Dear Odyssey,
We would like to acknowledge the efforts of many students and faculty who
have helped to make this project such a beautiful success. As always, a generous thank
you to Mrs. Donna Leppo for helping to proofread the final draft of the text and to assist
with binding and duplicating the copies. Thank you also to Mrs. Hankins, Mrs. Bilger
and Mr. Weidow for all their tech support. For helping to judge nearly fifty scary middle
school short stories, we wish to thank Ms. Sarah Bare, Ms. Laura Groseclose and Mrs.
Peggy Beidelman, our Lower School judges, and Mr. Rose, Mrs. Metzger and Mr. Gordon
who judged the Middle School submissions. Thanks also to Mrs. Smith and the Skipjack
and Schooner classes for submitting a variety of “Lost in a Cave” stories. Thank you to Mr.
Gordon and the Windjammers for their unique collection of odes. And to Mrs. Beidelman
and the Sloops for their poetry. To Mrs., Riordan and the Ketch thank you for the many
chinquapins and to all the Language Tutors who had their students participate we also extend our many thanks
We would like to thank Katie and Ms. Sara Bare for their painstaking efforts in
crafting our beautiful cover. Brynn and Riley deserve our special appreciation for their
many illustrations that are found throughout the magazine. Thanks also to those students
who helped with editing, typing copy and conducting research especially: Jack, Patrick
and Grace. Tucker also did a fine job with the Table of Contents and Sadie and Nikki
created our dedication to Charlie . A final thanks also go out to our photographers: Grace
and Riley. We also wish to thank Mrs. Siobhan Budnitz for her beautiful pictures of
Antietam National Battlefield. We hope that you enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed
creating it.
Best wishes,
From All the Staff
2
Staff Artists
Augie
Brynn
Katie
Declan
Cover Art by
Katie
Copy Editing/Layout
Sadie
Nikki
Patrick
Jack
Tucker
Photography
Grace
Riley
Sadie
Nikki
Moderators: Mr. Philip Bender
Mr. Jason Gordon
Back Row: Katie, Sadie, Riley, Patrick, Tucker,
Brendan, Mr. Bender, Jack .
Front Row: Augie, Grace, Isabella , Brynn, Nikki,
Declan.
3
Our Staff Page
Artwork by Brynn
4
5
Shared Remembrances
Mrs. Metzger:
Mrs. Palmieri:
“Last year I got to cross the Odyssey Fun Run finish line with him”
“He came into homeroom one morning. He was jumping in the class room.
He was excited about the Jets winning. I said why are you so excited, he said
the Jets won and he said you can always be happy about something.”
Mr. Rose:
“In Sloop Homeroom he was always really excited to play the games we had
in the morning. He didn’t care who played. He just wanted to play.”
Mrs. Bilger:
“He always had a smile on his face.”
Mrs. Achziger:
“He said that’s not their names because his class was saying what their
names are and people were giving fake names.”
Mrs. Scher:
“Charlie was always smiling every time I saw him. He was always happy.”
Mr. Kroll:
“I remember when they made him all-time quarterback at recess.”
Mrs. Lemieux:
“Whenever I passed him in the hallway, he always had a smile.”
Mrs. Montgomery- Loy:
“He was always smiling, every morning when we would build things on the
computer and he loved playing. He would be so happy when able to play it.
I remember his laugh.”
Cooper:
“He was always funny, fun to be around”
Harrison:
“He shadowed me around the school.”
Liam:
“Charlie would always tell funny jokes in Tutoring”
Ryan:
“I remember how he would smile and play football all the time at recess”
Henry and Mr. Hutzler,
Philippe, Jack and Sam:
“Red solo cup I fill you up. Let’s have a party”
Mr. Tikiob:
“I know this is hard to believe but not every student comes to math class
with a smile on his face. This was not true for Charlie. He came to math
class every day with a smile, an upbeat attitude, and his incredible sense of
humor. His positivity was contagious and he is dearly missed.”
Mrs. Smith:
“I loved how Charlie always had a smile on his face. I loved his work ethic
and how he cheerfully made up everything he missed. He always made the
group he worked with more fun!”
6
“Life is
a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a
dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it.” __ Sai Baba
7
Charlie’s Run...
Friends and family of Charlie Neave gather to remember and honor Charlie.
More than 886 people participated in the run.
On December the 8th friends and
family of Charlie Neave gathered at
Sparks Elementary School for the
first annual Charlie Neave Run. In
spite of the bitter cold and snow,
almost 900 people came to support
the cause. The money that was raised
will be used as
financial aid to
support families who would otherwise be unable to attend Odyssey. It
was a memorable day for all who
participated.
Gray, Mia and Tess pose for
Charlie’s Run.
8
Table of Contents
Scary Story
Contest Winners
12
Selected Scary Stories
Will
Where’s the Rope
14-15
Christian
The Haunted Mansion
16-17
Katie
Waking Rage
18-21
Sadie
The Old House
22-23
Brynn
The Creepy Painting
24-25
Declan
The Cabin
26-28
Henry
The Trip
29
Patrick
It’s Cold Out Here
30
Page and Sara
Just Another Scary Story
Ryan
A Figure in the Mist
33
Katie
The Skeleton Key Chain
34
Cody
The Spooky House
35
Cece
The Disappearance
36-37
Twill
The Trapped Boys
38
9
31-32
Connor
Lydia
All Alone
39
The Scary Story of the
Witch
40
Poetry in Season
Gracie, Riley
Photo Essay
Katie
Little Things
Sofia
Autumn’s Senses
43
Riley
Happiness is…..
44
Henry
Ode to Assateague Island
45
Henry
Ode to Canada
46
Ode to the Real World
47
Kyle
Ode to Homework
48
Riley
Ode to a Kitty
49
Harrison
Ode to Soccer
50
Brendan
Ode to Ice Cream
51
Will
Ode to the Grinch
52
Ode to Santa
53
Josh
The Ocean
54
Jack
Disney
55
Jake
Winter
56
Jonathan
Brynn
10
42
Zachary
Chris
Ryan
Twill
Cody
Yvette
Libby
Armaan
Bobby
Months of the Year
Race Car Driving
Horse
Bulldog
Turkey
Dog
Bird
Candy Cane
Christmas
57
58
59
59
59
60
60
61
61
Remembering Our Family Stories
A Visit to the Past
Declan
Augie
Remembering Thomas Francis Meagher
63-64
My Great-grandfather's Story
65
Happy Holiday Wishes
66
11
Lower School Winners
First
Ryan
Second
Katie
Third
Cody
Middle School Winners
First
Will
Second
Christian
Third
Katie
12
Selected
Scary
Stories
Artwork by Brynn Peddy
“It is as much fun to scare as to be scared” — Vincent Price
13
Where’s the Rope?
by Will
In 1915 just when World War I was starting, a disease hit in Germany
causing people’s hearts to stop and then start again in 48 hours. To keep people
from being buried alive, the government made it a law to have a rope that goes
down into the coffin so that if someone was still alive, the person could pull the
rope and a bell would go off. This happened to a lady but something went
wrong and the rope wasn’t set up. Her last words were, “Where’s the rope!!?” before she
suffocated.
