children
Children: Our most valuable natural resource.
The Tarantula Hole Treasures
Astrid Hemmel sat on the rickety old steps of the wooden deck out behind her mother’s Texas ranch home, watching her four children dig an “army dugout” in front of the play fort they’d constructed out of broken pallets and whatever they could find around the ranch. “These kids are gonna be absolutely filthy by the end of this,” Astrid thought. “Whatever was I thinking letting them dig this big hole in the middle of the yard?!” She teetered on the verge of regretting her decision, until her five-year-old Duncan confidently approached her, waving his shovel confidently, his smile beaming to illuminate his whole face as he declared, “Momma, this is going to be the most awesome fort ever! We’re gonna protect you every day!” She gave an acknowledging nod of affirmation, mustering a grin in response, wishing it could really be that simple.
By Davida Blanton5 years ago in Families
The Black Notebook
Mom, mommy! Help I can’t breathe! I can’t-Callie’s mother came running upstairs desperately trying to get to her six-year-old daughter who was crying and gasping for air. It’s going to be okay; you’re going to be fine Callie’s mother assured her.
By Erin Melia5 years ago in Families
The Book That Changed Everything
The Book That Changed Everything Hi, my name is Angie and this is the story of a little black book that changed my life. When I was 9 years old my parents made me do more chores than any of my other friends. Sometimes I would even get bullied for it . One day after I was done folding the laundry and dusting the house my parents told me to go and clean the attic. I had never been told to clean the attic so this was a very odd task for me. So I went up to the attic and when I opened the door dust flew everywhere. I thought to myself, "shoot I just dusted" so the first thing I did was run as fast as my legs could carry me down the stairs and when I got back I made sure to dust as well as I could. Then when I went back up to the attic I climbed up the ladder, There were just a few boxes and some dust bunnies so I wasn't too worried about it taking all day. So I moved the boxes to a corner where I could later cut them up and put them in the recycling. But just as I was finishing up in the attic I saw a little black book that was in a tiny box and the box was beautiful so I took it when I left the attic. After I was done I took the book up to my room to see what it was. In my mind I thought, "It's probably just one of my mom's old note books". But to my surprise the book was blank and as I was flipping through the pages it never ended even on what seemed to be the last page you could keep flipping for hours. But all of the sudden it said my name. It said "Angie" in a dark creepy voice. Then when I flipped a few more pages there was writing on a page near what seemed to be the end of the book. It told me that I needed to write in it, it said "Prize it may be, but be warned it's not what it seems". I thought to myself, "What could that possibly mean"?. So I thought "What does every kid want more of? maybe it's a wishing book?...Stuffed animals?...Toys?" and that's when it struck me, "MONEY". so I wrote in the book 100$ and sure enough I looked in my purse which had like three pennies in it now had 100$!!!. A few years have passed from the time I found the little black book and I don't use it very often. When I remembered the book on my 12th and 13th birthday I asked for around 100 to 300 bucks. But on my 18th birthday is when bad things started to happen. When I was 18 I was a complete and total idiot. My friends would ask me where I got all the money and I said "Parents". And they would say "Your parents? your parents give you nothing I don't understand you would lie to your friends``. So i would always make some stupid exuse and they would bileve me. But every time I would ask for money something bad would happen after. One day when I was outside with my best friend Annie, she asked to see my new dog hank. So I said "sure". We went inside and we played with Hank for a while and after we played with Hank we got very hungry and since I had millions of dollars in this little book I just took the book and told Annie to get in the car. She asked me why I had a book with me and I just said "No reason". she paused and shook her head then she said "Are you sure Angie? you never read why would you grab a book???". I once again said "NO REASON ANNIE! I'm sorry Annie, I didn't mean to shout...". "No Angie it was my fault I was the one who was pestering you about that book...". After that car ride we didn't talk for a while...I was pretty upset at myself. I didn't need to be losing any more friends plus she is my best friend. After that I felt like I needed to go and get a treat. So i ran out and got in the car, after i got in the car i started to cry...I don't know why i did but maybe it was because my parents never took me out to get a "treat" so i guess i was mad at them?.But i guess i may have been sad about Annie. After i was done crying in the car about whatever i was crying about i decided to go to an ice cream shop called "The Little Ice Berg''. They had the best ice cream in the whole city! When i was a kid i wanted to go there for my 6th birthday but my parents never "had the money" even though they were one of the richest people in the city. And just so you know my dad spent most of his money on his drinks and his gambling plus my mom only married him for the money. She was obsessed with her clothes and her "jewels". She never cared about what I wanted or what my life needed. Never did they really care about me like some of my other friends mom's did. Whenever I would go over to Annie's house her mom would give me such a nice warming smile it