We are like a grain of sand on an endless beach A soft whisper echoed off the walls. “Jess!” I jerked into consciousness, tense and trembling. The door was closed. The clock ticked as usual. The lopsided calendar above my mahogany dresser showed the same picture of a sun sinking behind the mountains that had been there when I went to bed. Must be a dream. I leaned back into my pillow to close my eyes again. “Jessica Stark, wake up.” Silvia? A light tap sounded on the window pane. I shifted my position. In the darkness I could make out a small, round face with long black hair pressing its nose against the half-open window. It was Silvia! I stood, tore off my blanket, and pulled the window up all the way. What on earth was Silvia doing here at—I glanced at the lit clock—12:37 in the morning? “Hi,” Silvia whispered. “H-hi,” I whispered back. “What are you doing here so late?” Silvia glanced behind her shoulder and said, “I couldn’t sleep and thought you and I could go exploring.” Exploring? I suddenly felt afraid and remembered how quiet the house was. “I can’t come out now.” “Why not? It would be a good experience to explore the unknown— at night, that is.” Silvia pushed a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. “Come on, please?” “Are you sure it’s safe?” “Sure it is! Just crawl out the window. I’ll help you.” “But what if…” “It’s fine. Don’t worry. We’ll only be out for a little while.” Silvia danced a little happy dance before whispering, “We can catch fireflies and watch the moonlight dance on the water.” It did sound pretty neat. But I couldn’t. Night was scary. Night was unpredictable. “Just jump down. It’s easy,” Silvia whispered again. “Are you sure?” I threw on some shoes. “Of course I’m sure, silly!” She reached out a hand. “Here, I’ll help you out.” I didn’t know what led me to grasp her hand, but after a matter of a few seconds I was outside my window under a bright moon, Silvia beside me. “Follow me,” Silvia whispered softly as she pulled my hand. I followed her through a small path cutting between two pine trees which I had never noticed before. “Where are we going?” “I’ll show you.” A silver moon wore a scarf of lacy clouds as I followed Silvia through the path, shivering all the way. A chilly wind rippled through the trees that also sent swirls through the pond. I was so enchanted by the sight that it left me with a new desire to see the world at night. To hear the world at night. Maybe to even feel the world at night. “Look, Jess!” Silvia pulled a branch aside with her delicate hand, revealing a huge field that stretched for miles, looking full of undiscovered wonder and mystery eager to be known. I could see fireflies blink in the magical blue night. I could even feel the sudden warmth of this field wrap its arms around me. It was a beautiful sight. Silvia scampered into the field and then turned, a sparkle in her eye. “I call this the Infinite Field.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, too caught up in the beauty of the grass glistening in the moon-drenched light to answer my friend. “Come on,” Silvia urged. She skipped back to where I stood and pulled me deeper into it. “We can catch some fireflies!” ’tis the night of the fireflies. A soft giggle escaped my lips. Yes, it was their night, but it was also going to be my night. The carpet of grass seemed to wave to me, almost beckoning me to come and play. The stars above seemed to wink at me, almost assuring me that I would be safe in their sight. How could I refuse and leave when wonder was going to unfold before my eyes? Without any more hesitation, I pulled off my shoes and followed my friend barefoot into the field, feeling the sudden coolness of the grass beneath my feet. One after another, the fireflies twinkled and came within catching distance. Occasionally, I caught one and then let it fly high into the sky, blinking its farewell. But otherwise, they would wink and disappear completely. “Twelve… thirteen… fourteen…” I listened to Silvia’s soft voice in the quiet night as she collected the fireflies in a small glass jar she had brought from home. I would’ve never thought of bringing something like that along! And I started thinking. How did she seem to know every detail of nature? She was the type of girl who would stop and smell the flowers even if she was in a rush to get somewhere. I have never cared to take the time to look closely at nature. But Silvia? It was her enjoyment— her delight—to explore the beauty around her. I would have never imagined myself underneath stars I could almost touch with my finger, or see the vivid picture of a moon casting pools of water on the grass. It was all too perfect to be real. But it was real. I suddenly jolted from my thoughts when Silvia started lifting the glowing jar above her head. “I want you to say ‘now’ when I nod at you, OK?” “OK,” I agreed. Curious, I watched her eyes twinkle excitedly. I wouldn’t miss this for the world… whatever it was! Once Silvia adjusted her hand to twist the cap off the jar, she nodded her head eagerly. “Now!” I shouted enthusiastically, throwing my arms into the air. On cue, she popped the cap open, releasing a spray of dazzling light into the night sky. The shower of firefly light danced high with the stars, before they parted into different directions. “Whoa,” I managed to say. Silvia just laughed and slipped the jar back in her bag. “Come on, let’s run!” Without waiting for
