Alexander and the Mixed-Up, Unpredictable, Pretty Awesome Day

(a spin on the original story, a correction of negative paradigms)

        Alexander woke up, rubbed his eyes, and felt something sticky in his hair.

        “Whoa, there’s the piece of gum I lost last night,” he thought. “Good thing I didn’t choke on it when I was sleeping!” He ran downstairs and asked his mom to do her magic peanut butter trick and help him get it out. They laughed together, while he ate his cereal and checked out the cool toy his brother found in the bottom of the box. Maybe he’d get the prize next time! Alexander could tell that this was going to be a Mixed up, Unpredictable, Pretty Awesome day. He raced his brother to the car for school pickup and just missed claiming shotgun by a second.

        “Ha! I’m faster than I was last time!” he thought. He stretched out in the very back seat, happy that he would get the first look at the sports cars as they passed.

        "Hey, check out that Corvette!” he yelled.

        Alexander knew he wasn’t as good as his buddy Paul in art class, but he did his best anyway. He even made his teacher laugh when he showed her the back of his paper and said that he had drawn an invisible castle. Pretty clever, huh?

        Next came singing. Alexander loved to sing and could be heard loud and clear when his favorite song from Forrest Frank came on the radio. “I'm 'bout to have a good day! No matter what they saaay…”

        He was still thinking about the lyrics when it was his turn to count.

        "14, 15, 17..." Somehow, he missed the number 16. Ha! Oh well. Not a big deal...

        When lunchtime rolled around, Alexander noticed that his buddy Paul was sitting by himself and looking upset.

        When Alexander asked him what the trouble was, Paul just sniffed and said, “Why would you care? You aren’t my best friend anymore…” 

        Alexander’s face felt hot, and he was tempted to tell Paul to go sit on a tack. Instead, he took a deep breath, put his arm around his shoulder, and listened to Paul’s story about a sad visit to the vet. Paul's family had to say goodbye to his old, golden retriever, Buck. Alexander told Paul he was really sorry, and the two of them shared Paul’s jelly roll since Alexander’s mom had forgotten to pack him a dessert. 

        “That’s what best friends are for!” said Paul with a grin.

        The day kept getting more and more crazy. Poor Alexander found out he had a cavity from chewing gum in bed, but his mom surprised him with a cool electric toothbrush to cheer him up. When they stopped at the store to buy shoes, Alexander was kind of bummed that the ones he liked were out of stock. Then he saw the coolest sneakers EVER! His mom said he could have them because they were on clearance! Alexander couldn’t wait to show his dad, so they stopped by the office on the way home. He was careful not to play with the copy machine or fool around with his dad’s work phone.

        Alexander wasn’t crazy about the kissy TV show his sister was watching when they got home or the lima beans his mom served him for dinner, so he decided to build a castle with them on his plate – a lima bean castle.

        “I might draw this in art class tomorrow!” 

        After dinner, his mom said it was time for bed and handed him his weird railroad track PJ’s. Ugh. He started to remind her that these were his least favorite, but then he saw the mountain of clothes she had to fold and decided not to complain. He could just pretend he was boarding the Polar Express, right? Hey, he could even plug in his Christmas night light because his Mickey Mouse one had burned out. Alexander laid down in his cozy bed, spat out his gum, and smiled as he remembered all the adventures he had had during that Mixed up, Unpredictable, Pretty Awesome day! He could hardly wait to see what would happen tomorrow. 

Firefly Memories (Megan)

For my Mama who taught me how to “make a memory.” Someday we will catch them all together.

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.”

Hosea 2:14

“Seila, wake up. It’s time.” The soothing voice of Ro’i coaxed the sleeping girl from her labyrinth of dreams. It was the voice of a Good Shepherd – emanating tenderness when crooning over lambs and thundering violence when frightening away predators. Seila blinked through her fog of confusion and sat up slowly. She vaguely wondered why she was sleeping on a pillow of moss. Where was she? Tumbling questions swirled through the thick haze of her semi-consciousness. These questions should have unsettled and frightened her, but when she locked eyes with Ro’i, her heart calmed.  Steadied by his tender gaze, she trusted him and knew she would follow wherever he led her.

