Too much gaming

By Travis (Age 9.5, Diocesan Boys' School)

My hero and I packed everything we needed and set off for our trip. We brought a few bottles of magic potions, some food, and some weapons. Before we left, we bought two horses for transporation.

We set off on our trip to find the treasure. My hero had a map to find the treasure, but we had to pass a few tasks in order to find the treasure. First, we had to go through the Forest of Fear, the School of Zombies, and the Alley of Doom. We rode the whole day until we were in front of the Forest of Fear. There was a sign that said, "Those who enter the forest of fear will suffer!" We kept walking until I stepped onto some sticky and slimy mud. The next thing I knew, I was sinking. I had thought it was just normal mud, and that I could go out of this slimy mud anytime, so I called my hero to join me.

Suddenly, he shouted, "Oh! You are in quicksand." By now, the mud was at the level of my bellybutton. He threw a rope to me and called me to hold on tight on the rope. Finally, he pulled me out of the quicksand. The rest was no problem. We killed a few beasts and then went out of the Forest of Doom.

Next, it was the School of Zombies. It was actually an abandoned school, and we didn't know what dangers would be coming. We tiptoed into the school quietly. Suddenly, the door slammed shut and we were trapped inside the abandoned school. We only had one choice left: find the exit on the other side of the school.

At that particular moment, two zombies appeared. One was holding a cooking pan while another one was wearing a helmet and holding a spear. They were both zombie students. My hero slayed both of them, but more were coming. I got my spear out and killed some. One zombie teacher used his sword and tried to slice off my head, but I ducked just in time. There were too many of them and we couldn't defend ourselves.

Suddenly, I remembered that there were grenades in my backpack. I quickly threw all of the grenades toward the zombies. There was a loud explosion. Soon, the zombies were all dead. We walked until we saw the other exit. After awhile, we were out of the zombie school.

The third and final task was the hardest of all. We had heard that anyone who goes in never comes out. We went inside the Alley of Doom, frightened. Bloodsucking vampires suddenly jumped in front of us. We killed the first few ones, but more were coming.

"I can't hold them for long, you will have to run!" shouted my hero. At that particular moment, I had a wonderful idea. I got out the magic potions and drank them all in one gulp. I acquired super strength. I killed all the vampires with my bare hands, and soon, they were defeated.

We passed the alley without fear as we knew we would soon discover the treasure. There was still one small rainforest to pass, and after that, the treasure would be there. But unluckily, at that time, we saw our opponent: the big, fat, clumsy green troll - the worst gangster in the video game. He had four eyes, three noses, and two mouths. He charged toward us, but I punched him on the forehead just in time (as my superpowers were still there).

Then, my hero killed him with one blade of his sword. We rode on our horses and rode to where the treasure was. It was in a little village. It looked like my hero's village. The people looked the same. Huh! Actually, it was really my hero's village. And... the map said that the treasure was buried underground next to the village. I was furious. We ran the whole way killing monsters to find the treasure, and it was just next to my hero's village! It was a waste of time.

We dug the whole day long and found the treasure. It was a treasure chest. Inside it, we found a lot of gold and a golden sword.

Just as I touched the golden sword, I felt a gust of wind. It pulled me toward the sky and I was back to the real world. I promised myself that I would never ever play video games again.

Angry Floatees

By Julian (Age 10.5, ISF Academy)

One day, I was in a cargo ship heading for America from Hong Kong. I was a two-headed rubber duck. I didn't know I was unusual until all the ducks started laughing at me. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" I started crying. I hid in a corner of the container. Before I knew it, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, the container was violently shaking. "Ouch!" "Ooh!" "My head!" I heard someone shouting, "It's a huge tsunami!" The container flew into the air and fell into the ocean. I tumbled out. Suddenly, I saw the ship tip over and millions of rubber ducks, rubber frogs, rubber boats, rubber fish, rubber sharks, rubber starfish, rubber toy cars and rubber octopi flew into the sea. I started to float toward a faint outline of an island. Twenty days later, I got to the island. It was nice, but there was no one else there!

Suddenly, the ground started shaking. The volcano was erupting! Lava started pouring out of the volcano. The lava started burning me! It made me flip over. Then one of my heads burned right off! At first I was shocked... suddenly I noticed something. I looked normal now! Yay!

The lava pushed me into the sea. It started cooling down. Then, I was floating in plain old seawater again. I floated further and further away from the island. Suddenly, I saw another island. It looked cool. It was of lots of different shapes and sizes, and it was very colorful. As I floated nearer, it started looking very creepy. In fact, it started not looking like an island at all! It looked like... a garbage patch! It was a garbage patch after all!

I really wanted to get away from it, but the current was pushing me there. When I got really close, I saw candy wrappers, chocolates, orange peels, old clothes, old toothpaste tubes, old toothbrushes, old bags,and even old tables and old chairs. The thought of having to go through it was utterly horrifying. As I went through it, I felt all the garbage under me. It felt slimy and slippery. I felt sick. I looked ahead. There were MILES of garbage ahead of me! I closed my eyes and tried not to think about it, but the more I tried, the more I felt sick. Finally, I decided to go to sleep. When I woke up, I was almost at the end of the garbage patch. Then I saw a newspaper floating in the water near me. The headline read: "Giant Garbage Patch Floating in the Middle of the Sea." I read the article. Then I understood. The garbage patch I ran into was the one on the newspaper.

