"How to Tie a Turban" by Harjot G

 Tying a turban isn’t easy especially when comes to having it on for 7+ hours but don’t get me wrong, it is pretty cool tying one especially if you want attention. So there are basic steps you need to follow but first of all you need the following materials.

1.     A comb

2.     Some long hair (If not, a potato will work but not recommended at all)

3.     6 meter long cloth (Fabric) 

4.     Under piece cloth

5.     A spoon (If you have long hair)

6.     Water

So once you have those “materials” in your possession you will need to start the tying process. (Warning: If you tie it too tight there is not going back because that is what I go through ever morning) This process takes around 15 and also depends how big your head is and how big of a cloth you are tying. So lets begin the process.

1.     First of all comb you hair downwards if you have long hair. Then tie it up on the top of your head very loose and flat. If you are using a potatoes then you have to use the under piece cloth to hold it still. Make sure the potato is small. If you don’t want to use a potato you don’t have to.

2.     Next you want to tie the small under piece cloth just to make a top layer on the top. If you don’t have long hair just continue on.

3.     If you want good results you can wet the cloth to make it firm and graspable.

4.     Then get your 6m cloth from one side and slide it from the top of your head to the back of your left ear and then into your mouth to hold it.

5.     Then the longer side of the cloth you start making a banana shape from the sides. Take the cloth and take it over your left eye along your head over your left ear.

6.     Then take it from the back to the right ear and over that.

7.     Then take it along the back of your head horizontally to the front of your head and going straight across your forehead.

8.     Then just keep wrapping it pretty much however you want to. The design is up to you.

9.     As you come to your last end of your cloth it should end up in the back where you can tuck it in. It shouldn’t be in the front for no reason at all. It will look ugly in the front.

10. Then tuck the last piece in.

11.  Now with the spoon make your adjustments of the curves and lines in the turban however you want. If you have long hair then use the end of the spoon to tuck it in.

12. After all the designs are fixed and you are satisfied then give a pat on your back and feel bad for me because I do this everyday.

I’m not saying I hate tying a turban but it’s just a lot of work and uncomforting at times. So there’s nothing wrong with it but its time consuming but worth it. But here are some recommended things that would make you look better in a turban

1.     Beard and mustache (Recommended for men only)

So if you enjoyed this “How to”, please leave a nice comment below and thanking me for all this work I have down to make you look more attractive. If you have any questions please ask me in class.

"One Molip Too Many" by Heidy G

                  The vast darkness echoed calmness as we sailed through the galaxy. It seemed to reflect the inside of the ship. All was quiet. Not a single Molip made a sound, usual for them. Their long, telescopic eyes, attached to their slimy green bodies, concentrated on the information before them. Our destination was Earth. We were set to arrive there soon, scheduled to conduct further experiments on the creatures inhabiting the planet.

                  I’d visited Earth a few times before. The humans there were so rude, always asking about my day. Pesky humans. The Molips would leave me on Earth alone for some time. I was forced to interact with the earthlings. Meanwhile, they flew around in their spaceship, conducting tests.

                  I hoped that the new device under construction back in Bemana would work and allow me to be one of them, a Molip. I had nothing against my human form, even with all of its strange protruding angles and shapes. But I longed to be just like them. I was raised by them, after being abandoned as a child. What other humans considered as frightening and ugly, I considered as beauty. I admired them. They had such great minds and moral standards, no human could ever compare.

                  The Molips were back sooner than I had expected. Their experiments were successful, like always. It was time to go back home to Bemana now.

                  The leader of the expedition suddenly approached me. I was taken aback with surprise, as usually molips did not interact with one another.

                  “H1, I’ve been informed to direct you to base TAL103,” he said.

                  “May I ask why, M522?”

                  “It seems that the HM Converter has been finalized. The committee would like to try it out now.”

                  This was what I had been waiting for all these years. Finally, the chance to be one of them had come. Pure joy coursed through me.  However, I knew that any strong demonstration of emotion went against the codes of the Molip Committee.