Fireflies. They had been catching fireflies.  The flickering jar between them reminded her. Mesmerized by the darting diamonds, Seila admired the sparkling insects and wondered how long their lights would last. The familiar, weighty sadness returned. Ro’i wrapped Seila’s white-knuckled fists in his strong, calloused hands. She had been unaware of her death grip until he gently peeled open her fingers, revealing a crushed firefly in her palm. Seila grimaced as he plucked it up and placed it tenderly in his jar with the others. Remarkably, the insect began to twitch and revive, and soon it was darting and gleaming with the rest.

“This is the last one,” he whispered, “Now we must go.”

***

Seila awoke to the wet nuzzling of a lamb’s nose. Turtledove was nudging her affectionately and alerting her to the approaching sound of music and laughter. Planting a kiss between his velvet ears, she sprang from bed and ran to the window. It was barely light, but the neighbors were already stirring with anticipation as they strained to see the approaching horses and soldiers. Father’s army was returning, and Seila’s heart leaped to realize that this fanfare meant victory! Certainly, her father had prevailed over the Ammonites. How startled she had been a week ago, when the elders of Gilead appeared on their doorstep and summoned her father to lead this raid. The army had exhausted their resources and were forced to grovel before the only man with enough prowess to lead them to victory. The man they had once shunned and shamefully driven from his father’s house, was rising as their conquering general. Jephthah couldn’t help but gloat as he eagerly accepted his commission.

Wrapping herself in a woolen shawl, Seila dashed for the door. She was impeded by the furry form of Turtledove, who bleated longingly for the crisp morning air and the company of his mistress.

“No, Dove. Stay here. You’ll be trampled by the horses!”

The sheep made one more attempt to push past his mistress, but she gave him a tender whack with the timbrel in her hand, followed by loving caresses and reassurances that she’d be right back.

Seila’s beautiful voice rose above the cacophony of chattering neighbors as she ran toward the form of her father, serenading him with her victory song. When Jephthah lifted his gaze to behold his daughter, the color rushed from his face. His eyes, which had recently been dancing with the merriment of accolades and victory wine, flooded with tears. Not the tears of fatherly recognition and affection, but tears of repulsion and terror.

“Yahweh, no!” he wailed, tearing his cloak and convulsing with heart- wrenching sobs. “Get out of my sight!”

Seila’s legs gave out from under her, the sunrise blackened, and she lost consciousness. When she awoke, she felt trapped in a nightmare. The mysterious whispering and the disapproving shakes of the servants’ heads, convinced her that something was terribly wrong. Where was Father? Seconds later, she saw him approaching – a specter of grief.  Her own father, the fearless conqueror of the Ammonites, was weeping like a frightened child and blubbering incoherent words about a vow.

“I wasn’t thinking, Seila.  I feared defeat, so I bargained with Yahweh. Before an army of witnesses, I vowed that, if He gave the Ammonites into my hands, I would offer as a burnt sacrifice whatever came out of the door of my house to meet me. I expected one of your foolish lambs or perhaps a servant. Never, never did I imagine it would be you, Seila, my only daughter.” His words were choked by agonizing sobs.

Fear engulfed Seila’s heart, but her voice remained steady.

 “What will you do to make this right, Father?”

Jephthah rose in a fury. “What do you mean by, ‘make it right,’ I have no choice but to fulfill my vows to God. Were I to take back my promise, I would be the laughingstock of Gilead – proving to them that I am nothing but the worthless son of a prostitute. Not a conquering general worthy of their tribute.  How could you ask me to do that?”

Seila’s death sentence could not be revoked. With icy resignation, she pushed her father aside, choking back her blinding tears of rage.

Her voice quavered this time as she offered her last appeal, 

“Do you not remember that I am to be married next month? What will Asher think of your rash vow?”

Jephthah shrugged, tears streaming through his tangled beard.

“He will need to forget you, to honor my vow, and entrust his bride to Yahweh. Take some time to grieve, Seila. Bring your friends to comfort you, and return in two months’ time.”

