In the shadow of a low stone wall on the edge of a forest, two sisters lay sprawled in the grass. The younger one turned to look at her sister. “Lindsey, is this really the last time?” she whispered. Lindsey nodded miserably and continued to look at the sky. She remembered only too well the day her parents announced they were moving. The weeks after that had been a flurry of packing and goodbyes. Now she and Sara had come to their favorite place in the world to say goodbye. They had been coming here ever since Sara was a baby to watch the clouds. They had always wanted to see one shaped like a bird, but they never had. And now we never will, Lindsey thought. They had always wanted to see one shaped like a bird, but they never had “Lindsey, what would happen if we ran away?” Sara asked. “We could hide in the forest until Mom and Dad leave and then we could stay here forever.” “We’d starve to death,” Lindsey answered. “Anyway…” But her words were cut off by the voice of her father. “Sara! Lindsey! Where are you? It’s time to go!” “Coming, Dad,” Lindsey groaned. “Come on, Sara.” Lindsey pulled Sara to her feet and together they climbed over the wall and got into the waiting car. As they drove away, Sara began to cry. “Oh, be quiet,” snapped Lindsey, but she felt like crying too. Three hours later they reached the new house. Lindsey went out on the back porch and watched the sun setting over the ocean. Just as the fiery orb sank below the horizon, Lindsey heard someone else come out onto the porch. A moment later, Sara was standing beside her. “Look,” Sara whispered. Lindsey looked where her sister pointed and saw, just above the place where the sun had gone down, a cloud shaped like a bird, its wings spread wide in the afterglow of the sunset. Lindsey put an arm around Sara. “No wonder we never saw one before,” she whispered. “We were looking in the wrong place.” Sandra Detweiler, 12Eugene, Oregon Ruby Bledsoe, 12Austin, Texas
Moving-New-Home
A Hidden Reflection
In the meadow everything was silent and untouched. Maria looked over the vast field and the woods beyond and everything was blanketed in a thick layer of velvety snow. The air was cold and crisp, and stung Maria’s throat and chest while she panted slightly from the run to this beautiful place. But she didn’t see it as beautiful. Maria thought that the snow’s glare was too harsh and the bitter cold wind was cruel and merciless. She missed the warm sun from back in Hawaii where she was from. This was her first winter here in Oregon and everything about it made her more and more homesick. Instead of breathing in a gentle breeze filled with the fragrant scent of flowers and a touch of pineapple and coconut, she was breathing in nothing but the strong smells of snow and pine needles. Back at home she would have been lying on a warm, soft beach, feeling all the grains of beautiful white sand underneath her. Now she was standing bundled up in prickly scarves and hats with the rattling, empty crunch of snow and frost underneath her. Maria looked around at the meadow and said quietly to herself, “How I wish I was back home. Or at least with my friends.” And then, as if to answer her, a bundle of jackets, scarves, and mittens fell out of the nearby tree, screaming. Maria gasped and ran over just in time to see that there was a girl in the midst of all of them, looking more like she had just won the lottery than fallen out of a fifteen-foot tree. “Whoa! Ha ha ha! That was sooo fun!” she shrieked joyfully. In that reflection Maria saw her days with Sophie ahead of her “Are you OK?” Maria inquired anxiously. The girl merely looked at her in surprise as if seeing her for the first time. Her large blue eyes widened with delight. “Oh, who are you? I’m Sophie! I can’t believe you’re here! Mama told me our neighbors would be arriving soon but I had no idea how soon! Hi!” Sophie looked expectantly at Maria, her eyes fluttering excitedly as if she thought that Maria was about to proclaim that she was a fairy princess from Australia. “Um, I’m Maria. I come from Hawaii. Nice to meet you.” “It’s not nice, it’s spectacular!” exclaimed Sophie, tossing back her curly blond hair with one gloved hand. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a friend! Come with me! I’ll show you around.” With that Sophie grabbed Maria’s arm and led her around the meadow, pointing out different types of trees and winter animals as they went. They walked so far and long that by the time they were done there was hardly a patch of snow that was not covered in small boot tracks. After a while, Maria gasped, “I don’t think I can take another step, let alone get home. Please let me stop and rest.” “Oh, very well. Hurry, though! I’m going to show you my favorite place in the world.” Maria sat down and felt her heart beating heavily inside of her. Thump, thump, thump. Her mind was racing too. Was she actually having fun? Did she really like it here? What about Hawaii? Home? But Sophie was so nice and funny. Would they be friends? And could she ever forget about the warm beaches and swaying palm fronds? “Are you done yet? It’s gonna get real cold if we just sit here doing nothing.” And with that Sophie burst into a line of cartwheels, finally tumbling into the snow, her hat askew and her freckled face shining with joy and pink from the cold. Maria stood, laughing so hard her cheeks hurt. Sophie stood up too and after a full minute of nonstop laughter she wheezed, “I guess . . . ha ha ha . . . we should carry on. Come on! I’ll show you my special place but I’m warning you, it’s a secret and I mean to keep it that way Just over this way!” Maria followed and watched as Sophie burrowed through the bushes, disappearing into the other side. And then, rather hesitantly, Maria did the same and was immediately in awe of the sight in front of her. They were in a medium-sized enclosed area and Maria’s first impression was that she had somehow journeyed into one of those beautiful sceneries in the movies her older sister, Kami, watched. Taking up most of the space were three cherry-blossom trees, forming a perfectly straight line of strong sturdy trunks and outstretched branches. The branches were almost completely bare but every once in a while Maria could catch a glimpse of a little pink blossom budding and spreading out its delicate petals. In