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The Patriot Press
Sci-Fi Fantasy
Sometimes there just isn’t any doubt as to what should be
“front page news” and this was the month! It is with tremendous
pleasure I direct your attention to the two short stories at the
end of this newsletter. Both are works that any author would take
pride in. To say they came from middle school students is to say,
“That’s incredible”, because they are very, very good! I read all
of the stories the students in the class wrote as part of their
assignment. All of the stories were great! I too found that these
are very creative young people with unlimited potential! Finding the
two “best” was not an easy task at all. However, it is gratifying
to have the opportunity to recognize when they do something really
special. These stories are very special and I hope you will take
the time to enjoy them as much as I did.
Teacher Appreciation Week!
May 1– 6 is Teacher Appreciation Week for the
purpose of showing appreciation for teachers, but also it
serves as a means of recognizing just how much we value
education. Without the teachers who work tirelessly,
spend their weekends grading papers and planning lessons,
and work 60-70 hours a week our standard of living would
soon suffer as it is education which makes this country
great! Studies have shown that teachers teach because
they feel they can make a difference. Seize the
opportunity to let them know they do!
Hillsdale Preparatory
School
Volume I, Issue 8
May, 2017
If you would
like to
volunteer at
the school
during lunch
time please
contact Mr.
Bauman.
"There is an old saying
that the course of civilization is a race between
catastrophe and education. In a democracy
such as ours, we must
make sure that education wins the race."
--John F. Kennedy
I like a teacher who gives
you something to take home
to think about besides
homework.
—Lily Tomlin
Let’s Meet……Draydon Eckelberry
by Rosy Kiehnau
Draydon Eckelberry is a twelve-year-old 6th grader who has been going to Hillsdale Preparatory
School for nearly three years. He came in 4th grade and will be graduating from 6th grade in about
seven weeks. He is a child of three and his siblings are named Kash and Blaine. He loves to eat pasta
bake and for desert, his favorite ice cream, is a turtle sundae.
Draydon likes animals as well. He has a dog, a few chickens, and some ducks! His all-time favorite though, is a penguin (which is a great choice in my opinion). He was born in Hillsdale but lived in Osseo for a period before returning to Hillsdale. He was born on August 5th, 2004 and his favorite
month is August because that is the month he was born in.
Draydon enjoys riding his dirt bike and scooter and his favorite color is neon green. He loves to
read and he especially liked the book “The sign of the Beaver”. He listens to Florida Georgia Line’s
songs the most out of many different artists, and out of those, his favorite song is “This is how we
roll” by them.
In school, Draydon’s favorite subject is science. He especially likes the figuring things out part.
He lives in the country away from the city but not too far, his favorite soda is Pepsi and he likes
watching comedy movies. He also prefers movies rather than books because they “have more action”.
Izzie’s Monthly Book Reviews!
This Month’s Book Review: Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Age Range: 11 and up
Rating:
Jacob Portman is ordinary. There is nothing special about him. The only
thing that excited him were the stories his grandfather used to tell him. As
he grew older these stories seemed be less real than they seemed when he
was
younger, he stopped believing in levitating girls
and a woman transforming into a bird.
But
when his grandfather suddenly is killed
by “rabid dogs”, this raises many questions. After a few months of therapy,
Jacob decides to visit the island where his grandfather had grown up. What
he found is unexplainable.
Concert In The Park!!!
On Tuesday May 30 at 6:00 the HPS Spring Music Concert will be
an outdoor affair! Mr. Blanchard has secured the use of Mrs. Stock’s
Park as the location of our Concert. So bring your lawn chairs or a
blanket and come join us in the park for some music in the open air!
Everyone is invited!
Page 2
The Patriot Press
First Graders “Jump” at the Chance to Learn
In May, we will finish our frog and toad unit in reading and science. On
Wednesday, May 10th both first grades will take a field trip to explore frogs and
toads in their natural habitats. Thank you to those parents who have volunteered
to chaperone and drive to the field trip. We appreciate your willingness to help
and partner with us.
