Taken Captive in the Revolutionary War

My name is Devon Parker. A lot of people pronounce my name like Devin; but my real name is pronounced Devawn. I am ninety years old and I fought in the Revolutionary War. My mother was real worried that her baby was fighting in the war. She said there was no need for shooting people. She wanted to live in peace. I wanted to serve my country. If I had to join the army to do it, then I was willing.

I remember my first battle ever...I was eighteen years old. It was a cold December night. Hail and snow were falling from the sky. The ground was covered with snow. All I could hear were gunshots blasting and men screaming. My eyes hurt from all the cannon explosions. The British were closing in on us and I had nowhere to run. One of my men was tugging on my arm trying to say something. I couldn’t really hear him because my left ear was deaf from all the gunshots and explosions. All of a sudden, my hearing came back to me. “Devon!” the man screamed. “Get down!” Bam! A musket shot hit me right on the chest. The force of bullet pushed me back five feet and there I was, lying on the ground half awake and half unconscious. There it goes again; my left ear was deaf. It was hard to stay awake. I struggled and struggled but my eyes kept on closing. Hovering over me was a big Redcoat. He was approximately three hundred pounds and six foot eleven. I think the battle was over. I couldn’t hear anything out of my good ear. All I knew was that I was being carried by a big fat man. I saw the British captain. He ordered the man who was carrying me to place me in the carriage. Once I hit that seat, I was finally asleep. I woke up the next morning behind bars. I was taken captive at the British base. It was cold and damp in the jail cell. No mattress, I had to sleep on the hard cement floor. Slop was for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Boy if I weren’t in jail I would hate that food; but since I was in jail, it was like eating fried beans with sausage. Sausage and beans were especially good when my mother cooked them. It was the best meal in the world. Here comes one of the Redcoats. He gave me my everyday meal. No silverware; I just picked it up with my hands and gobbled it down. I wonder how much trouble I would be in at home if I did that. It was a long night. I couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t used to sleeping this way. At least at my camp they gave you a blanket and pillow. I guess that’s because I wasn’t in jail. There was a lot on my mind. First, I thought about that man who told me to get down. That gunshot still really hurts. I forgot to tell the Redcoats about it. It probably wouldn’t do any good. They shot me. Why heal me? Second, I thought about my family. What are they doing right now? Either they think I’m dead or okay. I hope they think I’m okay. I don’t want them to worry. Third, I thought about how I was going to get out of this place. Maybe I would be in here for life. That would be a bummer. Fourth, I thought of how I was gonna sleep. Maybe if I were to stop thinking. When I finally fell asleep, I had a dream, a weird dream. I had some sort of automatic weapon. It shot like thirty bullets in five seconds. I knew that could never be invented but dreams are dreams. They are very odd and they don’t make sense at all. Anyway, the bars were open to my cell and I walked out. Redcoats were everywhere; but they just let me walk out. My army was at the exit door helping me escape. They asked what type of gun I had. “I don’t have a clue,” I told them. We walked about a mile and I saw my family in army uniforms. I asked them a question, then I woke up. I don’t remember what my question was. For awhile I thought that dream meant something. A couple years later, though, I was still in jail. My dream had not yet come true. Either God put that dream in my head or I just thought that dream up all by myself.

I remember the day a miracle happened. The Redcoats served me rice and corn every day. It was the weirdest thing but that food was delicious. More years and years passed and I didn’t even know how old I was. I think I was seventy but I’m not sure. I had a big fuzzy beard. It was gray and so was my long hair. I swear that I was a caveman.

Finally, my dream came true. Well not exactly. I didn’t have the gun. The general opened the bars.

“Your army has made a deal with us. They will let all their prisoners go if
we let our prisoners go,” he said.

“You agreed?” I asked.

“Yes I did.”

I couldn’t believe it. I thought my dream was just a dream; but it came true. I walked out the door and there was my army. They were escorting me back to my hometown. Like I said, right now I am ninety years old and I have a nice home and dog.

The End

Chapter 9 "A Court Meeting"

The next morning George woke up to the smell of bacon.

"Good morning, Ma'am," George said.

"Good morning," she responded, politely.

"What are you cooking?" George asked.

"I'm cooking bacon, do you want some?"

"Yes please!" George sat down at the table and ate his bacon.

"No one is allowed to see you," she said. "I heard what happened to your house and your friend." I'm so sorry."

George just stared out into the distance. "What's your name?" he asked.

"My name is Ann Parker." You can call me Ann." "You probably don't want to do this, but it's for your own good." "Last night I made arrangements for you to be in a court meeting today." Ann said.
"What did I do?!" George asked.

"Nothing," Ann said. "It's about making you free!"

"Then why did you think I didn't want to do it?" George asked.

"Never mind, just forget what I said."

Two hours later George and Ann were sitting at the court table with their lawyer sitting next to them. George admired his suit thinking he was looking pretty handsome. The judge ordered everyone to stand up and recite the Ten Commandments. At the end of the Ten Commandments, George was a little confused why God replaced "don't" with "thou shall not". He thought it would be a lot easier saying "don't". For George, two hours of the court meeting seemed ten hours. He was bored to death. It was about time when the judge received the paper from the jury. George was almost asleep and then Ann told him what that paper was. It was the decision made by the jury, if George was free, or not.
"This is the decision made by the jury," the judge said. "Mr. George Tucker... is free!" George sat in his chair shocked. Surprisingly, the whole room was full of excitement and cheering. George slapped himself making sure it wasn't a dream. But it was true. Finally, George... was free.

