Ziva Ye, 9Overland Park, KS The Goal Ziva Ye, 9 I lived a happy life. I loved to roll around in the grass and laughing with the other kids at recess. I didn’t even care that my leather black-and-white pentagon patterned clothes got smothered with grass stains! My favorite subject in school was gym. Every time I was sent into the goal in a good game of soccer, everyone cheered. I would feel always proud, blasting into the goal. There were so many memories, good and bad, that it would take forever to list them all! It was good. So good. It was so good that no one would have thought that this would soon happen. It all started around Spring Break. I thought everything would be okay. I would see them in a week. But then a week passed, and then two, then three. I started having doubts. This was too long to be spring break! I was starting to feel squishy too. My air was running out, I realized. When were they going to come back? I missed it when I would be kicked into the goal and the gym would erupt with cheers. I missed the proud feeling that would flood inside me instantly. And I missed my hope that was puffing out as fast as my air. I waited for a long time. I was relieved when I heard the gym doors screech open. Is everyone finally here? I looked out to find only the gym teacher. Everyone called him “Mr. Gym”. Unusually, his face had a sour frown pasted on it. He grabbed the air pumper and began pumping me. “This virus ain’t leaving for a long time. It’s too bad they had to shut down the school.” He muttered. Huh? I thought. Virus? Shut down?! I felt my head spin. Everything was out of order now. I continued waiting. I wasn’t squishy anymore. I sat and waited patiently. I recalled memories, and they were the only things to accompany me and keep me from losing it. It was all I did, and through the process, I realized the school had lost its charm, its heart-warming presence. This was heart-breaking. I closed my eyes. I opened my eyes drowsily. Had I fallen asleep? I looked up to see Mr. Gym again. This time his face was plastered with the biggest grin I had ever seen him have. W-what happened? I could hardly believe it when I saw everyone, all my classmates, all the teachers, everybody. Mr. Gym tossed all the balls to everybody. I flew in the air and someone caught me. I looked up and felt overjoyed. “I missed you!” said the boy holding me. He was here! The boy who always sent me flying into the goal! The one I was waiting for. He tossed me up and kicked me. “Wheee!” I exclaimed and went straight into the goal. I was as happy as a soccer ball like me could be.
Short Stories
Quarantine Robbery, a story by Jackson Schwaeble, 10
Jackson Schwaeble, 10Magnolia, TX Quarantine Robbery Jackson Schwaeble, 10 It was a beautiful night on 347612 Crescent Street. Alex was having a nice fajita dinner when his mom spit out the news. “Honey, I’m working a double shift tomorrow at the hospital so you’ll be staying home alone.” Alex was awestruck. “Really mom? You’ve never trusted me with having the house to myself before.” His mom gave him a don’t make me regret it look, so he decided to do himself a favor and swallowed a teaspoon of hush. The Next Day Alex woke up, looked at his phone, 9:30, his mom was long gone. “Home alone!” he thought to himself. So far being home alone hadn’t been up to his expectations. All he’d done was eat breakfast, watch YouTube, and watch more YouTube. Then he heard a knock. One knock. Pause. Two knocks. Now Alex had seen enough movies to know to never answer a door, so he looked on the security cameras. “Ski masks,” he said quietly. “Subtle.” He heard them talking, so he listened. “Look, this is a dang Home Alone situation where we’re showing our hand,” Robber one said. “What is Home Alone, and what is showing your hand?” Robber two said. Robber one had that look in his eyes like, this is my partner in crime? Then Alex realized they weren’t the brightest tools in the shed, so he got to work. He made a big sign and taped it on his shirt. The shirt said, If you rob this house you will get Coronavirus. He then went to the window and pulled the curtain. “How do you like my shirt?” They looked at the shirt, shivered, and ran away screaming in pure terror. “Extermination successful!” He said.