Spotlight on Samara Bowers!
By Kreyzon Philipp
One of this month’s featured students is Samara Bowers. Samara is in fourth
grade and is ten years old. She was born on March 15, 2017 in Hillsdale, Michigan. She lived in Colorado, but then moved back to Hillsdale. Her siblings are:
Emily, Roxy, Angel, Ashley, John, and Jack. Samara has two dogs and three cats,
and her favorite animal is a horse. Samara has been going to HPS for five years.
Her favorite food is cheese burgers, her favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry, her favorite color is blue, her favorite song is “Shape of you” by Ed Sheeran,
her favorite subject in school is math, and her favorite pop is Dr. Pepper. Samara enjoys action and comedy movies. Her hobbies are: basketball, cheerleading,
gymnastics, and soccer. Samara likes movies better than books and her favorite
book series is the Boxcar Children. Her favorite athlete is Simone Biles. One
important attribute that Samara has is that she is friends with everybody in her
class.
Kindergarten “Showcase” Day!
Mr. B and I have been planning a very special event for our
Kindergartners! We would like to celebrate how well both classes
have performed and how much they’ve learned while
Mrs. Otterbein has been on maternity leave. Please plan to join
us on Thursday, May 11th at 2:00pm!
Volume I, Issue 8
Page 3
Volunteers Welcome!
Would you like to volunteer in your child’s class? It’s as easy as contacting the teacher and
having a conversation about the time you have available to help out. Once the teacher knows
your availability they can plan activities which will make use of your assistance in the class.
For more information contact the school.
Meet The Staff — Mr. Trumble!
By Avery and Sydney
Mr. Trumble is the fifth grade teacher. He has taught at HPS for 8 years, is a great
teacher, and has a great attitude. Mr. Trumble’s birthday is August 9th. He was born in Jackson, MI. His favorite color is blue. His favorite book genre is historical fiction and he also
likes coloring books. His favorite author is Steven King.
He was inspired to become a teacher by his high school teachers. His major in college was Social Studies and his minor was
I think the teaching profesEducation.
sion contributes more to the
More facts about Mr. Trumble. His favorite sport is basketball. future of our society than
any other single profession.
His hobbies are playing the guitar, playing basketball, playing
baseball, and jujutsu. His favorite food is tacos and favorite ice
— John Wooden
cream flavor is chocolate. His favorite animal is a wolverine.
This is not very surprising since he is a University of Michigan
fan. His favorite moment in time is during the University of
Michigan vs. Michigan State football game in 1997 when Charles Woodson made an incredible
interception. Which animal is his least favorite? Snakes! He has a fear of snakes. If Mr.
Trumble could go anywhere in the world he would go to the Rain Forest or South America. His
favorite band is Metallica. If he could meet any famous person he would like to meet Bob Dylan. His favorite quote is “Whether you think you can or can’t you are right”. His favorite season is summer and his favorite holiday is Christmas.
We asked Mr. Trumble if he had the option to have wings and fly or breath under water which
would he choose? He would like to be able to fly.
Mr. Trumble’s pet peeve is when students do not put books back on the shelves correctly. This
is some useful information for next year’s upcoming class of 5th graders. The most valuable
lesson he was taught by a teacher was to always do your
homework. Mr. Trumble feels that the most valuable
The only thing even in this
world is the number of hours in lesson he was taught in life is to always do your best.
a day. The difference in winning
or losing is what you do with
those hours.
—-Woody Hayes
Connie’s Kids!
(7th/8th grade)
Our Stock Market project has come to an end. There was some excellent
competition and some students who really took this project seriously. In first
place was yours truly, second place was Mr. Bauman, and in third place was Sofia
Kratt. There was a heated battle between Sofia and Mr. Bauman for second
place. Congratulations! Students were busy compiling their reports and turning
them in this month.
