped to identify characters… helps I created stories and characters sur-rounding around Jackson.
McGowan: I have read one of your short stories entitled “A Worn Path” Tell me about that story.
Welty: Well, that story was published in 1941. It’s a story about a loving grandmother who embarks on this wonderful journey for her sick grandson.
McGowan: Did Jackson help you create the story?
Welty: It did.
McGowan: How so?
Welty: The experience that inspired “A Worn Path” was out on Old Canton Road. I saw a small, distant figure come out of the woods and disappear into the woods on the other side. I knew she was going somewhere. I knew she was bent on an errand, even at that distance.
McGowan: I personally en-joyed the story, and I’ve al-ways questioned whether or not the grandson was already dead. Is he?
Welty: I actually receive that question all the time. I think that the reader is reading too far into the story. I always an-swer saying that Phoenix is alive.
McGowan: So does that mean the story is about Phoenix?
Welty: Precisely.
McGowan: I found myself comparing phoenix to an actu-ally phoenix that is reborn after
Interview with Eudora Welty, an American author
Interviewer: ZaCouria McGowan
first step Amber needed in order
to start her new life.
‘Thank you for that apol-
ogy Robert.” Amber replied. She
continued, “It was something I
had been waiting a year to
hear.”
“You welcome, and I
know it was long overdue.”
Rob said. They both then got
up and walked to the door.
Robert opened the door and
let Amber walk through first.
They gave each other one
last look and walked their
separate ways. Amber was
now on her way to becoming
the best paralegal ever.
Page 7
death. Is she symbolic?
Welty: She is; the thing that is always reborn is her love.
McGowan: Who are your sto-ries for?
Welty: I Don’t write for anyone particular. I write for writing.
McGowan: What do you mean?
Welty: I write for the pleasure of it. I don’t write for my friends or myself. I believe if I stopped to wonder what so-
and-so would think or what I’d feel like if this were read by a stranger I would be paralyzed.
McGowan: Beside writing, you also did photography correct?
Welty: I began to use a cam-era when I was young and de-veloped my film in the kitchen at night. . Anybody could have seen it. Even I, as a child, could recognize it. It was telling its own story in hu-man terms. And the actual picture taking, that was fine.
McGowan: What was one of your greatest achievements?
Welty: Well in 1973 I received
the Pulitzer Prize for the Opti-mist’s Daughter. And the year before that I won the Gold Medal for Fiction of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. It was the beginning of a long period of ac-complishments.
McGowan: If you were to die, what is the last thing you would want to say to the world?
Welty: I have been a lucky person all my life. I always have around me congenial, helpful, sensitive people. I was lucky in my agent and my publishers. Everything worked out beautifully, and I am grateful.
Love is like a drug
Once you find it you start to get addicted
It’s your new addiction that you have to have
It’s your new drug that you’re so twisted in
It’s all you care about and all you know
It makes you or breaks you
And right now it’s breaking you like a drug ever will do
Love
By: Sierra San Inocencio
The great defeat
By: Tennice yee
Applauded for his greatness, loved for his braveness is he
Because he fought in the war, and came back victorious, he is now courageous
Calm is he not, boastful some would say
Dare to disrespect and you will never see the light of another day
Ever so often would he say thanks to his wife, after all she still by his side
Forgiving him for his infidelities and sticking by his side is just one of the many reasons why she is the perfect wife
Greatness is his middle name, or so he claims
How can you forget where you’re coming? That is so lame!
Impostor his friend yelled, I will never forget what you did
Jokes, lies and misconceptions he said, these people have no idea of how it is in the end
King of the land he pleads, but the truth is coming out, it’s soon time to flee
Loving that he contained the problem, made him too blind to see
Movements have started; an army is forming against him
Nuclear war is set in place; one man will cause the world to seem dim
Opening the door of Pandora’s Box, death is going to sweep over the land like a tornado that can’t stop
People run in fear, for their lives are in danger
Questions left unanswered, but just be brave my dear
Reservations have been made in heaven for some, while others’ lives are over and done
Swim across the sea he said, because soon we all are going to be dead
Time is no longer on our shore; it’s no time for bed
Ultimately the truth was exposed to the world, they all know of lies you told and what they have heard
Violence is not the answer; but an exception have been made since you created such a disaster
Wrongs have been made right and the sky is once again bright
Page 9
A Woman and her Cats
By: Ayanna Flye
Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a woman with 32 cats. Her family was the very con-servative type and didn't really like too much attention drawn to them. So by the time she bought her eighth cat, her family so was fed up and disgust-ed by her and the attention she was bringing that they abandoned her. For some reason this woman became extremely obsessed with cats after an accident. She was in the local swim-ming pool and she jumped in the deep end and started to drown. She hit her head once she got to the bottom. The results of her hitting her head made her gain a weird case of amnesia. It was said that she thought the cats were her family and the people in her family were strangers out to get her. Her family tried to convince her that they weren't strangers, but she didn't want to listen to them. Eventually, they gave up and left.
She cared for the cats as if they were her children. The lady al-ways stayed indoors with her cats. But when she did get outside, the people that saw her thought she looked like a cat too. Since all she had was cats, she started to dress and act like one too. This made her feel more connected with her cats. She didn't see herself as a human anymore. Outsiders thought she was just crazy and had completely lost it after her accident. This wasn't normal for everybody but it was normal for her. Every time she went somewhere, people would just stare at her. She didn't care; all she cared about was her cats.
Then one day she was at Wal-Mart buying some cat food and a man came up to her and said, “Excuse me, are you are cat or a per-son?” When she turned around, he was dressed like a dog.
She said ,“You like to dress up too?”
He said, “ Yes, ever since my wife died me and my four dogs have become very close.”
The woman uttered,“ I'm sorry to hear that,” then continued to say “ I don't have family either, my cats are the only family I know.”
The man started to become curious so he asked her, “Umm, how many cats do you have?”
Hesitantly, she revealed,“ I have 32 cats.”
