Pre-Harry Potter: The Defeat of the Dark Lord

 Scarlett Mercurio-Corao

English

Ms. Mercurio, Mr. and Mrs. Arrigo

Pre-Harry Potter:  The Defeat of the Dark Lord

Chapter 1

Awakened by a loud screech, an owl holding a large piece of parchment sits at my window. I walk toward it and snatch the letter out of its beak, my bushy ginger hair blowing behind me. The seal has an eel, a dog, a cat and a tiger. I tear it open and a letter falls out. “You’ve been accepted at North Side Army of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” Two more owls swoop in, carrying a small, long, silver box. Three more owls hoist me up, and I find myself in a tent with a hundred more people around my age with the same silver boxes. My eyes dart to a man holding a stick to his throat.  He murmurs, “Descendio” and his skin slips off, revealing skin quite unlike his own.  

Chapter 2

“That was the non-madge born,” the newly-skinned man says.  “We are in an army against  the Dark Lord.  The Dark Lord, who is completely against people like you. You will fight with a wand to shoot spells and you will be training, so get used to it.”   

I give the so-called wand a wave.  A circle of light wraps around revolves around a triangle forming in the air,  and then a line of light slips into the triangle as people scream.  With a flick of the wand the symbol disappears, and a man pulls me over.  Do you know what that means?” he says.  

“No,” I say plainly.  

“It’s the Dark Mark and legend says whoever can conjure the Dark Mark is the one to die above all.” Then a cold, high voice says, “Hand over Lily Evans and none shall be harmed.”  

Chapter 3

Murmurs sweep across the room.  “Descendio,” people murmur, tapping their wands to their chests, as an eel of golden fire sweeps through the room.  It hisses its fiery tongue, looking at the tense walls, setting the tent on fire.  A silvery albino tiger erupts from my wand and the eel vanishes as the tiger turns to rain. Each droplet falls, but not quite, it freezes before  it drops to the ground and turns to ice crystals.  

“Aquamente,” I say, having no idea what I’m saying.   I whip around, my ginger hair flowing behind me.  Out of thin air a dark cloaked, hooded man pops up.  Unable to see his face under the hood, he stiffly grabs my arm and  I pop next to the tent. Flames start licking at the tent, reducing it to ashes.  A woman fades into focus, her silhouette, sharp as a knife, and her robes rippling in the wind.   She stands around twenty yards in front of me, her dress jet black, her hair wrapped in a turban, her face inhumane, and her eyes red as blood.  A jet of green light hits a shrub, engulfing it in flames.  People’s eyes glance to the shrub and  then flicker back to the Dark Lord.  She spins on the spot, vanishing in thin air.  Appearing just a few feet from me,  I step back, quivering in shock.  I flick my wand, just as the Dark Lord did, and a jet of red light shoots out of my wand, engulfing her in flames.  

Summer For you- June 2021

                          ☀

     ☀𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓮𝓻 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓨𝓸𝓾☀   

Simmer morning dew until it turns blue, thicken it up with freshly cut grass, add four pounds of flowers and gather the pollen that makes you go acho! Beat in the bark that grows on the trees and fold in the bees that buzz in the trees. Stir in the rabbits that prance in the meadow and the dark blue of the sky and grate the leaves of a great oak tree. Juice the green leaves and heat up the rain that falls from the sky and grease your pan with the muggy heat. Drizzle your mixture with crystal clear lake water and boil the mixture until it turns blue. Beat your mixture with the twig from a tree. Now boom, summer is made for you!  

                 ☀𝕿𝖍𝖊☀      

                   ☀𝕰𝖓𝖉☀                      

Sickly Mansion- April 2021

                                                     Sickly Mansion

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By Scarlett Mercurio-Corao

𝓒h𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 1

On the long drive Alex sleeps, his head on my lap as the car abruptly halts. Alex groans as a tall mansion comes into view. I stare down at the cobblestone steps and watch Aunt Meg and Aunt Caitlyn murmur about a goat having it. Then they both embrace Alex in a tight hug.