The 8th graders have completed their M-Step testing. They worked very
hard and stuck with it even though the testing process can be very taxing. By
the afternoon each of them were very tired and to quote them “our brains are
fried”.
The 7th graders will begin their M-Step testing
May 1st.
If you would
We read various short stories to prepare for the
M-Step testing to focus on reading comprehension.
like to volunteer
We completed reading The Comedy of Errors by Wilat the school
liam Shakespeare. This play is humorous and the class
during lunch
really enjoyed it. As a wrap up to the play students
time please
picked their favorite scene and in groups they improvised the scene. In addition to the improve each stucontact Mr.
dent was asked to create a stage backdrop drawing for
Bauman.
one of the following scenes: The world of Ephesus, Angelo’s goldsmith shop, or Nell’s kitchen. The creativity
in my classroom continues to amaze me. I have some
very talented students.
Congratulations to Mrs. Russell’s third grade class for winning the Penny
War! Just under $500 was raised during the week and the competition was
very close.
End of year: Kindergarten and 8th Grade Graduation @ 6:00 PM June 8
Awards Ceremony @ 11:00 AM on June 9
School Cookout June 9 @ 12:00
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH-April
We continue our recognition of students and character with April and
“integrity” as our pillar of character. Each class is represented by a student
who best demonstrates courage in their daily life. Each month we have a different “Pillar of Character” for which we recognize students. It is not enough
to teach and promote character in the school, but we must also recognize and
celebrate its exhibition!
Kindergarten — Mrs. Medrano’s student of the month is Malachi Coe. I believe Malachi best displays integrity in our classroom. The quality of being
honest and trustworthy is so very important in life. I appreciate that Malachi
exhibits these traits everyday. You are a model for the rest of the students
here at HPS, Malachi! Keep up the hard work!
Kindergarten — Mrs. Otterbein’s Student of the Month is Heidi Herndon. I
can always count on Heidi to be a young lady of integrity. She is honest and
trustworthy. Heidi, your kind and quiet personality is a breath of fresh air and
I am glad to know that I can count on you! Great job, Heidi!!
1st Grade— Mrs. Draheim's Student of the Month is Ellie Poston. Ellie shows
integrity every day by the choices she makes. She knows the difference between right and wrong and is someone I can count on to always tell the truth.
Ellie is a great role model for her peers and a wonderful classroom helper.
Keep up the great work!
1st Grade — Mrs. Wallace’s Student of the Month for April is Adeline Beckner. Adeline demonstrates integrity every day in school. She strives to do
what is right and encourage others to do right, even when no one is looking.
Whether Addie is on the playground, in the lunch room, at a special’s class, or
in her own classroom she wants to do her best. Addie is a great example to
her fellow classmates and helps to create a positive classroom environment
with her cheerful and helpful attitude.
2nd Grade— Oliver Heckle is Mrs. Fowler’s student of the month for
April. Oliver shows integrity by being honest and standing up for what he believes it right. He tries to always do the right thing, and when he doesn't he
takes responsibility for his mistakes and tries to do better the next
time. Kudos to Oliver to setting an example for others and knowing the difference between right from wrong.
2/3 Grade—Gus Heath is our April student of the month. Gus exemplifies
integrity because he has a strong sense of what is right and is very frustrated when injustice has been done. He is very honest even when it means his
honesty may lead to him getting into trouble. Thank you for your honesty
Gus. Keep it up!
3rd—The student of the month for third grade is Felicity Kiehnau. She has
strong moral principals. I can always count on her to be honest, fair, and decent to all those around her. Felicity has sincerity in her efforts in the classroom. She is working to excel to her potential. I appreciate her strong virtue
and righteousness on a daily basis. Thank you Felicity, keep doing what you
Success is a lousy teacher. It
know is right!
seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose. —-Bill Gates
"In a completely rational society, the best of us would be
teachers and the rest of us
would have to settle for something less."