Then I saw land. Real land. As I crept closer and closer, I saw the shops along the waterfront. There was a bakery, a pizza parlor, an electronics store, a supermarket, and a garbage collection point. After half a day, I finally got to the land. I got washed up on a beach. Then, I saw a man walking toward me. He looked at me, picked me up, and then brought me to a silver round thing with garbage in it. The label on it said "Garbage Bin." The man threw me inside. After a few days passed, a man wearing gloves and a mask picked up the black bag I was in. Suddenly, I started getting really squished. I let out a loud squeak. The squishing stopped. The man looked inside the black bag and took me out. He looked at me for a moment then put me in his pocket. A while later, the man took me out of his pocket. I turned to see a little boy staring at me. "Here's your new bath toy!" the man said. A month later, while I was sitting on the shelf in the boy's room, I heard a surprised gasp come from outside. I heard the man whisper, "Rubber duck... worth lots... sell... auction..."

Next day, I was put in a box and taken to a weird place. When I was taken out of the box, I was in a place with lots of people. I was on a stage, and everyone was looking at me. A man on stage said, "Very previous rubber duck. From the cargo accident five years ago."

"Five thousand dollars!"

"Ten thousand!"

"Twenty!"

"Fifty!"

"Hundred!"

Then, a man wearing gold clothes said, "One million!" A long time later, the man put me in his car. He drove to a mansion, and then went inside.

The Hospital Con

By Caitlyn (Age 11)

One day, a strange looking man came over to my house. He came and sat on the porch. He looked like he wanted to rest, so I let him stay there for awhile. He stayed there for an hour but he didn't move. I started to feel uncomfortable and went outside to see if he was okay. When I came he immediately stood up, then fell down as if he were ill and fainted. I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do. Then a thought came into my mind and I called the ambulance. It came in less than a minute and I thought that was strange, but I did not pay attention to it. I was concentrated on helping this poor man.

We arrived at the hospital and a stretcher was waiting for the man. He was out on a stretcher and I was taken to be questioned. The doctors asked me if I was related to the man or not. I told them that I was not related to him and that I had found him sitting on my porch and he looked like he was waiting or resting.

The questioning lasted a whole hour and I was beginning to feel funny and I asked if I could visit the sick man. They let me go. My ears were ringing from all the questions the doctors had asked, like "How long did the man sit there?" and "Did he stand up quickly when you came?"

I ran out to the nearest flower shop and bought the most expensive flower I could find and ran back to the hospital. A nurse showed me to the sick man's room and I gave him the flowers. He looked very happy, and I was glad that I had helped the man. I had never helped anyone like that before. When I turned to leave I saw the sick man wink at a doctor. I ignored that too because I was so happy.

Each day I visited the sick man until one day he said that he was better and he wanted to leave, so I asked the nurses to help him into my car while I paid for his room fee. When I went to the cashier the person behind said I had to pay $100,000,000. I turned pale, but I was responsible for the sick man and I was from a wealthy family, so I paid.

I ran back to the car because I didn't want the man to be waiting too long. Behind me I heard the cashier person snicker. I thought that was strange, because:

• The ambulance came in a few seconds which was not possible unless it was already waiting for the man to get hurt.
• Why did the sick man wink at the doctor?
• Why was the bill so expensive? The hospital that I went to was supposed to be cheap.
• Why did the cashier person snicker?

I pushed those thoughts away and concentrated on driving. When I asked the man where he lived, he said he didn't have a house. I invited him to stay at my house until I found a good house. I finally found one. It cost $100,000,000! I again was shocked, but I was responsible for the man and I was from a healthy family, so I bought it.

When I showed the house to the man, he was happy and rushed inside to live in it. I was glad that he was happy. Then, again, a strange thought came to my mind.

• The ambulance came in a few seconds which was not possible unless it was already waiting for the man to get hurt.
• Why did the sick man wink at the doctor?
• Why was the bill so expensive? The hospital that I went to was supposed to be cheap.
• Why did the cashier person snicker?
• And why was the cost of the house the same as the hospital bill?

I was beginning to feel that something was going on. The next day I went over to the man's house, but I saw that someone else was living there! I was shocked! I had been tricked! Then I knew what had happened. The man sat on my porch because he knew that my family was rich. He was waiting for me to come out so he could "faint." The ambulance was already waiting on the next block. The people who were driving it were the man's partners, and so were the doctors, cashier, and the housekeeper! I was really mad at myself and everyone. I was robbed!

I can't trust any stranger any more! I never will!

My Store!

By Julianne (Age 8.5, Bradbury School)

My store is located in Roseville, a tiny village. My store has been here for three generations.

My store is about one classroom big. Half of the store is a kitchen. A small part is the cashier, and I have four small tables. The decorations depend on the season. If it's Christmas, I decorate with snow flakes, but when it's normal time, I have bright lights.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

My store sells bubblegum, brownies, and ice-cream. My bubblegum is chewy and tasty, the brownies chocolatey, the ice-cream comes in all flavours. Some brownies have nuts in them.

Old people and kids come to my store. I feel cheerful when they come in because they comment on my food saying what I can add and how I can improve. Because all my food is really tasty, of good quality, and is cheap, people like to come.

One day, a famous company opens a megastore selling the same things next to my small shop. The store is filled with good-smelling popcorn, hot dogs and all kinds of food. It has movies, phones, and digital cameras. All their movies are expensive but of very good quality. They have massage places. I go and see happy, relaxed customers.

I decide to make the prices a little cheaper and find out ways to make my food sweeter. I make banners and people start coming back with new customers too. I start putting some new food in the menu. I also add more chairs because so many come back.

In the end, the big store gives me a better job at their place. Old and new customers come. My plan is very successful and I give my son the stand.

Where Were You When... Dinosaurs Were Brought Back to Life?

By Sophie (Age 9, German Swiss International School)

During the afternoon of October 2, 3490, a dinosaur was created on one of the islands in the Bahamas. It is known that Dr. Dracon and his assistant (no name) used the help of the wizard, Merlin XIII, to create his destructive figure. Fortunately, no deaths occurred. The dinosaur was captured by police forces and put into a zoo with large brick walls to prevent it from escaping. Dr. Dracon and his assistant were surprisingly not found guilty, although it is believed that Merlin XIII was abandoned without any food and might not have made it.