Seila moved through the following days in a trance. She fled to a desolate spot in the hills, a place of solace where her sheep could graze unmolested and she could weep freely. Her companions soon wearied of grieving with her, so she sent them home with her blessing, preferring the company of her bleating lambs.

She never remembered what drove her to the cliff’s edge over the riverbank. Once a sheep of hers had wandered off this precipice, and she had watched in horror as his bones shattered against the rocks. He was sucked under the raging current, never to be seen again.  Delirious with thirst, Seila longed for the coolness of that water. She was vaguely aware that this leap would be a fresh death sentence, but wouldn’t a dive into this icy river be better than facing the flames of Jephthah’s altar?

“Forgive me, Father,” she breathed weakly, before she closed her eyes and leaned into her certain death.

The plunge sucked all of the air from her lungs. Her stomach dropped, her arms flailed, and her screams were drowned by the thundering current that devoured her.

After what seemed like an eternity, a strong arm reached for her, raising her effortlessly to the surface. Why was she not dead? Who was this strange man, gazing down at her, enveloping her in strong arms and lifting her to safety? Seila had no choice but to give in to the sobs that wracked her body. The stranger covered her in his cloak and held her while she gasped and choked out her questions…

Why had her father let his pride cloud his judgment? How could he have flippantly risked the life of his only daughter? Hadn’t she suffered enough, losing her mother and sister, and enduring her father’s hubris and intoxicated fits of despair?  The demands for this final sacrifice were nothing but vengeful.  

The stranger, with the simple name of Ro’i, listened to Seila's half- delirious rantings until the sun set. He didn’t reply with words, just listened with rapt attention and compassion that spilled out the corners of his wrinkled eyes. When Seila ran out of words, they sat together in silence on the grassy hillside. Ro’i opened a satchel and produced a crusty loaf of bread. Silently, he broke it and handed the larger piece to Seila. She drank freely from the animal’s skin that rested on his side. Never had she tasted such wine. Ro’i rose to his feet and clapped his cupped hands toward the sky with a gleam of fun in his eyes. Then he offered Seila a peek through his cracked fingers at the spark of fire he had caught mid-flight.

“I’ve always loved fireflies,” she sighed. Then, tracking a darting light, she clapped her own small hands together and slowly opened them to inspect the gleaming treasure. The insect darted cleverly from its captivity, and for a moment Seila met Ro’i’s gaze and remembered how to laugh.

Days passed easily into weeks, and Ro’i remained the steady companion who cared for her - easing her loneliness by day, and keeping vigil by night so she could rest in safety. Memories poured out from the secret places of Seila’s heart, and her crushing fears lifted. Ro’i’s fatherly tenderness flooded into the empty spaces in her soul – the voids left by her mother and sister’s untimely deaths, her father’s neglect, and the stinging loss of Asher. She had longed to be married and to build a whole family – something she had only ever dreamed of. Roi’s compassion never faltered, and he spoke volumes, not with words, but with the piercing gaze of his eyes – eyes that penetrated Seila’s soul. At the end of each day, he would kneel to wash her dirty, aching feet and tenderly bind her wounds.

Sometimes they would sit together at dusk, and Ro’i would tease Seila about her clumsy attempts at catching fireflies. Each time the elusive light escaped her grasp, he would deftly capture his prey between strong hands and gently add it to his collection.

Two months passed, and Seila’s haunting memories and relentless nightmares began to subside. She woke each morning with a fresh sense of wonder, like a child eager to discover and embrace a beautiful world she was exploring for the first time. Occasionally, the shadows would creep over her, and she would call out for Ro’i. Whenever he heard her cry, he would emerge from the darkness and lean against her, so she could feel his strength and the warmth of his shoulder pressed to hers. In these quiet moments, Seila would shake off the vague sense of foreboding that always lurked in the back of her imagination. Something as elusive as the fireflies was troubling her – a memory she would try to capture long enough to understand, only to watch it flicker out of her grasp. Her soul ached when she realized that these beautiful days with Ro’i couldn’t last forever. She sensed that a strong force stronger than both of them would soon draw her away from him whom her soul loved.