                  “Alright M522.”

                  The ship was started again. The journey to Bemana had never been as long as it was today. We soon arrived at the base, an imposing building a few hundred miles away from the nearest community.

                  “M38 will meet you inside,” M522 informed me. I nodded and exited the ship.

                  I walked quickly towards the building, cutting through the dense atmosphere. While on Bemana, I had to wear multiple devices in order to survive its harsh conditions. I entered the base and was met with Molips, all waiting for me.

                  “It’s ready,” they said. “But are you?”

                  “Yes,” I replied with no hesitation.

                  “Enter the chamber.”

                  The complex machine seemed daunting, but this was what I wanted. I stepped inside of it and waited. Suddenly the doors closed and a gas emanated from all around. I felt different, tingly. And then, it all stopped. The doors opened.

                  As I stepped out of the chamber, I heard them exclaim, “What is that?!”

                  “A monster!”

"On the Hunt" by Ryan H

     “He’s nothing,” I muttered to myself. “He’s my prey. He. Is. Nothing.” Finally, the match in front of us ended, and we both walk on to the mat, ready to battle. His cold, intense gaze told me this was not going to be easy, that it was going to be more than a battle, a full-blown war. The ref assigned me as red, and my opponent Green. The referee made us shake hands, blew his whistle, and we began.

All my focus was on my opponent, analyzing his style, looking for an opening to make my attack. Suddenly, he grabbed for my head. I reflexively ducked, and circled to the side, waiting for the shot on my legs. It never came, and instead he backed off, waiting to make his own attack. We continued to circle, grabbing, feinting, waiting for the other to make a mistake to capitalize on. Suddenly, my coach’s voice rang out, “THIRTY SECONDS! DO SOMETHING!” he bellowed. I smacked the opponent in the head to make him flinch, and shot straight in, grabbing both legs. However, nothing came from it, he was good. More than good, phenomenal. I drove and drove, trying to take him down, but to no avail. Then, in the final ten seconds of the first round, he snapped me face first into the mat and got behind, getting two points and the lead to head into the second round.

To start the second period, the ref flipped a coin, one side red, the other green, for decision of position in the second round. Green won, and differed his choice, giving it to me. I chose to go bottom, knowing his best moves from that position and how to avoid them. The ref blew his whistle once more, and we began anew. I instantly stood up, but he saw that coming, and slammed me straight back to the floor. Building my way back up, I sat out to the side, but he followed me around, giving no ground. I tried to stand up once more, and then I realized my mistake. I left my head too close to my knee, and he realized it too. Instantly, he snatched it up, cross-faced me extremely hard, and put me into a cradle, straight on my back. I kicked and kicked, peeling his hand apart, but there was no breaking that hold, the hold that sealed my fate. The whistle blew once more, and I knew it was over. I had been pinned.

I shook his hand once more, and then his coach’s. I walked off the mat furious at myself, and went outside to cry, broken over the defeat. That’s when I decided this loss doesn’t matter, and pulled myself together. I would face him again somewhere soon, undoubtedly, and get my revenge.  “What is one loss? This kid better be scared, because next time, I will be on the hunt. And I will not rest until I see my spoils won.”

