Journey of a worm
By Leah Allen
Grade 6, Rutland Town Elementary
School
I lie quietly and calmly on the big
stone near The Hole. I stretch out my long
stringy body so the sun hits it just right. I
am a worm.
I look around seeing mostly tall blades
of grass and look up at the tall oak above
me. It is so tall some of the others say it
stretches beyond the clouds.
I squint my eyes to see the straggly
birds’ nest. In the distance I see The Great
Sparrow landing on the outstretched tree
branch that the nest rests on. She drops
her kill into her nest filled with hungry
mouths. We call them The Worm-Eaters.
“Chase, get down from there!”
That is my annoying brother Henry; he
thinks he knows everything just because
he is part of The High Council of Worm
Civilization. Or the HCWC.
“You know you’re not supposed to
leave The Hole!”
“OK, I’m coming.”
I slump down the rock. If I could let
my head hang without giving myself a
rock burn I would.
“You need to stop leaving The Hole;
you are going to get us both in trouble,”
says Henry.
Then as I am approaching Henry and
The Hole, I feel a swift brush of air on
my neck.
Suddenly the earth is getting smaller.
I realize I am being lifted into the air by
The Great Sparrow. This is the adventure
I had been waiting for my whole life but
now it is not a dream but a nightmare.
I see the sunset and a high mountain
range. The view is beautiful. If I wasn’t
about to be eaten alive I’d definitely find
a bigger rock to look out from.
We approach the nest and I squirm free
the best I can. I land right next to the nest.
The Great Sparrow seems confused. She
tries to find me but I wiggle away and fall
off the tree...
I close my eyes awaiting the awful fate
that is before me. Then suddenly I feel
hard rock underneath me only to realize
that I have landed on the giant back of a
turtle. And he does not look happy.
As I try to wiggle my big clumsy body
off the turtle, the Great Sparrow is circling above me. I wiggle as furiously as I
can, fall off the turtle and land in a hole in
the ground.
“Welcome, young worm...”
Read the complete story at youngwritersproject.org/node/92493
This Week: Epic & 48 Hours
Each week, Young Writers Project receives hundreds
of submissions from students in Vermont and New
Hampshire and we publish the best here, in newspapers around the state and on vpr.net and vtdigger.
org. This week, we present responses to the prompts,
Epic: Describe an epic journey; and 48 Hours: You
have 48 hours to do anything. What would you do?
About the Project
YWP is an independent nonprofit
that engages students to write, helps
them improve and connects them
with authentic audiences. YWP
runs youngwritersproject.org and
the Schools Project, a comprehensive online classroom and training
program that works with teachers to
help students develop their writing
and digital literacy skills. To learn
more, go to ywpschools.net or contact YWP at (802) 324-9537.
Thanks from YWP
YWP is supported by the generosity of foundations, businesses
and individuals who recognize the
power and value of writing. If you
would like to contribute, please go
to youngwritersproject.org/support,
or mail your donation to YWP, 12
North St., Suite 8, Burlington, VT
05401.
Special thanks this week to
Bay and Paul Foundations
Photo of the week
The Calvin
Calvin Coolidge
(Library of Congress)
Vermont writers
(under age 20) are
invited to write
about a topic close
to the heart of one
of the most famous Vermonters,
President Calvin
Coolidge: Should
I stay in Vermont or
should I leave?
The Calvin Coolidge Memorial
Foundation is offering $1,500 for the
top essay and $500 for the runner up,
along with a trip to the foundation’s
annual gala in New York City next
fall.
You can find more details at coolidgefoundation.org or youngwritersproject.org.
Rock climbing
By Sandra Guyette
Grade 8, Mill River Union
Kevin Huang, Burlington High School
Travel the world
By Heather McManus
Grade 10, Rutland High School
To do anything I want
in just two days,
seemingly impossible,
but I have my ways.
I’d travel to Paris,
Spain and more,
ride around London
on a bus tour.
I’d travel the world
in 48 hours.
I’d see different cultures
and Medieval towers.
More great student writing at
youngwritersproject.org
Feel the rock hard and strong,
The rough surface melding with your
palm,
Holding you there
As you are suspended in air,
Droplets of sweat dripping into your eyes.
Inside this rock face is where your heart
lies.
Flames devour you until everything
burns.
But nothing can diminish the yearn,
A mental game joggling in your mind,
Planning every move, taking your time,
The need to keep going consuming you.
Reaching the top is all you can think to
do.
Breathing shallow and paced,
You are ready to finish this race,
Stretching, only a little farther,
On the tips of your toes,
Your fingers skimming the cliff edge,
Clawing around the rock,
Dirt slipping in between your nails,
Struggling and hoisting yourself up
Over the threshold,
Inhaling deep,
Mountain air tasting sweet.
You have achieved an infinite feat.
You have reached the top.
You know that you won’t ever stop
Climbing.