--Lee Iacocca
Volume I, Issue 8
Page 6
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH-March (con’t)
4th Grade — My student of the month for integrity is Keira Hamilton. Keira is an excellent example of having great integrity. She stands by what she believes in and is always
herself. Keira is proud to be who she is and should continue to be proud of her accomplishments. for these, and many other reasons, I have chosen Keira for student of the
month.
5th— Jenny Knoll is the student of the month for Integrity. Jenny is one of the most
honest people that you could ever hope to be around. Jenny always tells the truth in any
situation. She never complains, even when things don’t seem to go her way. Jenny is a
pleasure to have in class and a role model to her peers.
6th —Maya Hamilton is the student of the month for April. Maya is not only honest, she
has a strong set of personal values that she lives by. She does her best, holds herself
accountable, and on a daily basis lifts other up by helping, encouraging and in many ways
tries to get others to be a little bit better. She sticks up for what she feels is right,
even if it is not the popular choice. She is true to herself everyday
7th/8th—Scott Knoll is the 7/8th grade Student of the Month. Scott is in the 8th
grade and will be graduating from HPS this June. He has two sisters and one brother. For
those of you who did not know Scott has a twin sister. Scott has numerous friends and
loves to play soccer. He is a member of the track team. The highlight of his week is attending youth group at The HUB. His family lives at Camp Michindoh and his father also
works there. Scott also loves attending summer camp at Camp Michindoh.
If you would
like to
volunteer at
the school
during lunch
time please
contact Mr.
Bauman.
Tips for Parents
We apologize!
Written by: Sofia, Abby, and Cheyenne
We are sorry for any inconvenience we might
have caused anyone. The 8th grade members of
Student Council, have been M-Step testing.
This has put a lot of stress and pressure on the
majority of the Student Council members, including the Student Council president. Now we
that we are done with M-Step, we will be beginning our buddy-bench project. Thank you for
bearing with us!
Almost all students can
use help with math
facts. Using flashcards
or just asking them to
recite times tables will
help them get better
and improve their grades
in school. As students
get better in these basic
math skills, their
frustration with school
work will decrease and
they will find school
more enjoyable. You will
also find everyone’s
stress level greatly
decreases as students
become more confident.
in their math skills!
Volunteers Welcome!
Would you like to volunteer in your child’s class? It’s as easy as contacting the teacher and having a conversation about
the time you have available to help out. Once the teacher knows your availability they can plan activities which will make
use of your assistance in the class. For more information contact the school.
Page 7
Fantasy Fiction Stories Are Awesome!!! By Mrs. Kuenzer
The 7th/8th class worked on a lesson for Fantasy Fiction for a week and a
half in class. During this time we discussed various examples of published Fantasy Fiction novels, what makes a good story, and what to include in a well written
story. Then students were told to write a Fantasy Fiction story as their assignment. They were told to use their imaginations and be creative. I also told the
class that the best story from 7th grade and 8th grade would be printed in our
newsletter. After reading all of the stories I was very impressed by the quality
of the stories my class had written. One story from 7th grade and one story from
8th grade were picked by independent judges (I had nothing to do with the judging process. I did remove the student’s names from their papers so the judges
would not know who the authors were.)
The winners were:
7th Grade – Dragon Slayers written by Rosy Kiehnau
8th Grade – Pursuit of Pixies written by Sofia Matsukova-Kratt
of heavy armor made from dragon bones (almost indestructible) and two suits of light, traveling armor. They
each grabbed their satchels and put in the necessary food,
water, and other supplies they will need for the trip. They
This is a story about two young dragon slayers that
put their armor in a neat little bundle in the back. They
have started a large mission of removing the infected
dragons and saving the world. The Ozies, a band of insane loaded up their two, fresh horses, supplied by the hermit.
criminals, have somehow mixed a brew that is, when drank, Clara said “Farewell, dear hermit, I will most definitely
a maddening potion for dragons. The Ozies have been cap- miss thou!” She gave him a last embrace, climbed upon her
turing dragons, giving them the potion, and releasing them horse, and waited for Georgine to bid the hermit goodbye.