“I missed you,” says aunt Meg, her voice sounds like jagged  sandpaper waiting to be smoothed. Her teeth are also yellowed in age. 

“I’ll show you to your room,” a European man with tightly pursed lips says, gritting his teeth as he gestures to a spiral staircase. At the top of the tower are two twin beds with my luggage neatly stacked on top. I peer out the window and see a bloody man, standing over a dead goat.

𝓒𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 2

“What do you think he wants with the goat?” I say.  

“Don’t know.  Probably for the meat,” Alex says. The cold stone tower gives an ideal view of the small village.  

“Someone’s coming,” Alex says.  And sure enough Aunt Meg enters, accompanied by Aunt Caitlyn.  

“Want to come to the goat farm?” they say.  Then we exchange looks of fear, then nod.  The journey is not easy.  Thorns snag at my pants and vines and threaten to trip me, but the pasture is full of buttercups and freshly mowed grass.  Strangely, half the population of the goats have a blue tag on their top left leg.  

“Take a free soap,” Aunt Meg says, as she hands me and Alex a brownish soap.  

“Thank you,” I say.  

I fire a dirty look at Alex.  He says, “Thanks,” a little bit red in the face.  

“Welp, I am going to take a shower,” he says, stumbling out of the thorny path.  

“Me too,” I say, hopping back.

After the shower I find Alex on his bed asleep, his dark slick hair wet.  I climb in my bed and doze off and dream of a strange voice being strapped to an unfamiliar bed in a lab and having a sudden urge to hurt everyone in it. And then I realize it’s not a dream, it’s reality.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 3

Alex is beside me.  I lunge toward him, resisting only by the blue band strapping me to the bed.  I am wearing the same blue band as the goats.  A man wearing dark blue gloves, glasses and a mask injects me and Alex with a serum and the room starts spinning out of focus.  I wake up panting.  

“It was just a bad dream, it was just a bad dream” I whisper and sit up as far as the blue bands allow.  

“Pssst, you awake?”

“Yeah,” he says, emerging from his thin blanket.  

“Ouch,” a needle pierces my shoulder and the room starts spinning again.  My eyes flutter open and the room comes into focus.  Alex is blankly staring at a spot on the wall.  A large portrait of Aunt Caitlyn slides forward, revealing Caitlyn herself with her jagged nails and thick, straight hair.  She looks almost normal, but a green fire dances in her eyes.

 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 4

“You both had a mild case of XNXS.  XNXS was given to you by a goat that made your soaps, but you both got vaccines and are free to go; however, you may be wondering why you got it.  We planted it in your food and it backfired.  Now you are both genetically modified and therefore will always spread the virus, even if you don’t have it.”  

She walks out of the room as Aunt Meg says,  “The man that killed the goat wasn’t trying to use it for meat, he was trying to kill it because it had the virus and he didn’t want it to spread but there were too many goats and we couldn’t kill all of them so we marked them with the band so we could get them vaccinated once we got one.  They will never be the same, and even if they don’t have it they can still spread it.  That is all the information you need to know.” 

She walks out of the portrait and it slides behind her.  I exchange a look of fear with Alex as the same green fire dances in his eye.

𝓣𝓱𝓮

       𝓔𝓷𝓭

Too Much Sugar is Bad for Kids- October 2020

                                                 Too Much Sugar is Bad for Kids

Do you ever wonder if you can give your kids sugar?  What is sugar?  Sugar comes from a plant called sugarcane.  Sugarcane is grown in Asia and on many tropical islands.  Also, there are artificial sugars made all over the world.  It is important to know that this substance is found in bread, cereal, and much more than candy.  Sugar is all around the world  and can be addicting so people have more and more and get fatter and fatter.  In this essay I will argue that too much sugar is bad for children because t is bad for your health, it is addicting and it makes them hyper.