Friendship
Jess and Lizzy
Jess sat dejectedly on the playground swing. She kicked the sand around her feet as if personally punishing it for her lack of friends. It wasn’t fair that she should have to sit here on this swing, lonely and bored, while the other kids had a great time. Her eyes flickered restlessly from face to face, until they landed on Sarah Smith and her posse who were happily making fun of some poor kid whose mom still dressed him in the fifth grade. Jess had a burning hatred for Sarah. It seemed to Jess that Sarah’s favorite pastime was making fun of Jess and her all-black wardrobe. Even though Sarah was mean, Jess still wished that she would stop to admire her bright red Converse high-tops, or how good she was at reading. No such luck. People never seemed to notice Jess. She wasn’t pretty or ugly. Her hair was stick straight and reddish and her eyes were a muddy brown. And she certainly wasn’t an athlete, unless running away from doing her chores was athletic. Jess was an outcast, a loser, one of those people who just fade into the background. In fact, the girl walking toward the swings right now probably just saw the red brick of the school behind Jess, not Jess herself. Jess was just about to walk away when she really looked at the girl coming to the swings. She tried not to stare, but it’s hard not to when the person you’re staring at is so weird-looking. The girl had electric blue eyes the size of the moon and light blond hair so curly it reminded Jess of a poodle. Unlike Jess’s, this girl’s skin was really pale, as if the sun didn’t touch her. Apart from the scary eyes and pale skin, the strangest thing was that she didn’t have a gaggle of friends with her. Weird, Jess thought. “I saw you sitting here by yourself and thought you could use some company!” “Hi there!” The girl plopped down on an empty swing. “Uh… hi?” Jess’s face had turned scarlet. She wasn’t used to talking to people her age. “I saw you sitting here by yourself and thought you could use some company! The name is Lizzy by the way!” Lizzy smiled. Apparently, Lizzy’s grin was infectious because Jess couldn’t help but smile back and say, “My name’s Jessie, but you can call me Jess.” “Oooh, I love the name Jessie! That was my dog’s name!” Jess wasn’t sure if that was a compliment, so she said, “Yeah, OK. By the way, I… uh, don’t think I’ve seen you here before. Are you new to Penbrooke?” Jess crossed her fingers that Lizzy actually was new and Jess hadn’t just been unobservant. “Oh yeah, I’m new in Mrs. Raymond’s fifth grade. You’re probably in the other fifth grade, right? Isn’t Mrs. Marsh, like, really mean or something?” Lizzy looked at Jess curiously. Jess let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and replied, “Yep, I am in Mrs. Marsh’s and she’s super nasty. She reminds me of a bird ’cause she has a beaky nose and weird beady eyes.” “Caw, caw!” Lizzy giggled, imitating a bird. Jess smiled and laughed. “But seriously, you have to tell me about this school,” said Lizzy. “What do you want to know?” “Everything.” So Jess proceeded to tell Lizzy about the cutest boys, nicest teachers, and the way Sarah Smith thought that using Proactiv acne medicine was something to brag about. Lizzy laughed at the funny stuff, was sympathetic at the right times, and not once did she call Jess a loser. Jess was elated and she could tell Lizzy was excited to have a friend too. When the bell rang, Lizzy turned to Jess smiling and said, “So I guess I’ll see you around. Maybe we could go to my house sometime?” “Sounds like a plan!” Jess grinned. As they ran off to separate classrooms, Lizzy yelled, “By the way, cool Converses!” Jess walked to class with a huge smile on her face. So maybe Lizzy was a little odd, but who was Jess to judge? All that mattered was that Jess finally had a true friend. Maia Donahue, 12Midland, Michigan Zoe Hall, 13Rockville, Maryland
Crosswords and Crumpets