He exclaimed, “ Wow, that’s not that many!”
She smiled and replied, “Well, thank you!” They exchanged numbers and went on their way. One day, while the lady was cleaning out the litter boxes, she received a call. It was the dog man. He asked her out on a play date to the park, as he assured her that his dogs were cat friendly. She excitedly accepted! She was so excit-ed to finally have some human com-pany. At the same time though, she was also very nervous. She wanted to make a good impression, so this wouldn't be the last time something like this happened. So she picked her eight best cats to match the dog man’s four.
They went on their date. At first it was awkward for her, but then they started to get along very well. Eventually, they went on more, and more dates. She started to realize that she could trust somebody else other than her cats. After a year he finally proposed to her. The old lady was hesitant to say yes at first, but after a minute or two she finally yelled “Yes!” He was so excited that he found love
again. They were completely in love and knew this was real. They got mar-ried on July 1, 2011. A year later she found out she was pregnant, which made them give up more animals. They got rid of their animals and raised there child together. They had finally found love.
By:
Valerie Stephenson (10th Grade)
Page 9
By: Creekside High School
Student
Once upon a time there lived an old man who’s name was Thomas. Thomas was short and scary looking. He never spoke to anyone; he only stared at them for a while then walked off in the opposite direction. As the town’s outcast, it’s said that his family abandoned him when he was only a little boy. There were many stories about this old man. No one knew him well enough to use his real name, but the kids called him “Mr. Walking Dead.”
One day, while Thomas was
taking one of his normal walks and
scaring off the neighbors, a lady
passed him and caught his eyes. Her
beauty intrigued him, and the scent of
her perfume pulled his attention in her
direction. He didn't know how to ap-
proach her, so he spied on her. She
had long beautiful black hair, streaked
with a little grey. She didn't avoid him
like everyone did; she just walked past
him like he was invisible. It was kind of
creepy that he followed her home but
he did it anyway. For days he worked
up his courage to say, “Hi.” As he fol-
lowed her home one day, he made
several attempts to approach her but
didn't, as she disappeared in her
house. He cursed himself for letting
that perfectly good opportunity pass
him by. Finally, the day came when
he swallowed his fears and walked up
to her and introduced himself. He said,
“Hello! My name is Thomas, what’s
yours?”
She stared at him for a while
then she said, “Betty, you look very
familiar. Do you live around here?”
He said, “Yes, some of these
kids call me Mr. Walking Dead.” She
was very surprised that he was talking
to her because she recognized his
name and the reputation he pos-
sessed.
Then she said, “Can I help
you?”
After which he replied by say-
ing, “No, it’s just that you caught my
eyes, so I just wanted to say hi! And
would you like to have dinner with me
sometime soon in the near future?”
She was so shocked and that her
heart skipped a beat.
She said “I’m sorry no, you
don't have a good reputation around
here, and I don't really want to be seen
with you.”
He said, “Is it because the kids
call me Mr. Walking Dead?”
“Yes! That’s one reason and
you’re not very social and you’re kind
of weird,” said the lady.
Thomas was dejected, he re-
ally liked this lady. So he decided that
he was going to get rid of this title the
kids gave him. “MR. WALKING
DEAD,” he said angrily. Immediately,
Thomas started to initiate the change.
He socialized more, dressed
handsomely, and even bought the kids
ice-cream. There was a vast change in
him; everyone noticed. The entire town
was talking about him. Word eventual-
ly got around to Betty of how Thomas
had changed.
She wondered if he changed
because of what she said to him. After
months of changing his behavior and
appearance, he approached Betty
again. This time he greeted her joyful-
ly. She was so surprised she couldn't
even answer him. He stood there for
about two minutes waiting for a reply.
She was completely speechless. This
wasn't the man that approached her a
few months back. After waiting without
a response, he thought that he still
wasn't good enough for her. He
walked off disappointedly…
She shouted, “Wait! I didn't know what
to say to you. You have changed so
much since the last time I saw you. I
don't understand. Why this sudden
change?”
He explained to her that he
did it all for her. She fell in love with
him instantly after hearing what he did
for her. They eventually went out for
dinner and later got married and had
children.
Mr. Walking Dead
By: Tennice Yee
By: Creekside High
School Student
Page 11
Once upon a time in a land
far away there lived a couple, Tiara
and Bob. This new couple moved into
this beautiful, gigantic ,wonderful
house. As they were unpacking, there
was a knock on the door. It was their
neighbors coming to say, “Hello and to
welcome them. Tiara and Bob’s
neighbors names were Kevin and Tif-
fany. As everyone was talking and
getting to know each other all of a
sudden there was a loud boom.
Everyone stopped and said,
“What was that? Bob
and Tiara said,“ Let’s go check it out”.
Tiffany and
Kevin said, “No, wait here.” Kevin had
this eerie look on his face, a rather evil
look, as if he was up to something.
Tiara noticed Kevin looked a little wor-
ried but immediately dismissed it. Bob
and Tiara rushed outside ,and noticed
that their car had exploded. The car
was still on fire and every where all of
the car pieces were scattered around
their yard
Bob said,“
Could this be what the big boom
was?” Tiffany and Kevin disappeared
into the puffs of smoke. They just
blown up our car. For some reason
Bob still seemed dumbfounded to
what just happened . Tiara tried to put
the pieces together is this why bob
really was sad when we moved? Tiara
found out that the same thing happen
two months previous to them moving
in. Tiara still putting her thoughts to-
gether is this real did this really hap-
pen? Someone pinch me wake me up
please. Bob finally came back to life.
He
said, “Well I think this is real so what
do you want to do?” You
just want to pick up and move?
Bob said,“ Honey, I
will not stay here did you not just see
what happen this is not safe.” “Where
will we go ,what will we eat ,who will
we stay with.”
Bob said,
“Where is Tiffany and Kevin?”
Tiara said,
“Let’s go over and see if they went
back home.” They went and rang the
door bell ,Tiffany and Bob came to the
door.