Too much sugar is bad for kids because it makes kids hyper.  Children may not be able to focus in school.  Kids may get a sugar rush and go crazy until they get candy in the middle of class.  Not only is there a sugar rush but there is a sugar crash.  For example, a young child may come to school hyper and come back home exhausted if they have too much candy or unhealthy cereal like Fruit Loops.  All in all, sugar may make you hyper and cause problems.  

Too much sugar makes kids unhealthy.  Kids may get tooth decay and have to get drills in their teeth.  Children may also get cavities in their teeth and have painful drills.  Sugary foods have many calories.  Calories can make people fat, and this is bad because people will have a lot of fat stored and that can be bad.  Remember sugar-free stuff is usually sweet, so what makes it sweet?  Well, they put chemicals and other stuff into the product, so if you have a choice, choose sugar.  

It seems to me that too much sugar is bad for kids and here are a few reasons why.  Number one, you may try to stop and have unusual symptoms.  Number two, you may also use sugar to soothe.  For example, your kids might have a bad day and use a candy bar to make them feel better.  Let me tell you oe more reason is that a kid may need more to satisfy the habit of candy or sugar.  For one thing your kid might have twenty bucks and there is a mega-sized that is $19.  Your kids could buy it and eat it all that day.  It’s just important to remember that too much sugar is bad for kids.  

In conclusion, sugar is bad for kids.  In my own life I find sugar tempting but I balance it with things such as roasted broccoli, kale chips, caesar salad and brussel sprouts.  

Bat Facts: All About Vampire Bats

                                                 Bat Facts: All about Vampire Bats

A bat flutters and smack, it kisses Uncle Anthony’s chest. In addition I’ve also seen bats in the same cave in Costa Rica when we were touring around. When we shone our flashlights on them they fluttered around and moved. Let’s learn more about this bat.  In this essay you will learn both fun and interesting facts about vampire bats such as what they eat, do and look like.  

Vampire bats live off of the blood of cows, horses and pigs. A colony can drink 25 cows worth of blood in a year. Did you know vampire bat babies eat regurgitated blood and are called pups? Vampire bats live in Central America, South America and Mexico. Their predators are owls, snakes and eagles. When in a cave, a colony huddles close, as if they are cuddling.  Another fact is that they can fly at 2.7 miles per hour.  Also, they can walk, run and jump and have strong legs to help them jump.  Plus, they have a special thumb. Vampire bats can live nine years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity.

Safety: Keep your windows closed at night because vampire bats may bite you if you live in tropical jungles.

Conclusion, 

You may think the vampire bat is mean or cute, but one thing stands.  They have interesting facts and are fun to learn about.  I hope you have learned about vampire bats.  

Bridges and Caves- March 2021

                                                         Bridges and Caves 

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            Part One:  Hanging Bridges

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As we step on the path, Auntie leads the way, and plants embroider the path.  Around 10 minutes pass and a huge and tall steel structure is planted in the ground.  I step on the bridge, slowly making my way across.  Birds chirp, leaves rustle and sway.  Mostly I look down, creak, creak creak, and I’m off.  The hike continues.  I see two orange and black butterflies delicately flutter by.  I point them out and then I hurry along the path to catch up.  The scent of damp and muggy air slithers down my nostrils.  Then me and Clara start to run in the direction of the next bridge.  I hear Clara exclaim, “They’re here,” and we hastily run on the bridge.  The sunlight shines on my forehead and the roughly 150 high bridge sways ever so slightly.  I stop and take a picture to remember what it feels like not having my feet on the ground.  Now the ground feels steady and I know I am off.  My flowy pants drag on the ground, then they pick up the wind and lift off.  Bonnie says, “Come look,” excitedly, and points out a green, skinny, oddly slithering snake on a wirey rope that protects you from tumbling down the hill.  I stay still, debating whether to touch it or not.  It slithers on a leaf and I quickly prick its tail and giggle.  The next bridge is maybe the tallest yet.  Slowly I walk, admiring the mostly green rainforest.  I stand.  It’s not like a house, closed and busy with artificial light and made to block out nature.  No, the jungle is a whole new world.  