just made me wish that my mom would do the same. I sorta felt like Annie's family was mine in a way. Even her dad was nicer than mine. My dad was always out drinking and i felt like he may have even been cheating on my mom but i never really cared because she didn't care about me so i didn't care if my dad was cheating on her. But when i got to "The Little Ice Berg" they had all the best kinds of ice cream there. They had bubble gum, chocolate chip, rocky road, even strawberry and banana! So I got two scoops of rocky road and then I went to a nearby park. i had my ice cream and got back home. When I got home it was 1:30am I thought that it was much earlier than that. When my mom got home she was standing by the door she asked me why I was up so late and where I was. And i told her i just went out for ice cream and i had proof because i didn't eat the whole thing before i got home. Then after a while of us talking she rolled her eyes and I went up to my room. I was bored and so i got out that little bklack book that i found when i was 9 and i flipped through the pages and wrote down that i wanted 1milion dollars i didn't know this was a mistake and all of the sudden my parents came into my room and said "We are going on a trip to Mexico" i was shocked. I asked them why they were going and they said "We just thought we needed some time alone" I couldn't believe they said that because sometimes i wonder if they know i'm in the house. They spent all of their time drinking and gambling but now they were going to Mexico.the day they left i got a very bad feeling about them going to Mexico. A couple days after they left for Mexico I got a call from 911. I was so scared to answer. But as my finger was shaking I answered the call. I said "Hello?" "Hello" said the woman on the call, "We have some very bad news for you Angie..." I was in shock knowing that my parents had gone to Mexico. The girl on the phone said "Your parents have died in a horrible plane crash and their last words were..." "Tell Angie we love her" and after I heard those words I burst into tears. The woman on the phone told me to calm down. She said there was one other thing she said "Oh and by the way your parents left you 30.5 million dollars." I froze. I couldn't believe what the lady on the phone said. I asked "a-are you sure i'm the right Angie?" the lady on the phone said "Your Angie Coper right?" I wanted to hang up so badly after she said my last name, after that I said "Y-Yes" bursting back into tears. Once again the lady told me to calm down. She told me to focus on the funeral and paying my respects and to not focus on the money. But how could I NOT focus on the 30.5 MILLION DOLLARS? I told her that I would not focus on the cash but on the funeral. She told me she was sorry about the plane crash and of course i told her it wasn't her fault. I hung up the phone and called Annie. She started to cry for me and she told me to come over ASAP. So I got in the car and was at her house by 10:00pm. We talked for a while and I cried most of the time. I stayed at her house that night, then i remembered that book...and how i had asked for 1 million dollars. The next day i couldn't stop thinking about that book so when I got home I did a test. I sat in my room with a pencil, drink, and had my window closed. First i wrote down that i wanted 10 dollars and sure enough when i was done writing my pencil broke. Then I asked for 100 dollars and sure enough my drink spilled. After that i had the final test, I wrote down that i wanted 1,000 dollars...and my window broke...then i remembered the day i found the book and what it said now i knew what it meant by "Prize it may be but be warned it's not what it seems". Then I asked the book if this was it's doing "A-Are you the cause of this?" It took a while for the book to write back but this time i heard what it said. The book started to laugh then it said "You finally get it Angie you finally understand what i told you all those years back". I was so scared and shocked I couldn't speak. It talked again and it said "I have been taking everything you love little by little. the more you ask from me the more I take from you."D-Did you kill my parents? DID YOU CRASH THE PLANE?!". It started to laugh again "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" then it spoke again. "Awwww poor little Angie has nothing left but money. Is 30.5 million dollars not enough for you Angie? No Angie needs more!" it said with a horrible laugh. "NO!!! I DON'T WANT MONEY I WANT MY FAMILY BACK!!!" as i started to cry. "Just because they hurt me in more than one way doesn't mean i didn't love them!" In my mind I knew I had to burn this book. I had to destroy it. "THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT ANGIE???" the book said with a mean dark grin as a devilish face appeared on the book. I knew if I told the book that I would give in it would do anything for me. "Book your right. You're always right." I said with a fake smile. "I KNOW I AM STUPID HUMAN!" I had to ask for it to forgive me. "Oh book i am so sorry. Please forgive me. I want to be with you forever." The book was happy, he told me to pick him up and he said "Hold me Angie. i am yours now." I was grossed out by this but that didn't matter at this moment. So I picked him up and I told him this. "Book, I need you to light the fire and we can talk. Ok?." It said "Angie, I will do anything for you and if you hurt me...I will kill you." he said with a smile. "Dont worry book, I would never harm you". he was happy when i said this. The moment he lit the fire I said, "Goodbye you god forsaken book". i threw the book into the fire i was so scared for something bad to happen but it never did. And here i am fine and well telling you the story of The Book That Changed My Life.