He said,“ Are you okay?”
They replied,“ Yes,
we are fine.”
Bob and Tiffany
said,“ We will be moving back to New
York City. It is just a little crazy down
here.” Everything settled down and
everything was fine come to find out
Tiffany and Kevin owned that house
and they were a scam. That house
belonged to Tiffany’s parents both of
her parents were witches. They didn't
want anyone to live in that house but
Tiffany and Tiffany broke their law.
That’s when Tiara and Bob moved in.
Tiffany was sad that Tiara and Bob
moved back. She decided enough is
enough.
She
said, “ The curse will not take control
anymore.” She called Tiffany and Kev-
in and told the them the truth.
Two weeks later Tiffany called
them back and said, “We will be mov-
ing back we really loved that house.”
This will make you think before you
buy a big house that looks good on
the outside but scary on the inside.
The couple moved back and they both
lived happily ever after.
The Gigantic HouseThe Gigantic House
By: Yaffa HunterBy: Yaffa Hunter
By: Creekside High School
Student
By: Creekside High School
Student
A Love Forgotten
By: Brandy Rhodes (10th Grade)
As I see your face I remember your laugh
Your warm embrace is something of the past
I look at all the things we did and see love every time
But as we grew up it seemed as it was a crime
Now that I’m older, now that I’m wiser
I see what has been changed
A love no more, we have to go
Because now my love is forgotten.
Life
By: Lynnae’ Carr
The thing that keeps you living,
The feeling of being alive,
But sometimes you feel trapped inside,
Dreams are the only way out,
You dream what you want and what you think about,
But sometimes it feels too real and you escape your reality,
Forgetting who you are and who you are meant to be
That’s just life……a never ending possibility
By: Taylor Overbey
By: Creekside High School Student
Page 13
By: Creekside High School
Student
My Closest Fried
By: Ayanna Flye
The emptiness now becomes our closest friend
To live each day as it passes just as lonely as the last
The inside is crying, hidden suddenly by the smile
To feel acceptance is to open up to more pain and denial
Love, like a rain cloud, only there long enough to make the desert yearn for almost just enough
Growing close to losing hope all is becoming dark
The world easily shows hate without any remorse
To feel accepted and alive grows slowly thin
Another day ending with no promise or feeling from within
The child never sees it coming unaware of its strength
Adults love die along with the child’s will to survive
False hope in our world, Only to reveal that disappointment becomes our closest friend.
Success
By : Denver Wallace
It doesn't come naturally, It is only attained by those who crave it,
Quick is not what it has to be,
Your opponents are those who hate it.
Not always to the swift, nor the strong,
But to those who have time to invest in,
It may not come quick, but will last long,
Because to all success is destined
“Medusa”
By: Solomon Williams
By: Creekside High
School Student
By: Creekside High School
Student
Life at the Tabloids is always
crazy. Paperwork, new articles, office
drama, and celebrity leaked photos
storm the floors, printers, and comput-
er screens. It’s all about making mon-
ey for Mr. Van. He is CEO over this
whole business, but he is the male
version of Cruella De Vil. No one likes
him at all. Everything must go through
him and often, the stories we publish
are not the truth or twist the truth. But,
hey it is the tabloids. My name is An-
nie and I am Mr. Van’s “pet”. I practi-
cally do whatever he wants and I can’t
complain. On my spare time I work on
my blog, which I’m hoping one day it
can be much more. Of course I write
about the devil’s spawn from the un-
derworld.
On a cold winter Friday, I was
hurrying to work late. I had just
reached my usual coffee shop off of
James Ave. and 21st Street. The line is
out the door and Lord knows that my
boss will flip out without his coffee.
Cutting through the line, I spot my fa-
vorite manager and he quickly makes
my order.
“Thanks John! You’re a life saver!”
Swoosh!! The morning wind in Down-
town, Chicago bombards my jacket
and tickles my neckline icily. I have
less than 20 minutes to catch the sub,
get to work, drop off Mr. Van’s refresh-
ments and print this paper.
I’m hoping the edited edition
was ready because if everything isn’t
perfect by noon today I’m fired. I
swear Mr. Van can be a total jerk! He
doesn’t care what may come up. If I
am late 2 minutes I have 3 hours extra
of case load and 20 errands to and
from his many unneeded destinations.
I swear I write an article on him every
day on my blog. This man grinds my
gears until they leak motor oil!
Bing! Yes, I have finally made
it to work and of course Brian is on my
tail already.
“Good morning Annie! You look like
you’re in a rush. Care to talk a bit be-
fore you clock in? You know I’m dying
to talk about our latest scoop on Mr.
Van’s affair,” Brian said, snickering in
my ear.
“Look, Brian obviously, you’re right I
am in a hurry. So please move out of
my way! I hope you edited that article
he wanted on his desk first thing this
morning!”
I can’t help but get upset whenever he
starts irritating me. He knows that I
have to print this article and have Van
De Vil’s coffee hot and ready on his
desk.
The printer room was packed
to the max! I had to quickly send this
article and I didn’t have time to read
over it. “Why the heck hasn’t it arrived
yet?” I could’ve sworn I sent it to Print-
er 2. Looking around I rush into Mr.
Van’s office, but before I could look at
his printer, he has the meanest facial
expression on.
“Good Morning, Mr. Van I hope you’re
doing well today. How is the article?”
Nervously I manage to stutter out.
Clearing his throat, he began to read
the wrong article! Oh my God he is
reading the article I wrote about him!
No!!! I printed the wrong thing! I tried
to grab it to stop him from reading it,
but I failed and knocked his hot coffee
all over him accidentally. Furiously, he
cursed and jumped around his office
trying to cool his freshly ironed slacks
off.
I know I’m fired before he has
to say it. Quickly, I apologize and be-
gan to walk away, but I turn on my
heels slowly to find Mr. Van laughing
at me.
“I knew you had it in you, I was just
waiting on the right time!”