Part Two:  The Caves

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A man leads us down a stone path, speaking in Spanish to my mom.  I appreciate my surroundings.  “Whoa,” Bonnie says, as water drips from the cave’s ceiling.  

“Good thing we are wearing boots,” I mutter under my breath.  

The man says something in Spanish to my mom and she translates: “Turn on your lights.”  We do and they flicker on only to reveal bats, snoozing on the ceiling.  The water trickles from an unknown source.  We walk for a bit, watching a few uninviting bats flutter around.  

The man talks rapidly in Spanish and my mom says, “This part is optional,” and gestures to a tiny hole.  

Bonnie says, “We are supposed to climb in there?”  

My mom says, “He says it gets bigger.”  We argue about whether to go in or not, so finally we settle on yes.  The man crab walks into the hole, then my mom, followed by me.  The hole claustrophobic hole is tight, and hard to squeeze into.  The sandy water meets my skin and I am out or in-- because the tiny room has a hole on the right of the ceiling.  Bonnie’s head pops out and I greet her.  Bonnie’s face is panicked.  

“See, it gets bigger,” I say to prove something  “Come on.”  Clara’s head pops out, followed by her limbs.  “Hi,” I say. 

 “That was claustrophobic,” Clara says, grinning.  “Ow, not yet,” Clara says, sounding annoyed.  Then she fully climbs out and says, “Now you can.”  Uncle Anthony’s head jolts out, followed by the rest of him and he tells the guys to help us get up.  He lifts Bonie up and she climbs down to a room I cannot see.  Next me, while climbing I see a tiny, itty bitty spider that would scare my mom a lot.  I climb the rough and tan rock and find myself in a room that is no smaller than a bedroom with an exit on the left, and the whole room is made entirely of rock.  My mom hops in and Bonnie claps for her arrival.  Next Clara, then Uncle Anthony, and then Auntie Sarah.  The tour guide is with us so he leads us through the opening.  Around 30 minutes later, just after climbing through another wet, tight claustrophobic tunnel with sandy water, the tour guide randomly goes to a spot and picks up a huge scorpion spider. He asks if anyone wants to hold it, and Uncle Anthony volunteers.  After I see him do it, I say, “I’ll do it.”  The spider climbs on my wrist.  It doesn’t really move unless you count his, her or their antennas, which move around, sensing its surroundings.  I feel tiny pricks, feeling not so nervous,  as it barely moves around my hand.  When we reach the foot of the cave and I can see the jungle and light, I feel happy I did the caves because I got to hold a spider and climb through claustrophobic tunnels.  

The End! 

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Horrors in the Jungle- March 2021

                                                     Horrors in the Jungle

Flick.  My aunt turns on the radio and “Break My Heart” pops on.  I gaze out the window and say, “Where are we going again?” 

 “You’ll see,” my mom says calmly.  

“Stop,” I shriek at the top of my lungs.  Screach. The car halts to a stop.  At the end of the lane is a pink smiling sloth and a tiny snail that happens to be going faster than the cute sloth. 

 “Why don’t you help him?” my mom suggests.  

I stick my black camera in her hands and instruct her to take a video.  Next thing I know, I’m picking up the sloth now named Jasper, the Three Toed Sloth.  Twenty-five minutes later I climb out of the car and slam it behind me.  When I do, it sounds like a helpless tree falling to the ground.  

“Whoa,” I gasp in amazement.  

A huge billboard stands tall and sturdy before my eyes.  I hear Bonnie read, “Melano Zip Line Park,” excitedly.  Crunch crunch crunch is the sound our feet make when they hit the ground.      

A skinny white haired man says something to a pink haired girl that looks no more than 18, “Pura Vida,” and then it seems like they are done talking.  