Georgine could just barely hide her excitement when she
on the world. This is how they were removed and who did
said “I have so much to say but there isn’t time. I hope to
this courageous deed.
see you again and will remember my training. Goodbye!”
Our young female warrior’s names are Clara and GeorShe too then climbed upon her horse and they each bid
gine. Clara is three months younger then Georgine and
the hermit one last “farewell” over their shoulders and set
they are both fourteen. Clara has flaming red hair and
out to the location given to them where a crazed dragon
dark green eyes while Georgine has luscious black hair with had last been spotted.
startling blue eyes. (They both also cut their hair short
They traveled all the way to the edge of the green hills
later on their journey.) They are both around the same
and after slight hesitation, pressed on. Through the
height and are in perfect health (weight). They were
raised in a small village by the name of Burgenson. Burgen- fields, through the rivers, swamps, up into the rocky mounson has rolling, grassy hills, and many, many fields with all tains and down again. In a small valley, they decided to
camp up one night. “I can’t sleep” said Clara. “Listen to the
sorts of agricultural things growing.
hooting of the owl, the rippling of the brook, and look at
When they were younger, they would play together all
the beautiful, bright, twinkling stars watching over you.
the time because they were neighbors. They would play
This is nature’s lullaby.” Georgine whispered comfortingly.
fight because they always dreamed of fighting evil. As
“Everything is going to turn out just fine. Think of the
they got older, they became more and more serious about good that our actions will do mankind.”
their hunger for battle. Ever since their parents had been
They went through villages of all kinds and would
killed by an insane dragon, a hermit had taken them in and
often receive fresh horses. They traveled through valleys
was persuaded to train them. They began practicing with
the old hermit who raised them. He was not actually a her- and fields until they came to the foot of Mount. Skull!
They started the ascent and hoped they would both come
mit, he was the very last trained Dragon Slayer! This had
down again. As they climbed farther up, they could smell
all happened four years ago.
the smoke and could almost see it as well. This dragon had
After seven years of training, they believe they are
been terrorizing the village of Locksville for weeks. The
ready at fourteen. The hermit pulls out two complete sets townspeople were nearly dead with fright and some even
DRAGON SLAYERS
camp one night. “I can’t sleep” said Clara. “Listen to the
hooting of the owl, the rippling of the brook, and look at
the beautiful, bright, twinkling stars watching over you.
This is nature’s lullaby.” Georgine whispered comfortingly.
“Everything is going to turn out just fine. Think of the
good that our actions will do mankind.”
They went through villages of all kinds and would often
receive fresh horses. They traveled through valleys and
fields until they came to the foot of Mount. Skull! They
started the ascent and hoped they would both come down
again. As they climbed farther up, they could smell the
smoke and could almost see it as well. This dragon had
been terrorizing the village of Locksville for weeks. The
townspeople were nearly dead with fright and some even
fled. “We can do this” Clara would tell herself as they got
closer and closer to the dragon’s lair. They led the horses
away out of sight or hearing range and gradually crept up
to the dragon’s den. It had it’s back turned and was about
to devour one of the cowards that had fled from the village. The scoundrel had left his entire family to save himself. (I guess he learned his lesson).
They crept closer and closer until they were sure they
had him. Georgine took the first strike! The Dragon
turned around in fury to see who had hurt his tail but
there was nobody there. The flaming red dragon turned
around and stomped to the outskirts of his cave and
looked around. Clara threw a rock down the slope of the
cave and the dragon spread his enormous wings and flew
down to where the sound had come from with lightning
speed.
Georgine and Clara had hidden on the top of the mouth
of the cave because they knew his blind spot. They also
knew his weak spot, and old battle wound. “There’s a spot
on this first dragon that doesn’t have scales, you just have
to find it,” the hermit had said one day during training.