He begins to tell me the whole spill on giving me his position at the office be-cause he has been offered a new job. Not only was I astonished, but instead of firing me I was given his job and his office. There were rumors about Mr. Van being offered a new job, but we thought someone who fit his criteria would get the step in and become Cruella De Vil, not me. Who knew sending the wrong article to the wrong printer could change my life? Life at the Tabloid office is always crazy, but I guess times will be changing now that I am in charge.
Crazy Days At The Famous Tabloid
By: Culani Burks
By: Creekside High School
Student
Page 15
Underdog to Wonderdog
By: Alexus Fuller
He was born a star
To die young.
Made a change in the world.
We bowed our heads and wiped our tears.
“How tragic.”
We said, as we all reflected.
Suddenly the day has come.
Cut deeper,
Messages that he had already made a plan.
Each phrase was more encouraging than the last and
He was lost.
That didn’t stop our words, “Do it for Deuce.”
Searching for help but all they found,
Was each other.
So they reacted as a team.
They swallowed nothing much except,
Their sorrows.
Smiling at their own accomplishments.
December 13 under the dome night lights,
A hurting team.
Comes home with an angel and a title.
STATE Champs, a great achievement.
South Fulton could NEVER complete
A ring, a player, and a bond that no one can lay to rest.
I remember a time once,
where I could walk into my home town
and not be shunned by the people. I
was accused and convicted of a crime
I never committed, and for that reason
I was exiled to my home beyond the
dried and cracked creek. I was brand-
ed a murderer, a scum, and servant of
the devil, treated with disdain and giv-
en the treatment of a blowfly harassing
the locals. Showing my face, even af-
ter serving my time in jail would be
border-line foolish, and, for that rea-
son, I live in solitude. I live in FEAR.
Friends? Yeah I had them; I
lost a few, well more than a few…
mostly all of them. I was expecting a
warm welcome back and my best
friend waiting to pick me up from the
gates of the jail but instead I got a
rusted, barely running taxi with a rea-
sonable looking driver. But nothing
ever turns out how you would have
wanted it to, especially if you don’t do
anything about it. Anyway, we had
been driving for about fifteen minutes
with nothing said accept “Where too?”
I was just looking out the window
thinking about where I go from here
and remembering all things I used to
do at the places that we drove past.
There was one particular
place that brought back a good
memory, and a lot of bad ones, too-
my old high school. The place where
my life was miserable. I never fit in, I
never belonged. I sat alone at every
lunch and watched all the other kids
playing football on the lush green
grass of the field, heard the laughing
and singing of the younger girls play-
ing jump rope and hopping along the
ground playing hopscotch drawn with
the silky powder of chalk, the squares
numbered one to sixteen. Until one
day…I had been pushed into a pit of
thick, gloopy mud that didn’t rub off
and that left me cold and wet. A girl
came up to me and asked, “Are you all
right? I saw what happened to you.”
But she didn’t help me up. That’s
when I knew she was one of them, but
that was an old memory now.
I live in fear because when I
am seen, people throw things and call
me names. And as I try to tell them it
wasn’t me they become even more
enraged at my presence. I know that I
didn’t kill her but they just don’t believe
me. These people even turned my
family against me but I can handle the
pressure. It’s been three years since I
got out of jail and still, I have no
friends, no family, not even a pet. The
only person I have is me but I’ll live.
It’s the price you pay for taking the
blame for the murder that my twin
brother committed.
Murder in my Town
By: La’Dell Finister
By: Creekside High School
Student
Page 17
A path not crossed but one that’s intertwined.
Blindly searching for something that you will never find.
Catastrophe bringing pleasure.
Devastation erases pain.
Everlasting hope begins to fade as a person goes insane.
Farfetched ideas become easily accepted.
Good deeds become punishable acts as negativity is neglected.
Heaven is no longer the ideal place to be, people turn in the opposing direction.
It seems as if people have become blinded and possessed by false misconceptions.
Jubilant emotions are no longer shown.
Kept promises are continually pushed back, loyalty is postponed.
Lost in a nightmare, one in which you cannot awake.
Money is no longer power; it’s just another way to deliberate.
No one is safe anymore.
People who once were sweet are now rotten to the core.
Quite a change the world seems to have embraced.
Robust values have been lost and replaced.
Senses of security have become indecisive insecurities.
Tolerating perfection, seemingly brushing off the impurities.
United we fall and fail instead of stand.
Vigilance leaves us somewhat emotionally bland.
What once was will no longer be.
X-rayed lies reveal the truth.
Your death makes you come alive, a feeling so untrue
Alphabet Poem
By: A’Jahni Aska
“Depressed Fashion”
By: Mark Reid
“Ink Drawing”
By: Daesha Walton
The Negro has been robbed, defrauded, and hushed up.
He has been overpowered by his employer, merchants, and government agents that are unjust.
Others have interests in The Negro as a means to an end
Acting friendly, just for pretend…
The Negro has not the desired purpose of only merely working, but of development.
For he has been urged to serve under selfish elements…
The forecast for The Negro race has been determined, temporarily
For the sun will be setting on the “American,” especially...
The Negro Found
By: Simone Salter
Page 19
Breaking News!! (brought to you by Richard Denson)
11/10/13
Roger Rabbit had the potential to be bigger than his father, Bugs Bunny. But his depression from being framed led to his
untimely death.
Roger Rabbit passed away on Saturday in a car accident. Coroners and police say that Roger had had too many drinks
and was driving intoxicated. His car collided head on with a tree, and he died later on in the hospital from his injuries.
Roger is survived by his now-widowed wife Jessica Rabbit.
Roger Rabbit was involved in the highly-publicized case involving the murder of Marvin Acme. He was “framed” and alt-
hough Eddie Valiant was able to prove his innocence, it still took its toll on him. He had been pictured as a murderer in
the eyes of all his fans (including children) and he felt that things would never be the same. This drove him to constant
alcohol abuse and arguments with his wife.
