Tuesday, March 5, 2024

The Little Blue Butterfly Fish



The Little Blue Butterfly Fish

by
Alana Blake 
(age 14)

“What a wonderful day to be alive in the coral reef! No one has tried to eat me, and it’s light out,” Blue Fish says, swimming around the reef calmly.


 “Ooh, what’s that shiny thing?” Blue Fish asks, with a glow in his eyes. He swims closer to it. “No, I shouldn't! It could be a trap, but what if it’s not?” Blue Fish stops, looks around cautiously, then back at the shiny piece of metal on the seafloor. 


Two seconds later, “Naw, no one would do that,” Blue Fish says, swimming right into a net that is in front of the shiny piece of metal. “Nooo! Please let me go, you thing! I promise I won’t try to take the shiny again, please!” Blue Fish says, struggling to get loose from the net, but it only gets tighter around him. 


“Ahhh, I can’t breathe! Where did the water go?” Blue Fish yells, being pulled out of the net. He is put in a really dark box with sea water in it. “What in the Barnacles is going on? And how is it night already?” 


A few hours later, Blue Fish feels a sound jolt, then he hears a bunch of weird noise as the water clams down. Blue Fish looks up to see a bright light, and then something big starts coming closer.  Blue Fish dashes around the small box, but it’s no use. The thing gets him! 


“This is it! I am going to die! There’s no doubt about it!” Blue Fish yells. 


Blue Fish is dropped into a different tank of water. “What? Why am I not dead?” Blue Fish swims around the new tank. He swims towards a reef, where there were a lot of other fish. “Hey, maybe there is food over there,” Blue fish says. As he gets closer, he sees one of the little fish, that wasn’t moving, get scooped up by a little shark. “Never mind,” Blue Fish says, swimming backwards as fast as he can. But then he runs into something hard, and immediately freezes in place. Nothing happens though. Blue Fish moved a little, then froze again. Again nothing happens, so Blue Fish turns around to see weird figures, that were a little bit blurry, staring at him. “What is this thing in front of me? I can not see it, but I can feel it, and why are those things staring at me?”


The water vibrates as something taps the clear thing that you can feel but not see. “WhAT iS GoINg oN? AhHh!” Blue Fish yells. Suddenly being scooped up again, but this time in a clear cylinder. Weird shapes zip by in all different colors, and sizes. “Places, let me go where you found me. I promise to never try to  take anyone's shiny thing again, just let me go!” Blue Fish baggies. 


Blue Fish is dumped into another tank but this one is different. The water was wormer, there were wired shape rocks, and more wall it looked liked. Blue Fish looks around, and all of the other fish look just like him. “Hmm, this is better, I don’t even need to find something shiny to look at myself now” Blue Fish says.   


Written for Lesson 17 at Polliwog Pages (Point of View)
(polliwogpages.com) 

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Friday, December 8, 2023

Popcorn Balls Recipe


       

Popcorn Balls Recipe

 (for beginners)


by 

Gabriel Blake

(age 14)


                                                                          


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Hi, my name is Jen, and when I bite into a popcorn ball, the memories of my childhood come rushing back to me. They are great for bringing to parties, movie nights, and devouring all by yourself. They are very simple to make and should take you barely any time at all. 





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Ingredients

One box of strawberry Jello

One average bag of marshmallows

One stick of batter

3\4 a cup of popcorn kernels


Equipment

A popcorn maker

A burner

A large bowl

A big spoon

Some wax paper

And a pot large enough to fit the marshmallows.





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Pop all of your popcorn kernels, put them in the bowl for later.

Set your burner to low heat, and melt the butter in the pot. Once the butter is liquefied, dump the Jello powder and marshmallows into the pot. Continually mix the contents until everything is liquefied and slightly bubbly. Dump the liquid over the popcorn. Mix until the popcorn is evenly coated. Oil your hands and grab a large handful of popcorn. Gently squeeze into a ball, and place on wax paper. Warning! You will burn your hands. If any of the sticky red stuff gets stuck to your hand, then do the following: cry, run to the sink and put your hands in cold water. Last but not least, reapply oil and continue where you left off.