Person: Meryl Crook
Occupation: Managing Director of JP Morgan
Doing What: On holiday in the Bahamas

"I was on vacation in the Bahamas when this event occurred. I was on a beach, relaxing in the sand, listening to music on my iPod. I remember listening to "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele, wondering if any song could be better. I had my Ray-Ban sunglasses on my face, staring into the sky. The sun's bright rays blinded my eyes, so I lurched my head forward again. I got up and sighed when I realized my body was bright red and in pain, so I stood up and began to walk back to the hotel a few meters away. Cramping, I pushed myself on, until I heard a loud noise. It was a noise so loud I could hear it over the music on high volume! It sounded like a roar, but not a lion's or a tiger's. It was a massive roar that shook the palm trees so hard that coconuts were dropping onto the hot sand. I began to run to my hotel, screaming in pain and fright. Suddenly, before me stood a large green animal that roared so hard my eardrums popped. The T-Rex was right there! I could tell he was desperately hungry, but I was not a meal! I rushed through the middle of his legs straight to the hotel. I ran up the stairs to my hotel room and hid under the covers until it was all over, which seemed like a very long time. I did not set a foot outside for the rest of my vacation."

Person: Dr. Dracon's assistant
Work: Scientist
Doing What: Bringing a dinosaur back to life

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

"I was in Dr. Dracon's lab during this event. I was his assistant, and we were working on our latest project: to bring a dinosaur back to life. We had found some dinosaur DNA on one of the T-Rex bones we had found underground. A sample of the DNA was put in one of our test tubes and brought back to our lab in the Bahamas. Soon we were working on all sorts of experiments: just the two of us with no interference. After two years of work, we finally found a way to bring a dinosaur back to life. Dr. Dracon and I were not just scientists, but we were also kidnappers. We were walking around the same jungle where we found the T-Rex bone, when he came across a little tree house. Both of us carefully climbed up the tree until he reached the top of it, where the tree house stood. We carefully climbed in and saw a man. He was a very old man with a white beard and he was wearing a blue robe with silver moons and stars on it, matching his tall and pointy hat. He was a wizard for sure. We quietly watched him practice magic, while we hid behind one of his tables. We captured him and brought the wizard back to our lab. We promised him no food and not to let him go until he helped us complete our project. With his hands and legs tied up and a piece of tape over his mouth, he nodded in agreement. The wizard soon granted our wish and promised under magical circumstances that he would not undo our wish. As soon as the dinosaur was completed, it went stomping out of our lab, but we did not mind. We were the first to create a dinosaur! We decided to flee to America where we are now, leaving the wizard back in the Bahamas...

The Giver (Ending)

By Tin Chan (Age 9, ISF Academy)

Editor's Note: This story continues the ending of Lois Lowry's The Giver. 

Jonas and Gabriel went through the rough storm. Snow hit against their faces. Patches of white formed on their faces. Jonas protected Gabriel from the snow by covering his face from the snow.

Although the snow was very cold, Jonas somehow felt very warm. Soon he heard music and the sled was slowing down. The snowstorm became smaller and smaller. Gabe started to laugh and soon, Jonas felt himself filled with joy.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Suddenly, Jonas felt himself standing on a patch of grass with Gabriel in his hands. He looked around. It was a nice community. There were houses that surrounded him. Jonas stared into the distance and saw a few buildings. He thought, "This might be Elsewhere." He felt an impatient tug on his clothes and saw that there was his mom coming toward him slowly, with her hands in front of her body, like a zombie.

Jonas quickly ran away, aware that this could be something bad. Bang! He saw his mom change into a zombie and suddenly, he found himself surrounded by zombies. He felt himself being sucked up into the air with a great tremendous force. And then...

He found himself without Gabe in his hands, standing in an office. There was a person in front of Jonas. He wore a green hat and a green suit. He was eating some sunflower seeds from a burlap sack and smoking at the same time. He had wrinkles on his forehead and a grayish white mustache.

"Hi. My name is Mr. Sir. And you are standing in front of the government of Elsewhere. Elsewhere is a camp for brats who escape from their own communities. The people who do it shall be punished. You will have to - "

"Where's my friend?" Jonas blurted out.

"Ah, you mean that small boy of yours?" Mr. Sir flashed him an evil grin. "He's in the factory, being reduced to tiny bits for tonight's meal."

Jonas, filled with anger, tried to run away from Mr. Sir by the only door out from the office. Suddenly, a bottomless hole formed from under him, and Jonas fell into it, screaming for Gabriel. He heard Mr. Sir laugh. His horrible, evil laugh.

The Lonely Tiger

By Lily (Age 6, German Swiss International School)

One day, there was a Tiger and a Wolf. The Tiger was best friends with the Wolf. One day, he had to go to a family reunion of cats. Big cats, small cats, and other cats would go. The next day, he said bye to the Wolf. He took his bag and set off. The cats' reunion was on Acorn Road, Number 123. At the family reunion, he saw a Lion. In his mind, he compared the Wolf to the Lion. He wondered how cool the Lion was. So he walked up to the Lion and said, "Wanna play ball?"

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

"Sure," said the Lion. So they played ball. After he was done playing ball with him, the Tiger went home. He saw Wolf playing outside.

"Hi," said the Wolf, but the Tiger did not answer back. "Hi," said the Wolf, but the Tiger still did not answer. After a couple of minutes, he answered.

"At the family reunion, I met this awesome lion and he is more awesome than you! You are useless, you are lazy, and you can't do anything!" The Wolf felt hurt. He walked home.

The next day, the Tiger saw the Lion with his pride. He said, "Do you want to play ball?"

"No way, I am with my pride!"

The Tiger was sad, so he went to the Wolf's house. He saw the wolves were eating a sheep.

"Do you want to play?"