Jessica Rabbit reported that she and Roger had just finished arguing at their home when Roger stormed out with a huge
bottle of vodka. He drove off, not saying where he was going, and drove for about an estimated 20 minutes before run-
ning a red light and swerving into a tree.
Roger was an ageless wonder and he will surely be missed.
indeed this was not a gift it
was a curse it became more
realistic when she met the
love of her life.
Once upon a time, in a land
far away there lived a drama queen.
She would turn even the smallest
encounters to a huge Broadway
show. One day was 2 minutes later
for work, and made up this elabo-
rate story that included a dragon, a
subway store, two DVD rentals from
Redbox, a glass slipper, and Joe
the Pizza delivery guy. Everyone in
the offices were intrigued by her
story and was under her spell. That
was when she found out that was
originally perceived as a nuisance ,
or a curse was actually a gift.
She was a perfect liar and the
more preposterous her stories
started sounding, for some odd
reason, the more her audience
began believing them. Every
time something happened she
had an excuse for it. One day
she told them that her car
caught on fire and an old lady
came to help her put it out.
She became so good at lying
she started to convince her-
self; she soon realized that
Once upon a time in a land far
away there lived an enormous great
white shark. He had no friends to play
with, so everyday he would feel lonely;
he felt companionless. Everybody was
scared of him because he was big as a
mammoth and had teeth sharp as ra-
zor blades. The big white shark decid-
ed he wanted to go try and make
friends, so he went to the other side of
the sea to see if anybody was there.
As soon as the little fishes saw him,
they all scattered like roaches.
Whitey was vey upset and
thought to himself, “What’s wrong with
me? Is it because I’m big and look
scary? Why doesn't anybody like me?”
After a while came along a
turtle. The turtle spoke to Whitey and
said,“ Hi there what is your name?”
Whitey answered,“ Hi my name is
Whitey and why are you talking to
me?”
The turtle then muttered, “Well you
were all alone and you seem very ut-
tered, “You’re not afraid of me?” The
turtle exclaimed, “No, why should I be?
You’re not going to eat me are you?”
Whitey replied, “No, but everyone
thinks I will!”
The turtle then muttered, “ Well, you
are a great white shark, but my mother
always told me to never judge a book
by its cover.”
Whitey then turned to the turtle and
asked him if he wanted to play a
game. The turtle excitedly accepted
and told Whitey to wait here while he
went to go get his friends. Apprehen-
sive, Whitey replied softly “ok.”
The turtle seemingly proceeded to go
get his friends, but it seemed to take
too long. Hours and hours passed and
no one showed up to meet Whitey.
Whitey started feeling insecure and
depressed; he then proceeded to sob.
He felt like he had been duped. Then
suddenly the turtle showed up with
three friends, but they were all scared
to talk to him at first. The turtle said,
“Let’s play sea ball.”
So they got a piece of coral and start-
ed playing. After the first game the tur-
tle and his friends knew that Whitey
wasn't going to hurt them.
Whitey was filled with joy that he finally
had friends. He was extremely happy
that he met all 4 friends that he can
play with everyday. Whitey can finally
say that his “Happy Ending “ that he
always wished for FINALLY came true.
IN A LAND FAR AWAY
By: Sierra San Inocencio
Confessions Of A Middle Aged Drama Queen
By: ZaCouria McGowan
By: Taylor Overbey
By: Creekside High
School Student
When people ponder about
Valentine’s Day, typically they think of
a day of love, laughter and compas-
sion. You think of all the joyous and
loving times with you have with your
significant other. But when you run into
the wrong “lover” on the wrong day, it
can be the complete opposite. Febru-
ary 14th reminds me of the one who got
away.
Walking freely through the chili
streets of New York on the fourteenth
of February, I’m heading home as my
tiring and typical day comes to an end.
I decide, as I often to do, to stop at
Starbucks and treat myself to a warm
caramel latte. Patiently waiting for a
waiter, I sit in the booth all alone. Sud-
denly a familiar voice says, “How may I
help you?” Not concerned by the famil-
iar voice, I give him my order. Mo-
ments later he comes back. I look into
his eyes as he hands me a beverage,
and I stop with my hand mid-way in the
air. I soon then realize that the familiar
voice was once my high school lover;
the one who got away.
I grab my latte and dash out
the door. Not realizing that today is
Valentine’s Day, I run home and think
about all the good times we spent.
When I get home, I look through old
pictures online and I notice how happy
we were. Swiftly, the smile disappears.
Throughout all those wonderful times, I
then think about the reason we ended.
All the lies, pain, and hurt all came
crashing back to me at once.
Feeling depressed, I lay in bed
and try to move on with my lonely
night. I then hear a knock on my door.
It’s not usual that I get company, con-
sidering the fact that I just moved on
this side of town. I drag myself out of
bed and head towards the front door.
Looking through the peep hole, I see
my ex-lover. Franticly fixing my hair
and changing my facial expression, I
answer the door. He stands there with
a bouquet of flowers and a box of
chocolates; I assume that it is a gift for
me. We had a long pause before he
finally says, “This is for you.”
In amazement, I take the flow-
ers from him and I say, “How did
you…”
He cuts me off in the middle of
my sentence and says, “I love you and
I always have.” All those feelings that I
thought had gone away a few mo-
ments ago came back at once. We talk
for hours and hours, and conversations
seem ordinary.
Weeks, months, and years go
by and I find myself, once again, head
over heels. But this time the love felt
so real. Before, when I thought about
February the 14th, I thought about a
regular day of the year. But now when
I think about Valentine’s Day I think
about, how love can be a rollercoaster,
but also how you can always find your-
self back with the one who got away.
Valentine’s Day
By: A’Sheriah Jackson
Photograph By:
Trevise Wilson
Page 21
Once upon a time in a land far away there lived
a grouchy, shiny, and metallic robot gorilla that
knew how to cook anything it was told to cook.
