The Garden Project

 

“I’ve waited long enough,” I said,

If I stay here long, I’m good as dead,

I can’t stay in the alley,

I was leaving, then I saw Shelly.

I handed her the seeds,

They would fulfill the city’s needs.

 

Then I heard them, their feet clapping,

Quickly, they’re coming, let’s get cracking!

She grabs my hand and takes me up some stairs,

The sun looked like someone holding signal flares,

We jumped from one building to the next,

We could feel the breeze against our necks.

 

Shelly planted the seeds in random places,

We are starting with small spaces,

Putting them in cracks in the pavement,

We will not give in to this enslavement!

Our food and air are slowly poisoning our bodies,

Gardening is no longer just a hobby.   

 

Looks Bad But is Good (A Remake of Little Red Riding Hood)

 

Hello, I’m known as the Big Bad Wolf. I live in a forest surrounded by trees, and I truly

love it here. What I don’t appreciate is when people spread rumors and gossip about me, like

claiming I blew down two of the three little pigs' houses. I’m not bad; I simply just have one of

those faces that make people think that.

 

One day, I saw Little Red Riding Hood skipping through the forest with a basket in her

hand. “Hey, Red, where are you off to?” I asked. “I’m headed to Grandma’s; she’s ill and needs

food.” Then, she continued skipping down the path.

 

I decided I should help, so without Red knowing, I hurried ahead to Grandma’s house. I

knocked on her door with my furry paws, trying not to knock too loudly so I do not disturb

Grandma. “Who is it?” she asked. “A friend of Red’s. I heard you were sick and wanted to help,”

I replied. “Well, a friend of Little Red is a friend of mine. Come on in!” When I stepped inside,

she was shocked to see me, the wolf everyone’s been talking about. “What do you need help

with?” she smiled, realizing I wasn’t a bad wolf. Despite not looking or feeling her best, she was

happy. “Could you grab me a glass of water and some more blankets?” “Of course, I’m happy to

help.” I fetched her a glass of water and some blankets, helping to spread them over the bed

where she was lying. “Would you like me to add some more wood to the fire as well?” “Oh yes,

that would be lovely,” she said in a kind, soft voice.

 

As I was adding wood to the fireplace, Red arrived and looked surprised. Little Red

Riding Hood gave her Grandma some food, and her face lit up with happiness as she ate the

muffins and rolls.

 

Grandma eventually offered me some muffins, and I gladly accepted, but she wouldn’t let

go of the muffin until I swallowed it and her whole. “Ahhhhh,” Red screamed in horror. I was

shocked that I had eaten Grandma. All I wanted was the muffin. Red rushed up to me, opened my

mouth, and put her arm down my throat, trying to get Grandma out, but she fell instead.

“Noooo,” I yelled. I fled into the forest to get some help, but the next thing I knew, there was an

arrow in my back and a woodsman cutting me open.

 

The woodsman eventually rescued Red and Grandma from my stomach, and no one was

harmed except me. I eventually went to my Grandma’s to put her sewing skills to good use.

 

Now you know it was all a misunderstanding. I didn’t mean to eat anyone. Red and I are actually

close friends; she just doesn’t let me take food from others anymore. Things here in the forest are

good—except for the suspicious woodsman lurking in the bushes with his bow and arrow.

Best Friend

 

                                             

I never knew I would look back at a toxic relationship and be thankful that I had it, but if

it wasn’t for, let’s say his name is Robby, I would’ve never met my best friend.

 

I was friends with Robby for many years, but as we got older, he started hanging out with the

wrong crowd, and our friendship grew toxic.

 

I learned that best friends make an effort in staying friends; it’s not one-sided, and it shouldn’t

feel like you’re the only one keeping the relationship together.

 

I was excited. After being busy for so long, Robby finally came to the youth group again,

and he brought a friend. Someone, he said, I was guaranteed to like.