"No!" said the Wolf, and continued eating. The Tiger was alone. He was mean to his first friend and his second friend was mean to him. Then he was left alone.

The Story of Billy Frankilson

By Samantha (Age 10, German Swiss International School)

This story takes place in 1972. There was a boy named Billy Frankilson. Billy had a family but the whole family was homeless. They were kicked out of their house by the government because they couldn't pay the rent. His dad was an exterminator and his mom did domestic work. The Frankilsons secretly lived in an old farm house. There was everything in that farm house. They had beds, water, and electricity, and because the government forgot to close the house for sale, the Frankilson family took the house. The only thing that they didn't have was money and nice clothes. They got food from the chickens they had, and from the plants and vegetables.

Billy was 17, about to graduate from West Mitford High. He was very smart, handsome, and popular in school. He had a girlfriend named Amelia Emart. Amelia thought that Billy was perfect. The only problem was that he went to a very rich school and if anyone found out that he lived in an old farm house, he would lose everything. So the only way to keep on going with life was to not invite his parents to the graduation. A week before graduation night, Billy told his parents that graduation was only for the kids.

He went to school and found out that he had won the German, Math, and English awards!! He had to give a speech and dedicate these awards to his parents. He felt guilty after lying to his parents. He had to do something.

The night of graduation came. During his speech he was going to tell the school his secret. His name was announced so he could come give his speech. He began stuttering on stage and he ran off crying. He was so sad. He ran backstage, and ran into his parents wearing nice clothes! Mrs. Frankilson was wearing high heels. Mr. Frankilson was wearing a suit. Billy was very confused. Supposedly Billy's parents had been saving up money to wear nice clothes to his graduation night. Billy hugged his parents and ran back on stage to finish his speech.

"I would like to tell you a secret that might change your lives. My name is Billy Frankilson, and I am an only child. I live in an old farm house because the government kicked us out of our old house. I am now here making this speech for my mom and dad. What I learned in my life was that you do not have to be rich to love. Blindly I was looking for what I did not have and I didn't see what I already had: wonderful parents, a girlfriend, great friends, and an education. Congratulations, fellow graduates! You graduated!"

The Race

By Jennifer (Age 10, Hong Kong International School)

"Hey there, Catherine!" said Molly as she hurried to Catherine.

"Oh hi Molly!" said Catherine as she ran toward her friend. Suddenly, she felt cold. It started off from the shoulders, all the way down to her legs. It felt like a whole minute to Catherine, but it only took half a second in real life. Catherine felt like drinking a cup of hot chocolate, though it was summer, and they were outside in the hot sun. She felt herself tilting left, then everything turned black.

****

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

"Catherine! Catherine! Wake up!" said a voice as Catherine opened her eyes and was blinded by the lights. "Are you okay?" It was Catherine's nurse, Mrs. Ralph.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Catherine, as she sat up from the sofa.

"What happened, Catherine?"

"Well, I was running, when all of a sudden I felt cold, from my shoulders to my feet, then I started to tilt, and everything turned black," she felt a sting on her forehead. "Ouch!" Catherine cried aloud, as she felt the bandage.

"You scraped your head," said Mrs. Ralph, as she gave Catherine a cup of water. "Now, where were you when this happened?"

"I was outside on the playground."

Mrs. Ralph got up from her seat and walked to her desk. She typed a few things and gasped. "Catherine, I want you to run from the couch to me." Catherine got up, and started to jog forward. It wasn't long before she had the same feeling again and fainted. "Catherine! You have a disease called myotonia congenita!"

"What is that?" asked Catherine as she got up from the couch again. Her head was throbbing, and she couldn't think correctly.

"Well, that means whenever you run, your muscles freeze up, and what that happens, you faint," explained Mrs. Ralph. "I must go inform your parents. You need to go home."

****

A few hours later, Catherine was home in front of a lot of worried faces. "Catherine, how could this happen?" said her mom. "Why didn't we know?" asked her dad. "Why has it never happened before?" asked her helper.

"I don't know," was the reply to all the questions.

"You will never be able to run again," said her mom.

"But the marathon of the year is coming up!"

"I know, but how will you win?" asked her mom. There was no reply.

****

The next day at school, everyone was buzzing about the news. "I heard that she will never be able to run again!" said a girl. "But the marathon is coming up!" said another.

"How will I win?" thought Catherine. "How will I win?" 

There was no chance she would win anyway. She was the slowest runner, and she would definitely be the slowest if she had this disease. From that day on she walked, hopped, and crawled, but she never skipped, galloped, or ran. 

On the day of the competition, it was raining, but everyone wanted the competition to go on. The rain was like an obstacle. When everyone got to their position on the track, there were many gasps when they saw the worst runner in the world. 

"How will I win?" thought Catherine. "How will I win?" 

Suddenly, the gun shot, and everyone started to run. As Catherine zoomed forward, she fainted, and woke up again. The others were halfway through the race already. Suddenly, a runner tripped and bumped into another runner, who also fell. Another slipped from the rain and three more did too. And because they slipped, they had no control of their direction, and crashed into five other people. There were hundreds of gasps, as the runners lay there motionless. Catherine walked forward. It took her a long time, but it was worth it. She had won. 

****

At school, everyone treated her even better. They complimented her, and were astonished that she had won. "Great job!" said Molly.

"Thanks," said Catherine. "I am actually proud of my disease, or I would have ended up in the hospital like the other players." 

"How will I win?" thought Catherine. "With my disease."

Rubber Ducky

By Jennifer (Age 10, Hong Kong International School)

"Hey, come over and give me a hand!" yelled one of the workers of the Friendly Floatees company. "Okay, be right there!" yelled another.

The air inside the box was thick, and covered with dust. Inside was pitch black dark. Some of my friends had been sent on this boat before, but I never knew I would be too. My friends said that this was the boat to life. You don't want to be treasure in the ocean when you can instead have an owner that will wash you, take care of you, and love you.