One month later her house was sold to a 34 year old German
named Vilhem. On his second night he heard a scratching outside, EEEEEEK
EEEEEK. He went to his window and looked at his yard, and his fence was swaying back and forth. Nothing was there so he figured it must have been a raccoon
trying to break the fence, so he went back to his bed and fell asleep.
In the morning he went outside to check the fence and the wood fence
was torn apart and spread all over. He had a new fence put in that was twice as
large. That night at 11:30 PM he heard the noise again only it lasted longer,
EEEEEEK!! EEEEEEEK!!! He checked the window but there was nothing there! His
terror kept him up all night and he continued to hear screeching and scratching
all night until 5:50 when it finally stopped. Once it was daylight he went
14
outside and saw the fence was ripped and battered and after a while he realized
the debris spelled Where’s the rope!!!? He freaked out, packed up his bags, and
went to a hotel for a week while a new metal fence was installed.
When he came home, the fence was all finished. “It would take a
monster to take down that fence,” said Vite, the man who installed the fence.
“Well I think that just might be it,” said Vilhem as Vite walked away.
That night Vilhem couldn’t fall asleep, and right when he was about to, he
heard a CRACKKKKK and an EEEEEEK, then a ROAR, then THUMP,
THUMP, BANG as the door was smashed in. Then a WOOSH and a BANG
CRACKK SMASH and the THUMP THUMP THUMP started again as it came
up the stairs.
“WHERE’S THE ROPE!! WHERE’S THE ROPE!!!”The voice just got
louder and louder and louder. Then CRASH and as the door was smashed in, he
pulled the covers up over his head, but before he got the covers over him, they
were immediately ripped away.
They say it takes 30 seconds for the human body to realize that it’s
dead and during those 30 seconds all he saw was the frail woman with 7-inch
fingernails and streaked makeup. It looked liked she’d been sobbing, and when
she spoke, she screamed the way people scream while they’re sobbing and she
said, “Where’s the Rope?”
Then she wrapped her hands around his neck and popped his head off. It
takes 10 seconds before you die if your head is popped off and for those 10
seconds he saw the woman pick up the bed as she screamed, Where Was it!!!
Where is it!!! Where’s the Rope!!!
15
THE HAUNTED MANSION
by Christian
My family and I went to Pittsburgh on a trip and stayed in a haunted
mansion. When we went to the front desk, the bellman screamed, “You’ve got to get out of
here!” and then he turned into dust.
We went to our rooms and played Go Fish. When we got tired of playing Go Fish,
we went to bed. During the night my eight-year-old sister got kidnapped. I heard a loud scream
and then an evil laugh. When I looked for her, I could not find her. I tripped and pulled down
the lamp which opened a trap door. I was afraid to go in. I turned around and saw the bellman
covered in tarantulas. He said that he would kill me as he pushed me down the trap door.
When I fell, I landed on a slide, but it was so dark that I could not see anything. Man, it's a long way down here. Then all of a sudden all torches started lighting up, and
I found myself looking at dead corpses. There were three passages and I went in the one to the
left. I had to choose between three passages everywhere. Before I even knew it, I was lost. I
tried to go back but that got me more lost.
16
I could not believe there was such a big network under here. I heard a loud scream and
then a booming clap. I followed the sound and heard two men talking. I peeked around the
corner and saw two bodybuilders guarding the open door to the most colossal room I had ever
seen. I noticed my sister in there, and she was unconscious. I could see that they had whipped
her. There were 500 men standing around in masks. I did some quick thinking and came up
with a plan to get her out.
I ran across the hallway and found a closet full of the outfits which the men in masks
were wearing. I dressed up like the men in masks and went to the big room. One of the bodybuilders stopped me and asked me what my name was. I said, “Yes-man,” and they somehow
let me go in. I went in and sat down.
As a man began whipping my sister, I noticed that all of the men had a large piece of
metal on the sides of their bodies. I also noticed that one of the walls in the room was a giant
magnet. I scurried to the magnet and was able to get it working. Almost immediately, about
490 men got stuck to the wall. I was a third degree black belt so I knew I could take the remaining 10 men out. I took down 9 of them very quickly but the last one was a karate master.
The karate master and I battled for what seemed like hours before my sister helped me defeat
him.
We then ventured back into the underground maze. We got lost again, so I went back to
the main room. We then noticed an “Exit” sign. We went up some stairs and got back to the
trap door. I slept in my sister’s bed for the rest of the night. We heard noises but it was OK.
We stayed for a couple of more nights but nothing happened. We only saw the bellman once
during the remainder of our visit. We left the hotel and I was never so happy in my life.
17
Waking Rage
by Katie
I heard the crunch of gravel under my feet as I walked down the lane. I made a
mental note to always check the gas meter. My grandfather’s car was on the side of the
gravel road .Since I wasn’t old enough to drive, my Granddad let me drive the Camry up and
down the lane while he was selling Doberman puppies. I’d been going up and down the half
a mile lane for about half an hour when the gas ran out. Dog sales normally take about four
hours and the chance of a customer giving me a ride back to the kennel wouldn’t happen
considering the fact that it was almost closing time. It wouldn’t have helped if I had brought
my phone because there was no cell service and it looked like I was going to have to walk.
The lane was boarded by trees about half way down the path and there was a break in
the trees large enough so that the occasional cow could escape from the Amen family farm
nearby. Mr. Amen was an old man with a goat named Thumper. Thumper was one for
attacking innocent bystanders who had gotten lost in the cornfield. The Amen farmhand had
always been a weird place, one time when we were taking my grandmother to the dentist we
were driving by and we saw a mama cow giving birth to a calf. It was cute until the rest of
the cattle came over and started eating it.
It took about an hour for me to walk back to
the kennel. I went to the shed where they kept the gas for the tractor. After I had finished
with the car and returned the car to the kennel, I went to take a walk down by the creek.
18
My Grandfather’s estate has been around since the 1800’s. It once had a bridge where
horse and buggies could cross the river. It worked fine for a while until there was a crash on
the bridge and three people were killed. Two were drowned in the river. Only one died in the
car crash. And that was the end of it for sixteen years. Everything was fine until another death
happened. This time it was the wife of the man who was in charge of the bridge who was
found drowned in the shallow part of the river. After a while, the bridge was shut down and
the property abandoned. It was like that for thirty years until my grandfather bought it. He
built a kennel on the property and everything was fine nothing had happened and life went on
as it should.