This specific weak spot was in this dragon’s chest. Clara
had spotted it as the dragon went to investigate the disturbance from her rock. As the dragon realized that he
has been tricked, he flew back up in absolute fury! As he
did, Georgine put an arrow on her bow and shot. Once,
twice, three times the arrow missed it’s target. But Georgine would not give up! She and Clara had not come this far
for nothing! As she put her very last arrow on her bow
string, she said a prayer asking for Clara’s safety if she
did not make it. At this, she pulled the string back and let
the arrow loose, it struck the dead center if where she
was aiming. The dragon collapsed, never to move again.
Clara and Georgine were glad that it was dead and, after helping the coward find his family, got their map out
to find the next crazed dragon. They went and “took out”
hundreds of dragons, it took them three years to kill them
all but they decided to kill the top leader dragon who
worked with the Ozies before continuing with the rest.
Without that dragon, the Ozies couldn’t make any more of
the serum because they required his specific saliva as an
ingredient. They also need part of one of his scales per
dose. They actually took a whole scale from his heart area
which made him go into a crazy fit. In this “tantrum” of
his, he ate the remover of his scale. This dragon’s name is
Genitar.
When Clara and Georgine reached Genitar, they were
nearly eighteen-years-old! They disguised themselves and
walked in saying they were new-comers that wanted to
join the Ozies. The Ozies’ guards were suspicious and went
to get the authorities. At this, the two girls slipped in behind them. They decided to split up when they reached
Genitar to receive the element of surprise. They found
him in a dungeon, deep within the castle grounds. “I’ve
been waiting for you. I knew you’d be along for me one of
these days.” The dark green dragon growled. Are you going
to fight back?” George asked with a hint of attitude.
“YES!” Next, he flew up and tried to grab Georgine but
she was too quick for him. She pulled out her sword and
slashed a vicious claw! It flinched and started bleed. The
dragon’s fury was building and he seemed to be steaming in
anger. Clara joined the fight like a streak of lightning!
Bang! The dragon smacked against the wall! They gradually
led him to the rocky cliffs of the mountain. Swords
flashed and seemed to be flying! Teeth were clashing! And
fire was burning around them from frantic bursts of
deadly flame from Ganitar!
The dragon lunged at the unsuspecting Georgine! His
fangs of death sunk deep into her creamy white skin.
“NOOOOO!” screeched Clara! At this, Clara sliced off
Genitar’s head with one extreme blow! She rushed to
Georgine’s side. “Finish it” Georgine managed to murmur.
“Get the Ozies and win glory for us, for me.” Then, Georgine let out her last breath, her very last breath.
“Georgine!!!!!”
Indeed, Clara did “finish” the Ozies and went home in
full glory and triumph! She had completed her mission and
won safety for mankind. Although she missed Georgine
terribly, she knew that Georgine wouldn’t have wanted her
to be heartbroken and depressed.
Pursuit of Pixies
Annie woke up in a sweat. She had yet another nightmare. Bella turned to her sister.
“Was it another dream?” She asked groggily.
Annie looked away. Small patches of sunlight were slowly making their way into the hollowed tree. Blankets woven from large, oak leaves
lay spread across the dim bark flooring. Outside
little droplets of rain could be heard falling softly
against the pink, flower petal, curtains. The house
seemed damp and chilly from the early morning
dew. Bella sighed and slowly started to make her
way down the carved wood stairs.
“What do you want for breakfast?” asked
Bella trying to change the heavy mood.
She could hear her sister’s footsteps pace
about above. Without another word she grabbed a
coffee bean from the pantry. She placed it in a
walnut shell and beat it repeatedly with a pebble,
creating coffee grinds. Then taking a small fragment of a fine net she poured the grinds in and
strained them into two thimbles. Taking a vanilla
flower petal she squeezed it gently, extracting its
juice evenly between the two cups.
“Smells good” Annie said with an easy
cheerfulness.
She reached for her cup then picked out a
big, juicy cherry from a nearby bowl of fruits.
Bella eyed her suspiciously and took an unhurried
sip from her cup. Annie, feeling the stare, knew
her sister didn’t buy it.