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Wait ten minutes; then put Popcorn Balls in a sealed container or wrap in plastic wrap.



Enjoy!







Assignment #10 (Sequences) for Polliwog Writing Lessons


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(or know someone who likes to write stories)
I would like to post your story here.
Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Friday, November 24, 2023

William and the Lobsters




William and the Lobsters
by 
Alana Blake (age 13) 



It is the year 1901 off the coast of Cape Neddick, a cold and breezy, but a sunny spring day. There are two are two men in a lobster boat. The first guy, John, has a big white beard, and orange overalls. The second guy named Henry has brown hair and wears a tan beret hat. They head back to the dock after a good day of catching lobsters. 

As they get closer to the dock, you can see a young boy with brown hair, and no shoes waving at them. “Is that your boy William?” John asks in a thick accent.


“Ya, he wants to come and help, but he can’t swim.”


John chuckles as they pull up to the dock.


“Dad!” William says excitedly, jumping into Henry’s arms. 


“Oh, you are getting big,” Henry says, putting his hat on William's head, but it covers his face.


“Does that mean I can go with you tomorrow, Dad?” William says, pushing the hat up, so he can see.


“How about you just help us bring the lobsters to the lobster shack, then we can go and talk to your mom about it.”


“Ok.”


“William, over here,” John says holding a bucket. William grabs the bucket which is filled with lobsters.


“Wow.”


“Here we are,” John says, putting his bucket of lobsters on the table in the lobster shack.

 “Well, I'll be going home.”


“Ya, we should be getting home too, before Mom gets worried,” Henry says, looking at William.


“Bye, John,” William says, before dashing down the dirt road.


“William, wait!” Henry yells. 

John laughs, “Haha, I will see you tomorrow. Say hi to Sarah and Violet for me,” John says,  walking away.


“I will. Be safe.” Henry walks down the dirt road up to a small yellow house.


“Boo!” William says, jumping out from behind a tree.


“Ahh! You got me. Let's go inside. It smells like Mom finished dinner.”


“Ok.”


They went inside where a woman, with long red hair and a green dress, walks in with a platter in each hand “Oh, Honey and  William, you are home. Good, I just finished dinner. William, can you get Violet? She's in her room,” Sarah says, putting fish and baked potatoes on the table.

“Come on, Violet. It’s dinner time,” William says, picking up a little girl, with red hair and a pink dress. 


“Soo, Dad, can I go tomorrow?” William asked.


“William, I know you want to go, but you can’t swim, and I don’t want you to drown,” Sarah says softly.


“But I could wear a life jacket, and it could help me not be afraid of water.” 


“Good point,” Henry says.


“So?”


“Fine, but you must wear a life jacket at all times,” Sarah says.


“Really?” Willam says excitedly.


“Yes, now go to bed,” Henry says.



Henry wakes up William as the sun slowly rises.Wake up! It’s time to go,” Henry says.


William jump’s out of bed. “Ok, I’m up.”


“Come on,” Henry says, walking out the door with William right behind.  

Once they got to the dock, John is all ready at the boat with a life jacket in hand.


“How’d you know?” William asks, grabbing the life jacket, and getting in the boat.


“I just knew.” John drives the boat out to where the lobster traps are.


“Ok, William, I will grab the traps, and you put the lobsters in buckets,” Henry says.


“Ok.”

Two hours later, John asks, “Is that the last trap?” 

“Yes,” Henry says. 

Lighting hits the water.  Flash . . . Boom!

“What was that?” William asks.


“A lightning storm,” John says. The sun disappears into the dark thunderclouds. The wind whips Henry’s hat off. The waves are rising high and crashing down.


“The waves are getting really big, Dad!” William says with fear in his eyes. The waves push the boat around.


“It will be ok, William,” Henry says strapping the buckets down.

Hang on tight. It is going to get rough through those rocks, but once we get past the lighthouse, it will be calm.” John says. A big wave crashes over the boat.

“Dad!” William screams as the wave takes him overboard.


“William!” Henry runs to the side of the boat.