Shortly after walking by the creek, I noticed something shining in the water so I took
off my shoes and waded into the water. It was the middle of November so of course the water
was freezing but my feet were already half way numb so I kept walking. I was in the place
where I thought I saw the thing, whatever it was. So I started my way back to the shore when I
felt something pinch my toe. I thought it was Crayfish pinching my toe but it didn’t let go. The
pain started to grow so I quickly took my foot out of the water and the pain began to subside.
Standing on one foot , I fell over into the creek. I was soaking absolutely drenched. As I
walked up to the house, my teeth began to chatter. Once I got up to the house, I quickly
changed into dry cloths and brought the wet ones into the dryer. I was about to go start making
dinner when the dryer started to make a clanging sound. I hurried to open the dryer and found
inside a locket on a string of pearls. The pearls were slightly green as if they had been lying in
water for a long time. Then I realized that this must be the thing I saw in the river but how was
it here. I don’t know why but this question caused shivers to go down my spine. I went to the
guest room where I was staying and turned on the closet light .
19
Inside the closet was a giant bundle of blankets. I took them out of the closet, put
them on the bed and started unwrapping it. In side there was an old clock. I turned it around
and started to remove the back panel. Inside were various odds and ends I had found around
the property, a box of matches, a dried forget me not flower and an old piece of paper I had
written my favorite line of poetry on as a child. I took the locket and rapped it in a piece of
lace my grandmother put on the bedside table to give the room that homey feeling. Once I
had tucked the necklace safely away, I placed the clock back in the closet and went back to
the load of laundry. I checked on the locket again before I went to bed and was shore to lock
the closet. I couldn’t figure it out but something about hat locket scared me.
It was late at night when the clock started to toll. I was sound asleep at the time and
was awakened by it, I was pretty annoyed by the fact that it was four a clock in the morning
really who wouldn’t be. In my half awakened state, I tried to open the door to the closet.
Upon realizing it was locked, I proceeded to try to find the key. After about ten minutes of
searching and the clock continuing to toll, I lost my temper and started kicking the door.
Eventually my foot started to hurt and so giving up on silencing the clock, I took my pillow
and went to the other guest room. I placed the clock back in the closet and went back to the
load of laundry. I checked on the locket again before I went to bed and was sure to lock the
closet. I couldn’t figure it out, but something about that locket scared me.
After an hour of just staring at my ceiling, my mind begin to ask the question I had
been trying to avoid. What had caused the clock to do that? That clock hadn’t worked in
years and it’s an old fashion wind up clock and the key had been missing for well, probably
before I was born. Just then, I realized it. I was shaking and it wasn’t because I was cold. I
was scared. No, I was more then that I was horrified. Suddenly, I felt like all the darkness of
that long never ending night was pushing down on my chest. I couldn’t breathe, it was like I
had been hit in the chest with a bat, like someone had sucked all the oxygen out of the room
and then everything went black.
20
I came in to a scene of a woman walking along a the creek in a long floor length
dress. I tried to ask her what her name was. She didn’t turn around or even acknowledge I
was there. I ran up to ask her again. When she didn’t answer. I tried to tap her on the
shoulder but my finger when right through. My heart dropped. The woman unaware of what
was happening bent down to pick up a piece of river glass I stood in front of her trying to
ask her where I was. She held up the piece of glass to the sun to see it in the mid-morning
light. Then she saw me. Her face was as pale as if she was seeing a ghost and then I realized
she wasn’t looking at me. I turned around and saw the old Ford Bridge. I had been so busy
trying to get the woman’s attention I guess I didn’t noticed. And then I saw a woman almost
transparent her dress was torn and her neck was at an unnatural angle. Her face was a pale
green and her hair was flying around her. She started running towards me; I was too scared
to move. She ran right through me and grabbed the woman behind me.
“Where is she” the woman said. “Amber Rose” said the other woman almost in a
questioning voice. “Where is she? she said again.” But the woman didn’t answer. Her body
had gone limp. Then the ghost woman turned towards me as if she saw me .She dropped the
woman’s lifeless body into the river. I could barely breath, my lungs felt like they were on
fire with every breath She came towards me, I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed by fear. I
closed my eyes as if it would make the horrible woman go away. By now, she was in front of
me. I felt her hand on my face as if she was trying to suffocate me. Her hand was cold and
wet and then it went black. I opened my eyes to find myself in the extra guest bedroom. My
face was wet like I had been crying. Then it all came back to me, the tolling clock, the
woman at the river bank.
21
The Old House
by Sadie
Artwork by Brynn
One night, Carly and Danielle decided to take a walk. It was around 11 p.m. and a
cold October night. The air was crisp and chilly. There was no one outside that night. As
they walked, they heard a noise but thought nothing of it and continued walking. They
started to get tired so they turned around and walked back to Carly’s house. As they were
walking ,they heard the noise again but this time they turned around and across the street
there was a large house with chipped paint and a hole in the roof. The shutters on the house
were falling off and the hinges were rusty. If the house had been there 70 years ago it would
have been a cute family home but now it was rundown and sad looking. Neither one of the
girls had ever noticed the house before. “Come on let’s go look and see if there is anything
inside,” Danielle said, referring to the house. “I don’t know, It looks kind of creepy.” Carly
said. “Oh come on, it’s fine. If you don’t want to go inside, we can just look in the
windows.” Danielle said, “Fine.”
The girls walked to the house windows and looked inside but it was too dark to see
anything. Danielle pulled out her phone and held it up to the window for light but all she
got was a glare. Carly was watching the window and when Danielle shone the light on the
window, Carly noticed a small face in the bottom of the window. She screamed and covered
her face with her hand. “What’s the matter with you? Why did you scream”? Danielle asked.
“t-t-t-he-e-re was a f-f-ace i-n
22
the co-r-ner of the w-i-n-dow” Carly stuttered out. Danielle turned around and shone the
light on the corner of the window but there was nothing there. “Oh come on scaredy cat”
Danielle said while pulling Carly by the arm to the front of the house.
Both girls walked up the front steps of the house and looked in the windows. Then
Danielle made her way to the door and started to open it slowly. “Are you crazy! What are
you doing?!” Carly almost screamed, “It’s an old house what do you think is inside? A
ghost?” Danielle chuckled and walked inside the house. Carly slowly walked inside the
house. When she was standing in the hall of the house the door slammed shut behind her.
She turned around slowly and saw the face of the person she had seen in the window outside except the face had a body, a baby doll body but, with the head the size of a grown
human’s head. The doll looked at her and said “Do you remember me? I was your friend”.