Mama’s Mask, a COVID-19 story inspired by Renoir’s Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, by Michela You, 11
Michela You, 11Lexington, MA Mama’s Mask Michela You, 11 I was only five years old when the coronavirus started. I am now 18 and thinking back about it, thinking about Mama and the day I had tested positive. I look at my bulletin board to see the mask she made for me. Piece by piece my story unfolds. 13 years ago–– I woke up coughing so hard that it woke my parents up to come to check on me. Mama rushed to my room, touched my forehead, and suddenly, her friendly face was full of fear and grief. She rushed to Papa and they start talking in a rush. The only words I caught were fever, mask, urgently. My mind was in a blur. If I have a fever, does that mean I have the coronavirus? Mama walks into the room. “Ruby, honey, you need a doctor urgently. You have a fever, but don’t worry. We’ll try to calm it down. We will try to get a mask for you and some medicine.” I started to tear up. “Mama, will I die?” Mama shook her head. “All you need to worry about right now is getting some sleep so that you will recover faster. I will make some oatmeal for your breakfast. Stay in bed and try to relax, honey.” She walked out of the room, obviously bothered by something, and closed the door behind her. I tried to breathe. Was my breath getting slower and shallower, or was I imagining it? I tried not to panic, but I did, so I called for Papa. He rushed into the room at the sound of my voice and sat on my bed. Well, I should say 6 feet away from me on the bed. Is he afraid that I have the coronavirus? I told him to get Mama, and he bolted out of the room. Mama came in again and set my breakfast and medicine on my bed. She fed me without a word. Is she afraid of me too? She’s sitting right next to me though. Even touching my hand. I tried to push the evil thoughts out of my head, and I said to Mama, “Is Papa afraid of me?” Mama looked at me if I were insane. When I told her what happened, she vowed to me that she would speak to Papa about this. Mama asked me if I wanted some cookies or a snack, and most certainly, I said yes. She smiled at me. “That hungry brain of my little girl is still the same!” I laughed. “Thanks, Mama. I want some fruit snacks and potato chips please!” She nodded and walked out the door. I breathed a sigh of relief. She still cares about me! Before long, my mom took me to the only doctor: the doctor at the fair. There were thousands of people at the fair. In fact, there were so many that I could barely run!! People were buying things, drinking tea, and kids were playing happily. My eyes caught so many friends! Charlotte, Rebecca. Mama had told me not to go near anyone for some strange reason. How am I supposed to go near the doctor if I’m not supposed to go near anyone? I thought. When we came to Dr. Stone’s cabin, he was in a strange uniform and in his lab were thousands of . . . masks? I looked at Mama. She was calm. She had no intention of grabbing one and running away with me. Dr. Stone was checking the inside of my slick mouth. Then he suddenly stopped. His eyes were wide with fear. He ran to the sink, washed his hands, and handed Mama a mask. He whispered something to her, and Mama started to break down in tears. Seeing her cry brought tears to my eyes. I reached towards Mama, but the doctor stepped between us. I then realized that the small hut was filled with nurses and doctors trying to help. “The ambulance will be here soon, hold on. In the meantime, don’t touch anyone.” He whispered to me. I cried and cried. Mama was fighting her way through the nurses to get to me. Ten nurses were trying to grab her, telling her that I was going to be okay, but she screamed and pushed and yelled that I was her little girl. Then, the wailing of sirens began to grow, and I howled and tried to escape, but a nurse was strapping me on some bed with wheels. People in green-blue uniforms came and rolled the wheeled bed up to the ambulance. “NO!” I screamed. “MAMA! HELP ME! MAMA!” I thrashed around wildly, but the nurses and doctors were like lions, not stopping until they had what they wanted. Mama cried and screamed. “HONEY! NO! STOP!” I could only see her terrified eyes when the ambulance’s doors closed. I was choking on tears when one of the nurses put an oxygen mask on my face. “Just try to breathe,” she said serenely. Her kind eyes were so like Mama I had to choke back some sobs. I suddenly felt more sleepy than ever, so I closed my eyes and darkness rushed upon me. When I woke up, I was in a white room labeled, CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL. I looked around. Nobody was with me. I looked to my left and saw a button that said: When the patient wakes up, press this button. I obediently pushed the button. Five seconds later, six nurses and four doctors ran into the room. One of the nurses ran towards me and I realized that she wasn’t a nurse. She was only wearing a protective suit and a mask, but with no belts like all the other nurses have. It was Mama! I screamed in joy. Mama ran to my bed and hugged me. One of the nurses spoke up. “She can hug you now because she has a mask and a protective suit. We wanted to let you know that you have tested positive with a tiny case of the coronavirus. We are doing our best, and you should be good enough to go home in a week.” Behind Mama, I saw nine of my friends also in protective suits and masks. They ran to me, with presents