 

She walked in right after him. She had tan skin, black hair, brown eyes, a Hello Kitty hoodie, and

a perfume-like smell.

 

“Hi, I’m EM,” I said, sounding shy.

 

“I’m Zoe,” she said. 

 

Zoe, Robby, and I hung out at youth group, then, before we all left, we exchanged social media

accounts.

 

“I actually have my tablet taken away, so it might take a while to answer your request,” I said.

 

“No worries.”

 

One day, when I was done with school, I rushed to my mom’s room and grabbed my tablet to

talk to my new friend. It had been two weeks since I had seen her at youth group.

 

“Hey, Zoe, this is EM. How are you?” I texted.

 

“Oh, hey! I’m good!” She replied.

 

”That’s good. Why haven’t you been going to youth group lately?”

 

“I didn’t know if Robby was still going or not.”

 

“Oh, what happened?” I asked.

 

“Robby and I got into a fight and aren’t talking anymore. He and I were thinking about dating, but he didn’t like that we were still in the talking stage. So he started fat shaming me and calling me all sorts of things.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, but he doesn’t come unless I invite him, so you come Wednesday!”

 

“I will!”

 

After that, Zoe and I got closer; she even became good friends with my sister, Lila. We

created our own little friend group at youth camp. We hung out with Tory, Jenna, Courtney, and

Lila, but they weren’t as close as Zoe and I. We were there for each other through the highs and

lows.

 

Later that year, Zoe told me she was heading back to Hawaii in a month. I couldn’t believe it, I

had just made a best friend and she was leaving. It was rare for me to even make friends, so I

was sad knowing my best friend wasn’t going to be by my side anymore.

 

It was our last night at youth group together. Tory, Jenna, Courtney, Lila, and, most of all, Zoe

was there.

 

“I can’t believe you’re leaving tomorrow!” I said, sobbing.

 

“I know,” she said, tears running down her cheeks.

 

We pulled each other into a hug, and I said, “I know you don’t like him anymore, but I’m glad

you knew Robby. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t have found my best friend.”

 

She pulled out of the hug and smiled slightly, tears still running down her cheeks.

 

When her mom arrived, we all walked her to her car and gave her a group hug. As she was

driving away, we followed her car while waving goodbye till she left the parking lot.

 

Zoe helped me through a lot, and still is, and I do the same for her. If I never met her, I don’t

know how I’d be now, I probably would still be friends with Robby. But I don’t need to know

the what-ifs of the past; I’m just thankful I have her as a friend.

 

Because of her, I now know that friends are there for each other no matter the distance, and

there are always silver linings; some are just harder to see than others.

 

In previous relationships, I was the only one making an effort to stay connected, but Zoe taught

me that friendships are not one-sided and don’t use you for personal gain. She taught me the

true meaning of best friends forever.

A Leap For Freedom

Elizabeth Walker, 17 and fiercely determined, paced her metallic room, her boots reverberating against the lunar colony floor. She clenched her fists, muttering, "This can't go on. Carlos is getting weaker every day." Her little brother's pale face haunted her thoughts. How could the government expect them to thrive on shrinking rations?

Her mother entered quietly, her weary eyes avoiding Elizabeth's. "Lizzie, you have to be careful. They’re watching everyone."

"I can't just sit back, Mom," Elizabeth snapped, her tone sharp but desperate. "Carlos is dying, and they don’t care. Someone has to do something!" She said, overwhelmed with emotion, but she had enough.

The moon colony, once a beacon of hope, had become a gilded cage. Families were torn apart, and travel back to Earth was a privilege reserved for the elite. As Elizabeth stared out at the lifeless gray terrain, her jaw tightened. She wasn’t going to let the government decide who lived and who starved.

That evening, she approached her neighbor, an aging engineer named Lian. "You’ve seen how things are, Lian. What happens when it's your family next?" Her voice was low but intense.

Lian hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "What you're suggesting is suicide."