Carly screamed and started to run down the hall. She turned around and the doll
was chasing after her. She ran all the way to the back of the house. When she got to the
back door, she stopped to catch her breath when she felt two hands on her shoulder. She
screamed and punched the thing in the face. But when she looked, it was Danielle. “Oh my
gosh! Danielle, I’m so sorry, I thought you were that creepy doll. I saw at the front of the
house”. “ Are you crazy?” Danielle asked. “I might be” Carly responded. Carly helped
Danielle up and they both walked home and vowed to never go back to that house again.
Artwork by Lauren Sterner
23
The Creepy Painting
by Brynn
Artwork by Brynn
Adam woke up one morning and walked down the hall to the stairs. He turned a corner and there it was, the painting that he saw in his dreams the night before. The lady in the
painting was staring straight at him. He walked faster to get out of sight and walked into the
kitchen. His parents weren’t home and he was all alone. He ate breakfast then went back up
stairs. He passed the painting again and he walked briskly to his room. The horrible image was
stuck in his head. He couldn’t get rid of it. He tried everything! He read a book, watched TV
and played outside with his dog Patches, but the image would not go away.
When his parents came home that night he asked how the painting got there. “Mom,
Dad, how did this strange painting get in the house?” said Adam. They didn’t answer; all they
did was nod their heads in an act of saying yes. He thought to himself, “that’s weird” he said,
“It’s almost as if they think I’m not here”. There must be a way to get rid of this painting.
Adam called his friend John and John was very interested in how the painting got there
but Adam said that he didn’t know. They painted the painting black and came back in an hour
and it looked as if it had never even been touched. They tried putting it in the garbage and having the trash people pick it up, but the next morning it was back! They tried one more thing.
24
to let Patches attack it with his claws and in the end it looked like it had gone through a paper
shredder! They went to bed that night hoping for the best.
When they woke up and were heading down stairs they passed the painting. “The
creepy lady is gone!” said John. “So is Patches” cried Adam. They looked everywhere for
Patches, but couldn’t find him. They were about to give up when……. they looked at the
painting one last time and there inside the painting was Patches! Patches looked scared and
confused. Then there was a knock at the door. The two boys ran down stairs. They hesitated
to open the door, but they did and it was the creepy lady from the painting. “I’ve been watching you boys”, said the old lady. Next thing they knew they were trapped in a painting with
their dog and no way to get out.
Artwork by Nikki
25
The Cabin
by Declan
Artwork by Grace
Once when I was eighteen years old I was with two close friends one was eighteen
and one was seventeen. My friend Alexander the eighteen year old was driving my old
1983 jeep. My other friend Brendan kept complaining how hungry he was, so I said “We
will stop in Scudsville.”
It started to hail very hard when we finally arrived in the town of Scudsville. We
found an old I hop and went inside and sat at a booth. The strange thing was no one was in
there. Finally, we got some service. The odd thing though was that the old man who
walked out of the shack was our waiter but he had changed his clothes. Another weird
thing was that we had passed him, because we were going forty miles an hour, and he was
only sprinting about six miles an hour. He took our orders and walked into the kitchen.
An hour passed when our food had still not arrived. We walked slowly toward the
kitchen. We looked through the window of the kitchen. We saw fog everywhere, and in
blood it said on the walls, “Anything can happen in Scudsville.” In addition to that , there
was something hunched over in the corner mumbling. It turned around and slammed open
the door. It had blood shot bright red eyes, long white hair, and green skin, and started
chasing us out the door!
We quickly ran to the jeep. Alexander tossed me the keys and I pulled out with
Brendan in shot gun, and Alexander in the back seat. It had stopped hailing which was
good because we were going to pass through a desert, and we had no air conditioning, so
we could put the roof down. Finally, after about ten minutes of driving, I felt safe to pull
over. We all talked and regrouped about what we had just seen.
26
Then we began driving. We were driving through the desert when we saw a split in
the road. Alexander pulled out our map, he said our hotel is two hundred miles in the other
direction. So, I decided to go the other direction. We drove for another hour until my Jeep
started running out of gas. We saw a distant brown structure. After one last sputter, we were
out of gas.
We all hopped out of the jeep and started walking to the brown object. Once we got to
the thing, it turned out to be a cabin. I pulled out my cell phone.
The strange thing was
instead of seeing bars, I saw a skull where the bars should have been.
So we decided to go inside. The door was locked, so I kicked it off its hinges. When
we entered we saw, in blood “Believe the day is cursed or you will sleep in the dirt.” I started
to feel a little uneasy. We ascended an old, dusty, and rickety staircase. We were at the
second level of the house when we all looked around. I heard a scream, Alexander and I ran
to where the scream was coming from, the source of the scream. It was Brendan and the
reason for his terror was there were two skeletons with a chest in between them. Alexander
noticed that one skeleton was holding up seven fingers, and the other skeleton was pointing to
his seventh finger. I slowly opened the chest, and there was a notebook inside. Brendan
dusted off the old note book, and read the note book. The date was Sunday October 19,1894.
It said “my name is Thomas Endleman and I am twenty six years of age and I am with my
wife Sofia Endleman. We are being chased by a dreadful creature with red eyes, green scaly
skin, and long white hair. The notebook also had scratch marks all over it. Chills ran down
my spine. We all ran outside.
We all talked over our plan. Brendan said “I’m not staying in that thing overnight.”
We all agreed that we would stay in the jeep. We started down the hill towards the jeep. Once
we arrived there it was almost completely dark. I got out three blankets, Alexander slept
across the front seats, Brendan slept across the back seats, and I slept in the trunk. I was
thinking this is Saturday I wonder what’s going to happen tomorrow, because it would be
Sunday.
I woke up the next morning to find the doors wide open and Alexander and Brendan
missing. I thought they probably went into the house. I got out of the Jeep and started walking
towards the house. I saw unusual tracks in the mud. They looked human but a lot bigger and
had claws.
27
I finally walked up to the house went through the door and saw the writing in blood
on the wall, but it said “believe today is cursed or you will sleep in the dirt.” I heard groans
coming from upstairs. At a snail`s pace, I walked upstairs. I traced where the groans were
echoing. It was the room where we had found the skeletons, but Alexander and Brendan were
lying there unconscious in place of the skeletons. I bent over Alexander and slapped him in
the face. He woke up but he had a look of horror. I heard in a raspy voice right behind me and
it said you will sleep in the dirt. I quickly threw an elbow behind me, and hit some thing. I
turned around; it was the beast with the green skin. Alexander picked up the chest and hit the
monster on the head about fifteen times, I think the first ten were in self-defense, but the last
five were just in pure rage.
While Alexander was doing that I slapped Brendan, and he woke up. We all thought
the thing was dead so we all ran out of the room, but it started chasing us. I told Alexander
and Brendan to keep running to the bottom of the hill, they kept running, and it kept chasing
them down the hill. I jumped into the jeep and put it in neutral, and started rolling down the
hill. Alexander baited it into the path of the jeep and I slammed the creature.