it, it carried the beauty of being so small, serene and tranquil, and outside of it the color was dainty and pastel. “Whoa . . .” “Nice isn’t it?” “It’s not nice, it’s spectacular!” giggled Maria. She never saw sights like this in Hawaii. “Well, that’s not all! You won’t believe what else there is, right behind the trees, hidden by all those flowers and branches.” Maria walked carefully around the trees, not wanting to disturb something so pure and beautiful. And true enough; hidden behind the rest, there was a small pond of crystal ice, the sun’s weak light bouncing off of it and the cherry-blossom trees casting spiral shadows over it. Maria looked deeply into it and saw that while the outer layer was ice, beneath that there were a few inches of tinkling water. And almost completely hidden by the ice, there was a faint reflection of two girls looking back up at them. One was blond, fair-skinned, and had huge blue eyes. The other had dark brown eyes surrounded by long eyelashes, a cinnamon- colored complexion, and long black hair. In that reflection Maria saw her days with Sophie ahead of her, and their blooming
Like New Jersey
Gloria took another deep breath, no luck. The thick musty air still hung heavy in her room, meek rays of sunlight crept out through the slits in the door and captured millions of dust particles surrounding her. She managed to force open a window that had been painted shut, which only served to create more dust, and to her dismay the air outside was just as smothering. Gloria dug through one of her suitcases and found her copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Following the words with her finger, she picked up where she had left off. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum. Angrily, she shoved the book under her mattress, closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Unfortunately, the last task was just as difficult as the first because as soon she had rested her head, the door flew open, revealing her oddly well-intentioned aunt. Aunt Daisy was a round woman with rosy cheeks and strawberry- blond hair, and she was a woman who would never be seen in public without some form of makeup on. “Glory, child! Look at how late it is and you’re still in bed! Now why don’tcha go on down to the Dixie Maid and meet yourself some friends.” The window at the far end of the room provided the best view in the entire world “Why don’t you knock first?” Aunt Daisy looked hurt for a second, and then changed the subject. “What about some cake? The least you can do is eat something; put some meat on them bones.” “Whatever.” Aunt Daisy waddled down the stairs and then back up again, this time with a glass of cold milk and a piece of iced lemon cake arranged on her best china. She set them down and kept talking. “Listen Glory, now I know thatcha would rather be somewheres else right about now. But there ain’t nothing I can do till you want to talk about it.” “Later.” “Oh. Well all right then, y’all just give a shout out if you need anything.” “Yeah.” She turned to leave and then stopped as if remembering something. “Uh, this evening I’m going over to Susanna’s house for our weekly bridge game, it’ll just be us and a couple others. Her number’s on the table if there’s an emergency.” “OK…” Oblivious to Gloria’s mood, she continued her conversation. “You know, you have my permission to go on out tonight. I hear that there’s a new picture out.” “A picture?” “What do you children call it… um… a film.” “I’m not a child, I’m almost sixteen.” “I know that. One last thing and I’ll leave. I just wanted you to know that your room’s going to be ready soon. So you can leave this dirty little attic.” Gloria noticed the way she turned up her nose on the word attic, and she stifled a laugh at the thought of the pigsty Aunt Daisy called her bedroom. “I’m fine with this room.” In truth, Gloria disliked everything about that place except for one thing. The window at the far end of the room provided the best view in the entire world. Looking through it felt like she had gone back in time, back to when she was in New Jersey with her parents and sister. When she looked through the window she could see the fields of white daisies, red roses and golden marigolds framed by the beautiful birch trees, which her father had planted ten summers ago. With all of the low points about living with her aunt, she wouldn’t even consider leaving her one source of comfort. “Now are y’all sure?” “Yes,” she said impatiently. Finally, Aunt Daisy took the hint. Gathering what was left of her dignity, she swaggered out of the door, which was barely big enough to allow her safe exit. Gloria couldn’t help but laugh as her aunt squeezed through the narrow doorway and continued down the stairs. Once she was certain that her aunt was gone and not coming back she fell back onto her bed and got lost within her dreams. Caramel light filled the room and the air no longer seemed so very hot. She rubbed her eyes drowsily and glanced at her watch, which read 5:35. She got dressed slowly and crept downstairs. The first thing she noticed was the Rolodex, which stood in the middle of the table and served no purpose other than to cast shadows beside itself The porch light was on in anticipation of the approaching darkness. It was at this moment she realized that she was alone. “Aunt Daisy!” she called out. No answer. She felt a wave of boredom and decided to step outside into the fading Alabama day Once she had done so, she immediately regretted it. Everything seemed to slow down to a molasses-type pace and she could get a view of the entire town with one glance. Then she felt herself being carried away, past the local high school, past the town center and past the weeping willow trees, which marked the entrance to the town without a name. Sprays of ocean water licked her cheeks and she emerged from her dreamlike state. Questions ran through her mind like wildfire and she searched the beach for signs of civilization. The sun had set completely and the only lights visible came from the lighthouse, which stood amongst the rocks. At a speed never before reached, she sprinted towards the light, realizing that the person there could be her only hope. The stairs, which led to the top of the lighthouse, seemed endless and creaked more with each passing second. Now her