"I guess it is my time to live a new life too," I said as I felt the box sway on the angry waves. "I cannot wait!" I squealed to my friend Fred Frog, and my other two friends Barbara Book and Diana Ducky. "Me too!" Diana yelled back. "This is the gateway for a new life," I said to the others, but they could hear the tiny drop of nervousness in me. What if I got thrown away? What if they didn't like me?

Barbara, who was so smart since she is a book that can float, said to me in her mystical voice, "Do not worry, for the hands of God will guide the boat to safety, and there, God will find our perfect owners for us."

Suddenly, I felt myself sliding to the right, as the boat started to move. It was January 10, 1992, and it was midnight. I had been on the boat for six hours. Everyone was asleep, except for Barbara. She was praying and whispering something, but I could not make it out since she was so quiet. Then, out of nowhere, came a rumble as loud as a train. Everyone woke up: all the 29,000 duckies and other floating bath toys.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

"What is that?" I screamed as there was another rumble as loud as a tornado.

"STORM!!!" Barbara cried out. "DUCK EVERYONE, DUCK!"

"Why are we afraid of ducks? I am a duck myself!" I screamed.

"NO! DUCK!"

"I see!" I yelled, as I put my head to the floor like everyone else. We all huddled and slept, when suddenly I felt myself tilting left. I thought it was the waves, but then I noticed it was really serious.

"We are going to fall!" screamed Diana.

"I don't want to die like this!" cried Tom, as water filled the box. Suddenly, the box ripped open, and we all fell out like sand flowing out of a bucket with a hole at the bottom. We all headed different directions.

"Bye!" we all yelled to each other. My friends all disappeared into the mist.

To be continued...

Jumpia: "A Choice World"

By Jasmin (Age 10, German Swiss International School)

Editor's note: This is a story inspired by Lois Lowry's The Giver.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Last week on the 23rd of August, Explorer John Dibbs found a small community called Jumpia near one of the Spratly Islands. Jumpia is a society where people are not allowed to make any choices. They can only do what is told of them to do. In this place there is a group of elders who make rules for the people to obey. If they don't obey, they get a punishment that the "Group" decides.

We interviewed some people to find out their opinion of Jumpia. Andi Rudolph, the head of security of Jumpia, told us that he thought it was unfair that Jumpia residents could not decide what to do. Andi said: "The prime minister of Jumpia has a council called the Group who decides everything and the residents can only do what the Group wants. I think that this rule should be stopped and residents should choose whatever they want and then it will be the best utopia in the world."

We also asked Mrs. Jessat Dunmore and she said that this rule was fair. She said that it enabled her to be (a bit) lazy and she could just do what people wanted and she didn't need to choose anything. Dunmore and her husband work for the computer company Apitsio and they are managers there. Because of the "Group", Dunmore and her husband only need to go to the Apitsio office once a week.

One of the "Group" members, Jane Alecto, has been very strict about the rules lately. Someone said that Alecto was forcing people to go to work for two years straight with only four holidays in the period of two days. The "Group" has also been unfair to many people, forcing them to do hard jobs with no training at all!

While walking around on the the streets, the "Group" has been harassed a lot of times due to their bad judgments. During these incidents a lot of Jumpians have been hurt. Melissa Abotts, the head judge in Jumpia has had requests to ban the "Group" and let everyone have their own rights. Melissa and her group have had long discussions and have decided.

Yesterday when the crew went to Jumpia the news had spread - Melissa had made her rule. The rule was that if you were over 32 then you could make your own choices. There was also no more "Group". Jumpia was rejoicing when we arrived and we interviewed Melissa. "I really like the idea of banning the 'Group' because even I am tired of them. They made my 32-year old daughter go to Clairons Managing Company and made her work seven days a week with only half a day of rest. They also forced my baby son to go to kindergarten even though he just turned three! How strict is that?"

Now Jumpia is in complete harmony - even the former "Group" people. Jumpia has a lot of shops and buildings opening because the "Group" didnt' allow more buildings and shops. Lots of people are taking a break from work and some are quitting. Agencies for jobs are busy because people want new jobs. What can happen next?

April Fools'!

By Sophie (Age 9, German Swiss International School)

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

The darkness took up all the space in my room. I jumped into my bed and relaxed. It was the 31st of March, 11pm. I didn't think I could stay awake much longer. 12 o'clock and it was April Fools'. I had to try. I jumped off my bed and switched on all the lights. The light was so strong, I felt as if I was in the spotlight. I flicked my eyelids and yawned, not knowing if I could stay awake.

I was straining myself to stay awake when my clock's buzzer rang its annoying little tune. I jumped up from bed and ran into my sister's room. "Pinch punch for the first of the month!" I shouted. My sister lurched her fist toward my stomach, and I ran back to my room, giddy with laughter.

That night I dreamed about all the pranks and tricks that would happen tomorrow. Not those tiny little "stick a note on someone's back" tricks, but something big and huge. I thought about my plan over and over, feeling like the most mischievous kid ever.

We lived on a rented small farm, on the coast of North Carolina. Our house stood near the edge of a tall cliff, with a tiny beach and luscious, clear water next to it. We were forbidden to jump from the cliff, or swim in the sea. Every day we had the same routine: getting up at five, milking the cows and feeding the sheep, pigs, cows, and horses. Before school, I was to run to the spring, miles away, to fetch clean water. But not today.

My alarm clock was set to three in the morning, and I was more tired than ever. But today was the day. I got out of my bed, and put on my swimsuit, flippers, and snorkel. Sliding down the stairs, I grabbed the rusty old pot I was to use to gather clean water. Letting the door slowly creak close behind me, I moved over to the edge of the cliff, taking a deep breath. "KAWABUNGA!" I yelled, jumping straight down toward the sparkling sea.