"The Happiest Place On Earth" by Jacell P

The happiest place on earth is a quote known by many. This is the place is a place where one is to be happy with every visit. The place where there is much to see and do and to never get bored. This place as everyone knows is Disneyland. But is this place really the happiest place on Earth? As I see the happiness in everyone around me, every now and then I see people that are not having a good time. Isn’t this a place where everyone is supposed to be happy as this place is to be called “the happiest place on Earth” as I asked myself? Where people should be enjoying their time and enjoying what is going on around them. The things that happen around Disneyland should bring happiness in you too right? Well that isn’t just the place for happiness for everyone. Seeing kids and also adults with sad expressions on their face when they are there. Where kids cry or are sad that they don’t get what they want. You see that a lot of sad kids as you walk around Disneyland. But you may ask why do adults also have a sad expression when they are here. That is also a question that I asked myself also. You don’t see a lot of these people around in Disneyland but every now and then I find them. While everyone is having a good time I seem to spot the ones that look sad. This brings a moment in my life where I once asked a girl why she was sad. As me and my friends were enjoying a day at the happiest place on earth and our day was coming close to an end I spot a girl that looked like she wasn’t having the best time of her life there. I asked myself whether or not to talk to her because by first impression she didn’t seem like someone who should be sad. I asked my friends if I should do it or not and they told me to so and their answer was that I should do it. I then asked her what was wrong then she had told me something that I won’t ever forget and it also made a big impact on me. She had told me that she had gone alone to Disneyland to get away from all of the bad things that impacted her in her life. So many things happen to her all at in a week that by the end of that week she had enough so she thought that coming to the happiest place on earth would make her feel better, but it in fact made it worse. She came here to get her mind off of things and to also to see the happiness in other people that she didn’t have. This had impacted me the most when she had told me that. This then reminded me that she was like me and that I had did the same also. I then asked her if she would hang out with me and my friends so she then could get her mind off of things. The day sadly did come to an end, and as the day ended I can see that she wasn’t the same as to when she had come to Disneyland in the first place. She had told me thank you and that I made her day much better. As the day ended we said our goodbyes to that day. After that day we contact each as much as possible and hang out at what is to be said “The happiest place on earth.” To this day I think to myself “are there people also there like us who come to Disneyland who are not happy?” Are there people that don’t enjoy coming to the Disneyland? This question always comes up to me and a random girl that I met at Disneyland named Kaitlynn who to this day enjoy our time at the “happiest place on earth.”

"The Accountant" by Oscar S

Sal sat alone on the bus, staring out the window. A man comes in at the next stop and sits next to him.
“You look upset. Bad day?”
“Just like any other day.”
“What do you do?”
“Insurance broker. And you?”
“I am a type of accountant.” He looks into Sal’s eyes.
“Don’t do it.”
“Do what?”
“You know what I’m talking about.” The bus stops. Sal walks out. The whole time he felt the stranger’s eyes on him.
Sal stood in his room crying for hours from atop a chair, holding a rope firmly in his hands.

The next day Sal sat at a diner.
“Well Sal.. Since you’re here it’s obvious you listened to me.”
He looks up to see the accountant.
“I couldn’t do it…”
“That’s good! You changed your mind.”
“No.. I mean I actually couldn’t. The rope broke.”
The accountant begins to laugh.
Sal gives him a stare.
“What?”
“My pain is funny to you?”
“Well no. I’m just thinking about something. Were you really thinking of setting your house on fire with you in it last week? Some people might accuse you of insurance fraud you know? Could get arrested for that!” He laughs even more.
Sal begins to get annoyed.
“Who are you?! How do you know so much?”
“It doesn’t matter. The boss sends me, and I account.”
The accountant looks out the window looking for someone.
“Seeing that you’ve reached a point in your life that you are ready to take your own life, I’m going to assume you’re not happy with your life.”
“I wanted to be a doctor. But I didn’t have the smarts”
“That’s crap! You gave up. What else did you want to do?”
“Ummm.. fireman… I have lung problems”
“Fireman huh? So you wanted to save people?”
The accountant takes Sal’s coffee and has a few sips.
“In a little bit, a man will walk in here trying to rob this diner. I don’t know why of all places this guy chooses to rob a diner, but he is. One thing is going to lead to another and some of these people are going to get hurt. Now I can’t get involved in these affairs, but you can.”
The accountant looks. “Here he comes.”
Sal looks out the window and begins to sweat.
“Oh come on! You seek Death, yet when it stares you right in the face you tremble.”
The man gets closer to the diner.
“You want to save people Sal? Now is your chance. Stop him before he can hurt anyone. Get everything you want right now and then we can leave.”
Sal’s eyes begin to tear up. He looks up as if looking for an answer.
 
