March/April 2016

The Shape Stealers

Zed and I stood, facing the forest. “Are you sure, Zed?” I asked, turning to him. His blue eyes flashed as he glanced back at me. “You don’t have to come with me, Reina,” he growled. “But I’m doing this. I will prove to Hans that I’m not a coward.” At that point, I knew it was best not to argue. Zed is my best friend, and he can be very stubborn, but even I didn’t know that his feelings would extend so far, far enough that we were in danger. I should have known it would come to this, when this morning Hans, the butcher’s son, made fun of Zed in front of all of our neighbors. After that Zed swore that he would prove his bravery to all. Zed began to march toward the thick Yeron Forest. I sighed, straightened the laces on my long blue dress, and followed. “You do have your sword, don’t you?” I called. Zed nodded, distracted by trying to find a way past the wall of trees that bordered Yeron Forest. Ever since I was little, Mama told me stories of the forest. “Don’t ever go into the Yeron Forest, Reina,” she would tell me. “Dangerous things lurk there. Remember when the baker’s boy went missing, two or three years ago? Vanished. Right into the forest. Lady Ira’s maid saw him go.” That scared me off from the forest. Rilk, the baker’s boy, was a friend of mine, and I didn’t want the same fate as him. It had scared me off, until today at least. Much as I feared what lurked in the forest, I feared losing Zed more. Therefore, I decided to accompany him. “I’ve heard there are more terrible monsters, ones that can take the form of any human” To some it might seem a foolish choice, but to me it was the only choice. I had known Zed since we were two: I would not abandon him now. When I reached Zed, he was hacking at the unyielding trees with his sword, a present from my father, the blacksmith of our village. The knights of the royal court often had Father make their swords. Without a sword of my own, I began yanking at different branches, seeing if I could make a hole big enough to fit through. But at my touch, the branches parted! I gasped. “Zed! Here’s a hole!” I thought it wise not to mention to Zed what the branches had done. Zed hurried to me. “I could swear I looked there,” he said. Then he squeezed through the hole. I followed, and my dress ripped on the twigs, leaving a piece of rough dyed fabric flapping in the breeze like a flag. After checking to make sure that you could not see my petticoat peeking through, I followed after Zed. The forest was dark inside—very dark. No light shone through the thick canopy of twisting, leafless branches. The ground was hard and cold, and very little grass grew. And it was cold, oh so cold. Immediately I drew my wool shawl tighter around my shoulders. “Zed, do you know where we’re going?” He shook his head. “Reina, you know we just have to stay in the forest until sunset. Then I’ll show Hans.” I sighed, settled on the hard ground, and took out a lantern from my pack. I lit it, and its warm beam of light lit up the trees. Then I took out a small loaf of bread from my pack. Mama knew I would be with Zed all day, and so she packed me some food. Guilt tightened in my stomach as I thought that I hadn’t told Mama where we were going specifically. I ripped off a chunk and held it out to Zed. “Bread?” I asked. Zed looked at me incredulously. “What’re you doing, Reina?” I stared back at him. “If we’re staying right here all day, we might as well get comfortable,” I replied. Zed shook his head. “We’re not staying here. We have to get as deep in the forest as we can get. I told Marya to tell Father where we were when we were gone for an hour. It’s been about that, and father will come after us. No, we must go deeper.” Marya was Zed’s sister. I sighed and began packing up my lunch. “Can I at least carry the lantern?” I asked. Zed nodded, and I could see, although he’d never say so, that he, too, was nervous in this forest. I stood, brushed off my skirts, and said, “Which way?” Zed rotated, looking at all of the possibilities. He pointed left. “That way.” As we walked, I told Zed repeatedly how foolish we were. “You know, there are supposed to be wolves and dragons in these woods,” I said, “and I’ve heard that there are fairies and goblins too.” Zed nodded and glanced around. “I’ve heard there are more terrible monsters, ones that can take the form of any human. They know a few things about the person that they’re imitating, but not everything. They are called Shape Stealers.” I started to laugh, then realized he was serious. “So, if we see each other after being separated while in the woods, we should each ask the other a question only we can know the answer to,” Zed continued. “What will you ask me?” I asked. Zed thought for a moment. “I would ask you what we did together last month.” I chuckled. “Smeared honey on Aunt Rina’s chickens and then on the shedded fur of Olo {Olo was my dog}, and Aunt Rina thought she had wild beasts instead of chickens in her coop!” Zed grinned. “Correct. What would you ask me?” I thought about all of the great times we’d had together. “I’d ask you what I wanted to be when I was older.” We walked and laughed together, and for those moments, the forest’s gloomy hold on us lessened. Suddenly,