“He’s getting closer.” Bella said quietly, “I can feel
it too, you know.”
Bella stood up, spread her stunning wings,
and reached for two little backpacks that sat unnoticeably in the corner.
“I packed everything we would need for the journey,” she said, “If we leave now, we’ll get there in
6 hours.”
Annie too, got up and spread her own
beautiful wings. They were transparent with a
hint of pink, and shimmered like diamonds in the
sun. She flew over to Bella and embraced her in a
loving hug.
“Your right,” she cried with sudden enthusiasm, “we have no time to waste, and we must
leave at once!”
She took her backpack and they flew swiftly out
the door.
***
By now, the sun was clearly shinning, warming the land with its valiant rays. A soft summer
breeze blew Annie’s soft, golden hair as they
quickly flew between the trees. Down below they
could see the other pixies leisurely starting to
open their eyes and start the day. Butterflies of
all colors were majestically flying overhead covering the sky with their elegance.
“Do you think we’ll make it in time?” Bella
asked.
“Let’s hope so.” Annie replied.
Ever since Bella was little, she knew Annie
was special. Annie could sense things no one else
could. It usually came in dreams so as a child, she
often found herself already knowing what tomorrow would bring. It was her special gift. Every
pixie is born with some kind of gift or talent. Bella
still hasn’t discovered her gift but she will when
time is right.
“Stop.” Annie said suddenly.
Bella, being deep in thought, didn’t hear
her sisters warning. She felt herself pass a small
string and a pail of honey started to tip directly
on her. She gave a shout of alarm and she began
to fall.
“Bella!!” Annie shrieked as she dived down,
desperately racing against gravity.
Out of the blue, an abnormally cold gust of
wind blew powerfully blowing Annie abruptly into
tangle of broken twigs and leaves. She had lost all
sight of her sister. Annie quickly recovered and
made her way down to the forest floor. When she
reached it she saw no sign of her sister.
“Bella?!” She gave an anxious shout of
dread.
“Annie!” Bella’s voice seemed to come from
somewhere down below.
Annie scanned the forest grounds. High
trees covered the acres with thick, luscious,
branches. The sunshine was passing through
scarce, small, gaps up above. Some birds chirped
and danced giving the forest a beautiful, serene
touch. Soft green moss covered the rocks and
twigs. Bugs made paths throughout the up sprung
roots and sun bunnies.
“Down here!” Again, Bella’s voice broke the
peaceful silence.
Annie quickly flew toward the voice. She
came to a clear opening in the forest. She started
to rummage around the ground frantically looking
for even the slightest sign of her sister. As she
started to pass a small patch of grass she heard a
soft sound.
“Bella?” said Annie once more.
“I’m down here!!” Bella’s distressed voice
came from somewhere beneath the patch of
grass.
Annie fluttered down and with great effort she managed to move aside the grass mat.
Under it was dug a deep hole and at the bottom
sat Bella dripping head to toe with sticky, golden,
honey.
“Oh Bella!” Annie exclaimed in relief at the
sight of her sister.
She got down to her sister and began to
slowly and steadily bring her up.
“Goblins are known for their tricks,” Annie
said, “But I’ve never seen one as clever as this.”
Everyone knows that pixies can’t fly in water, but honey paralyzes them completely. Its
heavy, sticky, weight and texture weighs them
down preventing any movement. Then that strange
gust of unnaturally, cold, wind blew Annie powerfully into a clutter of branches and leaves. The
hole was obviously dug for one of the two pixies
to fall in after they were covered with the honey.
Once they fell in the grass mat covered the hole
as if to camouflage it.
“We know he’s nearby,” Said Bella, “But so
is the warlock’s cottage.”
The warlock’s cottage was a small hut in
the middle of the woods. It contained some of
the most powerful spells in history. One of the
spells that dwell there is a very dangerous, very
powerful, clone spell. With it you could create armies upon armies of clones. A long time ago an evil
troll got hold of the spell. All pixies, fairies, elf’s,
leprechauns, sprites, gnomes, wizards, warlocks,
and animals had to fight for centuries in order to
beat the army. Many lives were lost those years
and it was up to Bella and Annie to make sure it
doesn’t happen again.