Fifteen minutes later Sal is in an ambulance being rushed to the hospital. The accountant suddenly appears in the ambulance. He smiles at Sal and extends his hand out for him. “You saved them. You did good Sal. It’s time to leave.”

"Mί Vida, Mί Futuro" by Hennessy V

The smell of salted cucumbers and homestyle gorditas surrounded me. While my mother was working at Western Jeans and my father working in construction, my two abuelas took the biggest task by raising me while my parents worked full-time to supply me with the future they never had. I would wake up to them in the kitchen preparing arroz con leche, huevos rancheros, gorditas, and bacon. All prepared for what seemed to be a party of 20 when in reality is was usually just my brother and I. I cannot stress enough on my abuelitas achieving a huge task by raising me considering I was more than a handful witnessing a man getting stabbed with an ice pick, my mom was determined to get me out of Los Angeles and fulfill her wish of providing me with a blessed education. As a result to my parents’ disagreements and differences upon where my brother and I should be raised, my mother, brother, and I moved to my other grandma’s backhouse until we had raised enough to buy our own house. Around the same time my mom was working overtime, she met my soon-to-become father, Cesar. He was everything we needed; love, care, laughter, and support. All which was found in our family however, knowing I would have a man to love me wholeheartedly as if I was his own. He supported me at my ballet recitals, changing my sheets when I would have an “accident,” or comforting me when I got bullied at school. Don’t get me wrong, my father loved my brother and I unconditionally; however, he had faced some setbacks that restricted him from us being in his lives as much as we were.

Two baby sisters and a wedding later, we moved to our very first home in Pomona. The transition from constant police sirens down the streets and tragedy to a welcoming neighborhood that became a second family to me has to be one of the most appreciative experiences in my lifetime. As things appeared as perfect as could be, my family and I received tragic news of my father, Ismael Verduzco Jr. He died on a tragic night of April 12, 2005. Unaware of what was going on or what actually occurred to result to such a tragedy changed my perspective of my own life and lead me to feel regretful. Running into that hospital as my mother clenched my hand and with tears in her eyes, she told me, “Be strong for daddy.” To this day, I do not know which father she was referring to. However, I lived with this burden that I lost the opportunity to welcome my biological father into my life. I lived with the idea that I needed to make everyone around me happy; my mother, Cesar, my brother and sisters, and my teachers. Nevertheless, I grew to understand that my happiness is what is most evident. Understanding the hard effort my parents overcame to provide my brother, sisters, and I with a great education and childhood have grown within me and contributed to my passion for assisting others and experiencing many cultures that make our world. I pray to God that my father has forgiven me and is proud of my accomplishments. In addition, my mother’s wish became a reality and has impacted my aspirations in returning the favor to my parents by taking advantage of the academic opportunities I am given to pursue my dream by assisting those in poverty and experiencing new cultures, ideas, and perspectives in literature.

"The Chocolate Cake" by Jill D

Tired of your everyday, boring chocolate cake? I have a recipe for the most scrumptious, mouthwatering chocolate cake around.

To start, it is best to get all ingredients and utensils out on the counter.

Ingredients:

1 Box of Devil's food cake mix

1 (4 ounce) package of instant chocolate pudding mix

5 eggs

16 ounces of sour cream

2 sticks of butter

1 tsp almond extract

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Powder sugar (optional)

Utensils:

Kitchen-Aid mixer (for mixing your ingredients together)

Rubber spatula (to scrape every last delicious morsel of batter out, because you don’t want to waste a bit)

12 cup Bundt Pan (to cook the cake in)

No stick cooking spray (so the cake pops right out)

Measuring cups (to measure ingredients)

Measuring spoons (to measure ingredients)

Small Bowl (to crack your eggs in)

Small microwave-safe bowl (to melt your butter in)

At this point turn your oven on to 350◦ to preheat, and grease your Bundt pan with the no stick cooking spray, so that they are ready when you are done mixing the ingredients together.

**Note: don’t mix your ingredients until the very end**

Next, open your box of devil's food cake (yes you need to let that devil out, because this is one devil of a cake) and pour it into your Kitchen-Aid bowl.