She was like a bug that clung onto me that I couldn’t shake off I found the crossword puzzle section of the newspaper and picked up a pencil. One across: Roman goddess of wisdom. That was easy enough; I had studied Greece and Rome in fourth grade. I breezed through the crossword puzzle until I came to thirty-three down. “What will fly away if you don’t grab it soon enough?” Ten letters. I racked my mind for bird species that were ten letters long. Mockingbird? That was too long. Bluebird? Too short. I sighed and nibbled on a warm crumpet with raspberry jam. The doorbell rang, and, expecting the mailman, I answered the door. It wasn’t the mailman. “Hi, Ashley!” Bethany chirped. My heart sank. Bethany was a handful to live across the street from, even if she didn’t go to my school and we weren’t the same age. I tried to dodge her whenever possible: at the town pool, riding bikes, gardening in the front yard. She was like a bug that clung onto me that I couldn’t shake off. I know I seem a little cruel, but I was on spring break, it was ten am, I had woken up fifteen minutes ago, and I was pretty grumpy. I sighed. “Hi, Bethany. Have you had breakfast yet?” “Well, yes, but I’m already dressed and you’re not, and those crumpets look yummy, so maybe I could have one while I waited for you to get changed?” She gave me a pleading, hopeful look with her big blue eyes, the color of my mom’s forget-me-nots. There was no way I could say no to her. I sat her down at the kitchen table and jogged upstairs, throwing on a hot-pink short-sleeved shirt and khaki shorts. Fresh and most definitely awake, I jogged back downstairs to find Bethany polishing off the last of the crumpets. Thank God Mom bought them in bulk, I thought, eyeing the now empty plate and the kitchen table covered in crumbs. Bethany saw me. I sat back down and picked up my crossword puzzle. Bethany leaped up from her seat. “Can I see? I solve that kind of stuff with my dad all the time!” She peeked over my shoulder. “Thirty-three down—what will fly away if you don’t grab it soon enough? Weird.” She paused for a while, thinking. “Ooh! Ooh! I’ve got it!” I got annoyed. I’d had it with Bethany. “Bethany, listen. Crossword puzzles you’re supposed to solve on your own. OK?” Bethany pouted. “Fine.” She slammed the door without saying goodbye, which was totally fine with me. It was when I went upstairs to my room that I felt guilty. I sat at my desk, trying to draw something. Drawing always took my mind off of something. I drew my cat, Toffee. I drew my best friend, Lizzie, who was in Hawaii for spring break, and me, laughing and having a picnic. I drew my fish. I drew my favorite cartoon character. All of them didn’t look right for some reason. My mom came in. “Ash? What’s wrong?” I shrugged. “Who finished all of the crumpets?” I felt my eyes narrow. “Bethany.” My mom seemed to understand. “Oh, Ashley. You don’t understand.” I hate when adults say that. “I do.” My mom slung an arm around my shoulders. “Bethany likes you. She wants to be like you.” “I get that much,” I grumbled. My mom continued, ignoring my grumpy attitude. “You’re her role model. Remember Isabel?” I felt guilty. “Yes.” Isabel was a girl that lived on my street when I was eight. She was my idol: tall, tan every summer, kind, pretty, not bossy. She was five years older than me, and I wanted to be with her every second of my life. She came over to babysit me almost every day; when she didn’t, I would say, “Where’s Isa?” She was the big sister I’d never had: I would help her study for her Spanish test; she would let me borrow her nail polish and lip gloss. We would do everything together: go to amusement parks, ride our bikes, share cotton candy, bake cookies, plant twin lavender seeds in our front yards so that they would bloom together, we did all we could ever think of. Now, Isabel’s in high school. I have her e-mail address, her phone number, and we still talk to each other, but I don’t hang out every day with her. I can’t. My mom smiled. “Maybe you’re Bethany’s Isabel.” The tiny sprig of guiltiness bloomed into a flower. I sighed. “I’ll find her.” My mom grinned. “That’s the spirit.” “Want to race down the slide?” Bethany asked I hopped on my bike and pedaled off to where I knew I’d find her: in the park, on the playground, doing the mini-monkey bars over and over. She saw me and dropped down. “What? I thought you were doing your crossword puzzle,” Bethany said. I smiled. “Bethany, I’m sorry…” She was trying so hard to look mad that I giggled, and eventually she did too. We laughed until other people at the playground gave us weird looks. “Want to race down the slide?” Bethany asked. “Sure,” I replied. As we waited for our turn down the slides, Bethany whispered, “Want to know what the answer to the crossword puzzle was?” I figured there would be many more crossword puzzles to do together, so I said, “What was it?” Bethany smiled and said, “Friendship. F-R-I-E-N-D-S-H-I-P.” I smiled too. Of course. Anika Kwan, 10Foster City, California Jo DeWaal, 12Greenwich, Connecticut