If Only I Could

If only I could help the world. I would like to get bad people and teach them how to be nice. If only I could fly and help people with their feelings, and stop them from killing people that are trying really hard to help us all to be good people and nice and kind to others like us who come from a different country. If only I could help my family from Haiti and us too. I would make them feel welcome to the new country we live in now. If only I could talk to them. I would say welcome and how is Haiti? How is it there? If only I could ask Mom and Dad a question in Creole. I would ask, “Did you miss me and Ericka and Ruth, Mom and Dad?” If only I could go back and save my best friend from the orphanage. I would be so happy for the children because their birth families get them back! I would give them to their new family that was waiting for them a long time. If only I could help the world. I would like to get people and teach them how to be nice. If only I could… Rickza is a Haitian-American, adopted by her mom, Ruth, and living in the United States with her sister since July of 2013. Rickza Kerr, 11Seattle, Washington

The Way to Stay in Destiny

The Way to Stay in Destiny, by Augusta Scattergood; Scholastic Press: New York, 2015; $16.99 It’s funny how we can adapt to the way we live and call it normal, right to the point where it all changes. Theo had spent his whole life in Kentucky with his grandparents and his dog. But then, in the summer of 1974, his uncle took away everything that was important to him, including his own home. I knew how Theo felt to suddenly have nothing to look forward to, to leave everything behind and start a completely new life. I was born in South Korea and lived with my grandmother. It wasn’t the best way to live, but I had friends, family, and my life right there that I didn’t want to give up. But over the years, I’ve learned that everything happens for a reason and that everything has a story behind it. When I was seven years old, my aunt brought me to America. It took a while for me to accept that I lost the life I knew but was given a new one; I was expected to embrace a new environment, just like Theo. The twelve-year-old boy didn’t have it easy—he had to live with his uncle who was a scarred veteran from the Vietnam War. At first, I didn’t approve of their intolerable behavior towards one another. But as I kept flipping the pages, their relationship became clear as I found a way to relate and understand. Uncle Raymond is one of those people that you have to peel back many layers one at a time in order to reach his feelings. Once you peel back the layers, you can actually understand him. During this roller coaster, Theo discovered that sometimes a change is a good thing. That maybe our early life is just to prepare us for the life that is ahead of us. The characters spoke to me as if they had a real voice that could be heard. And in a way, they did—especially Theo. When his uncle was against the life and hobbies Theo seemed to want, but really needed, Theo stuck with his own opinions and made an entrance to the life he was supposed to live. I love how Theo managed to prove how talents and hobbies such as piano and baseball are not a waste of time. “‘I can’t live without music,’ I answer. I open the piano and play—loud and fast.” If anyone pulls you back from something important or someone you truly love, you just can’t listen to them. The author made the characters, story, and setting seem realistic with small details such as the big pot of flowers by the sign, the annoying green parrots, and especially the emotions I felt towards the characters. In a very short book that many of us can finish within a day, I was left thirsting for more with a sturdy connection to the characters and events; I felt sympathy and other feelings that cannot be described with words. The Way to Stay in Destiny taught me that there will be times when we have to try out a different road in our lives to help us become the people we were meant to be. This may be a book for children, but I believe the lesson inside can be taught to anyone in this world, no matter what age. Eun Bee (Lena) Park, 12East Brunswick, New Jersey