Mitchell

Paper Madness “Well that’s just great! I just messed up my paper for the fifth time in a row. I’m already failing grammar! Oh well, I’ll just crinkle it up and throw it away.” That’s how my “little problem” started. Suddenly I heard a ‘pop’ and a ‘crash’ after I threw the paper wad behind me. I looked behind me and saw my trashcan smashed, a hole in the wall, and through the hole was my paper wad only now giant. It was the size of five houses! I knew I had to stop it, so I jumped out of the hole in my wall and started chasing it. Oh no, it’s heading for the school and… ‘crunch’, it ran over the school. Well, at least the kids are happy. Now giant ink splats are flying out of it and landing on people’s heads! I knew I shouldn’t have put the broken pen in it before I crinkled it up. The people are now running around screaming and setting up mattress barriers and the paper is just knocking them down. Can the hill up ahead stop it? Uh-oh, it’s gone halfway through the hill… but it stopped! The world is safe once again.

State of mind in six words: It is fun to play soccer

Diary of a Falcon May 23, 1998 Dear Diary, Today I was born! Whoops, where are my manners? My name is Fred. I asked mom who I am but she only replied, Fred. I was hoping for more details but Fred it is I guess. I looked down from the nest today and my stomach lurched. I was so far from the ground! I decided to ask where I am instead of who I am. Mom said we’re on top of a power plant stack. I reminded myself to never go to the edge of the nest again. Signed, Scared Fred

June 14, 1998 Dear Diary, The best thing happened to me today. My feathers grew in! Also, dad had a day off so we got to hang out, literally, I was on his back and he was flying. I also made a friend that’s a baby hawk named Dario; we met when we were both on our dad’s backs and we talked and figured out we had a lot in common. As we parted Dario said he hopes he’ll see me again soon. Signed, Happy Fred

June 28, 1998 Dear Diary, All my feathers have grown in and they’re awesome! I’ve been playing around with my wings all the time by flapping them while I run around the nest. I hope I’ll fly soon. Oh, and by the way, my dad told me that a young falcon is called a chick or an eyas. I only remember being called Fred, though. Signed, Awesome Fred July 4, 1998 Dear Diary, It’s the Fourth of July, the day of the year that the smokestack our nest is on blows out smoke. I learned this the hard way today. I was just about to fly when the smokestack blew. The smoke started blowing out so heavily that it stuck to my feathers. Since I would need these feathers to fly, my mom had to fly me to my first day of school. Amazingly, at school we learned that falcons are nature’s best flyers and that we need our feathers to catch the air when we fly! The greatest part of the day was watching the fireworks. They were awesome to see! Signed, Amazed Fred

July 5, 1998 Dear Diary, Today is my first day flying and it is amazing, I love it, the wind coursing through my feathers, beating on my face, it’s just awesome. The best thing is that now I can fly myself to school instead of mom flying me there! Today in our lesson at school I learned that the fastest recorded flying speed for a falcon is 220 mph! I’m going to be the falcon to break that record! Signed, Speedy Fred

July 7, 1998 Dear Diary, Guess what, it’s the first weekend since school started! Mom wanted to see if it was just by luck that I can fly so she used food to coax me to fly and when I did she said I was the best flier in the world! I played tag with my friends today and I learned that all of them can fly, too. Even Dario was there and we were on the same team. We were darting in barns and around houses as fast as we could go. What fun we had today! Signed, Flying Fred

August 8, 1998 Dear Diary, Today it was back to school. I learned something interesting and useful. I learned that playing helps us learn to catch our own food. Oh, and when I say playing I mean chasing each other around. By doing this we learn to catch our own prey. This is an important skill for survival. Mom and dad will be so proud of me when I learn to do this. Signed, Learning Fred

September 13, 1998 Dear Diary, Today in school, I learned that when I was a chick I was completely helpless against enemies. Good thing I had mom and dad to watch over me and protect me. I asked mom what I looked like as a chick. Like most adult falcons say to their children, she said that I was covered in fluffy stuff called down that made me look very puffy and cute. I wonder what I actually looked like? Signed, Confused Fred December 25, 1998 Dear Diary, Merry Christmas! Did you know that usually the mom falcon stays home and the dad falcon finds the food for the family? Yet today dad was home along with mom. After everyone was awake I got to open my present. This year I got the best toy in the world, a super falcon man action figure! He has awesome crime fighting skills and you can spread his wings out by clicking a button and you can control him with a remote. I made sure to thank mom and dad an extra bunch. Signed, Thankful Fred

January 1, 1999 Dear Diary, Happy New Year!!! There are two things to celebrate today, New Year’s Day, and my new baby brother, Benny. We’ve been waiting for 28 days for him to hatch (now I know what chicks look like)! My family had a major party with special treats. We had pizza, pop, cheeseburgers, and popcorn too. There was dancing, games, and an inflatable bounce house. Now I look forward to watching Benny go to school, fly, and maybe I’ll teach him to write his own diary! This is the best New Year’s Day ever! Signed, New proud brother Fred



__**Elizabeth**__ I am blessed and special I wonder why I am the mother of the forerunner of the messiahI hear Mary's voice I see my cousin Mary I want to see my cousin's child I am blessed and special I pretend not to think about what else could come with my baby I feel my baby kicking I touched my husband once he gave me the news of John I worry what curse could come because of my baby I cry for my cousin I am blessed and special I understand I will someday have to give up my baby, John I say nothing bad will come from John I dream about the Messiah saving everyone I try to be a good influence on John I hope John will be a good forerunner I am blessed and special

__**Wisemen**__ A wonderful night We tried to find the Baby The Baby is gone We find the Baby Savior Patience does pay off in time

__**Baby Jesus**__ I remember sleeping in a soft manger I remember the people who visited us I remember the animals such as the sheep and their horrible stench I remember the hay underneath me, so soft I remember watching the stars shining in the sky I remember the stable and it's layout even though it was small I remember my wonderful family The best memory of mine is the angels talking to me

= = == = My Friend Ored =

We met on a warm, sunny day. As I walked through a weird mist, I found myself in an undersea temple! The temple had marble pillars, windows that let you see the ocean, a silver inside, and a golden outside. There I was met by Ored (that’s what I named her). She had an orca head, elephant neck, anemone fish body (fins), and turkey tail (or tail feathers). When in freshwater or a bowl, she is about three inches long.

One day when we went to the beach, she started acting strangely, so I let her swim in the ocean. But after we swam away from shore she grew to six feet long! She grew by a genetic ability from her parent that is always passed on to the children. That day I rode on her back to a long way off shore and we saw a shark, so we dove really deep into the ocean, but it followed us! I knew it would attack and I guess Ored did too, because she bellowed. When she did a hundred anemone sprung up around the shark and started stinging it. After that, we fought it off and I knew Ored’s natural habitat was the deep ocean.

Now Ored lives in a mini – aquarium in my room that is six feet wide, four feet wide, and two feet tall. The aquarium is fresh water so she is only three inches long. My neighbors are very nice and think it is good that I received a pet fish. Ored eats banana peels, apple cores, and other scraps that the neighbors donate. One day she layed eggs like a turkey’s (she layed 18 and they were underwater). That day I learned that Ored has a special ability to lay eggs by herself. I can’t wait to see the babies!