***

         Seila’s forebodings were realized that morning when Ro’i gently roused her from sleep and pried the dead firefly from her hand. Somehow, she wasn’t the least bit surprised that her shepherd’s touch would bring the poor creature back to life. The sun was beginning to rise as they walked, hand in hand, through the hills and toward a village that looked vaguely familiar to Seila. Perhaps she had been here as a child. Perhaps she had wandered these streets and studied these blank faces in her dreams. Seila hesitated as they approached a rowdy crowd surrounding an altar. The bright flames and shrill voices shocked her senses.  Ro’i led her to an old man, weary and grief stricken. His mouth moved in tearful entreaties – words that made no sense, and Seila shivered in repulsion when he clutched at her robe.  

         “Ro’i, I’m frightened. Take me away from this terrible place,” Seila sobbed.

Ro’i’s expression mirrored Seila’s distress, but he set his face and led her steadily, gently toward the flames. Now Seila was close enough to feel the fire’s heat. Sweaty drops, like blood, trickled down Roi’s cheeks. He turned to Seila and whispered softly, steadily.

“Seila, your days of forgetting are over. Follow me, and we will remember together.” Seila’s heart thundered in her chest and rang in her ears. Before she could think, Ro’i turned and stepped into the flames.

“Yahweh Ro’i! Don’t leave me!” Seila screamed and grabbed his hand. A force, powerful yet gentle, pulled her forward. Seila closed her eyes. She no longer felt the burning flames, but a noxious odor overwhelmed and nauseated her.  She remembered this smell from the lambs her father would sacrifice. Seila stumbled and fell toward the blinking light, choking and searching through stinging eyes for Ro’i.

The arms that caught her on the other side of the pyre were smaller, softer, but just as strong and familiar as Ro’i’s. Blinking away her hot tears, Seila looked up to meet the shining eyes of her mother. Her wondering gaze was interrupted by the sound of laughter and the two little arms that clasped tightly around her waist, lovingly squeezing the breath out of her lungs. Could it be?

“Seila, my sister! I’ve waited so long for you to come home!” the little girl shrieked, “Look what Ro’i gave us!” The little girl revealed her treasure – a familiar jar of sparkling, fluttering diamonds that the shepherd had collected and guarded so tenderly. Seila had never seen anything so beautiful. She laughed and snatched her little sister’s hand.

        “Come on, let’s go find some more!”

Shaila's story on the Underground Railroad for AHG (Shaila)

                                                         

Annie’s Story

                Hi! My name is Annie. I am a slave, and my masters do not treat me well. My Mammy and Pappy said that there is something called the Underground Railroad. I am not sure what it is, but my Mammy  and Pappy said that it brings you to a place called Canada where we would not have mean masters. I hope to escape on it someday. My Mammy and Pappy also said that it was called the Underground Railroad because there was another slave named Tice David who escaped from his Masters and the slave catchers by swimming across the Ohio river. His Master said afterwards, “He must have gone off on an Underground Railroad!”

                One night my Mammy and Pappy shook me awake and told me to get up and grab my corn husk doll that I had made myself. I sat up in my bed, and when my eyes had gotten adjusted to the light burning in the lamp, I saw a woman whom I did not know. I whispered to Mammy, “Who is that woman?”

                “Know how I have told you about the Underground Railroad?” she asked.

                “Yeah! That way where slaves can get to Canada and not have a mean master anymore?” I replied.

                “Exactly!” Mammy replied, “And this woman is part of that Underground Railroad!”

                “Wow!” I said.

                “Alright, Annie. We need to be quiet so that nobody wakes up. We are going to have to run in the woods so that we can get ahead of the slave catchers and Master.”

                “Yes, Mammy.” I replied.

                We walked out of the cabin, and we ran over to the woods. I asked my Mammy if she had packed food, and Mammy said “Yes, but we are not eating until breakfast time, which is not for a while.”

                “Okay.” I said.

                We ran for a long time, and then before I knew it, it was morning! The woman who had come to my cabin and run away with us said that we could stop running now. I was happy that I didn’t have to run anymore, because we had been running for hours. Now that we had stopped running, the woman told us a little bit more about who she was. She said that her name was Harriet Tubman, and she told us about how she had helped many slaves escape. She was a really good story teller.

