The
Ink
Writing
Project
2016
Children’s and Youth Services
Halton Hills Public Library
Eighth Annual - Sponsored by the
Friends of the Halton Hills Public Library
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INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the end result of the eighth annual
Ink Writing Project!
As always, thanks to our judging panel, which
included journalist Jane Dougan, teacher Dab
Albert, as well as Mary Pires, Meghan Casey,
and yours truly from the Halton Hills Public
Library. I also want to thank the Friends of the
Library for their ongoing commitment to this
very worthwhile program. We couldn’t do it
without your support!
Douglas Davey, Editor, The Ink Writing Project
Children’s and Youth Services Librarian
Halton Hills Public Library
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INKSTERS
GRADES 4-6 > SHORT STORY
Santa Got Mixed Up by Kelsea Marcolini
GRADES 7-8 > SHORT STORY
Unlikely Hero by Emma Gormley
GRADES 4-6 > POETRY
My Wish For More Than Fish by Gloria Tobin
GRADES 7-8 > POETRY
The Ring in My Pocket by Ailish McDonald
INKLINGS
GRADES 9-10 > SHORT STORY
Chocolate Kisses by Veronique Bradley
GRADES 9-10 > SHORT STORY
Practice by Luna Keogh
GRADES 9-10 > POETRY
Claudette Colvin by Allison Andreatta
GRADES 11-12 > POETRY
Missouri, 1840 by Regan Turner
INKSTERS > GRADES 4-6 > SHORT STORY
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Santa Got Mixed Up!
by Kelsea Marcolini
Back in 2015, there was a big mix-up. Santa
came when the Easter Bunny was supposed to
come! It was mid-April and all the kids were
excited. The next day would be Easter! That
day, there were lots of Easter parties and egg
decorating. At night, all the kids went to bed
thinking of what yummy chocolates the Easter
Bunny would bring.
Meanwhile, at the North Pole, Santa was
getting ready to deliver presents to everyone.
He was just thinking that it was quite strange
that nobody had sent him letters, when Mrs.
Claus came in telling Santa to hurry up. As
Santa was packing up his sleigh, he realized that
it was getting kind of hot outside. He was taking
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his jacket off when an elf ran up to him saying
that Mrs. Claus had something urgent to tell
him. But Santa got into his sleigh and rode off
into the night. He could hear Mrs. Claus and the
elf yelling to him, but Santa couldn’t tell what
they were saying. It sounded something like:
“Easter… no!” but Santa didn’t think anything of
it.
Meanwhile, the Easter Bunny was just getting
his Easter baskets finished off. He sang while he
worked. Then he loaded them all onto his
rocket-powered Easter-scooter. He was so
happy that it was Easter. He was thinking about
how happy the children would be, when he
caught sight of something flying through the
sky. He looked up and he thought he saw a
shadow of a sleigh! “Hmm”, he thought, “That
is very peculiar; very peculiar indeed!” He
ignored it though, since he figured that Santa
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was sleeping. He decided that it was probably a
plane or helicopter.
After a while, he started seeing presents in the
houses he visited. He wondered why there
would be presents in every house, and for a
minute he thought back to the flying object he
had seen in the sky. But he thought that they
were probably only presents from everyone’s
parents, so he continued on as usual.
Santa had noticed that none of the houses had
stockings hung up, or even any decorations. He
thought that maybe, since it was so warm,
everyone had forgotten to do those things. But,
how could you forget to do any decorating, or
even put up your stockings!
Now it was early in the morning and some of
the parents had woken up. They were all very
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surprised to see things that said ‘North Pole
Express’ though! Some of them figured that the
Easter Bunny was playing a little trick on them.
Some of them thought that the Easter Bunny
was using ‘North Pole Express’ to send things
faster. Some of them just thought that the
Easter Bunny was being very generous with his
gifts. Others were just plain confused!
The Easter Bunny and Santa had met at
somebody’s house and were now going back to
Holiday Cloud (that is where they both live) to
figure out the problem. After a very long
discussion, they realized that it was Easter and
Santa had gotten mixed up. Now, Santa thought
back to what Mrs. Claus had been shouting at
him when he took off, and realized that she was
probably trying to tell him to stop!