I got out of the jeep. We all gave each other around of high fives. We moved the jeep
away from its body. We then dug a five-foot grave, and buried it, to make sure it was dead.
We then walked quickly down the hill, to the road. I got out my cell phone, but as soon as I
did, a tour bus passed, and we quickly jumped into the road. The bus came to a complete
stop. I asked the driver where the bus was going and he said the Marriott in Denver, and that
was exactly where the hotel was that we were supposed to stay in last night. We gave the
driver $15.00.
After another four hours, we were at the hotel. We told our story to the police, and
they tried to make us not believe what we had seen. I am about thirty years old now. I visited
the old cabin for the first time since then. I have heard similar stories from the same area
residents, but none of them compare to the legend of the cabin.
28
The Trip
by Henry
Our story begins when the Boy Scout troop set out for a trip to the caves in Pennsylvania. The ranger told us that there used to be Indians that lived in the caves and they had
monsters that they kept in the caves. But they did not just keep the monsters, they played
games with them such as tag. None of the scouts believed the ranger because they thought
that he was just trying to freak us out. We started the hike to the caves and we all were
anxious to get to the caves. When we arrived to the caves we ate lunch and started to climb
the jagged rocks up to the mouth of the cave. Everyone forgot to bring a flash except for Ben
the youngest scout in the troop. So we all pushed together around him and walked deeper and
deeper into the cave.
We soon reached the end of the cave and there I saw Ben walking towards the back
wall of the cave .In the light of his flash light, there was something hairy and it was larger
then a bear. I saw Ben’s hand reach out to touch it and I screamed ‘’NOOOO!’’ He didn’t
listen. At the exact second that he touched the creature, it popped up and yelled an awful yell
and all the scouts ran out of the cave in a big blob.
We made a beeline for the forest and the creature was chasing us. I saw a fork in the
trail and I yelled ‘’Split UP’’ and we broke in half but the creature was still chasing us and I
saw another fork in the road and we split up again and again but it was following me. Suddenly the trail stopped and Ben and I were standing face to face with the creature and it stared
back. The creature reached out with one band and started walking closer. I grabbed a log and
threw it at the creature but it bounced right off and the creature did not even flinch. Walking
toward us until it was right over me and Ben. Its hand the size of my head reached toward
me and tapped me on the shoulder . The creature yelled something that sounded like ‘’Tag
your it.’’ The creature dashed down the trail and out of sight . Ben and I walked back down
the trail both thinking the same thing. The creature just wanted to play tag. I knew I would
never forget the trip.
29
It’s Cold Out Here
by Patrick
On September 3, 2009 I was home alone watching TV. I got hungry so I walked over
to the fridge to get a piece of leftover cheese pizza. Just as I grabbed a piece, my phone went
“ding”. I looked at it and I had a text from an unknown number. The text said, “You should
probably eat pepperoni pizza instead”. At this point, I freaked out. I pulled every shade down
and I tried to call my parents to tell them to come home. but my phone said, “No signal”.
I went over to a window to see if that would help get a signal, when someone
knocked on the front door. It was 9:30, so no one should be at my door. Then my phone,
which was in my hand, went “ding” again and it was the same number. The text said, “It’s
cold out here”. I ran upstairs so I could see the front door from a window. There was no one
there. Then there was a knock on the back door. I couldn’t move. Two minutes passed, but it
felt like a year. Then I heard a bang. Someone was trying to enter!
I was too scared to move. Finally, the door was busted down and I heard footsteps. I
opened the window and jumped onto the roof. I ran to the side of my house where there was
a porch because I figured that would be the shortest fall. I jumped. Even though I thought I
broke my ankle, I still made my way to my neighbor’s house. No one answered the door
when I banged on it. When I glanced back at my house, I saw a shadowy figure walk out the
back door. The shadow saw me and I started hobbling to another neighbor’s house. With my
broken ankle, I couldn’t go very fast.
I got to the neighbor’s door and knocked as hard as I could. I looked back towards my
house and the shadow was coming fast. It was only 100 yards away now. I saw the lights inside flick on and I was relieved to know that someone was coming to the door. They slowly
opened it, but by the time the door was opened, they were too late!
30
Jus
r Scary Stor
t Anothe
y
by Page and Sara
Ivy, Natalie, Wilson and Liam decided to go on a trip to the lake to
celebrate Wilson getting his drivers license. They had been driving in the car for
two hours and had two more to go. It was getting dark when Wilson slammed on
his brakes because there was a dark big shadow that ran across the windy road.
Wilson hesitated, but kept on driving. Ivy hardly saw the shadow, but she was
positive that she saw a skinny hunch back person running on all fours. They
kept on going until they got to the cabin and then went right to sleep.
The next morning, they were all excited for the day at the lake. The girls
got their bathing suits on and started to tan. Natalie went inside to get some
snacks. Thirty minutes went by and Natalie had not returned. Ivy decided to go
see where Natalie was and went to check in the cabin, but Natalie wasn't there.
She went outside looking everywhere for Natalie and to find the boys. Ivy found
the boys fishing. She ran up to them and told them that she couldn’t find Natalie.
All of a sudden, Liam saw the hunchback swimming in the water with floaties
on. The Hunchback saw Liam and screamed "DON’T LOOK AT ME." It started
to swim full speed at Liam. Liam got scared. He did not know what to do.
31
He pushed Ivy in the water and said "Here, you can have her because I did not
even like her anyway" then they all ran. It started to get dark and they all were
hungry. They checked in the cabin and there was no food some one ate all of it.
“It was probably that crazy Hunchback lady,” said Wilson.
That night the kids had no food and they were starving. They were so famished that they could not move and the car was missing. They all decided to get
in bed and rest. That night everyone was sound asleep, but Wilson woke up to a
nibbling noise and thought it was a mouse so he went back to bed. Wilson woke
up again to a snoring noise. He turned around and saw the Hunchback in bed
with him. He screamed. The hunchback replied "HEY, IM TRYING TO GO TO
SLEEP GOSH, KIDS THESE DAYS!"
Wilson quickly got out of bed and there were crackers all in the bed. The
Hunchback said, " Would you fetch me some socks? my feet are cold and plus
you take all the covers." Wilson fainted and fell smack on the ground. Liam got
up and started hitting the Hunchback with his pillow. The hunchback back yelled,
“HEY, WATCH OUT FOR THE BACK I GOT KYPHOSIS!" "WHAT ARE
YOU DOING?" said Liam. "I’M EATING MAH CRACKERS AND PLUS I
WAS COLD, gezzz.!"