The white haired man swiftly changes gears to English, “I am Tobias Eaten and I will be taking photos from below so hand in your devices.” 

When he says this it sounds rehearsed.  Then I remind myself it probably was.  I don’t want to be rude, so I reluctantly hand in my black camera I had recently received for Christmas.  

Ten minutes later I’m flying, or so I feel like it.  The dense and wet jungle softly brushes my feet.  I feel so high both in emotion and height, so I call it alive.  I close my eyes and imagine being a bird gliding sharply through the sky until I hear an ear-splitting scream……...Frozen, still humid and hot, moving swiftly through the jungle canopy, I hear smack...smack.  

Next, I hover over the photographer’s lifeless body.  I gag on words that aren’t there.  Next to the blond unconscious man is a monkey whose skull seems to be fractured.  Whoosh.  I zoom onto a redwood platform that creaks whenever I move.  I hastily pull the gear off then I trip and tumble to the moist dirt carpet.  My right knee is injured and there is a bruise on my forehead, but other than that I am fine.  I get up and brush the dirt off my clothes and Clara dives into her story.  When she does, I am only half paying attention, but the idea is that a monkey jumped onto her back and then the monkey jumped onto the man’s head and he was passed out.  I sigh.  Today was some day in the jungle- from fun to horror.  I loved it.  

The End.

Climate Change and Reptiles- February 2021

                                                    Climate Change and Reptiles

 Chapter One:  Introduction

How do you envision Antarctica?  Pretty cold, right?  Or maybe too cold.  Well, if you guessed one of those 30 years ago you would have been right.  Have you ever heard the words climate change or maybe global warming?  And if you have, do you know how it works? Well, it starts out with the sun and its rays.  There are two basic types of light:  ultraviolet and ultrared.  The ultraviolet runs straight into the earth’s atmosphere and bounces into space.  The ultrared goes straight inside the atmosphere and therefore is trapped inside.  This is called the greenhouse effect.  

Chapter Two:  Impact on Lizards

Lizards are impacted hard by climate change due to habitat loss and temperatures rising.  Nel Greenfield reports, “By the year 2080 20% of lizards will become extinct.” Lizards are an important part of the animal kingdom.  Lizards eat insects like malaria carrying mosquitos, flies or crickets.  That may seem gross but think of our benefits.  Climate change, habitat loss and global warming are just a few words to describe what is causing what is known to be dangerous and random animals into our homes in areas where people now live.  Almost half the population of lizards are being impacted by climate change.  

Chapter Three:  How you can Help

Now this is where you come in.  One:  ask someone in power to bring awareness to your neighborhood.  Two:  Donate money to animal shelters in and around your neighborhood.  Three:  Turn the lights out when you leave the house.  Four:  Take the bus or the BART instead of the car.  Five:  Bike, walk and run instead of taking the car.  This is also good for your health.  Six:  Eat less meat.  Seven:  Use more water fountains and don’t use plastic bottles.  Eight:  For any of you that live on the beach, at sea turtle breeding season, turn the lights out.  Nine:  Get more house plants for your home.  Ten:  Sweat more because you can turn it into energy.  

Chapter Four:  Conclusion

If you are ever outside on a hot day, think to yourself, can I make the world cooler?  Or maybe how did this happen?  What can I do about?  Bring awareness and think about the lizards and you have more room than you need.  Share your environment, adopt a pet, maybe he or she will be your best friend.  

The Poem of MimiDoodle

                                                     The Poem of MimiDoodle

I want to say that I love you.  My favorite memory of you was when we went on the boat, and I drank kids champagne on Father’s Day to celebrate with you. We watched cranes, fishing and cleaning their feathers.

 

You are a gardener, and a pilot, and teachers who taught me geography, multiplication and spelling during homeschool.

You make waffles with raspberries, strawberries, and whipped cream that taste as good as arepas, but not like arepas.