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With that figured out, the Easter Bunny went
back to his castle, and Santa went back to the
North Pole. They would be meeting at Holiday
Cloud Park for a little party in an hour. The
Easter Bunny brought back tons of different
chocolates and all his little bunnies. Santa
brought some delicious cookies, hot chocolate
and his elves. At the party, Santa decided that
he would deliver the rest of the gifts that night
and leave a note for everybody explaining his
mistake. The children were very lucky, and in
the end it all worked out!
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INKSTERS > GRADES 7-8 > SHORT STORY
Unlikely Hero
by Emma Gormley
The dispatcher first called the station just after
we finished lunch break. Murphy (my partner)
and I rushed down the hall to the red truck in
the garage. I hopped into the back and Murphy
took the wheel. Jackie and Holly jumped in
beside me and the others took the back seats.
The wildfire that was spreading throughout Fort
McMurray and the rest of Alberta for the past
few hours had spread dangerously close to a
highly populated neighbourhood and ignited an
entire national park forest. It was our job to
safely evacuate everyone from the area and
somehow stop or at least slow down the
blazing fire.
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We got to Wood Buffalo National park right
after three other trucks pulled in. Families had
already started evacuating the parking lot.
From what we could see the forest was empty
and the fire was spreading closer and closer to
where we were standing. Two fire engines were
already attempting to calm down the beastly
wild fire with gallons upon gallons of water. The
thick air was filled with the scent of burning
wood and smoke. Murphy began asking families
if they were missing anyone and if they were
injured and I followed.
“REGHAN! REGHAN WHERE ARE YOU!” a
woman frantically screamed at the top of her
lungs. Murphy ran over to her and asked her
what was wrong. She burst into uncontrollable
tears. “She was right beside me.” She cried. “I
got out of the forest and turned around and she
was gone.” Her tears intensified.
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“What does she look like?” Murphy asked. He
too was nervous. “She is six years old, long red
hair, about this tall.” As she held her hand up to
about half way up her torso. She showed a
picture that she had just taken of her while they
were on their hike. Reghan looked so innocent,
carefree and happy.
Murphy spoke into his radio, telling the
information about the girl that her mother told
us. He reassured the woman “We are going to
do everything we can to find her. Stay here and
see if she comes back to you. We will notify you
as soon as we find her.”
The woman nodded, trying to pull herself
together. “Winston” Murphy said as he looked
at me. “Go with Jackie check the perimeter of
the forest comeback and tell me if you see
anything.”
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Jackie and I both ran and started scouring the
forest to see if we could hear or see someone.
The thick black smoke grew denser and denser
as we approached closer to the forest. Jackie
ran in one direction but I heard something. It
sounded like a faint cry for help. I got Jackie’s
attention. She ran closer and knew that I had to
go in to see who was stuck within the burning
forest. I bolted into the scorching woods.
“Winston! You can’t go in there!” Jackie
screamed to me, trying to be louder than the
spark of the flames. I didn’t look back and I
couldn’t stop. The girl was in the forest still and
I had to do everything I could to save her. I
could see a clear path that was not completely
aflame. The more I ran the louder the crying for
help became. I reached a dead end. I thought I
had lost all hope but then I turned my head to
the left. A small girl looked at me tears
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streaming down her face. I called for help. I
didn’t have a radio to signal to the others. I
turned back around to look down the path to
see if anyone was there to help. Murphy, Jackie
and other members of the station were running
down the path frantically waving for us to come
quickly. What happened next made us lose all
hope.
A huge tree collapsed blocking the view
between the others and me. The girl was in
shock as she saw the flames hit our only
escape. “WINSTON!” Murphy screamed. He and
I had worked together for seven years. We had
a bond that was unbreakable. The young girl
screamed back, “HELP!”
“Stay there! We are going to try and get you
out.” Jackie yelled. I ran back and forth looking
for any escape. All I could see was the bright
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flames and thickening black smoke. I beckoned
the girl to cover her face with her sweater. She
covered her face and stood there. Neither of us
was sure of what to do. I continued to look for
any escape but by now everything was covered
in hot fire. Suddenly, I felt a something cool and
wet hit my back. Water. It sprayed the burning
flames and put out the fire that obstructed our
escape. The girl started running towards the
exit, I followed her. We exited the woods and
the girl ran straight into her mother’s arms both
of them soaking wet. They both started to cry
as they hugged each other.
“Thank you so much!” The mother said to
Murphy and me. “I don’t think I can ever repay
you.” She said as she looked at me. “You saved
my daughter’s life.” I wanted to tell her that I
was just doing my job but I couldn’t. I saw the
look in her eyes and smiled.