Then open your instant chocolate pudding (because what doesn’t taste awesome with pudding in it?) and add that to the bowl.

Crack your eggs in a separate bowl, one at a time, being extra careful not to get any eggshells into the cake, because the cake does not need anything crunch detraction from the cake delectable taste.

Pour the eggs on top of the mix so far.

Now at this point, get your measuring cup and measure 16 oz (or 2 cups) of sour cream and add it to your bowl. (The sour cream combined with the pudding cause the cake to be extremely moist.)

Pull out your microwavable bowl and unwrap your butter, placing the butter into the bowl and putting it into the microwave to melt. When it is mostly melted, pull the bowl out, being careful not to burn yourself, and pour the butter over the other ingredients already in the bowl, making sure to scrape out every last ounce of tasty butter, because like Paula Dean says, "there is never too much butter in any recipe."

This next ingredient is the one the pulls the whole cake together, 1 tsp of almond extract. Measure out the extract and pour it into the bowl. (I personally a dash more because my family loves it.)

And last, but not least, measure out and add 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips. (I personally prefer Nestle, but you can use any.)

Finally you may begin mixing your ingredients together for 2-3 minutes to make sure it blends well together. Use the spatula if needed to get ingredients stuck to the edge of the bowl so everything mixes together. Turn your Kitchen-Aid one more time to make sure everything is all mixed together.

When mixed completely, it should have a thick mousse-like texture. Yes, self restraint will be much need at this point because you are going to want to dig in.

Use your spatula to scrape your batter into your Bundt pan, spreading evenly or even cooking. Place in the oven cooking 50-55 minutes.

When timer goes off, test to make sure the cake in done by sticking a toothpick into the center of the cake. The toothpick should come out mostly clean. When it does, pull out of the oven, letting set for 5-10 minutes to cook slightly. Place a plate on top of Bundt pan and flip it over quickly so that the cake will release from the pan.

(Optional: dust with powder sugar)

Now your heavenly cake is ready to be eaten.

"The Door" by Sarah C

The summer before fifth grade started out as the most unexciting vacation ever. For the first week, my friends and I wandered around the big field out back and played catch, but you can only toss a ball around so many times before you’re sick of it.

Then, one day, we went out to the field as usual, but after walking for 10 minutes we saw something strange on the ground about 30 feet away. After walking over there, we could see that somehow a wooden door had been placed in the middle of the field. It was still attached to a frame, which was odd, but it was tipped over.

“Why would someone just put a door in the middle of the field?” Anthony asked.

“Where do you think it came from?” Charlie added.

“It’s still on the frame. I wonder how someone took the door and frame off together.” Pete stated as he bent down to examine it.

“I bet it’s from outer space!” cried Charlie excitedly.

“That’s stupid, Charlie!”

“It is not! Where else could it be from?”

“Maybe,” I began, “it’s a portal to another dimension and the last guy who used it left it here when it broke.”

We all knew that was impossible, but it was the adventure we’d been looking for.

“I’ll bet if we fixed the portal, we could use it.” Pete piped up.

Everyone agreed. So, we started repairing the door. Pete snuck into his dad’s toolshed and grabbed tools and lumber. He and Anthony designed the portal while Charlie and I followed their building instructions. Three days later the door was standing upright.

“Who gets to open it first?”

“I should get to,” Anthony declared, “I designed it!”

“I did more!” Pete countered.

“I should… because…um…” Charlie stammered.

“We should go in alphabetical order.” I interjected. “Anthony gets to go first.” Anthony stuck his tongue out at Pete, then pulled open the door.

And so it went for the rest of the summer. Each day, one boy would open the portal and we would all step into whatever world he took us to. In September, we had to say goodbye to our portal and go back to school and the next year, our parents sent us to camp and we forgot all about that door until graduation, when we went back to the field and found it still standing.

 “Hey, guys, remember this door?” Charlie asked.