John drives the boat around the area they last saw William.


"Do you see him?” John asks, losing hope.


“No,” Henry says with tears running down his face. 


"It's getting dark. Even if he survives, we won't be able to see him. So why don't we head in? He should drift to the harbor anyway." 


Henry nods to give the ok.   


Waves slap the sides of the boat as they slowly get closer to the dock.


“Look, Henry, there’s William! He’s alive and swimming!” John says, pointing towards the dock.


“William!” Henry calls.


“Dad, I'm swimming!” William says, getting to the ladder. 

John docks the boat, Henry runs to William.  


“I thought you died,” Henry says, hugging William.


“So does this mean I can help more often?” William says, hugging his Dad back.

“Yes, just don’t scare me like that again,” Henry says. 



getting dark even if he survives we won’t be able to see him, so why don’t we had in and he should  drift into the harbor anyway.” Henry nods his head to give
Assignment for Polliwog Pages Basic Writing Lesson #8 - (Conflict) 

If you are between the ages of 13 -18,
(or know someone who likes to write stories)
I would like to post your story here.
Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Friday, November 17, 2023

The Great Buckey




The Great Buckey

by

Gabriel Blake (age 14)



Water rippled behind the Great Buckey, disturbing the still waters of the salt water lagoon. At the helm Captain Ludwig could see the moon’s reflection almost perfectly off the black water, as if it was a mirror. He had searched late into the night to find this near perfect lagoon. It was almost fully surrounded by mangroves, thus it was an ideal place for a cargo ship to lay anchor. Ludwig slammed into the helm as they hit bottom! The captain quickly assessed the situation, “All right men,” he said, Ludwig looking at his startled crew. “The keel of our vessel is ten feet underwater. We are going to tie some ores together in hopes that we can push ourselves back into deeper water. The tide is ebbing, so we must move swiftly.”


The men, worn after a long day of sailing, were a bit more sluggish than normal. 

Ludwig strained every muscle in his body, but to no avail. Even with the might of twenty men, the large ship wouldn’t budge. “Well” said Ludwig, exhausted, “We might as well wait till it is high tide once again. I suggest we all get a nice long rest.” 


The crew murmured in agreement.


Just as the sun cracked over the horizon, the crew woke up. Meanwhile, the chef was preparing the morning meal on a large raft, the purpose of which was to have a fire off the boat. “Hey Bill!” called the captain, “ would you cook some eggs this fine morning. I think everyone could use something besides porridge today.”

 

The crew agreed enthusiastically.


“I would love to. Just so you know this is the last six dozen eggs.” answered the chef. 


“Just cook’em already!” shouted the crew.


“Okay! You guys scared the cheese out of me.”


After they had eaten breakfast, the sun was about a quarter of the way across the sky, Ludwig and the several crew members got ready to further address the problem. Ludwig put on some light shorts with tears and holes from years of abuse. He peered into the water and concluded that it was deep enough to dive in. He dove in and bumped his head into the coral covered lagoon floor. At that moment he realized that he had been duped by the lagoon. 


Ludwig rubbed his head on his short ascent to the surface. Once he got his bearings back, he situated his hands in such a way that he could lock air around his eye. For some strange reason, he could see much clearer when he did that rather than simply peer into the salt water.


Taking a deep breath he dove. He swam like that of a dolphin with his hands clasped around  his eyes. Ludwig loved looking at all of the small organisms and fish that weaved in and out of the coral that covered the lagoon floor. It appeared that the bow of their ship had crashed through the stern of an old shipwreck, forcing the Great Buckey to sit at a slight angle.


“That explains it!” thought Ludwig “We were pushing in the wrong direction. That's why it didn’t budge. I ought to search that ship for valuables.” He pushed his feet off some coral and launched himself to the surface.


Two hours later, the sun was getting close to its peak; Ludwig reminded himself to calm down and preserve his oxygen. Ludwig dove down for the twentieth time to search the shipwreck. He swam to where he now believed to be the captain's quarters. It was hard to tell with all the fan-coral everywhere. Swimming through the entrance he saw a wooden chest with a sword lying next to it. He shoved the sword into a small crack in the lid. He put his feet on the ceiling, so he could push down on the sword. He pushed with all his might and it began to budge a little bit. Becoming increasingly aware of the need for air, he pushed again. The lid opened and revealed a chest full of shiny gold! Feeling quite out of breath, he rushed back to the surface. 