The Hunchback jumped up and started pacing around on all fours. Liam
hit it with a water bottle and it was knocked out. They put the hunchback in the
closet. They packed up and went to the car that mysteriously had reappeared. The
hunchback woke up and ran across the road and Liam and Wilson pressed the gas
and they ran over it. They both sighed with relief. A voice in the back of the car
said " Oh ,kill em, that was a sweet move!" The two boys looked back and it was
the Hunchback.
32
A Figure in the Mist
by Ryan
My mom and dad set up our latest Halloween decoration—an old mummy. It had
lost most of its hair. It wore a bead necklace and its skin was as tight and smooth as leather.
It sat on a three-legged stool on our front porch. We gathered lots of candy that Halloween
and lots of frightened kindergartners. I went to bed with the test of lemon heads still in my
mouth.
I woke up in the middle of the night hearing, “Thud…., thud,,,,” I looked through the
tiny peephole on my bedroom door. At first I saw a green mist. Then I saw the mummy. It
wasn’t sitting down anymore. Green smoke came out of its nose, mouth and ears. It had a
rope in one hand and a hook in the other. Luckily, I had already locked the door because my
cat patrolled the halls meowing like an abandoned soul. I hid in the closet, but when I did,
the thumping stopped. I wondered if my parents were somehow still asleep or if the mummy
had killed them. After a long while, I crept back over to the peep hole with my dagger in one
hand.
The mummy was gone. Then… I saw the mummy again! This time, it had found an
ax. The first swing dented the door. The second swing cracked it and the third swing broke
the door down. I ran to hide in the closet and jumped out the small high window in the closet
onto our metal awning, After a quick slide into the rose bushes, I was running to my friend’s
house six doors away. When I was half way there, the mummy came out of the gloom
chasing me. “Only a few more steps,” I thought to myself, running even faster. Then I felt
the mummy’s cold rope wrap around my neck. I blacked out and all was darkness.
33
The Skeleton Key Chain
by Katie
On a rainy and cold night in October, I walk home from school. It’s my usual route,
though the “enchanted forest” I call it. I hear the leaves crackling as I step my foot down. It’s
foggy and hard to see, but I’m not scared because I know my way around. I can just barely see
my house through the dense layer of fog. As I walk, I trip on a rock and fall. I get up and look
at the leaves and see a key chain. In fact, a skeleton key chain! I look at it for a minute and
think that I saw it before. My stomach growled and it was getting dark. I decide to stuff it in
my backpack and run home. When I arrived home, I finished my homework and then I went
to bed not realizing that I forgot my skeleton keychain in my backpack!
When I wake up I hear a noise, so I try turning off my alarm clock. But after at least 20
tries, I open my eyes and see my hamster, Cheesy making weird noises in the corner of her
cage. I slowly get out of my bed to see what’s causing the big commotion. But to my surprise,
I see the skeleton keychain in the cage! “How did that get in there?” I thought to myself. My
hamster is freaking out so I popped the skeleton in my pocket and ran downstairs. When I get
downstairs for breakfast, I gasped. Now it was getting scary, I thought. The oven was on, and
smoke was pouring out, the plates were smashed, the drawers were open and it was a mess!
Now this was scary because I knew no one else was awake.
Suddenly a creepy thought popped into my mind. Did the skeleton keychain do all
this? How could it? So I reach into my pocket to find the skeleton keychain, but to my surprise there was nothing there! Then I hear footstep behind me. I turn around to see a large
bony skeleton hand open the kitchen door…. I SCREAM! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
34
The Spooky House
by Cody
Artwork by Cody
On Halloween night, John and Michael went trick or treating.
They got lots of good treats. They went to every house except one.
John said, “Should we go to that last house?”
Michael answered, “I’m scared! I’m not going.”
John said, “Come on Michael…we made a promise!”
Michael said softly, “O.K. I guess we’ll go.”
So they went to the last house to get a treat. They knocked on the door. Suddenly, they felt
themselves being pushed in the door. The house was dark.
“John, help me open the door!” Michael shouted.
John answered, “It’s no use. The door won’t open. Do you have those flashlights we can
use?”
“Oh yeah. Good idea,” said Michael. “You go downstairs and I will go upstairs.”
Suddenly, Michael screamed, “Ahhhhhh!”
John ran upstairs to see what was wrong.
“It’s a monster!” screamed Michael! “RUN!”
They ran down the stairs and saw another monster! They jumped off the railing.
“Own! I hit my bottom!” said John.
“I know but, you have to keep running!” said Michael. “We have to look for a secret passage way or some way to get out of here. Wait, I think I found one. It is our only
way out of here. Let’s go!”
The two boys ran and were able to get in the back yard of the house. Then they ran all the
way home. When they were safe inside their house, John said, “Know what? I want to
check out that house again in the morning.”
I want to also! answered Michael.
35
The Disappearance
by Cece
It was the last day of September when my best friend, Juliana and I
found something peculiar in her basement. She and her family had just moved
into a house older then one hundred years. Everything in the house seemed
murky and dilapidated. I could feel the drafty cold air passing through the tall
doorways in the shadowy darkness. We started exploring the great house when
suddenly from the basement we heard a screeching high pitched voice coming
up from the basement stairs.
Juliana and I became so curious that we ran
down toward the noise. Then we found an old file cabinet. The noise hesitated and then ceased.
We opened the file cabinet and inside it had old faded pictures of murder
witnesses. There were pictures of a lady named Katie and one child named
Macy. One picture of a man whose was unlabeled. I said,” Maybe he was the
suspect and the name was confidential to the public.” Juliana
replied ‘’ Anna you could be right but, this house is so old I don’t think they
had records.’’
That night we had a sleepover. We woke up and we heard something
shrieking down the hall so we ran through the hallway.
Louder the noise
yelled. The closer we got the louder it yelled. We heard her sister crying so we
went to her room, but she was sound asleep so, we went back to bed. Then, on
Halloween night while we were getting ready for trick or treating
36
we heard a voice saying our names. The voice was like a witch scraping
her fingers down my back. Juliana ran toward the noise even though I told her
not to. I heard her scream. I ran down to find she was not there. I called the
police they could not find her. I looked in the filing cabinet one last time and
there lay her picture with the same traumatized face. Her name was labeled. I
never went to the house again.
37
The Trapped Boys
by Twill
Artwork by Twill
On Halloween night Sam and Connor walked to a lonely house. When
they knocked on the door it creaked open slowly. The two boys got pushed into
the house and the door slammed shut. They tried to get out but the door was
locked. The boys then saw a skeleton coming towards them. They screamed!
Then the skeleton disappeared and hid from them. Connor and Sam run
upstairs. Suddenly, a bat swooped down and scared the shaking boys.