“Oh, yeah” Anthony snorted, “we thought we could go to the moon in this thing.”

“It was so long ago.” Pete said.

“Hey...let’s open it.”

“Seriously?”

I nodded as I reached over and grabbed the doorknob. I turned it forcefully and… it broke off. The others burst out laughing as I stood with a shocked look on my face. But the door still opened, and for a second, we were kids again. We each hopped through the doorway one last time, not to some strange world this time, but to a whole new adventure.

"Trolls" by Alyssa R

       There was a magical place that no one knew about. Two girls named Lilly and Jessica were exploring the woods one afternoon. They heard really loud noises but there was nothing around. Eventually they figured out that the noise was coming from underground. The noise sounded like happiness. They were confused from where it was all coming from but then they came across a wooden door that opened to the underground buried with leaves. Once they opened it they couldn’t believe their eyes. There were tons a little trolls everywhere. It was a different, whole new world. All the trolls had different rain bowed colored hair, exactly four feet tall , and bright green eyes. As soon as Lilly and Jessica walked in everybody stopped what they were doing and there was nothing but silence. Lilly broke the silence by saying hello. The king of the trolls asked how they found them. Lilly said she and Jessica were just taking a stroll in the woods and they found a wooden door. After Lilly, Jessica, and the trolls talked for a while the trolls accepted them in. The trolls begged that Lilly and Jessica wouldn’t say anything about their little, magical place. Lilly and Jessica agreed and could see why they loved it so much. There were streams of water surrounded by houses and stores that the troll would boat down. The sky was bright blue and the sun played music for the whole town. All the trolls were fascinated by Lilly and Jessica because they had never seen a human before only in pictures. Lilly was curious and asked the trolls how they got here. None of them knew they just popped out of sky and the place was already built for them. The trolls themselves wonder how they got there. They thought  it was the wooden door since that’s the only opening but when they opened there was a bear ready to eat then and ever since they haven’t opened it. The sun was going down and Lily and Jessica were about to leave until one troll convinced them to stay. He them a list of reasons to stay, no school, everybody’s nice, and you can do what you want. Lilly and Jessica stayed there for about ten years and wonder how there families are doing. Sometimes they regret staying because of how much they missed on life. One day Jessica came down with the flu for about a month and wasn’t getting better. They decided to go back so Jessica could get better. All trolls were sad that they were leaving. Once everybody said their goodbyes and they opened the wooden door they were amazed. It was just like where they had been. They told all the trolls to come out and that it’s safe. In less than minutes Lilly and Jessica turned into trolls. They found their families as trolls and everybody was happy.  Nobody still doesn’t know how the whole world turned in to trolls.

"Community Service" by Laura T

Some high schools around the country are making community service a graduation requirement. A lot of schools make it mandatory that students complete a number of hours. I think it should be so everyone gets good experience for a job.

            It is a good idea for students to do community service. I think it is a good idea because students get to see new things in their community. It teaches responsibility for students and will impact their lives. They wouldn’t be so greedy when they got a new phone or when they didn’t get the shirt they wanted. Communities would be a safer and better environment. It will get students an advantage for a better collage.

            Students should be forced to do this. Yes, students should be forced to because it would help the community. People or families who need support if they don’t have any help. It proves to kids that you can make things better, when you put in effort. They could be there for families who need support if they maybe are a single mother or father of children. It will show no madder what you can always be helpful.

            It teaches them responsibility that most students don’t have yet and they need. Yes, It teaches students how to be responsible on how they help others. Like helping pass out food to the local food banks. It would change their attitude in life. They will be grateful for more things and won’t take to many things that other families can’t have. Students should have to do community service as required as a job.

            I think it should be so everyone gets good experience for jobs. A lot of schools make it mandatory that students complete a number of hours. Some high schools around the country are making community service a graduation requirement.