It took many trips to bring all the treasure aboard the Great Buckey.

 By now it was almost high tide, and the work wasn’t done yet. They first moved the gold and the heavier cargo to the chef's raft in order to lighten the boat. Once they had finished moving the heaviest things, they got ready to push the boat free. Every man pushed and… nothing.


 As people began to worry Bill got an idea “Everyone, the wind is going in just right direction. We might need to do a little change up the rigging, but we could do it.”


 “That could work.” Ludwig replied excitedly.


With the wind on their side they pushed with all their might, and then they felt a movement. Before they knew it they were free.


After they were well on their way, Ludwig took the responsibility to count their treasure. As he counted he soon realized this was more than enough for all of them to retire early. He rushed out from his quarter and onto the main deck.

“Men! We have stumbled upon a blessing from God. We’re all going to be… filthy rich.”


The crew exploded with joy.


THE END




Assignment for Polliwog Pages Basic Writing Lesson #8 (Conflict) 


If you are between the ages of 13 -18,
(or know someone who likes to write stories)
I would like to post your story here.
Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

The Beautiful Gloomy Morning



(Painting by Juan del Pozo)



"The Beautiful Gloomy Morning"
by 
Alana Blake (age 13)

It’s yet another musty, cold, and gloomy day in the bustling city of London. You hear the clip-clopping horse hooves and the splash of people walking through puddles on the cobblestone streets. A beautiful young lady stands under a lamppost in front of a three- story brick apartment. She wears a creamy yellow etamine dress, a light pink top hat with flowers on it. She carries a tan bag with painting stuff in it. She has dark brown curly hair, light blue eyes, and pale skin.


Catherine looks down the dark, creepy alleyway across the street as she waits for her carriage to arrive. A shadowy figure moves slowly towards her.


Catherine, hoping it's just her imagination, calls out, “Hello!”


No answer.


The shadowy figure is still coming closer, but now she hears the tip-tap of footsteps.


“Who’s there?” Catherine says, starting to get scared, not sure what to do! 


Suddenly a black carriage, with gold lining and one big brown horse, pulls up right in front of Catherine. A small man, who wore a simple black suit, with a black top hat, white hair, and a scar on his right cheek was driving the carriage. He looks down at her, smiles says, “Lady Catherine, you are as beautiful as ever.” 


“Thank you, Alexander,” Catherine says, getting in the carriage. She then looks down the alleyway through a window, but whoever was down there is gone.


“Are you fine. My Lady? You seem off,” Alexander says, concerned.


Catherine looks at Alexander and pauses for a moment, “Ah, yes, I just got lost in thought, that’s all,” Catherine says more enthusiastically as the carriage starts moving away from the creepy alleyway.


“Did you hear about the big clock tower that they are building? Some think it is going to be one of the tallest clock towers on earth,” says Alexander.


“Yes, it is quite exciting. In fact, I plan to paint the process, starting today. I think it will look very nice with this sunrise,” 


“How wonderful! I will have to see this beautiful painting when it’s done,”


“You are too kind, Alexander,” Catherine says, smiling.


“Well, here we are, My Lady. Do be safe now. It is still pretty gloomy,” Alexander says with a serious face.


“I will. Don’t worry now,” Catherine says. She waves goodbye, then walks over to a nearby bench, across the river from the incomplete clock tower. 


Now the sun is rising, and beautiful bright colors seep through the clouds above the smoke looming from the brick buildings.

The colorful clouds perfectly transition with the smoke and the rays of sunlight on either side of the clock tower. Catherine smiles at the beautiful gloomy morning.


(Assignment #5 of Basic Writing Lessons) 
www.polliwogpages.com 



If you are between the ages of 13 -18,
(or know someone who likes to write stories)
I would like to post your story here.
Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

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