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“You need to evacuate before the fire spreads
to the highway.” Murphy said to the mother
and her and the girl. Many other people had
still not evacuated the park and the fire could
not be controlled anymore then it was. People
continued to exit the park and drive onto the
highway. In ten minutes the park was empty
and after an hour and a bit, with the help of
multiple trucks, we had set the fire out enough
that it could be controlled by one or two fire
engines.
We knew that we couldn’t stop the entire fire
but Murphy gave us the clear that we could go
back to the station. “Great job today buddy.”
Murphy patted me on the back. “You showed
more bravery and heart than any other
firefighter in this station could have.”
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You saved that little girl’s life back there by
risking yours.” Murphy had never been as
proud of me as he was now. I smiled my biggest
smile I could muster and he patted my back
again. I was exhausted. I curled up on Murphy’s
lap and closed my eyes. Today was a good day.
How many dogs do you know that can say they
saved someone’s life?
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INKSTERS > GRADES 4-6 > POETRY
My Wish For More Than Fish
by Gloria Tobin
Dogs, cats, hamsters, bunnies … all pets that I long for.
But there’s no chance because they make my Dad’s eyes red and sore.
Lizards, birds and hairless pets are all options, too.
But Mom says they’re too much work, so fish will have to do.
Feed them twice a day and watch them swim around their bowl.
How I wish I had a pet I could take for a nice long stroll.
The fish aisle is the only place we visit in the pet store.
Fish never last very long, we often need to buy more.
Suzie, Sally, Golden ... the names of some fish in my past.
Sad to see them come and go, but I know they’ll never last.
Meow, Roy, Hoppy… the names of pets in my dreams.
Playing fetch and teaching tricks, so far away it seems.
Oh, I want a fuzzy and cute little thing, instead of boring old fish.
Maybe when I’m older, I will get my wish.
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INKSTERS > GRADES 7-8 > POETRY
The Ring in My Pocket
by Ailish McDonald
I staggered blindly through my listless day,
Until the hour I could fade away.
The trepidation filling up my lungs,
But the night it seemed, had only begun.
The ring was in my pocket.
A song in my head, her presence so near,
Ahead, the world seemed to be so clear.
Ceasing our drive and beginning our life,
I could see in the future, she was my wife.
The ring was in my pocket.
We talked and laughed as the sun crept down,
Beneath the distant, dark and lifeless town.
But here the joy never wanted to end,
Here, space stood still and time could bend.
The ring was in my pocket.
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Stars shot by as our passions grew stronger.
In that moment I knew I could wait no longer.
A sparkling glance, a slip of the tongue.
And my lifelong dream was finally done.
The ring was on her finger.
I felt the words of her radiant voice,
Uttering the sounds of my perfect choice.
Heat rising through every vein, every bone...
Then realizing... I came here alone.
The ring was in my pocket.
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INKLINGS > GRADES 9-10 > SHORT STORY
Chocolate Kisses
by Veronique Bradley
Around 3:00pm on August second, Brandon
picked up his phone and quickly called his
girlfriend, his plan being set into motion. It rang
twice before Simone picked up, greeting him
with a breathless ”Hello?”
“Hey!”
“Oh, hi! What’s up? How’s PEI?” Simone asked.
Brandon imagined her settling down on her bed
as he heard rustling in the background. For two
weeks he’d been texting her and calling her
from his relative’s house in PEI, while she
stayed in her house in Acton.
“Nothing much, you? And it’s been great here! I
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miss you lots, but my family’s doing well, and
our reunion is as fun and full as every year.”
Brandon smiled, he really did miss Simone, two
weeks felt pretty long to them since they were
used to seeing each other at least once every
week.
“That’s great! I miss you too, though, are you
coming home soon? And nothing, nothing, as
usual.” She sighed, and then laughed a little,
put out by her lack of a social life. But this
question stumped Brandon. He hadn’t thought
about what to say if she asked when he’d be
coming home. He thought for a moment, and it
suddenly came to him, a quick fix, and a perfect
segue for his plan.
“Soon, don’t worry. I’ll be back home before
you can say ‘chocolate kisses’!”
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He could almost feel her teasing smile as her
mouth formed her next words. “Chocolate
kiss-“ A ringing sound from downstairs in her
house cut her off. “What was that?” Brandon
asked, smiling secretively.