Landing in the cool water, I swam back to the top of the ocean and scooped up water with my pot. Laughing, I pulled myself up to the shore and looked up the cliff, the pot full of water in my hand. I found stairs leading back to the top of the cliff. Taking my flippers off, I carefully placed the pot on the rocky steps and sat down.

At the top of the steps, I sighed in relief, pulling myself upward. I ran across the field, finding that all the animals were asleep. Swiftly, I opened the door and placed the water on the kitchen table, running upstairs to find a towel.

Little did I know that that day, the owner of the house was coming to inspect the house! My mother was cooking breakfast when Mr. Muller barged into the house. "Let me see that," he said, pulling the rusty pot across the sink. Quickly, he gulped down the water, when his face cringed. "Disgusting!" he yelled, his face steaming. "You will move out of this house in a week. Start packing!" His loud voice echoed through the halls. He had ruined my April Fool's joke.

I went to school feeling bummed and annoyed, planning revenge.

A few days later, the whole house had been packed from head to toe. I decided to go and check the mail. My mother was whining about how she should sell the animals. My father was trying his best to calm her down. As I crossed the field, I noticed that the flag on our mailbox was sticking up. Mail! I pulled the door open and pulled out the mail. I noticed there was a letter from Mr. Muller's friend. It said that Mr. Muller had been poisoned by drinking or eating something bad. The farm was now ours! I ran inside to inform my parents, feeling like I just had the best April Fools' Day ever!

The Great Chicago Fire

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

By Ryan (Age 10, St. Paul's)

"Ring... ring... ring..." I was woken up by the deafening alarm clock. Before I could leap out of the warm bed, I felt absolutely hot and I smelled a burning smell wafting in the air. My first thought was that I was on fire while my eyes were still closing with exhaustion. But there were disastrous screaming sounds outside my house and my eyes opened with fright and shock.

With a quick leap from my bed, I decided to dart out of my house. But I made a mental note that I wouldn't dash through the door because it was all on FIRE!!! My heart was pounding as fast as a cheetah's. Big sweat beads were trickling down my forehead rapidly, and my entire body was shaking with fear.

Almost feeling helpless, I couldn't believe that Chicago was on fire, because we had just built some buildings. But oh! The buildings were all made of wood. Tears were dropping down from my eyes. Suddenly, a marvelous idea came to my mind. Noticing that there was a fire extinguisher beside the bed, I jumped to it immediately and took it in an instant. I quickly sprayed the oxygen all over the door. Smoke was bursting out and the door was broken. I took the cooking glove from the kitchen and cautiously took away the hot, blasting wood by my door.

A smoky road was in front of me and there were many burning houses which caught my sight. I rushed out of my house and when I wanted to take some food for the disaster, my house made a sudden "KABOOM!" noise. My entire house was blown up and it was broken into pieces. Fortunately, I could escape from the disaster, but looking back at the horrible Chicago, I burst into tears, feeling extremely disappointed.

Kid's Healthy Snack (Pancakes)

By Yi Ting (Age 8.5, St. Stephen's Prep School)

Kid's Healthy Snack (Pancakes): A Manual!

Supplies

• Stick
• Squeeze bottle
• Butter (salted and hard)
• 1 pack of flour
• 2 chicken eggs
• 1 cup of water (if needed, two cups)
• A spoon
• Frying pan
• Stove
• A big bowl
• Knife

Instructions

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Step 1: Take the big bowl and pour in half of the flour, then crack two chicken eggs into the bowl. Now take the spoon and stir it for thirty seconds. You need to put a spoon of water from the cup. Keep stirring and stirring and if you need more water, keep adding spoon after spoon. If you want to know when the mixture is finished, look for bubbles; it should have some bubbles in it. 

Step 2: Go to the stove and put the fire to low heat. Now use the knife to cut a little bit of butter into the frying pan. Use the knife to stir the butter around the whole frying pan. Put the mixture in the pan and put the pan on the stove. There's another way: you can use a squeeze bottle. Just pour the mixture into the bottle and squeeze the shape you want onto the frying pan. You can use the stick to check if you are not sure if it is cooked yet. Use a spatula to flip the pancake over when one side is done. 

Step 3: Use the spatula to take the pancake out. Put it onto the plate. It is finished. 

Warnings

• You shouldn't put the fire on a very high heat, or you will burn yourself. 
• You can't leave the mixture alone, or it will burn. 
• You shouldn't just cook one side. If you eat an undercooked pancake, you may die.
• You shouldn't pour the mixture too much onto the pan, or you can't cook it.

Troubleshooting

• When the pancake is burned, you need to put it into the bin. 
• If your kitchen is on fire, take a bucket of water and pour it in the kitchen, then call the firemen. 

The Best Parents

By James (Age 10, Renaissance College Hong Kong)

Once upon a time, there was a boy called Dell. He had a very strict father and mother. They made Dell do all his homework in three hours. They also forced Dell to play the piano and the violin for at least one hour every day. They didn't let Dell go for sleepovers and after-school activities, and made him sleep at ten o'clock every night. They also didn't let Dell eat unhealthy and food that was meat. Dell only could eat vegetables. He only got friends that were very dorky, like people that had very good grades. Dell also needed to get good grades. Dell needed to walk to school every day because his mom thought that he needed more time to do more exercise.

One day, when Dell woke up, he looked at the clock and it was eleven o'clock on a Sunday morning. He quickly woke up and ran to brush his teeth and change his clothes. He dressed up and saw his dad and mom cooking breakfast. He ran down and dropped to his knees and said, "I am sorry, dad, mom, I know I should have woken up at eight o'clock in the morning, but I didn't. Sorry, can you forgive me?"