"Love" by Abby R

I believe in finding love at first sight. Finding that special someone is a desire of people all over

the world. Humans want love and to be loved by someone. Love at first sight is very rare and

doesn’t always occur, but if you find it you have your soul mate, your forever.  I have read and

heard of stories of how people fell in love instantly with their spouses. For example, in the play

 “Romeo and Juliet” Romeo sneaks into a party and sees Juliet for the first time. Instantly Romeo

was in love with Juliet and would do absolutely anything for her.  Their families were enemies

but that didn’t stop them from being married. Nothing in the world can break the love and

the inseparable bond between Romeo and Juliet. Love is beautiful thing, we need it to survive.

Our love shows our real characters and that we can love. In conclusion love at first sight can

change the person you are for the better. You would be surprised how much love can affect

your future and the future you. 

"A Day of Being Small" by Hewie V

If I were small for one day, then that day could turn out to be an adventure, or a nightmare. This is all depending on what day it is.  For example, if it were a school day, then it would be catastrophic because of my incapability.  My school day would turn out to be a little something like this... I shift and turn tying to fall back asleep, but my alarm made sure that I didn't.  As I stretched out my arm out to turn off that annoying alarm, I noticed that the alarm wasn't there. Eh? Why isn't it there?  I desperately tried to climb out of my sheets, but it was an unnecessary struggle that I've never had to deal with before.  Once I grasped the top of my sheets, I try to throw them off, but yet again, it requires such tedious and unnecessary effort but I realize that I can't lift up the sheets. As I start to panic a great deal (the alarm doesn’t help).  You know what? I'm just going to get out of my bed and "asses my situation". Whoosh! I go off my bed, but instead of the usually, take a step down, it felt like I just jumped off a single story building. OK, ok, looks like something is definitely wrong, obviously, duuuhh.  Well, turns out that that either A) everything grew about 100ft or B) I shrunk down 100x. I should see where everyone is, but first, I must have to absolutely, positively turn off that ANNOYING alarm that's been buzzing for at least 20 now.  Hmmm, now where is the alarm? Oh! It's only up my nightstand that's ONLY 100ft above me. Should I even bother turning it off? Yeeaaahh I definitely should, but first I must tread through the thick strands of the carpet. Ok, here I go!  With a great big smile on my face, I make my way over to the night stand.  Step after agonizing step, after having to do the arduous task of moving the strands of carpet to the side, just like going through a thick and dense jungle, I make it to the base of the night stand.  It was huge!! I mean, I have to tilt my head all the way back just to see the alarm that put me through all of this trouble.  Well, better get started.  I'm so glad that I'm in gymnastics I've done indoor rock climbing before, because this'll be a piece of cake.  The only challenge now is to find proper footholds and handle holds. Due to my smallness or  everything being bigger, the small scratches on the night stands seemed like good foot- and handholds, so, I made my way up to the alarm.  Woo Hoo! I'm half way up there.  I decide to make a mistake by looking down. Huh, if I fall, I'll die for sure.  With this mind I think that this is truly a cool adventure, now my limbs are reimbursed with energy with the thought that this is an adventure, rather than a life or death situation. THUMP THUMP THUMP.  I wonder what that is... Oh look it’s my mom.  Her footsteps make me lose my balance. "HEY HEWIE, YOU AWAKE?" her voice seeming so deep booms through my room.  Unfortunately, this makes me lose my grip and I begin to plummet back down from where I first started. Oh, well you look at that, I'm going to die in a few seconds guess this really has been a life or death situation, not a silly situation, and I also guess that I shrunk about 100x, and nothing grew.  Oh look the floor. Too bad the alarm was never turned off. SPLAT!  I died.  However this would not have happened on the week end because there would be no alarm to turn off.