“The doorbell,” sighed Simone. “There’s no one
else home, either.”
“Oh,” he replied, “Who is it? It may be
important, go see.”
“More important than you coming home? I
don’t think so.” Simone said, scowling as the
doorbell went again.
Brandon grinned, a huge smile covering half of
his face. “Call me after, I’ll be here. It sounds
like someone’s a little impatient.” Simone
shifted again, this time to stand up. Starting her
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walk downstairs, she said, “Okay, I’ll be a
couple minutes. I love you!”
“I love you, too, Simone,” His smile grew even
more, if that was possible. Simone would be so
happy. Traipsing down the hallway, she
repeatedly muttered the phrase “chocolate
kisses,” a few times, smiling. She couldn’t wait
to see Brandon again, and was already
anticipating continuing their phone call once
she got back inside. Opening her front door, she
looked up, straight into Brandon’s eyes. In one
of his outstretched hands was a small bag of
Hershey’s Kisses. “Surprise,” He said softly.
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INKLINGS > GRADES 9-10 > SHORT STORY
Practice
by Luna Keogh
Maria Forth fingered the delicate lace of her
dress, watching the tiny woven roses contort
and fold between her fingers. It was a
mesmerizing action, but it couldn't keep her
occupied for long, what with the tremendous
din that floated over the estate's gardens from
the dinner party being held inside its pristine
white walls. Maria heard her mother's high
false laugh tumble out of the door that opened
onto the patio, ringing through the air like the
cry of a strange bird.
Maria never wanted to attend her mother's
parties, but she had been dressed in her newest
blue frock regardless. Maria secretly
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thought it rather pointless as children weren't
allowed to attend parties anyway.
It seemed that the ladies who had children
must have held council prior to the party for all
of the children present had been stuffed into
their finest garments, turning them into
miniature versions of their parents.
However, the adults, as they usually do, tend to
forget their little living ornaments in the face of
champagne and after-party foolishness. Thus,
the children are shooed out to the gardens
where they're left to their own devices.
Though her younger cousins Timothy and
Charlotte had set about amusing themselves by
poking at the fish pond with a croquet mallet,
Maria didn't associate herself with such
careless activities ㅡshe was eight after all,
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nearly double digits. So, she found herself
seated beside Lucinda, Sir Chatsworth's
daughter, on a small marble loveseat as her
companion attempted to embroider a
handkerchief.
"Mother kissed that man," she said thoughtfully
after a moment, watching her mother through
the windows of the parlor as she spoke to a tall
gentleman. A gust of wind swept over the
gardens, tossing Maria's golden hair up about
her face, capturing it in a dance of sunlight as it
tried to envelop her face in its soft curls. White
ribbons of the finest make spilled from the satin
bow nestled at the back of her head, twirling
about her like streamers. Beside her, Lucinda
looked up from her embroidery, the needle
having stuck in a troublesome knot behind a
primrose.
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"She kissed him? That loud man with the
moustache?" she inquired. Maria nodded,
keeping her eyes on her mother.
"Yesterday. On the stair."
Lucinda put her embroidery hoop down on her
lap, looking at Maria as the wind continued to
blow her hair about her. She shifted her hand
to rest between them, leaning on it as she
followed Maria's gaze. Behind the glass, their
mothers chatted animatedly, tall flutes of
champagne clutched in their gloved fingers.
"Are we ever going to be kissed?" Lucinda
asked suddenly, the thought of kisses sparking
curiosities in her mind. Maria blinked in such a
way that it was as if she was waking up from a
trance and turned her head to face Lucinda.
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"Someday we will, surely," she replied. "Mother
likes to joke about which stable boy I ought to
kiss first."
"But, what if we do it wrong?" Lucinda
demanded. "Do you get in trouble for kissing a
boy wrong?" she inquired anxiously. Beside her,
Maria scrunched up her little nose, shaking her
head.
"I don't think so. That would be awfully silly."
Lucinda nodded to herself, looking down at the
shimmering satin of her pink dress that her
embroidery was nestled in. "I don't want to get
it wrong," she said, lifting up her hand to play
with her hair, twisting the soft brown tresses
around her fingers.
"We ought to practice then," Maria stated, an
oddly intense look of determination crossing
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her face. Lucinda's eyes sparkled with
realization as she fully comprehended what her
companion's idea was.