“There it is!” Bella’s voice was filled with
excitement.
And indeed the forest came to an opening
and there sat a small, modest hut. Twigs lined in a
circular fashion made the walls. Large clots of
mud were used to coat the cracks between the
twigs. Straw covered the top of the twigs and
was tied at the top with string in a tipi method.
The two pixies flew cautiously inside.
“Smells like old books and moth balls!” Bella said with her nose plugged.
“The goblin isn’t here yet,” Annie said, “But
he will be soon.”
The pixies analyzed the setting. Book
shelf’s outlined each wall. A small table sat in the
middle with a half full cup of coffee. The floor
was made from musty, old wood that looked like it
would crack if you stepped on it. A stainless steel
stove sat next to the table. A pot filled with a
thick, crimson, liquid was bubbling piercingly over
it. In the corner sat a podium and on it lay a giant,
open book.
“That must be it!” Annie said.
“We could cast a defensive spell over the cottage
that might buy us some time to set a trap.” Bella
said.
So the two sisters cast the strongest
defensive spell they knew and began to work on a
trap. With enormous endeavor they managed to
bring up a heavy rope net over the spell book.
They hid it well out of sight then they themselves
were concealed from view. All that was left now
was to wait. Suddenly A large crash was heard.
The goblin had broken the barrier the pixies had
set around the cottage. His large footsteps could
be heard getting closer and closer to the little
huts door.
“I know it’s here!!!” His loud voice roared
like thunder shaking the entire house.
He was a sluggish, dull gray. He had a
short, stout body and scrawny, long arms. He had
massive ears and an oversized nose that flared
out. His teeth were an ugly rotten yellow and
stood out in different directions. His blood red
eyes had a thin black slit going through them. An
overpowering odor of rotten eggs, and sewer water reeked from him. He limped heedlessly to the
book.
“Now!!” Annie yelled.
Bella cut the rope that had been holding up
the net. As it began to fall it caught onto her
skirt and dragged her down with it. The goblin,
seeing the net, rapidly jumped out of the way. He
snickered deviously and watched Bella as she
wheezed and struggled frantically for air. The net
fell completely upon her and was slowly crushing
her lungs. Annie tried to pull the net off her sister but it was no use, no matter how hard she
pulled she just wasn’t strong enough.
Suddenly the net steadily started to rise
off of Bella. Bella had finally discovered her gift,
and just in the nick of time. The goblins eyes
grew wide. He scrambled off the table and tried
to make his way out of the window.
“Not so fast!” said Bella as she directed
the net towards him.
The net covered the goblin and Bella
tied it securely at the end. Just then the warlock stepped into the cottage. At first he was
shocked at his surroundings. Then he happily
invited Bella and Annie to discuss their adventure over a cup of tea and cookies. After they
had told him about their quest his gratitude
was immense. He rewarded Annie with a crystal ball where she could transfer her dreams
into for other to see, and for Bella, he gave
her a scepter which she could use to increase
her powers’ strength.
“Now it is time for you to go home.” He
said.
“What about the goblin?” Bella asked.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take it from here.” He
said as he looked over to the gray blob inside
the net that was sitting in the shadows.
Then he lifted his arms and the pixies
were surrounded by a blinding, sparkly, light
that was revolving quickly around them. Before
they could say another word they found themselves back in their house. The light was now
vividly shinning through the window lighting up
the entire room. Their beds still lay unmade
just like they have left them. A small squirrel
ran out from beneath the bed and greeted the
pixies gleefully.
“Hey Fluffy!” Bella said, and she
wrapped her arms around the excited pet.
Everything seemed just like they had
left it, except, in the corner, stood a pedestal
that held a crystal ball and next to it laid a
scepter.