                “Ms. Harriet?” I asked her.

                “Yes, Annie?”

                “Could you please tell us another story before I go to bed?”

                “Honey,” my Mammy said, “Ms. Harriet has told you a ton of stories today! She does not have to tell you another one!”

                “Oh, it is okay, Lucy! I love telling stories to Annie!” Ms. Harriet said to Mammy.

                “Yay!” I said.

                “Hmmm. Let me think of one. Oh, yes!” Ms. Harriet said.

Ms. Harriet told me another story.

                “Have you heard about the story of that man crossing the Ohio river?” Ms. Harriet asked me.     “Yes, Mammy and Pappy told me about it!”

                “Well, one time I was bringing some other slaves to the free states. We came across the Ohio river, and it still had some ice in it! I’m telling you, when I got into that water it felt like my whole body was in an icebox! It was icy cold. Literally! Finally, after we had gotten over the river, we made a fire as quickly as possible!”

                “Wow! That is amazing!”

                “Alright, Annie,” Pappy told me, “Now you need to go to bed.”

                “Can I just stay up a little longer?” I pleaded.

                “No, we have a long way to go tomorrow,” replied Pappy.

                “Yes, Pappy.” I said, “Goodnight Mammy, goodnight Pappy, goodnight Ms. Harriet! Thanks for telling me that story!”

                The next day we walked for a really long time, and my mouth felt like cotton! I asked my  Mammy if we had any more water.

                “Mammy? Do we have any more water?”

                “Yes, honey. I have some water right here. Just don’t drink too much, or else we won’t have any left for the rest of our meals today.” Mammy replied.

                “Yes, Mammy.” I said.

                “Ms. Harriet?” I asked, “ How much farther do we have to walk until we take a break for Lunch?

                “We can stop now, if you want.” Ms. Harriet replied.

                “Yes, I think we all need a break,” said Pappy.

                 We took a break for lunch, and then we started walking again. Before we knew it, it was bright outside! We had to hide a bit during the day, so we just slept the best we could, and then we walked all night. Until it got bright again. That way the slave catchers would have more trouble trying to catch us.

                Later that day, we heard voices. Ms. Harriet told us, “Get in the woods, and hide!”

                We got into a bush, and we saw slave catchers walk past. I moved a tiny bit, because the bush was poking me. The slave catchers saw the bush move.

                “Who’s there?” they yelled.

                Before I even realized what was happening, I found myself running with my Mammy, Pappy, and Ms. Harriet. The slave catchers were running behind us. I looked back and saw that they had dogs with them. I wasn’t looking were I was going, so I tripped on a rock and cut myself. Then everything got blurry and I found my Pappy carrying me. I just hugged my Pappy and cried. Finally we turned into the woods and Ms. Harriet led us to a house. The slave catchers lost track of us for a minute, so we had enough time to get to the house and get inside.

                “This is where one of the conductors for the Underground Railroad lives,” I heard Ms. Harriet say.

                Ms. Harriet knocked on the door, and the conductor instantly let us in.

                “My goodness!” the conductor said, “What on earth happened, Harriet?”

                “We are being chased by slave catchers,” Ms. Harriet replied.

                “They might still be on your trail! Let me hide you. Oh! I hear voices outside. Hide!” the conductor said.

                We all found a hiding place, then we heard voices at the door! I almost shouted because the hiding place was so tight, and I was having trouble breathing, but I didn’t.

                “Ma’am,” one of the men said, “have you happened to see any slaves?”

                “We were just chasing them when they turned very quickly toward this way,” another man said.

                “I can’t say I have,” the conductor said.

                “Well, if you see them, please tell us at once,” the man said.

                “Good day, sir,” the conductor said.

                After a while we heard, “Alright, you can come out now. I don’t hear them anymore.”

                We all got out and Pappy said, “Thank you very much missis for hiding us!”

                “Oh, it is fine! Also, don’t call me missis, you can call me Lucy,” the conductor replied.

                “Now, is anyone hungry? I will fix up something for us to eat. I am certainly hungry myself.” the conductor said.