His dad said, "We turned off your alarm clock because we think we've been too strict on you. We read this article about tiger parents. We know that we should give you freedom. So, today, the whole day is your freedom day. You can do whatever you like and you can say all of your wishes out and we will make them come true."

Dell stood up and hugged them both and said thank you. He wrote down a lot of things and told his parents to buy them. The things he wrote were: PSP (new version), NDS I, iPhone 5, iPod Touch, a MacBook Pro, a 43-inch television, and a Visa card. He played with all of the things he bought the whole day until it was 11:48. Dell asked his dad and mom if he could have two wishes. He said, "Dad, mom, can I have two wishes? If I can, my first wish is to own the things you bought for me today. The second wish is that I want to have just a little bit of freedom: like after I finish my homework, piano and violin, can I play games for awhile? I want to have sleepovers with friends and I want to sleep at eleven every night. I also want these wishes to last forever in my life."

The next day, when Dell woke up in the morning, it was eight o'clock. Dell ran down and saw that breakfast was ready. Dell ate his breakfast and changed his clothes and went to school. This time, Dell's dad and mom said to drive him to school. After school that night, when they ate dinner, Dell's dad and mom said, "Dell, we thought about it all night. We want you to have more freedom. Now, we will set the rules again. You can play with your things after you finish your piano and violin and homework. Piano and violin practice will be changed to fifty minutes. You can have other friends but they can't make you go crazy because you are our only son. You still need to get good grades but you can get one B. We will not be so strict like before. You can eat a little meat but you still need to eat vegetables. You can sleep at eleven o'clock but no later than that. The real thing is, we just want to help you." Dell hugged them and went to play the piano.

Tiger Parenting

By Hannah (Age 12, Canadian International School)

Hi, I'm Rebecca Johnson, Becky for short. I am a 13-year old girl and still have mean, cruel, evil, bad, annoying - and don't forget old - parents. Anyway, I slipped and fell down some stairs, and I must have gone through some kind of magic portal. After I got out of it I woke up in my parents' room and I was an adult. When I went to look around the house I saw my parents in child-form and they were on the computer, playing. My dad said to me, "Hi mom, where is BREAKFAST?!"

"Yeah, give me the breakfast!" repeated mom. I was shocked, confused, and scared. Then I had an evil thought in my head... "Hey mom, cook me some breakfast!" demanded mom. Now it was time to give them a piece of my mind!

"Do it yourself, you little lazy butt!" I replied and they went off and listened. If I was in their shoes I would have shouted, but I didn't have to. Ha ha ha! I treated them like my parents treated me!

"You get me a snack and you be my footrest!" I commanded. My parents quickly followed my orders and got to work with no comment. Awesome! I drove them crazy. I made them to work, I made them clean up, and I didn't let them eat or sleep.

"Hey mom, don't you have to go to work?" asked little mom.

"Oh right! Bye! Oh and when I come back I want you to have done your work and gone to asleep!"

At work the boss made me do a whole bunch of things I didn't want to do. He made me work to the bone! I thought I was about to explode and I hated him.

When I got home from work, the whole house was spotless and my parents were asleep in bed. I felt sorry for them because now I knew why they were mean to me. Their work was really stressful!

The next day my parents woke up and they were adults and I ran up to them and hugged them tightly. Then they said they had a weird dream and they explained the whole of yesterday to me. I told them to work for someone else and they did. Now, when they come home, they have a smile on their face and a skip in their step. I was also treated differently and I liked it. Now they don't punish me anymore when I do something bad!

Privacy Story 2020

By Richard (Age 13.5, Chinese International School)

I reached for the roll of black tape by the side of my desk. It was placed there since the hackers on the internet have discovered a way to access the webcams on computers. The little green light, that was on my computer which signaled that the webcam was on, was blacked out by a small strip of tape. I sighed, leaning back onto a chair, which was probably the only private part of my world growing up. My curtains were closed as usual - the hackers around the world had long since discovered how to hack into government satellites, and although the police and the UN have tried hard, not one hacker has been caught.

I didn't use Facebook anymore, after an incredibly scary episode including me, a hacker from the internet with a picture of me outside my door and a sick smile. I wasn't really missing out on much, anyway. No one used Facebook anymore, except a few "daring rebels" who simply thought using Facebook was like a game. Google had recently tried to put up a "safe" Facebook replacement called GoogleCommunicate, but considering how easily the hackers broke into Google satellites, no one really bothered to try it out. New anti-virus programs had been released with the added function to prevent key-logging (a method by which a hacker records all the keys that you press) and my parents had bought me the program to install on my Mac. It was time for school, and comparing this world to that of eight years ago, it's incredible how things have changed.

I walked out. I waited outside my house, staring at the sky. It was unnerving to know the number of satellites up in space. There were probably two satellites watching your every move. The school bus came, and along with my surrounding environment, consisting of modern grey buildings and tinted windows, the bus had changed. The whole bus was painted a shiny black, and the windows were tinted. Why? I was lucky to go to one of the higher-end schools of this little town and the school was worried about student privacy. Two of this city's most powerful men had sons or daughters in this school. The whole bus being a big piece of shiny black metal on wheels made it harder for satellites to distinguish what was the window and what was just the side of the bus. The school was not so different from before. However, the once open corridors were walled up and the sports field and basketball court each got a roof. It was scary the amount of money that people spent to keep their identities safe from some creepy stalkers.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Even as the bus trudged along the road, security cameras swiveled to face the vehicle. The corporate sign "Google" was written in bold blue letters along the side of the camera, and "for your personal safety" was inscribed underneath. I didn't believe it. At first, Google was the hero of the cyber privacy crisis and by 2015 Google even had a military force designated to stop such cyber criminals. However, Google began to realize that these military forces were not producing satisfying results, and although the military scheme was not abandoned, the soldiers were increasingly showing behavior that of a hitman or assassin. Innocent people were killed and the UN forced Google to stop the scheme. Since then, they have been working on safer, newer methods that could be like our original life, such as GoogleCommunicate, but the results haven't turned out too well. Who knows: perhaps by 2060 computers might be banished.