"Choice" by Josh Re

If _ you _ had _ a _ choice _ to _ choose _ between _ having _ to _ never _ sleep _ or _ having _ the _ power _ to _

read _ peoples' _ mind _ what _ would _ you _ choose? _ How _ would _ you _ use _ the _ "power" _ you _ chose? _

Will _ you _ make _ use _ of _ your _ "power", _ or _ just _ waste _ it? _

I _ would _ choose _ never _ having _ to _ sleep _ because _ I _ would _ get _ to _ do _ more _ things _ that _ I _

want _ to _ do _ and _ I _ won't _ be _ tired _ after _ doing _ those _ things. _ During _ the _ day _ I _ am _ at _ school _ and _

when _ I _ get _ home _ I _ have _ to _ do _ chores _ and _ homework. _ By _ the _ time _ I _ am _ done _ doing _ those _

things _ its _ dark _ and _ I _ am _ tired _ and _ cannot _ really _ do _ the _ things _ that _ I _ want _ to _ do. _ Also _ if _ I _

never _ had _ to _ go _ to _ sleep, _ I _ wouldn't _ fall _ asleep _ in _ class _ anymore. _ Sometimes _ I _ fall _ asleep _ in _

class _ because _ I'm _ really _ tired _ and _ when _ I _ fall _ asleep _ I _ sometimes _ get _ in _ trouble _ for _ sleeping _

in _ class. _ I _ like _ sleeping _ but _ I _ shouldn't _ fall _ asleep _ in _ class _ because _ I _ will _ miss _ what _ I _ need _ to _ learn _ for _ that _ day. _ Sometimes _ I _ get _ home _ very _ late _ and _ I _ have _ homework _ due _ the _ next _ day. _

Instead _ of _ sleeping _ I _ can _ finish _ the _ homework _ I _ need _ to _ do _ and _ get _ a _ good _ grade _ in _ all _ my _

classes _ because _ I _ won't _ be _ missing _ any _ homework _ assignments. _ I _ can _ also _ use _ the _ time _ to _ study _ more _ on _ tests _ so _ I _ won' _ fail _ them. _ But _ there _ are _ also _ defects _ about _ never _ having _ to _

sleep. _ After _ you _ have _ done _ everything _ you _ wanted _ to _ do, _ you _ won't _ have _ anything _ else _ to _ do _

and _ you _ will _ just _ be _ bored. _  _

 _           I _ would _ rather _ choose _ never _ having _ to _ sleep _ over _ reading _ peoples' _ mind _ because _

sometimes _ people _ think _ things _ that _ you _ do _ not _ want _ to _ know _ about. _ They _ could _ be _ thinking _

bad _ things _ about _ other _ people _ or _ even _ yourself. _ Also _ I _ think _ reading _ peoples' _ mind _ is _ an _

invasion _ of _ privacy. _ Only _ you _ can _ know _ your _ thoughts, _ if _ we _ were _ suppose _ to _ know _ what _

people _ thought _ we _ would _ have _ the _ ability _ to _ read _ minds. _ I _ think _ that _ reading _ minds _ would _

be _ stressful _ and _ maybe _ even _ painful. _ Reading _ so _ many _ thoughts _ can _ be _ very _ overwhelming _

because _ it _ would _ be _ like _ thousands _ of _ voices _ in _ your _ head _ and _ you _ can't _ get _ rid _ of _ them. _

Hearing _ all _ those _ voices _ can _ hurt _ your _ brain _ or _ just _ make _ you _ be _ crazy. _ Since _ all _ those _

voices _ in _ your _ head _ won't _ stop, _ you _ might _ end _ up _ isolation _ yourself _ in _ room _ where _ no _ one _

can _ come _ in _ so _ that _ you _ won't _ be _ able _ to _ hear _ all _ those _ thoughts _ in _ your _ mind. _

 _           Having _ the _ power _ to _ read _ peoples' _ mind _ is _ cool _ but _ can _ be _ a _ drag. _ I _ think _ that _ never _

having _ to _ sleep _ would _ just _ be _ more _ useful _ and _ less _ painful. _ I _ would _ have _ time _ to _ finish _

everything _ I _ need _ to _ do _ and _ also _ I _ would _ have _ time _ to _ help _ people _ who _ need _ my _ help. _ That _

is _ why _ I _ would _ choose _ never _ having _ to _ sleep _ over _ reading _ peoples' _ minds. _