                “Ms. Conductor, were can I find water?” I asked.

                “There is a stream just a little bit down the road. Harriet, could you show this little one where it is?” the conductor said, “Oh, and you can just call me Ms. Lucy.”

                “Yes, come with me,” Ms. Harriet replied.

                “Thank you.” I said.

I went down to the stream with Ms. Harriet, and when I got back I smelled the aroma of delicious soup, and fresh bread! Ms. Lucy told me to wash up, and then sit down at the table. I did, and then Ms. Lucy asked Pappy if he would say the blessing, and then we ate.

“That was a delicious meal, Ms. Lucy!” I said after we had finished.

“Thank you Annie, I am glad you liked it. But I hope you aren’t too full, because I decided I would make blueberry pie with the blueberries I picked yesterday.”

“Yum!” I said.

Ms. Lucy took out the blueberry pie. We each had a piece, and then we went to bed. The next morning I woke up to bright sunshine coming through my window, and I could already smell Ms. Lucy’s breakfast. I got out of bed, and walked into the kitchen. ‘I must have slept in!’ I thought, because Mammy, Pappy, and Ms. Lucy where all at the table. After we had eaten Pappy said,

“We should probably get started again this morning. We don’t want to get too off track.”

“Yes,” said Ms. Lucy, “I will pack some food for you, so that you don’t starve!” said Ms. Lucy in her motherly way.

“Thank you so much for what you have done for us!” Mammy said.

“Oh, don’t think about it!” said Ms. Lucy.

Later that morning we said goodbye to Ms. Lucy, and then we kept walking. It was a hot day, so I got really tired and thirsty, but I didn’t complain, because I knew everyone else was feeling the same way.

“Annie,” said Pappy, “would you like me to give you a piggy back ride? You look really tired.”

“Yes,” I replied, “I would like that.”

I didn’t care if the others thought that it was kind of babyish for me to have a piggy back ride on Pappy’s back. I was too tired to care.

“We should be at the next house pretty soon,” Ms. Harriet said.

“Ms. Harriet,” I asked, “Have you memorized this trail?”

“Well, I have gone on it a few times, but I just know the secret marks that were made for this trail. Other people who help slaves run away on the Underground Railroad know the secret marks, too,” Ms. Harriet replied.

“Could you maybe teach me some of them?” I asked.

“Sure!” replied Ms. Harriet, “I would be happy to.”

Ms. Harriet taught me the secret marks as we walked. I memorized them.

“Thanks, Ms. Harriet,” I said, after she had taught me them.

“My pleasure,” replied Ms. Harriet.

We walked for a little while, and then we saw another log cabin.

“Here it is,” said Ms. Harriet.

Ms. Harriet knocked on the door, and a woman opened it.

“Oh, Harriet! It is nice to see you again! You brought some visitors! Now, don’t just stand there! Come on in!” the woman said.

We walked into the house, and sat down. I was a cozy little house. It had a little fire place, which of course was not in use, because it was too hot that day. The lady’s husband was sitting down.

“Oh, how nice to see you again, Harriet!” he said.

After we had all sat down, Ms. Harriet introduced us.

“This is Mary, Luke, and Annie, Susan.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” replied the woman, “ My name is Susan, and this is my husband, John.”

“Pleasure meeting you!” replied Pappy.

“Now, you all must be very hungry! I will go fix up something for us. Would you like some tea, Mary?”

“Oh, yes, thank you,” replied Mammy.

After Mrs. Susan had made the tea for the women, and coffee for the men, Pappy and Mr. John talked, and Mammy and Mrs. Susan talked. After that Mrs. Susan exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, the biscuits!”

She flew into the kitchen, and then a little while later came out with plates full of more buttered biscuits, and mashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar then I had ever seen! After we had eaten, I said, “Thank you for supper, Mrs. Susan, it was delicious!”

“You are welcome! I’m glad you liked it!” she replied.

After all of the grownups had talked a little bit more, Mrs. Susan said, “Oh! I almost forgot! I will show you all where you are sleeping.”

Mrs. Susan led us through a doorway, and into a bedroom.