Several times it was invited on the Food Net-
work to show aspiring cooks its flawless skills. It
never disappointed the ambitious taste buds of
world renowned food critics. Every time they
took a bite of its food, their brains gushed out
dopamine as every minute bite they took filled
them with bliss. The deliciousness of the food
was so intense that it could make anyone’s
mood shift to bliss. Some critiques even claimed
that the robot gorilla’s skill was a form of art.
Even critiques with the most abundant vocabu-
lary were speechless to the meals the robot pre-
pared; it was as if the food was blessed by the
heavens. There was no one in Apeville who es-
caped the temptation of eating these meals, as
it was almost profane not to.
As perfect of a chef as the metallic robot gorilla
was, it had one problem; it was such a grouch
that anyone who tried to communicate with it
always ended up with their morale obliterated.
However, the meals prepared by the robot goril-
la always made people overlook its grouchiness.
Outsiders who never ate the shiny robot gorilla
chef's food wondered if getting your feelings hurt
was really worth this meal. The outsiders were
concerned and deeply confused.
The outsiders were concerned with the well-
being of Apeville that they formed a riot and
convinced some Apeville citizens to be a part of
it. “This must stop,” yelled the leader of a newly
established
riot. “We can-
not allow this
robot’s talent
to be more
important
than what we
feel, we must
act!” So after
some pon-
dering and
gatherings
with the com-
munity, they
decided it was time to find someone who knew
how to alter the grouchy shiny metallic Gorilla’s
personality.
As they made their journey to the robot’s restau-
rant a mysterious man caught their attention by
blocking their path into the restaurant. The mys-
terious man warned them that changing the per-
sonality of the robot gorilla would be something
they would regret, but no one listened.
“Changing the negative quality of the robot will
break its balance. If it is to be broken then it will
have to adjust its positive qualities to re-
balance,” said the mysterious man.
“I am pretty sure that with such glorious
minds in Apeville, we can simply reprogram this
robot to our liking, Mister,” replied the lead riot-
er.
“Well, don’t listen to the mysterious
By: Carlos Alberto Hernandez
The Shiny Metallic Robot
Gorilla
The Shiny Metallic Robot Gorilla
man, it’s not like he has any say as a citizen of Ape-
ville,” murmured the mysterious man as the rioters
walked in to get the robot.
The people of the community booted down the
robot and took him to get repaired. Outside the myste-
rious man just glared, as if he knew something. They
took him to one of the most advanced robot program-
mers there was in town. Once they arrived at the pro-
grammer’s house, they realized that it was a very old
woman, by the name of Silvina. The rioters handed the
robot over to her and asked if she could install some
more “User-Friendly Software”.
“Can you uninstall the grumpware the robot
has please?” demanded the lead rioter.
Following the demand of the lead rioter, the
rest of the rioters let out a bunch of screams with com-
plaints. Once the lead rioter handed the robot over,
Silvina immediately recognized the robot she was
dealing with. She agreed to their demands and with a
smirk said, “Of course I will. I love the food of the ro-
bot, but I know what to expect from such a perfect
crafter of food, but sure I’ll do it for free.” She got to
work immediately; the rioters stared as if they were
spectators for a very entertaining sport. Once finished
Silvina let out a laugh of victory, many of the rioters
stared in confusion; she then turned to them and
warned them that she is finished.
The rioters returned to the community and no-
tified them about the robot gorilla’s return.
“He is back and ready to satisfy us completely,
not only with great food but also with great service,”
announced the riot leader. Once they received the
good news, they decided to throw a party in order to
test out the robot gorilla’s cooking skills. The gorilla
decided to cook steak with pasta as a side dish. It was
confident and ready to tackle the task that was put in
front of it, so it finished instantly. People
gazed at the food in confusion; it looked
different from a usual plate from the robot
gorilla. The steak looked burnt and had a
rugged look to it and the pasta was dry with
a bland look to it. However, they ignored it
and decided to give it a try anyways. As
they noticed how much friendlier the robot
gorilla was, they also noticed that they in-
gested the worst tasting food in history.
“What is this, it tastes like some-
thing my wife would cook,” yelled out a customer as he
spit the food from his mouth.
Out of nowhere people sought medical attention as the
food contained ingredients that usually aren’t meant
for consumption of a human. This led people to regret
tweaking this robot. The community as whole learned
that no matter how someone or something is they
should just let it be not interrupt the flow of nature or in
this case machine.
“That mysterious man was right,” says the riot
leader, “we must go back and fix the robot once
again.”
With this lesson learned they took the robot
back to Silvana to check if they could get a restoration
of the robot’s old software. To their surprise the myste-
rious man who warned them about tweaking the robot
was there.
“What are you doing here mister?” asks the
riot leader.
Following the riot leader’s question his follow-
ers yell “YEAH! What are you doing here?!”
“I live here, this is my home,” replies the mys-
Page 23
By: Carlos Alberto Hernandez
The Shiny Metallic Robot Gorilla
terious man, “I am Kashikoi 53 and I am a robot that is
programmed specifically to keep all the robots made
by maker, Silvana working the way they are supposed
to be working.”
“So you’re telling me that the robot gorilla was
programmed to be grumpy?” asks the riot leader.
Kashikoi began to explain, “Why yes, you see
a while back, it was the golden age of robotics, and the
top pioneer was Silvana. One day she made the most
glorious robots ever, they could do anything a human
could thirty times better, however as perfect as these
robots were, Silvana realized that they aren’t durable.
And in order for them to last, they, like humans must
have some type of balance in them, what you call im-
perfections.”
The rioters were dazzled and angry, but as
angry as they were at Silvana, they couldn’t help but to
praise her elaborate plan. Kashikoi then attended them
and let them know that Silvana knew that they’d be
back, but she wasn’t going to be in town for a while.
However, he informed them that there was a simple
solution to revert the robot gorilla back to the way it
used to be, all they had to do was cook a meal for him.
