Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists

Our May 2024 Flash Contest was based on Prompt #304 (provided by Stone Soup intern Sage Millen), which asked that participants write a story based on one of their favorite songs. Musical inspirations included Shawn Mendes, Ruth B., LL COOL J, and Brandi Carlisle. Characters faced 200 ft demons, made new friends, and attended incredible concerts. In one submission, a case of mistaken identity even led to an arrest! As always, thank you to all who participated, and please keep submitting next month! In particular, we congratulate our Honorable Mentions, listed below, and our Winners, whose work you can appreciate below. Winners “I Can Tell That We are Gonna Be Friends” by Sejal Arora-Patel, 10 “Child Psychology” by Sarah Hu, 12 “Fallout” by Gargi Mondal, 12 “Talking to the Moon” by Dora You, 11 “Oh Klahoma” by Melody You, 13 Honorable Mentions “Older” by Meera Amin, 13 “The Dandelion Wish” by Brielle Barlow, 12 “As Is” by Erin Mundt, 11 “The Wish Tiger” by Jiya Parekh, 10 “Floater” by Zoe Pazner, 13 I Can Tell That We are Gonna Be Friends SEJAL ARORA-PATEL, 10 Song: “We’re Going to Be Friends” by The White Stripes Fall is here Kids are shouting and yelling and I kind of don’t know how to feel. The school building stretches high in front of me, and fall leaves are scattered on the ground. Red, yellow, orange, and rare purple that match the shoes I secretly like even though boys aren’t supposed to like purple shoes. They make climbing the fence easier, racing the new girl whose curly brown hair makes her look pretty. “I forgot my new math book.” I whisper quietly. “You can borrow mine if I can take your cursive pen.” She says. “Is red okay?” “Red’s my favorite color.” I can’t help grinning ‘cause I think this must be some kind of good omen. Suzy Lee “Thanks for letting me borrow your book.” I tell the girl with the curly hair. “No problem.” She does a smile that makes me smile. I hope she likes my smile. “What’s your name?” “Suzy Lee.” “That’s a pretty name.” It is. “Do you wanna walk over there?” “I like to walk.” Kids play on the slide and swings and try to go higher than the others. Their shouts echo loud, and we giggle. I put one foot on the tall redwood that stretches up, up, up. It’s an evergreen. Green leaves all year. I like that. “I don’t think you should try to climb that tree.” “You think?” “I found a worm.” “I found a beetle, I think. In this tree.” We sit down on the grass, and I put the beetle down beside her worm. “Bug party!” I giggle and take a breath. “Do you want to walk to school together tomorrow?” She nods. “Yeah.” So we do. No one else Walking to school is like a bubble with just us that never pops. And it has shiny colors all over it. “Have you noticed that our uniforms are dirty?” Suzy’s eyebrows knit together like a caterpillar. We’ve been searching for bugs for days, and we still haven’t found a caterpillar. “No. Is it class time?” “I think. I wonder what we’ll learn?” And if we’ll sit next to each other, I silently think. Numbers, letters “Suzy, can you tell me how to spell noun?” Teacher asks. “N-o-u-n.” “Yes.” “How are you so good at spelling?” I giggle. “Okay, class, let’s get our letter blocks.” I try to tip them gently, but I accidentally spill them on the floor. “Oops.” Suzy Lee grabs four blocks. Blue, red, red, blue. “See? Noun.” “Doesn’t it describe a type of word? Is it an actual word?” “Both.” “Can you spell rabbit?” “No, but I’m gonna bring mine to show and tell.” Suzy’s rabbit almost got crushed by Big Red when I took it to her house. That’s what teacher calls the ball I accidentally stole. It’s back at school now, ‘cause I’m not an on-purpose thief. “I don’t think you should. Teacher said my measurement was four whole feet, and your rabbit’s half that. I’m still scared of the Forbidden Forest. No Time I used to wanna try out that time-lapse thing on Mama’s phone, but it feels like that with Suzy. “You sing like smooth peanut butter, Suzy.” “Teacher says the same thing.” “Does she think I sound like a snorting rhino?” “Pretty much. “But personally, rhinos are my favorite.” Tonight “Do you need me to tuck you in tonight?” “No, Mama.” I say, my eyes drooping with sleep. “‘Cause tonight I know what I’m gonna dream about.” “What, baby?” “About bugs. And the alphabet. “And Suzy Lee. Walkin’ to school together.” And “‘Cause, Mama?” “‘Cause what?” “I can tell that we are gonna be friends.” Child Psychology SARAH HU, 12 Song: “Child Psychology” by Black Box Recorder There is a rumor that in the house uphill, that barren, wooden shaft of a home, there lives a man who can turn flowers into fertile trees, and up top the second hill, a villager carries three coffins over their left shoulder without a hassle. The third hill is dominated by a pack of coyotes, and the fourth is a graveyard. They say these two hills are so close to each other that when a weep or a shout is heard, it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference between a cry and a plea. Either way, a soul is lost, and in theory, two more will die with it. One, the caregiver, and two, the lover. And although it is frightening how similar fear and grief have become, and the loss of life is nothing short of a tragedy, what’s even more startling is the fifth hill. Amalgamations of brick and stone and mirth lay upon the grassy patch. Red spills from fruit and flesh alike. Plum blossom petals scamper away from the tree they break off from. This is the hill humanity resides in, ignorance. It’s