As I walked along the trail, the wind rustled the deep-green leaves in the tall trees. I could sense everything in the forest that day; the soft whispers of the tall grass, the chipmunks that silently skittered across the trail, the lullaby of the creek as clear water trickled over smooth stones. But there was something else. A light, joyful presence, a presence that made the whole forest stop to look. It made me stop and look too. I stood in place, still as a statue, looking for whatever creature created this magical atmosphere. And then I saw it. Quick as a flash, a burst of color in the green leaves above. It zipped past me, and towards the small patch of flowers on the edge of the trail. Only then was I able to get a good look at it. A hummingbird, each feather meticulously crafted by Mother Nature herself, shimmered in the dappled green-gold light of the forest. Miniscule bright eyes glinted mischievously as iridescent wings moved back and forth so fast that they were merely a blur. Its tiny body shimmered in the sunlight, capturing all the colors of the rainbow. It perched gracefully on in a nearby bush, and that bush seemed to quiver with delight at this pint-sized miracle. The hummingbird chirped sweetly and fluffed itself out. And just like that, the hummingbird spread its miniature wings and was gone as quickly as it had come. Clare McDermott, 12Madison, WI Daania Sharifi, 13Gainesville, VA
Nature
The Sycamore Tree
Once upon a time, there lived a bright and cheerful sycamore tree named Triffle. Triffle was bewildered by the rapid riffles at the edge of the clear blue river. She was very astonished at how rapidly the river was moving. She spotted a baying dog and a squalling bunny running away, trying to resist from getting caught. With lots of sympathy, Triffle waved her ancient branches to try and coax the frightened bunny in a safe domain under her broad roots. Triffle noticed a wound on the bunny and used her special soap as a liniment to heal the injury. The eager dog was full-fledged on catching his prey but he’ll have to hunt another day. Mira Johnson, 8New Braunfels, TX Tessa Papastergiou, 11Ontario, Canada
The Power of Nature
The water gushed from the waterfall that I could just about see and it formed a sapphire river feeding life itself. Dark green shrubs poked their beautiful heads out of the ground pleading with the smiling sun to grow and live. Just by looking at this beautiful jewel, a feeling of pure happiness washed over me. Birds sang an orchestral song and they fluttered over me while the wind blew a gentle gust of wind as I slept, not to wake for eons to come. The bridge’s planks were strong and sturdy like bodybuilders. Small fish gently swam and talked in an indecipherable language. Reeds waved to the wind, sang from sleep, and smiled a green leafy smile. The flowers all radiated beauty and life. Ants skittered to and from their anthill, all serving their queen, while a pretty butterfly alighted on my finger. All evil fled into the dark pits of hell to meet the devil while God in his heavenly throne granted the hope, wishes, and prayers of all. This was a nearly sacred idyll, undisturbed by tourists and their noisy cameras. Smoke floated up from the chimneys of the nearby village and the forest replenished the air while creatures squeaked as they ran in and out of trees. Cows mooed and talked and played with their calves. Flicks of migrating swallows showed their skill on the wing and their tails directed them home. I trotted home only to in the night dream about going to that ball of magic again. Adam Smith, 10London, UK