They rapidly ran back downtown to the robot
gorilla’s restaurant where they decided they would
cook the best meal ever made in
the history of Apeville. They
knew that this would take an
eternity, so they were prepared
for this. Everything needed was
already at the shop, so all they
needed was patience. They be-
gan by marinating the meat used
for the meal in the oldest wine
they could find. They soaked it in
the wine for a day, and at the 24 hour mark they began
to cook. There were egg shells everywhere, particles
of salt and spices on the burgundy tile floor, and a gar-
den of vegetables in every counter. During the cooking
process the rioters began to realize that they them-
selves were getting grumpy which led to an epiphany;
they realized that they, the customers, weren’t what
made the robot gorilla grumpy, but the time consuming
process of cooking such perfect food. After a few more
hours of grumpy cooking they were finished and they
excitingly called the robot gorilla to eat. After the first
bite, his eyes turned red and his muffler released a
cloud of black smoke and everyone began smiling
once again.
Page 23
Dear W riter ’s Block,
I t ’s not you; i t ’s me. I want to be a wr iter , more so a journal ist , but for some
reason I ’ve lacked inspirat ion, mot ivat ion, and dr ive these past few weeks. Maybe i t ’s
the lack of obvious subjects. I t could poss ib ly be that I ’ve t ied my whole t ime into edit-
ing the newspaper, that I forgot the other s ide of th is c lass’ t i t le . Maybe i t ’s just that
I ’m so focused on f in ish ing the chal lenging c lasses so I can hurry up and graduate,
that I ’ve lost s ight of a chal lenge look ing me r ight in the eyes.
When I was on b leacherreport .com and peachtreehoops.com dur ing the sum-
mer, I b logged several t imes a week and was overf lowing wi th words and ideas. May-
be i t was because i t was sports , more par t icu lar ly basketbal l , and I ’m real ly into that
k ind of s tuf f . Each week was f i l led wi th something new to comment and wr ite about
because i t was NBA’s of fseason: the per iod of f ree agency, rook ie summer league,
and my par t icu lar team was undergoing a fu l l reboot / reconstruct ion - new coach,
staf f , p layers , and a re lat ive ly new GM; who wouldn’ t have th ings to wr ite?
I guess now that I ’m back in school , I ’m f inding i t hard to get inspired and mot ivated.
There are thoughts , ideas, and stor ies a l l around me but I ’ve fa l len v ic t im to the
dreaded “Senior i t is” . I t ’s not that every day in school is bad and st ressfu l because i t
isn’ t . I t ’s just not conduc ive to new thoughts and new wri t ing. I ’m tak ing for granted
what I have and what ’s in f ront of me. I ’m not stretching myself to f ind topics compel-
l ing enough to wr i te about.
I know that anyth ing can be interest ing f rom the voice of a good wr iter and I ’m str iv ing
to be a great wr i ter , maybe even one of the best to do i t ! So what k ind of wr iter am I i f
I can only be inspired by my l i fe ’s s i tuat ions, c ircumstances, and my teacher ’s instruc-
t ions? I should be able to wr i te on a d ime!
I want to push myself as a wr iter . I p lan to go to col lege and potent ia l ly major
in journal ism. I ’ve heard that to become a good wr i ter you need to wr i te every day, es-
pec ia l ly s ince I want to work in the sports wor ld where journal is t ic wr it ing is a l ike ly
pathway. I ’ve a lso been to ld that my f ic t ion wr i t ing style is pret ty good. The other
day I wrote an obituary for a f ic t ional character . I have never wr it ten an obituary in my
l i fe! Obituar ies tend to make me very emot ional . Never theless, the words seemed to
just “come to me,” as cheesy as that may sound. One would have thought that the per-
son in the obi tuary was real. I observed the faces of those reading my piece and they
seemed deeply absorbed in i t . The response received f rom th is new f ict ion wr i t ing
style was shock ing! This new wr i t ing exper ience woke me up f rom the rugged compla-
cency of my usual wr it ing style.
So, now I ’m trying th is “prompt -a -day” th ing for every t ime I have to wr ite a f ic-
t ion p iece. However , I must acknowledge that I have a busy schedule which inc ludes
two chal lenging core c lasses (Calculus and AP Lit .) , Aviat ion, marching band, basket-
bal l , and a s lew of other ext racurr icular ac t iv i t ies. This real i t y, coupled wi th tr ying to
f ind t ime to rest , re lax , and soc ia l ize, is not conduc ive to generat ing a real ist ic expec-
tat ion that I wi l l cons is tent ly d ish out good writ ings for th is l i terary magazine. I
g lanced over the f irs t few magazine -prompt topics , but af ter day seven, I forced my-
self to s top. Ins tead, I jus t dec ided to keep on going wi th th is unt i l I f in ished al l four-
teen wri t ing prompts . I want to be surpr ised by how I wr ite on my toes. I ca l l i t “ Improv
-Writ ing”.
So Writer ’s Block, th is is goodbye. I ’m sure I ’ l l see you again one day, but for now,
don’t even try cal l ing. We’re done! We’re f in i to! Vamoose!
Sincerely,
Page 25
Dreams Do Come True
By: Sierra San Inocencio
“Honey, Honey, Honey, wake up,
wake up! It’s time to get up. To-
day’s the day to go out and start
looking for our dream house! We
need to decide what kind of house
we’re looking for. I want our big
white dream house with a wrapped
around balcony and pillars out in
front and huge front and backyard
when we can just sit outside and
enjoy the view. And oh, it has to
have a lake by it,” said Ms. Daniel.
Mr. Daniel said, “Okay sweetie,
anything for my precious angel.”
“Aw, thank you honey,” said Mrs.
Daniel.
“Alright now go get ready so we
can be on our way,” said Mr. Dan-
iel
“Let’s go! We’re going to be late if
we don’t leave no,” shouted Mr.
Daniel.
“Okay, honey I’m coming,” said
Mrs. Daniel.
“Come on come on get in the car
already sweetie,” Mr. Daniel.
“Alright, alright,” said Mrs. Daniel.