At that moment, the boys heard someone walk into the house and say in
a loud voice, “Turner! Where are you? What is going on in here?!”All the
lights come on. Connor and Sam can now see that Turner, the boy who lived
in the house, was dressed in a skeleton costume. Turner was now the one looking frightened.
Turner’s mom came upstairs and figured out how mean her son had
been.
Turner got grounded!
Sam and Connor walked home.
They felt
shocked that they were trapped in a house. They were surprised that it happened and they went to go home and have a warm cup of hot chocolate!
38
All Alone
by Connor
I was all alone in the school. My heart was beating so hard because I was
very afraid something bad was going to happen to me. I was breathing so hard
because I was running around trying to open every door in the school. Every
door was locked but one, the very last one. I took one step into the room, and the
next thing I knew I was falling.
After a little bit, I hit the ground. When I looked up, I saw I was in a
graveyard. I looked around and saw lots of graves. One was very unusual. It
had a skeleton on it, so I walked over to it. I stood and stared at it, and then it
spoke. I shouted so loudly it felt like the whole place shook. Then it spoke again,
“You can spend the rest of your days with us.”
All of a sudden hands came out of the ground grabbing me. I started to
shout again. The hands began to pull me into the ground. I tried not to let them,
but it was too late. I was never seen again.
39
The Scary Story of the Witch
by Lydia
Artwork by Lydia
It was a dark and stormy night. A witch decided to put the whole town
and kingdom to sleep! Her cat and her witchy spider helped her. Then, a wizard appeared, and figured out how the witch put everyone to sleep. The wizard
said “NO!” to the witch. A friendly bat and a friendly spider named Bitsy
helped the wizard make a formula to capture the witch. The witch was surprised by the trap! A net went over the witch. She got mad because the wizard
caught her!
A few days later, the witch escaped and ran away from the town because
the wizard was too strong for her. Then the wizard found a formula in the
witch’s garden, and he put his rosemary with her flowers and that made the
town awaken from the spell!
40
Poetry in Season
Artwork by Blake
“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thoughts and the thought has found
words.” — Robert Frost
41
The Little Things
by Katie
The cool crisp air of an Autumn morning
and the way damp grass feels under my feet
When it starts to rain without warning
And the sound of the rain drops in stead beat
The sound of people splashing in the street after the rain
Dancing, so gracefully
Cause they have nothing to lose and everything to gain
Enjoying the water that feels warm and then cool
The sound of runner at the start of a race
Trying not to stop till she crosses the line
And it sounds more like horses galloping at their fastest pace
Trying to leave the others behind
Swinging on a hammock in the summer air
It’s the little things we often forget
Often its reading a book like you don’t have a care
So try cause you’ll be happier, I bet
Photography by Riley and
Grace
Autumn is the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness a closed bosomed friend
of the maturing sun —- John Keats
42
Autumn’s Senses
by Sofia
Autumn has sweet tastes like caramel and cinnamon,
Autumn’s sights are beautiful like the harvest moon glowing in the dark,
Autumn’s crisp cool air hitting your face makes it scarlet like a rose,
Autumn’s sounds are howling, “hoo…” like the wind chirping wildly as the
birds crunch down on dry cold leaves,
Autumn brings you closer to your family and brings you warmth like a cozy
fire,
Autumn is a beautiful and colorful season that brings your senses to
attention!
43
Happiness is…..
by Riley
Happiness is winning a field hockey game
When you hit the ball you hear a whack
If you lose you go down in a flame
But you don’t want to hack
The beach is a happy place
It’s fun to go into the cold ocean
But you don’t want to freeze your face
But make sure a see witch won’t steal your potion
Happiness is when you wake up and don’t have school
And you play outside
If you want you can go to the pool
Or you could take a drive
Happiness is field hockey
You get hit in the face with hockey ball
It’s exciting when you score a goal
44
Artwork by Brynn
Ode to Assateague Island
by Henry
Sandy.
As sandy as a desert.
Windy.
Windy as the tallest mountain.
Sunny.
Sunny as a planet with no clouds.
Hotter than fire.
I found a dead hobo and I poked him with a stick.
More boring than Canada.
More fun than a tornado in a trailer park.
Help I’m trapped in a Chinese cookie factory!
Nooooo I broke my pencil!
Dangerous.
45
Artwork by Grace
Ode to Canada
by Henry
Grassy.
As grassy as the great planes.
Calm.
As calm as a glass of water.
Dark.
Dark as Batman.
Colder than the North Pole.
More boring than watching paint dry.
A Chinese cookie told me I will die.
Okay, I’m done sharpening my pencil.
Softer than bubble rap.
46
Ode to the Real World
by Jonathan
The real world is as circular as you could imagine.
It is peaceful people like you are full of happiness.
It’s not crafting like an un-crafter.
The real world is real surviving.
It is making houses.
Playing Mine craft to kill hero Brian.
Do forget…
Not killing cows!
No magical armor!
Not making a snowman that moves in the summer!
47
Ode to Homework
Artwork by Grace
by Kyle Livernois
Dreadful.
Painful.
Homework is like garbage.
When popcorn pieces watch movies they eat pop humans.
Boring.
Homework is like a ghost haunting me.
Cheese sticks live in cotton candy houses.
If homework was a bird I’d make it fly away.
48
Artwork by Brynn
Ode to a Kitty
-by Riley
A kitty is a prickly square.
Ashes.
A kitty is as ugly as a zipper.
Desert.
Big.
Ugly.
A kitty is as big as a lion.
Black, white, tan.
A kitty is the son of laziness.
Hours.
Slow.
Purebred.
A kitty is as slow as a snail.
A kitty is black rain.
49
Ode to Soccer
by Harrison
Artwork by Brynn
Soccer is as fun as cross country.
My dribbling is as good as Messi.
My shooting is as bad as a tree.
Fun.
Active.
Easy.
Non-physical.
Rules.
Smart Board.
Brackish.
My coach is a cheetah.
My teammates are sitting rocks.
The other team is a bad apple.
50
Artwork by Brynn
Ode to Ice Cream
by Brendan
Ice cream is as cold as a freezer.
Ice cream is a monster of delicious.
Unicorns barf glitter rainbows.
Ice cream is as messy as mud.
Creamy.
Cold.
Awesome.
Ice cream is as creamy as milk.
Chipotle.
Ice cream is a unicorn flying.
Messy.
Delicious.
Poooop!
Ice cream cones are party hats for gingerbread men.
51
Ode to the Grinch
by Will
The Grinch is like an eagle.
Skinny.
The Grinch is not a magical horse.
The Grinch is a skinny peasant.
Poop.
Young.
Walk.
The Grinch is a non-magical man.
Not sick.
Smaller than a cow.
Doesn’t carry presents.
Hates Rudolph.
Skinny Prince.