By Delilah Cro5 years ago in Families
Series- Reflection of a Prism
Series- Reflection of a Prism The Nightmare of Reality Prologue-As all the magic was erased by the darkness , seven rainbow colored animals spirits stepped up knowing the consequences. They trapped the darkness in a book of nightmares and the spirits trapped themselves as well, hoping someone would find the book of dreams, imprisoning them and setting them free.
By Gerald Zuniga5 years ago in Families
Quinn and Mama's Little Black Notebook Adventures
“I’ll be home late tonight. Dinner is in the fridge. Love you!” A quick peck on Quinn’s head and her mom was out the front door. “Love you too!” Quinn shouted and then went to plop down on her bed. She does not like that she does not get to see her mom much but she understands that unless her mom works two jobs, the rent and bills could not be paid. "I wish there’s some way I can help", thought Quinn as she rolled over right onto a little black notebook. “Oh! Mama must be finished with her page!” Quinn grabbed the notebook and flipped through it. Her and her mom both took turns drawing a page, illustrating the next part of their little story.
By ~ * a l i c e * ~5 years ago in Families
The Black Treasure
The Little Black Book My eyes are still burning after the tears ran out, my shoes covered in scuff marks as I kick rocks walking along the cemetery trail. It’s never easy to watch someone lower your father into his grave, at seven years old I have already experienced such great loss. All I want to do now is get away, I let my mind wander as I walk into the woods.
By Zurlia Mosby5 years ago in Families
She's Always There
It was just the five of us in that office for the reading of our aunt’s will. She wasn’t around the family very often, even when the sporadic gathering did occur. When she would come around, her smile would beam when I, or any of my brothers would sit and talk to her. Hearing her tell us family secrets would keep us riveted when we were kids. I learned way too much about my mother, and her dating habits before she met my dad. But, that was Aunt Joyce. The recluse that told the truth, and she didn’t care about my age. Where mom and dad were protective, Joyce had faith in my strength to endure whatever came along. She always felt that pulling punches with people weakened them instead of sparing them.
By Craig Hall5 years ago in Families
Joy
"Fresh air is as good as caffeine, right?" Gwen whispered. The question hung in the quiet room as she waited. And then remembered. "That's right. You aren't here." With her hand gently holding her waist, she got up from her bed, opened her bedroom window, and inhaled the gentle May morning. "The answer is nope. Nothing is as good as caffeine."
By Jennifer Richardson5 years ago in Families
The Mother-hood: Angie's Story
Angie sent me a text from the road - she was running about ten minutes late for her appointment. When she did arrive, she came bustling in and set her son's infant car seat down in the corner. The baby gazed around the room with an easy tranquility.
By Michelle Noble5 years ago in Families
The Day My Monster Moved In
It was a beautiful day, the day my monster moved in. The sun was shining brightly as I walked outside suddenly the smell of Honeysuckles floated through the air, filling my mind with dreams of all the future had in store for me. At that very moment I was making straight A’s in school, and head of the cheerleading squad. This victory was accomplished through lots of practice and hard work. There was no limit to my future in my mind.
By Angela Kay Dollar5 years ago in Families