"It’s survival," Elizabeth countered. "We’re fixing that old shuttle in the scrapyard. If we don’t act, none of us have a future."

Gradually, Elizabeth rallied a diverse crew: technicians, a nurse, and even an ex-government worker who had grown to dislike the system. Meetings took place in hushed whispers behind locked doors.

"You can sit back and let them pick us off one by one," she told the group, her brown eyes blazing, "or we can fight for our lives. I won’t let them decide our fate."

Lian, now onboard, sketched plans for repairs on the ancient shuttle. "It's a relic, but it’ll fly once we get the engine running."

Weeks turned into months as they worked under the radar. Elizabeth’s once-annoying bossiness became their lifeline. She barked orders with precision. "Tighten those bolts! We can’t afford mistakes," she said one night, sweat dripping from her brow.

On launch day, nerves ran high. "Remember," Elizabeth addressed the crew, her voice steady despite her pounding heart, "this is about more than us. It’s about freedom and the start of our futures."

As they climbed into the shuttle, alarms blared across the colony. "They’ve spotted us!" shouted a technician.

"Keep going!" Elizabeth barked. "Strap in, everyone."

Security forces swarmed the scrapyard just as the shuttle roared to life. Its engines blasted a cloud of dust as they lifted off the ground, the colony shrinking below.

Inside, Elizabeth exhaled for the first time in hours. "We did it," she murmured, looking at the pale Earth growing larger in the window.

"It’s not over," Lian reminded her.

Elizabeth smiled. "No, but it’s a start."

The battle for freedom had begun, and Elizabeth realized they had ignited something greater than themselves. One day, she hoped, Earth would be the only life-filled rock in space.       

Through The Night

 

There are a few moments when I don’t feel stressed. I know I’m not like the rest, but sometimes, I wish

My life wasn’t such a mess.

All I am is a person trying their hardest not to fail, but I won’t let my enemy prevail.

Lost, I’m close to hopelessness, and I can’t stop my journey, for I trust who I follow and refuse to be

Faithless.

Many people try to tear me down, but they forget that my leader has the crown.  

The enemy continues throwing their punches, they won’t hesitate to bring a fight, they can try while I

Wear the armor that protects me through the night.

The Blizzard

 

                           The Blizard        

 

I was in my home, safe from the cold, the fire crackling, and the wind whistling a tune.

The storm was acting like a snow globe, tossing the snow up and then falling back

down like someone was shaking us. The whistling became louder and I could see ice

form on the windows, the snow came down harder looking like an avalanche had just hit

us—the snow covered our windows, blindfolding them. The blizzard went on all day, I

tried to get some sleep, but it was disturbed by a snap, crack, and thud. “Mom, Dad,

what was that?!” They rushed to their second-story window. They didn’t say anything,

“Mom, Dad, what happened? I’m scared.” You know our big tree in the front yard? My

Dad said. I nodded. “It just split down the middle and snapped in half.” He said with his

arms open for me to hug. My favorite tree to hide in, it had a nook I could play in. I cried

because I won’t play in the front yard the same again. At least the tree lived a long life

and got to see some snow before it went away. At least I have memories of this

marvelous tree and the snow can remind me of these memories.

Night Sky

 

There it was, the bright orb in the sky we call moon, and it was almost full.

 

It was surrounded by bright pearls in the deep blue sky, it felt like I was in the deep depths of the

ocean.

 

As the night grew long the sky became black and the pearls and the moon brighter.

 

The pearls started to twinkle, flicker and were sparkling, looking as if they were communicating

with each other.

 

It grew colder, so cold I could taste the crisp air on the tip of my tongue.

 

I heard the wind whistling and could see it grab a misty, foggy cloud over the moon and pearls

to keep them warm.

 

The yellow, red and orange leaves were playing in the wind, rustling and falling to the ground

when they got exhausted.

 

I ended up spending all my time gazing at the glittery pearls that have been spilt across the

deep depths of the night sky.