“You are sleeping here, Annie,” Mrs. Susan said, “and you are sleeping here, Mary and John.”

“Thank you!” Mammy and Pappy said.

“Thank you!” I said.

After I had said goodnight, I went to bed. It was the most comfortable bed I had ever slept in, and I was full from the best dinner I had ever eaten! The reason why the bed was so comfortable is I always just slept on a bed of straw. I felt like I had only slept a few minutes, when I opened my eyes and it was morning! I got out of bed, and walked through the doorway.

“Hi, Annie! Did you sleep well?” Ms. Susan asked.

“Oh, yes Ma’am, I did,” I replied.

“Good. I am just fixing breakfast, so you can go over there and sit down, if you want.” Ms. Susan replied.

“Thank you!” I said.

After that Mammy, Pappy, and Mr. John woke up. Then we had pancakes for breakfast! They were so good! After we had finished breakfast, Pappy said, “Thank you so much for your hospitality, John and Susan, but we are going to have to head out now.”

“Oh, of course,” Ms. Susan replied, “I will set up some food for you to bring along.”

Later we were all at the door, ready to leave.

“Thank you again for helping us!” Mammy and Pappy said.

“Yes, thank you!” I said.

“You are very welcome, and God bless you!” Ms. Susan, and Mr. John said.

Then we started walking again.

“Ms. Harriet, how long until we get to the end of this trail?” I asked.

“I have some good news for you….. WE WILL GET TO THE END TODAY!” Ms. Harriet replied, excitedly!

Mammy cried with joy, and Pappy and I both yelled, “Yay!”

That day was the most memorable day of my life. We had reached the free states!

“Thank you so much for your help!” Mammy and Pappy said to Ms. Harriet.

“You are welcome. God bless you!” Ms. Harriet replied.

“God bless you!” we all called back over our shoulders.

“Thank you for everything!” I yelled over my shoulder.

As we walked away, I thought to myself ‘I want to be just like Ms. Harriet, and help slaves when I’m older’. I held Mammy and Pappy’s hands, and smiled, thinking about what would happen next.

                                              THE END. 

I wrote this story for an AHG patch 😊

Rus's Alien Story (age 7)

One day a UFO  landed! Aliens came out of it.  The aliens looked around and smiled! What did they want? It seemed that they were about to say something but they didn’t!  These aliens were strange. The people thought they  wanted something. They did!  The aliens did want something. But what? What did they want? They said they wanted the people to come to there planet! But how? They couldn’t fit all the people  in the ship. But

The aliens had an idea. the aliens would pick who they

wanted to come. So they picked the children and the

president so they said goodbye but then bang the UFO

blasted into the air leaving the  president behind.

the aliens thought that they had the president but he wasn’t there. Down on earth the people were afraid.

Then they herd a sound that was loud. they were

Surprised! Another group of aliens came out of the 2^nd

UFO the people asked if they would help them! And they said yes! And helped them get to the children and they all had a great time on the planet. 
the end.

Rus's First Adventure Story

Island Adventures

        A long time ago a ship was sailing on the blue sea, and then crash! The ship was in peaces! They had landed on an island. A man came up to the ship. The man begged for the men from the boat to help them. The men were surprised! Why them? They asked,

       “What’s the matter?
       “A ship came to the island the men in it stole from us! We need you to stop them!”
       “Why us?”
       “Because no one else will!” Just then bang! The man on lookout yelled “a ship is
out at sea they are shooting at us!” The men agreed and went back to their ship
And used the rest of ship to scare away the ship. It worked! The ship sailed away!
The men saved the island! But the men did not know what was going to happen.
Far out at sea men came with a big ship full of men! The men in that ship
Were far braver then the men in the last ship. The man on lookout saw them
And then yelled “a other ship!” the men looked and they new they could not scare them!
But then they saw A ship it came and shot a hole in the ship! The ship was much bigger then the other ship! They were the real heroes!  
the end
This story should remind us of Jesus how we can only do so much on earth
we can spread the word of god we can accomplish a little on earth
like the men in this story but Jesus can accomplish every thing like the
ship that came to the rescue!