Adam Smith, 13London, UK Hide and Seek Adam Smith, 13 I laughed as I charged along the tree-lined sunlit path with my friends in tow. I slipped, and we all giggled as I dusted myself off, not in a toxic or harmful way but in the playful way that all children have before they hit adolescence. Then one of my friends suggested we play hide and seek, and then I agreed to be the seeker, the role that all children abhor. I counted to twenty and put myself into the childish mindset that I was hunting for fugitives. I heard a giggle and brushed away the bushes and managed to sting myself on some nettles. There I found a giggling child; the first fugitive had been caught. I then delved deeper into the forest, and a very conspicuous trap was laid out, a string, tied between two trees. I knew that someone was nearby and heard a rustle. I expected to find a small child hiding, but instead found an injured kitten. I shouted out to my friends, who all came out of their ingenious hiding spots, found by mastering the game over many years. They all peered at the kitten, and the fast runner of us, charged towards our parents sitting in the shade. They rushed over and applied the bandages they had stored up to the kitten. We pleaded and pleaded, but none of the parents let us keep the sweet animal in our grasps. As we all went home in our minibus, our parents asked the driver to stop off at the vet, and we all got off, and explained the situation to him. He swiftly nodded and took the animal away. We, as young children all started bawling, but quickly we got over it, considering we had the minute attention span of small children, and began playing tag among our houses for hours, crushing the parents’ hopes of having clean white clothes without the need of a wash. I then woke up, realizing it was not 2012 but 2020, in the middle of a lockdown, and quickly got dressed for another day of online school. I wished for the days of childhood back.
Short Stories
A Life Change, a short story by Vaishali Andukuri, 10
Vaishali Andukuri, 10Oakland, NJ A Life Change Vaishali Andukuri, 10 I had a normal life. A slow life, sure…But it was good. I was just a regular 12 year-old who had a standard schedule. I woke up, went to school, came home, played a bit, helped cook dinner, ate it, went to bed and my day was done. Until one day when my life changed. I was going to school, and on the way, I stopped by a small corner shop, to buy water. When I came back from school, I heard the news that there was a virus going around. Something COVID? I didn’t care. Not much comes to our town. I went to watch TV. Apparently some big cities were on something called “quarantine”? Also there were some huge numbers. “The Death Toll” they said it was. I just assumed that it was a bunch of people crying because they got a cold. The next day, I was coughing more than usual. Two days after that, I felt weirdly warm. My mom checked, and said it was a fever. I was sick for a while. It wasn’t too bad. I got “get well” gifts, and my parents took care of me and gave me food in bed. Then one day while I was playing, I got tired. I took a huge breath, and it hurt. Slowly and steadily, my breathing worsened. Then it got so bad that my parents took me to the hospital, where they ran some tests. A doctor came, and took a nose swab. He then took it to the lab. He came back with the results. He looked scared and sad. He said that I was going to be okay, and that my parents would be right there. I was confused. Why would I be worried? Why was my family in a rush to come? I asked him what was going on, and he looked surprised and confused at the same time. “You didn’t figure it out? You have the coronavirus, or SARS- CoV-2.” he explained. I was mortified. “I have a fancy cough?!” I yelled. “Oh trust me, it’s not just for the fancy people. Tons of normal people are contracting the virus.” the doctor replied casually. I did not like this doctor. “What happened to them?” I asked warily. “Oh…. Some died, some got lifelong breathing problems, and some are absolutely fine.” he responded unhappily. Now I was scared. I had probably got it in that shop! I didn’t want to die, so I asked what I could do. He said all I could was wait it out and try to stay alive. I was unhappy, sad, in pain, and exhausted. I couldn’t sleep, and it was horrible staying in the hospital. I wished I had taken the safety precautions. I would have been safe. I was not the first to learn the hard way. Tons of people have ignored the precautions and gotten sick. Some had even died. I got out of the hospital alive, but I had breathing problems. I wish for everyone else to stay safe and not make my mistake again. Before, I had lived an ignorant life. Now I have changed for the better.
Something Smells Fishy, a short story by Daniella Horna-Baxter, 13
Daniella Horna-Baxter, 13Oak Park, IL Something Smells Fishy Daniella Horna-Baxter, 13 I was tired of being stuck inside with only my parents. I was itching for sunlight, and barely any clouds littered the sky. So, I decided to go to the backyard to do my e-learning. I was doing my math when I noticed how pretty the pond water was as it reflected the clear blue sky. I decided it was time for a break. I got my camera and started taking pictures. I was marveling at the pictures when I took a closer look and noticed that there were only 10 of my 30 or so fish there. Interesting . . . I got some fish food and flew outside. I counted again. 11. Hmmmm. I threw the specks of food all across the pond hoping some would come out. Nothing. If the food was in the pond, why weren’t fish coming out? I called my best friend that I had lived next to for over 8 years. Joel answered right away. “Hey Hannah what’s up?” “I think a raccoon is eating my fish.” “Really? Try setting up a camera.” I did, but I forgot to get a light and all the footage was pitch black. 9 fish. So, the next night I got my flashlight and aimed it at the pond. I was sure to catch the animal. The next morning I woke up and immediately checked the footage, the video had gone dark at 10 o’clock. I checked the flashlight, dead. 6 fish. I called Joel, yet again he answered immediately “Have you caught it?” “No, I don’t know what to do.” “Why don’t you stay up tonight? I’ll check on you each hour.” I woke up at 7. 4 fish. I called up Joel. “Joel! Why didn’t you wake me up last night?!” “I was trying to! But you sleep like a baby! I tried waking you up with a megaphone, but Old Greta across the street yelled at me for being too loud. So I tried to go wake you up but then I remembered the 6 foot rule.” “Well what am I going to do now?” “I have some motion activated lasers that send a notification to your phone when something moves.” “How do you have that? “My dad worked night security at the Art Museum” There was no movement, and now I had no fish. I Face Timed Joel. “Joel! There’s no more fish left!” “Oh no!” Then I noticed something behind him. A fish tank. With my fish.