You understand

From the beginning you came to Venezuela to be with me, and now you are flying over here again for my birthday.

You want me to do my best.

 

You try to make the world more beautiful with Daley Ranch and the Community Garden.

You shared your house with me through quarantine and I got to be with you more often,  garden, play with Friday, and watch the Kids Baking Championship or AGT.  Bad Salsa was my favorite act.

You felt good when we grew the butterflies and set them free together, fluttering away on the other flowers and two of them landed on me.

I love going to the community garden with you, where you have made 150 plots for people to grow kale, strawberries, melons, and broccoli.

I loved flying in Doodle’s little plane, over your house and waving to meow meow, as I looked at the house from a bird’s eye view.

I had a lot of fun on the Disney Cruise, except when I slammed my finger in the door.  I loved playing in the different pools and the Ducky Show.  I also liked Mexico where we saw the whales coming up to blow out the water and get a little bit of air.  Their tails were like a large tv.  I could also see the dark, murky ocean beneath the boat.   

Everything you do is good because you treat others with kindness and I want to say I love you.                                                   By: Scarlett

“Roar” by Katy Perry: A Song of Feminism- November 2020

                                             “Roar” by Katy Perry:  A Song of Feminism

“Roar” by Katy Perry is about a girl who is quiet and stops doing what she is told.  She feels like she doesn’t have a choice about a lot of things.  In the song, she stops listening to men and she blossoms.  In this essay I will argue that “Roar” by Katy Perry is a feminist song that tells women that they are strong.  

Looking closely at the topic of men dominating on women shows that it has been happening for too long.  Katy Perry argues, “You held me down but I got up.  Hey get ready cuz I had enough.”  Basically Perry believes that she was held down by men and she needs to roar.   It is clear therefore that women are rising and strong.  As expressed the woman in this song is standing up.  

This key aspect discussed in “Roar” is feminism.  Perry sings, “You hear my voice, you hear that sound, like thunder going to shake the ground.”  In other words, Katy Perry believes that women can speak up, including herself.  This suggests that women should fight for what they believe in.  Katy Perry believes that women can say what they believe in.  

Looking closely at the topic of being strong, Perry feels that she can be courageous.  She says, “ the fire, cuz I’ve got the eye of the tiger, the fighter, dancing through I am a  champion                             and you are going to hear me roar.” Basically Perry is saying that she is strong and she can do what men can do.  Men can be overpowering to women, but women can do anything that men can do.  As you can see, Katy Perry believes that women are brave, and she is going to come out of the shadows and help other women find their true selves.  

Looking at the song “Roar” by Katy Perry we can see that she is encouraging girls to speak up and reach for their dreams and not let anything stop you.  When I hear this song, it reminds me of the jungle and tigers because women can be like the tigers in that they are as good as lions, which in the song, basically represent men.  As a young lady, I will come out of the shadows and blossom.

 

Spring and Easter Acrostic- March 2021

 Spring and Easter

Sun rises so bright

Pretty flowers that bloom so brightly and vibrantly

Rustling leaves that shine with green

Ice melting and snow going away

Neverending sun shining all day

Getting flowers from the meadow

Amazingly nice weather

Nice scenery playing its part in life

Definitely hot and humid

Easter egg hunt for everybody to enjoy

Amazing nice weather

Still but swaying

Together and friendly

Everything blooming and bright

Rich green everywhere

What Changed My Life- November 2020

                                                         What Changed My Life 

What changed my life was COVID 19. Unfortunately I live in SF, which is a great place but not the best place to get outdoor exercise while staying safe from Cona’.  So the day after in-person school ended and switched to Zoom school, my mom announced we were to take an airplane to SD  to visit my grandparents, Meow Meow and Doodle.  When I arrived I was very excited to stay, but I was clueless that it wasn’t a vacation and this was where I would attend school.  But I felt confident enough to drag through the first week because my grandmother was a kindergarten teacher and Doodle was a geography teacher for 6th graders.  