As they’re driving they’re getting
more and more excited to see their
new dream house that they’ve been
looking for a while. After an hour
of driving, they finally pulled up to
their dream house. The realtor is
waiting for them to arrive and to
come see the house. Mrs. Daniel
got out, and she’s breathless once
she sees the house. She can’t be-
lieve this day has finally come that
she is standing in front of her dream
house and the searching for it is
over. She was so ecstatic that she
couldn’t wait to see how it looked
inside.
“Honey, the house is perfect; let’s
just sign the papers now,” said Mrs.
Daniel.
“Oh, now darling of mine, just be
patient sweetie; we have to take a
look inside now,” said Mr. Daniel.
“Okay honey, let’s take a look
then,” said Mrs. Daniel.
The realtor guides them to the front
door of the house, and Mrs. Daniel
just couldn’t believe that this will
soon to be her dream house. She
was just astonished on how im-
mense and completely furnished the
how was when they walked in, and
how the house had the pillars she
wished for that the house would
have. The realtor opened the door
and she let in Mr. and Mrs. Daniel.
They were amazed on how beauti-
ful it looked when they walked in.
Mrs. Daniel turned to the realtor
and exclaimed, “Yes, we’ll take it!”
“Now honey, we still have a lot of
house to look at, so don’t get ahead
of yourself,” said Mr. Daniel.
“But darling, dear I want it; it’s our
dream house and everything we’ve
been looking for so far,” said Mrs.
Daniel
“I know Sarah dear, I know how
much you really want your dream
house and I don’t have a problem
giving it to you but sweetheart we
have to look at the house first and
make sure there’s nothing wrong
it.”Said Mr. Daniel
“Okay darling, let’s get to it”, said
Mrs. Daniel
Okay Mr. and Mrs. Daniel, follow
me this way. This house has 5 bed-
rooms, 3 full baths, one half bath
and three floors. This will be a
great house to raise your kids in and
settle down years from now,” said
the realtor.
Mrs. Daniel wasn’t really paying
attention to the realtor; she just re-
ally wanted the house and start
signing the papers.
Oh honey, I love it, it’s absolutely
everything I ever wanted. It’s gor-
geous but waits; does it have a lake
side view? Says Mrs. Daniel
Mr. Daniel then turns to the realtor
and asks her, “Well does it have a
lake side view?”
Oh why yes Mr. Daniel right-out
here to the side of the house there’s
a gorgeous lake side view just for
you and Mrs. Daniel to sit on the
porch and relax and watch the
beautiful sunsets together for the
rest of your life.” Said the realtor
Mr. And Mrs. Daniel starting
laughing at what the realtor had
said.
Mrs. Daniel looked Mr. Daniel and
said, “Can we now get the house
please?”
We both like love it and everything
about it and most importantly it’s
our dream house and everything we
ever wanted, Mrs. Daniel said.
Mr. Daniel just stood there for a bit
and took everything it and looked
around and finally he turned to Mrs.
Daniel and said, “yes, honey we can
finally sign the papers.”
Mrs. Daniel jumped with joy and
finally turned to the realtor and said
we’d take it.
The realtor said “great, let’s get
started on the paper work.”
Mr. Daniel had this weird look on
his face, it seemed like he was
thinking long and hard about some-
thing for a while or that was bother-
ing him. He then came to his senses
and went over to the realtor and
asked wait a minute, Mrs. Evans do
you know about the history of the
house. Mrs. Evans looks shocked
like she had something she was hid-
ing. She just looked at Mr. Daniel
and didn’t say anything she tried to
change the subject by saying Mrs.
Daniel do you know that this house
comes with a pool and a full tennis
and basketball court?
Mrs. Daniel then looked up and
said oh really, that’s wonderful for
a day to have fun and relax.
Mr. Daniel again asked Mrs. Evans
is there anything that we should
know about the house before my
wife continues signing these
papers?
Mrs. Evans looked surprised be-
cause she has never been asked this
question before in her whole career.
She was surprised that today was
the first day that she has been asked
this question while buying a house.
She looked at Mr. Daniel and then
down at her papers and up again.
Ms. Evans is a little hesitant to
speak because what she has to say
might ruin the chance for her sell-
ing the house.
Mr. Daniel then looked at her and
said, “Well Ms. Evans is there any-
thing we should know?”
Well there is one thing that you all
should know said Ms. Evans. Well
what is it, out with it, Said Mr. Dan-
iel.
Well about 10 years ago there was a
family. They were a young couple
such as yourself and had two kids.
A boy and a girl, I don’t know their
names but it seemed as if they were
the perfect little family that I’ve
ever encountered on. But one day
everything just took a turn for the
worse. Nobody knew that the dad
was “crazy” and took medicine to
help him stay calm throughout the
day. One day he missed taking his
medicine and starting going on a
rampage. He started tearing up the
house and locking the whole family
up in the closet, he then poured gas-
oline all over the house and set the
house on fire. He then called the
police and told them that they need-
ed to come because there was a fire.
After he got off the phone cops say
that they found him lying in the
front yard dead. Since then we re-
built the house and tried to restore it
as much as we could so we can put
it on the market and try to sell it.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel looked stunned
to what they just heard.
Mr. Daniel asked, “How long ago
did this happen Ms. Evans?”
Ms. Evans said, “It happened 25
years ago Mr. Daniel.”
Mr. Daniel said, “Well, sweetie do
you still want this house?”
Mrs. Daniel then said, “Yes, of
course. It’s been rebuilt and it’s our
dream house. I’m not going to let
an incident that happened years ago
keep me from my happiness. Well
Ms. Evans we will take.
Ms. Evans then finalized the paper
and finally said to Mr. and Mrs.
Daniel these are the keys to your
new house. I wish you guys the best
of luck to you guys and your future
plans in life.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel said, “thank
you Ms. Evans same to you.
They all waved good bye and Mr.
and Mrs. Daniel lived on with their
lives happily ever after.
Page 27
All art work not cited below was created by a Creekside student. When possible, students were
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*All Rights Reserved* for images
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Copyright 2014.
Images are properties of the following various websites:
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