“Oh yes, let's!” she exclaimed. “Then we'll be
ever so ready for our princes!” She looked at
Maria expectantly and discovered that she
wasn't sure how to begin.
“Shall...shall I go first?” Maria suggested
hesitantly.
Lucinda nodded, suddenly feeling flustered and
very vulnerable. Taking a deep breath, Maria
attempted to calm herself as she leaned
forward, bringing her face close to Lucinda's.
Then, very slowly, she touched her lips to her
dearest friend's, closing her eyes as their
warmth became one. Lucinda felt her heart
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flutter inside her chest as she kissed Maria back
very gently.
Her small hand moved forward on the loveseat,
quietly covering Maria's. Her touch was so soft,
it was as if the hand was hardly there, but
Maria responded by clasping Lucinda's other
hand in her own, their fingers intertwining like
two delicate combs.
The breeze returned, this time bringing flower
petals from the apple trees that bordered the
gardens and tossing them about joyfully like
snowflakes. Lucinda pulled away from Maria,
her face pink and warm, though she couldn't
help but smile softly. Maria returned her smile
with one so delicate it shone like a pure
diamond in the depths of her eyes.
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“I think we're ready, Luci,” she whispered,
touching her nose to Lucinda's.
“Yes,” Lucinda replied, her voice small and soft.
“I think we are.”
~*~
“Are you ever going to kiss a boy, really?”
Lucinda inquired, peering over the edge of her
teacup. Maria looked up from her needlework,
a playful smile pulling at her delicate lips.
Having grown into a young woman, her face
was very different from the one of the anxious
little girl all those years ago, but the diamond
smile still shimmered in her eyes, never having
aged a day.
“What a silly question, Luci. Of course not,” she
replied. “Are you?” “No,” Lucinda giggled. She
tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked
down at her tea again, noticing that, in parallel
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to that day in the gardens, her dress was of pink
satin dress and Maria's was blue.
“Can we practice anyway?” she asked quietly,
finding herself oddly nervous. Maria grinned,
putting her needlework down and standing,
crossing the patio to stand beside Lucinda.
“Of course my darling,” she said, bending down
and placing a hand on Lucinda's cheek. “I do
believe we're ready.”
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INKLINGS > GRADES 9-10 > POETRY
Claudette Colvin
by Allison Andreatta
I am a predecessor, erased by time and who I am
I too was a rebel on the bus that day
I am just a girl of fifteen, Alabama, is where I live
A city divided by black and white walls
Same old town, same old bus
I got on, sat down but not for very long
Fear and Segregation, where I sit matters, it shouldn’t
To the back he says, once again
Building up courage, tons of water, avalanches inside
Open my mouth, I am a mouse, I roar like a lion, “no”
They can’t touch me now, but they do, bird vs cage
I spoke for my people; I go to jail but bars don’t bind me like they do
I am young and in court now, there are people like me here
They use their voice too to fight, we win, we are lions
I am the predecessor of Rosa Parks; I too spoke for the silent
Who am I? I am Claudette Colvin
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INKLINGS > GRADES 11-12 > POETRY
Missouri, 1840
by Regan Turner
The morning sun arose, but no light reached Martha’s eyes,
She walked into her bedroom and there her husband lied.
She could almost hear his screams, despite the fact he slept,
For within his throat, hidden deep, his demons had been kept.
“Worthless”, “disgusting”, “vile”, is what she’d hear him say,
But all was fine, at least she thought, until that dreadful day.
That morning Noah told her to say her prayers and chop the wood,
For before the sun would set, she would die, with a knife he would.
She pondered in an open field, what she was to do,
Whatever happened, whatever was to come, she knew her life was
through.
Chop, chop, chop, the wood was split in two,
The more she cut, the more she chopped, the more her anger brew.
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So she crept through the room, with an axe in hand,
And with one swing, through his neck, the vicious blade would land.
No more screaming, no more voices, no more torment or vicious pain,
His throat was sliced, his demons diced, however all thought she’s
insane.
Clink, clink, clink, went the chains that carried her down,
She sat in prison, kept behind bars, wearing her dressing gown.
But the voices were gone, and that’s all that mattered - that’s all she
cared about,
Down went the sun, behind the moon, and all the lights went out.
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Created by the staff of
Children’s and Youth Services
Halton Hills Public Library 2016
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