After that first week I felt much better because I adjusted, but there was still one thing missing:  my dad.  We Facetimed every day so it got better.  Also, he would arrive soon enough because he had to do Airbnb stuff.  When he came he brought the snowcone I had recently ordered. 

My parents cancelled our Mexico trip and made a decision to drive to my aunt, uncle and cousins’s house (and future cute fluffy and sweet  husband) in MA.  My mom booked an RV, but two weeks later the place we had rented it from got sold out because it is too risky to take an airplane and people really wanted a vacation, so they rented them out.  This is why we had to take the car.  They also said that my friend Audrey and her mom would come along.  

When the day for the road trip across the United States knocked on the door, I woke at 6:30 with a big grin on my face.  Audrey arrived and brought ring pops with a big smile.  That day I was excited to see that my mom had got a road trip kit for me and Audrey.  When we started time flew and soon enough we ended up at places like the Grand Canyon, which was a dry and dusty place where people came to hike, but usually forgot to bring water.  Two states later we went sandboarding in Colorado at the Great Sand Dune National Park, where the sand dunes looked like ocean waves with droplets of water moving from place to place.  Sandboarding was like boogie boarding except I would not fall under the waves.  The worst part about it was that the sand would blow in your eyes and you would have to wear goggles. My mom forgot to bring water and was selfish because she kept the Redbull she had all to herself so I got one sip and that was not enough to make me hydrated.   I thought Iowa might have been called the corn state because of the corn fields that took up more room than houses.  We stayed in a small sized place that I’d rather stay in than a big house because of the many colors it had in rainbow order.  This house had rainbow paint on the outside of it. We went to a gas station that was turned into a restaurant with a motorcycle.  The motorcycle was on display and people took pictures on it. At Niagara Falls we, in a way, took a shower in the water that crashed down on us.  Even though my mom wore a dry suit, it didn’t prevent her from getting soaked head to toe. Soon enough I was playing musical chairs with my cousins and Audrey at my aunt’s house in Massachusetts. Next thing I knew we were swimming in their pool that had many pool toys. One sweet morning when the flowers were blooming, I expected Audrey and Maddy to be snuggling, but I remembered it was the day they would be leaving with Manny.  I thought I was going to stay here until Newport Beach, but my mom told me we would stay until in-person school started again back in SF.  We also went to IKEA to get the desks, pencil holders, and IKEA cereal. Far too soon we would start homeschool in the barn with my cousins and with my mom, uncle and aunt as teachers.   

In conclusion, COVID changed my life by cancelling our trips to Mexico and Hawaii. It also changed my classmates and teachers. I feel good because I get to be with my cousins and family more.  A change can happen in many different ways, but life is about change and letting go, right?

I Am From William

                                                 I am From William

I am from warm, homemade, fried arepas topped with fresh avocado and delicious parmesan cheese.  

And hot, chewy, greasy store-bought frozen mozzarella cheese pizza.  

I am from corn dogs the size of my thumb, served on a black plate on a wooden, sturdy kitchen table

I am from middle class red, yellow, and blue Venezuela.

I am from travel.  

From rich and wealthy, bill board and lucky cat guarded Tokyo.

I am from rocky, middle class India, where I got jingly and shiny bangles, and drove through Himalayan glaciers and salt, 

I am from ziplining through the trees in Ecuador

I am from driving on rickshaws through wedding markets

I am from a jewel hearted snake that curls around my neck.