As I slowly doze off to the rhythmic bumps of the wheels, I do not notice a little red light on a satellite, hundred of miles away in space from me, flash. A little red dot. And I do not notice a man, plugged into a huge computer, wires spreading across his desk, connecting antennae boxes, two keyboards, and three screens. He starts to smile.

Unlikely Friends

By Blossom (Age 6.5, ISF Academy)

Editor's Note: This is a story based on City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems. 

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Once there was a hamster. 

It was from a city called New York. 

Then there was a rabbit. 

It was from a tropical island called Honolulu. 

The hamster said that she had no more friends but the rabbit said, "But I will be your friend."

The rabbit said, "Let's play jumping games." 

"No," said the hamster. "Let's play hamster games." And that was spring. 

When the rabbit went to the city to visit the hamster, the hamster was trapped in a cage. But the rabbit rescued the hamster and they sat and talked together on a rock. And that was summer. 

They did a lot of things. They played and played. Then they talked but they were moving. And that was fall. 

But when the hamster saw that the rabbit was missing she was sad. The hamster looked for the rabbit. And that was winter. 

A new animal appeared. It was a dolphin. It was from the sea. 

The hamster learned how to swim because the dolphin taught him. They played a lot of games, like hide and seek. They played dolphin games then they played hamster games. The dolphin game was splashing. The hamster game was going in a tunnel.

And that was spring again. 

The Wedding

By Jennifer (Age 9.5, Hong Kong International School)

There once was a girl named Clare who was still in high school but already had a baby! This was the night of graduation and she couldn't wait. But that wasn't all there was to be excited about, as she was going to get married right after the graduation! The music started, and she slowly walked forward to the groom. She could feel tears of happiness forming in her eyes. People were watching. Some were weeping, while others were just smiling.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Suddenly, there was gunfire, and everyone screamed in horror as they watched helplessly as the groom collapsed to his knees and then passed away without another sound. Clare looked at her supposed-to-be husband in fright. "Who did this?" she asked. No one made a sound. "I asked, who did this?!" she screamed as waterfalls of tears streamed down her face. Clare's family rushed to her to help her cheer her up a bit. But nothing seemed to help. Clare did not know what to do anymore so she just started to run. Anywhere was fine with her, as she just wanted to get away.

The next day she found herself in her bedroom. "I must have fainted before I even ran a yard," she thought as she got dressed and went downstairs with her Alex Rider book in her hand called Eagle Strike. "I plan to find out who did this, just like how Alex did," Clare thought. So right after lunch, she zoomed to where the wedding reception had been to find clues. But all she found was an empty room with a trash can inside. She searched the trash 20 times, but there was only a candy wrapper and a tissue. Nothing helped at all. But as she was about to give up, she saw writing on the candy wrapper! She squinted at the tiny letters to try to make out what was said, but all she could read was:

Though everyone is excited about my wedding, I do not love this girl, but my parents are forcing me to, so I must kill...

Suddenly, things began to make sense! She quickly ran to the police station to make sure that the police didn't accuse someone for killing the groom. There was a person in jail who had been found with a gun. She told the police, "There is no criminal! The groom himself didn't want to marry me, so he tried to kill me so that he could marry someone else. This person here is the one that saved my life." She smiled at the "criminal" and he smiled back. He was her good friend John. A few days later there was another wedding, for Clare and John, and this one went perfectly.

Some Privacy, Please

By Justin (Age 13, French International School)

It is 2020. The word 'privacy' does not exist anymore. Everything that I write or do could be accessed by anyone. Nowhere is safe and secure.

****

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

School just ended and I decided to hang out with my friends for awhile before going home. We were walking along the street when I got a text message from my mom asking why I was hanging out with my friends. She told me that she tracked down my location using her phone and found out that I wasn't in school. I wasn't skipping school. The teacher who was supposed to teach me wasn't there so we were allowed to leave earlier than usual. She then asked me why I was hanging out with Antonio and Joshua. I thought to myself, "How is it even possible for her to know who I was hanging out with?" All she told me was that she accessed the street camera and saw a few photos whilst I was accompanying Antonio and Joshua. She asked me to come home right away but I didn't. She called me again and yelled at me, asking me to come home straight away. She was stalking me the whole time. I decided to obey what she said and went back home.

On the bus, my friend Joel called me and asked me why I wasn't with Antonio and Joshua. He wasn't stalking me but he saw a notification of my texts with my mom. It started to drive me mad. He asked me if he could play on the PS6 with me that night. Right before I replied, I heard my mom saying "No!" for me. Mom was listening to my conversation with Joel the whole time! I thought to myself, "How can I get rid of these people stalking me?" So, I decided to go to the harbour front and threw away all the electronic devices into the ocean. I thought no one could stalk me anymore, but I was wrong.

The moment I got home, my mom asked me why I threw away all my devices into the ocean. She saw some photos of me on Photobucket. Some random person probably took a picture when I threw away my items. I thought to myself, "Where am I going to be safe when there are random stalkers on the street too?" I was extremely confused. It came to my head that if I disguised myself, nobody would recognize me.

I went down to the mall without my mom noticing and when I got home, my mom asked me why I went to the mall without her permission. Do I have any privacy at all? Plus, how was it possible? My mom said that she got samples of my fingerprint and found my exact location after I had left.

I got home, went into my room and stayed there since it was the only place with privacy and the only place where nobody could stalk me. My computer buzzed. I got a message from my friend asking me why I was looking so sad in my room. It was weird, since I hadn't even turned on my web cam. He told me that my web cam was on all the time since last week and everybody was able to see me live for the whole week.

I asked myself again, "Where can I get some privacy?"