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Youth
December 3 - 16, 2011
25
SanTan Sun kids have talent! In the first issue of every month, the SanTan Sun News prints the best entries from kids in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade in a variety of categories. Congratulations to this month’s winners! Note: If a great entry doesn’t make it into this issue because of space considerations, we will hold it over to run
in a future issue. Submissions are minimally edited to preserve the writer’s voice. If your submission appears in this section, compare it to your original to help improve your writing skills.
Evil Comes Knocking
by Miradeaux K. Preston Homeschooled in Gilbert, Grade 5
It was a cold, stormy day in a usually happy town. A woman and a young girl were sitting in their home, sipping hot cocoa and sitting next to a fire.
“Momma,” said the young girl. “Tell me that story again, Momma.”
“Well,” started the woman. “Long ago, your great-great- great-great grandmother said that one day, an evil will walk the streets. On that day, it will storm like no other storm, it will pour and pour enough rain to drown a man, and it would be cold enough to cause hypothermia.” The young girl glanced at the storm outside. Enough rain to drown a man? Cold enough to cause hypothermia? “That evil will disguise itself as a pretty young girl. It will come knocking on your door at midnight precisely, knocking on everyone’s door at the same moment. The evil will take the people who answer their doors with her, and they are never seen again.
“She also said if you do not answer your door, she will come knocking again, this time at your window. You will see her outside, the face of pure evil. When you see the face of pure evil, you will be sucked into her, therefore making evil stronger and stronger.
“If you do not look at the face in the window, if you refuse to let yourself, she will stand by your bed. When she stands by your bed, if you open your eyes at all, even just a pinch, you are gone from your body instantly. Your soul is wandering around aimlessly, your body forever trapped to that bed. When they find you, they will be unable to remove your body.
“If you happen to survive through all that, you will hear a terrible scream, of anger and disappointment, a scream that come from evil itself! It will be so loud and terrible you will be paralyzed and sucked into the evil. If you cover your ears and do not hear the full scream, then you are one of the few who survived a visit from pure evil.” The young girl shivered. “Momma?” she said. “Is it cold enough to cause hypothermia outside right now? Is there enough rain to drown a man?” “Now honey,” the woman said. “Don’t forget, it’s just a silly tale. Don’t let yourself get scared, darling.”
The woman wrapped her arm around the young girl.
“And besides,” the woman said. “Your great-great-great-great grandmother was kind of crazy!”
The young girl smiled. “Momma?” she asked. “What time is it, Momma?”
“Let’s see,” said the woman. She looked at her watch. “It’s midni...”
Knock, knock, knock.
“Sweetheart,” said the woman, seeing her daughter’s terrified look. “That’s not the evil. But, um, let’s not answer the door, anyway.”
“Okay, Momma,” said the young girl, hugging her mother. “But Momma?” she looked into the woman’s eyes. “I’m still scared.”
There was a tap at the window, and the young girl squeezed her eyes shut and cuddled with her mother. “Momma?” she asked.
“Now, that’s not evil,” said the woman. “That’s probably whoever was at the door, sweetie, trying to get inside. But don’t look at the window anyway, sweetheart.” “Momma?” whispered the young girl, her eyes closed tight. “Momma, someone’s standing next to the couch, momma.”
“Now, no one’s there, sweetie,” said the woman. “You’re letting your imagination get to you, honey. But, um, keep your eyes closed like mine, okay?” “Okay, Momma. Um, Momma? What came after the, um, evil standing next to the bed? Or, um, couch?” “Well, honey, that would be that you hear a scream, okay? But that will not happen, okay? We’re all okay, okay? But sweetheart?” “Yes, Momma?”
“Cover your ears, all right, darling?”
The young girl looked at the woman, who had her hands pressed firmly over her ears. The woman smiled at the young girl, but the girl could sense her mother was scared. The young girl covered her ears just in time to squelch the most terrifying, loud scream ever. She noticed that, even though she couldn’t hear it very well, the noise seemed to come from two other houses. “Only two ...” she muttered.
Then, the scream stopped suddenly, as if someone put a hand over the screamer’s mouth. The girl looked at her mother, her hands still over her ears. “Momma?” she whispered. The woman let go of her ears, and motioned for the girl to do the same. The girl let go.
“Momma?” she whispered again. “It’s okay,” the woman whispered. “We survived.”
Light
by Reva Desai CTA Independence, Grade 4
Stop it! Turn around, upside down! Put the moon in place.
It’s infecting, it’s just burninnn’!!!! Come on! Come on! You know how we feel,
At least some rain or thunder clouds. Balls of fire, around the town
What did we do? Just wanting to play outdoors Just respect us, and give us cool days like Alaska My mouth is as hot as a cannon, as dry as a desert Oh look! Some rain and thunder, finally! Let’s say “goodbye” to Arizona summer We’ll miss you, but don’t be early next year!
Remember that the Kids Opportunity section will eventually print all good entries. That means that if your entry didn’t make it into this issue, it may be slated for a future one. Keep checking back, as we sometimes experience a backlog of submissions.
Hey Kids!
K.
O.
Knockout short story:
Knockout POEM:
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