I am from chained, layered necklaces and Hindu jewels that cling to my neck

I am from a big family in Ecuador, Venezuela, California and Massachusetts

I am from a white and tall apartment with a big orange couch and a rainbow chandelier

I am from explicit music, low beat funk, and rap that curls up my ears

I am from William

The Colors of Boston- October 2020

                                                                     The Colors of Boston

Flashing and dazzling colors widen my tiny eyes.  Sturdy, strong, gray and gloomy cement hovers on top with a stiff and angry fence on top.  I walk on the orange, white, yellow, blue and green streaks of beautiful garden colors that make me ooze bubbly foggy, warm and repulsive saliva out of my half-open peach lips.  I’m glad I’m wearing a midnight black mask to cover the drool that has just escaped from my mouth.  I know that it didn’t literally come out of my mouth.  But in the colorful, dazzling, beautiful, extraordinary fractions of the imaginary world that is in my and many other people’s hearts.  It is coming out now.  I watch the dancing movement of the black, shady, shadow of the tree that is going to change color like many others.  I gaze at the black and grey ceiling to the cement when I look down I see an oversized, sharp gravel.  When I look at the mural in the middle of the wall, the letters are big and bulky with a black that was as dark as a solar system empty of planets and stars.  The bold, sky-blue street art writing spells L-O-V-E.  The spectacular, wavy, swirly and warm-colored background is so inviting that I step closer to get a better view.  I’m drawn to the amazing art as I get closer to see more intricate detail.  

Next we arrive at the Hot Pot Buffet.  Many people including myself are complaining of hunger, but luckily we are at the restaurant.  We head north to find a new restaurant because this one is closed.  Look at the compass shown here to know which way North is.  We walk a short distance to find a large restaurant near the edge of the ginormous, welcoming and daring 

Chinatown Gate.  As soon as I step in I hear the pleasant and satisfying sound of a mini waterfall-like fountain.  When I actually step in the restaurant I realize it is big and has almost no chatter.  A waiter led us to a table that would fit all six and soon to be seven of us.  I note to myself that there is a jade Buddha around twice the size of a regular sized ring dangling around his neck.  I look around and take a seat.  It surprises me how soft the thin, beige, cushions are.  Uncle Anthony, Auntie Sarah and Clara marvel at the one menu that is placed on the table on the fake wood in between the two burners for soup.  We order tomato broth, broccoli, lettuce, tofu and vermicelli pasta.  The noodles are impressively thin.  I think they were shredded onions.  Clara has carrots, udon noodles, chicken broth and celery.  Uncle Anthony and Auntie Sarah have a traditional spicy soup.  The divider between Clara and her parent’s soup is as wavy as a stream on a breezy day.  The decorative outline of the blurry, but silver bowl on the flower cut outline shimmers as if it is giving me a wink.  I stare at the large silver fan as it spins like a spinning top.  When the food arrives my mom and I have no idea how to do it.  Each item is in a small bowl. Before my mom and I can ask, the man explains that we add any amount of our choice to cook and stir for 3-4 minutes when the soup is ready.   My mom scoops the ladle into the soup and scoops up a piece of corn and slides it into my bowl, then tomato broth and vermicelli noodles.  I slowly slurp down the soup, asking for seconds.  After three servings, we slowly exit the store after bathroom breaks.  A final flavored burp comes up my throat.  This meal is the best Chinese meal I have ever had.  

After lunch, we walk to the park and there are some many squirrels with such bushy tails. The garden has a large amount of greenery, colorful  flowers, and weeping willows sway with the gentle breeze. I find a fresh and falling branch and swiftly twirl with it until I grow dizzy. Soon the adults tell me, Bonnie and Clara they will take us to the chocolate shop to possibly get a small treat. When we arrive I notice one size of the room has green and white striped walls with tables below it. The other walls have pink and gold striped walls, but with a front desk below it. In a small/medium refrigeration box sits tiny chocolate flavored cakes and behind it I can just manage to see a chocolate and coffee drink machine. When I look up I can see a fake mask hanging from the chandelier. The adults ask if we want a small chocolate piece or a cup of hot chocolate. Bonnie and I, followed by Clara, request hot chocolate. Almost instantaneously, when my mom gets to the front desk, she places an order for three hot chocolates. The cashier asks if we want medium temperature or hot, and my mom answers medium. After we finish our hot chocolate we go home, but the color of Boston will stay with us.