Artwork by Brynn
52
Artwork by Brynn
Ode to Santa
by Will
Santa is like a cow.
Fat.
Santa is a magical unicorn.
Santa is like a fat prince.
Pie.
Old.
Flying sleigh.
Santa is as magical as a snowman.
Sick.
Santa is bigger than a cow.
Carries presents.
Loves Rudolph.
Santa is like a fat princess.
53
The Ocean
by Josh
Like a peaceful yoga class in a silent room
Very sparkly and beautiful at night time
Very deep and dangerous with creatures
A salty splash in your eye feels like the ocean is laughing at you
Playful kids and sand castles
As bright as drinking lemonade on a hot day
As calm as a dying deer
As deep as a whirlpool sucking everything in
Surfers trying to conquer colossal waves
are like mountain climbers
54
Disney
by Jack
Disney is as fun as an Xbox360
Disney’s lines are as long as the Nile River
Disney is as huge as a hurricane
The trip is as long as a giraffe’s neck
Disney is warmer than the sun
Everybody is as crazy as dogs barking
My hotel is as grand as a princess’ palace
The ride is as bumpy as a rhino
My sisters are as wild as turkeys
Disney’s parks are as confusing as Baltimore City
At the airport everybody is as mad as bulls
My Mom and Dad are as tired as a lazy bear
55
Winter
by Jake
Frosty hills snowy trees
Hot chocolate tasting lake a warm fire
Snowmen white like a blank sheet of paper
Dad and I cutting down the pine tree
Mom and Liza skating on the frozen pond like they are flying
Playing with my pony and its brand new sleigh
Sledding down the hills as fast as a cheetah
The tree looks like a beautiful angel
Playing with the trains as if I were a conductor
The best part is sitting by the fire watching Christmas TV
56
Months of the Year
by Zachary
January is as boring as watching paint dry
February is as busy as Black Friday
March is as peaceful as the ocean
April is as wet as a melted snowman
May is as lovely as a field of roses
June is as fun as playing soccer
July is as hot as an oven
August is as tiring as running a marathon
September is as horrible as eating potatoes
October is as colorful as the sunset
November is as pale as the color white
December is as cold as ice cream
57
Race Car Driving
by Chris
Dangerous as a tiger.
Fast as a cheetah.
Loud as a roaring lion.
Feels like a hot desert.
Exciting as having dinner with the president
Cool as getting a present.
Fun as going to a birthday party.
Amazing as getting an A+ in school.
Awesome as a puppy.
Great as going to the mall.
58
Horse
by Ryan
Horse
tall, fat trotting,
jumping, fast
sleeps in a barn
Indigo
Bulldog
by Twill
Bulldog
slimy, funny
loving, running, jumping
someday my own pet
Dog
Turkey
by Cody
Turkey
yummy, smooth
running, gobbling, eating
really good on Thanksgiving
bird
59
Dog
by Yvette
Loud, cute
barking, growling sniffling
fun to play with
animal
Bird
by Libby
Loud, soft
whistling, chirping, humming
birds are really loud
Blue jay
60
Candy Cane
by Armaan
Candy Cane
hard, minty, tasty
crack, sizzle, crunch
fun to eat it
candy
Christmas
by Bobby
Christmas frost, fun
unwrap, wrap, celebrate
fun day to play
holiday
61
Remembering
Our Family
Stories
Artwork by Brynn
The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.
— Abraham Lincoln
62
A Visit to the Past
Remembering Thomas Francis Meagher
by Declan
Scene of the attack by the Confederates
along the Sunken Road which caused
horrific union losses.
Photo by Mrs. Siobhan Budnitz
Thomas Francis Meagher was a great general during the American Civil War and a
decorated hero . I am proud to share that he is related to my family on my mother’s side. He was
born in my grandfather’s home town of Tramore, Ireland. In his twenties he started many
rebellions against the unfair English rule over Ireland, After many rebellious acts, he was arrested
for treason because Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. He was sent to a penal colony near
Australia, but he escaped prison and came to America. Once in the states, he joined the Union
Army. He went through the war unrecognized until the Battle of Antietam which occurred
September 17, 1862..
The Confederates were hiding in the Sunken road there and ambushed several “green”
regiments of Union soldiers, after they charged over a ridge in a corn field. Thomas Meagher
then in command of the brave Irish Brigade, led a counter attack that forced the Confederates to
retreat from their positions. The Irish lost sixty percent of their force that day. For his courage,
Thomas Meagre was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
63
Images of Antietam National Battlefield
Photo of the Sunken Road the location
of the Confederate attack against the
Irish Brigade on the afternoon of
September 17, 1862.
Photo of the field across which the
Irish Brigade advanced. They suffered
60% losses.
Images of Tremor , Ireland, near
the birthplace of Thomas Meagher.
Photography by Mrs. Siobhan Budnitz
64
My Great-grandfather's Story
by Augie
More than a century ago, at the age of ten a young man who hid his life
savings of gifts, allowance money and the pawning of his belongings escaped
from Sicily and came to America on board a ship to start a new life. The
government of Italy at the time was very corrupt and there were many uprising
among the people.
After arriving in Baltimore, Maryland, he met cousins whom he had
never met before. He began working as a barber and could not speak English.
In the neighborhood of Little Italy, he lived with his many cousins in a row
house.
He worked very hard and eventually became manager of the shop.
After a time, he saved up enough money to buy the shop and soon married.
He was very successful as a barber and eventually returned to Italy many
decades later once the unrest was over. He lived there the rest of his life.
The youngest of his five children, my grandfather, Augie Miceli chose to
purse a free education at the Citadel and served as a military policeman for
more than four years married and raised three children. He teaches still today
at Calvert Hall College High School where has taught math for 54 years.
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Happy Holidays
Artwork by Brynn
Little Tree
Light the Festive Candles
by E. E. Cummings 1894–1962
by Aileen Lucia Fisher 1906–2002
little tree
Light the first of eight tonight—
the farthest candle to the right.
little silent Christmas tree
you are so little
you are more like a flower
Light the first and second, too,
when tomorrow's day is through.
who found you in the green forest
Then light three, and then light four—
every dusk one candle more
and were you very sorry to come away?
Till all eight burn bright and high,
honoring a day gone by
see i will comfort you
because you smell so sweetly
When the Temple was restored,
rescued from the Syrian lord,
i will kiss your cool bark
and hug you safe and tight
And an eight-day feast proclaimed—
The Festival of Lights—well named
just as your mother would,
only don't be afraid
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Remembering Founder’s Day
Artwork by Hunter
"A memory is a photograph taken by the heart to make a special
moment last forever."
Unknown
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Cover Art by Katie
The Odyssey School
3257 Bridle Ridge Lane
Stevenson, MD 21153
410-580-5551
www.theodysseyschool.org
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