The End

 
Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my editor, Sandy Nichols, for taking the time to help correct my story and help me post it. I couldn’t have done it without her. She also corrected the rest of my stories and helped me post them too.
I would also like to thank all my readers by giving me supportive comments and reading all my stories.

About the Author

Paul Nichols is an eleven year old kid whose dream is to be a famous author. He has written a lot of super hero books but this is his best yet. Paul is home schooled but once he finishes with high school he hopes to go to college and learn more about writing. I wrote my book after school. It took me two months to write the whole book. I took my time to make it interesting. I am a Christian and I go to church every Sunday. For fun I like to play baseball in a little league. Every Monday I go bowling with my three brothers and my dad.

Follow Me

I have written other short fictional stories that you can find and read at my blog: “Paul’sbooksforkids.blogspot.com
You won’t be disappointed!

Chapter 8 "The New House"

Since Mack and George were up north, they started to look for a house to buy. Mack said George could live with him once they found a house. One day Mack came home from work and smiled at George. They lived in a little log hut that Mack made. It only had one room. “I found a house for fifty dollars,” he said. “It’s expensive, but we can afford it.”

“That’s great news!” George exclaimed jumping up and down.

“It is a two-story house with two bedrooms upstairs, and a living room, kitchen, and a dining room downstairs,” Mack said.

Two weeks later Mack and George started to settle into their new home. Someone knocked on the door. They looked out and saw a sheriff.

“Hi," Mack said. “How may I help you?”

“Let me get straight to the point,” the sheriff said. “This kid cannot sit around in this house all day. He has to work in the fields.”

“Why?” Mack asked, frustrated.

“He’s black.”

“What does that have to do with anything?!” Mack asked. His face was getting cherry red.

“Well, it doesn’t make any sense but it's because he’s black.”

“No, let me stop you right there!” Mack demanded. “Just because he was born with a different skin color, doesn’t mean he has no rights.”

“Sir, he’s supposed to be in slavery,” the sheriff said.

“Are you kidding me?” Mack asked. “What do you think the Civil War was for?”

“Sir, if you would just calm down.”

Slam! Mack slammed the door shut. George came downstairs.

“What did that guy want?”

Mack shrugged. "He was just some sales guy,” Mack lied. Right after Mack said that, a huge mob started to circle around the house with torches. Crash! The same sheriff threw a torch through the window and the house started to burn. Everyone else threw their torches on and in the house and it started to burn up real fast. Fire separated Mack and George and they couldn’t get to each other. George could get out through the window but Mack was trapped.

“George! Get out through the window and save yourself!” Mack ordered.

“I can’t leave you!” George screamed.

“Go now before it’s too late!”

“Thanks for everything, Mack, you’ve been the best friend I ever had,” George said. “I’ll miss you, Mack.” Mack was too sad to say anything. George jumped out of the window and saw the house fall. George lived on the street for a couple of weeks. One day as he walked through the town, a lady lured him into her house. George went inside.

Chapter 7 "A Play at Ford Theater

It was one year later when George and Mack finally escaped the dreadful woods. They read the paper and heard that there was a play at Ford Theater that’s a comedy and President Abraham Lincoln would be there.

“Hey, George, take a look at this,” Mack said.

George came running over where Mack was. “What is it?”

“It’s a play at Ford Theater and President Lincoln will be there.”

“I’d love to go, Mack, but where would we get the money to go?” George asked.

“I have thirty dollars saved up from work,” Mack said.

“Thirty dollars!” George exclaimed. “Where’d you get the money?”

“I told you, it’s from work.”

One week later George and Mack were sitting in the second row of the theater. “Great seats, huh, George?” Mack wondered.

“Boy, oh boy, could they get any better?” George said.

Soon the play started and the theater was full with laughter. Mack and George were laughing so hard they couldn’t breathe when they heard a huge gunshot. In about three seconds they saw a man jump from the president’s box and onto the stage. “I know that face,” Mack said. “That’s the famous actor John Wilkes Booth.” Right after Mack said that, security started to scream, “The president has been shot!” Booth limped away because his left foot was injured from the jump.

Lincoln died the next morning and it was an emotional funeral. Also, Mack and George heard that Booth was found… and killed.

Chapter 6 "Food"

Mack woke up very early the next morning. They had to sleep in a large tree so Indians wouldn’t see them in the middle of the night. Mack went hunting for food with his musket. He found a deer sleeping in the middle of the woods. Mack put down his cane and leaned on a tree. When he thought he was ready, he raised his gun, tilted his body upright, and shot the deer. He fell back against the tree. “GEORGE!” Mack screamed. George came running to where Mack was. “George, could you drag this deer to the tree?” Mack asked.
"I think so.” George dragged the deer all the way back to their tree.
“George, stay high up in this tree and guard the deer. I’ll be right back,” Mack said.
“Where are you going?” George asked.
“I’m going to find two rocks to start a fire.”
“Mr. Mack, you’ll get lost.”
“I know my way around. By the way, just start calling me Mack.”
“Alright, bye, Mack.”
George was up in the tree waiting anxiously for Mack to get back. Crack. He heard twigs cracking. Crack. There goes another one. “Mack, did you get the rocks?” George asked. There was no answer. “Mack, did you get the rocks? Mack!” All of a sudden George heard growling. George was being as quiet as possible when he saw a bear right under the tree. A spider started to crawl on George and George quietly and quickly pushed the spider off. It fell right on the bear. “That’s not good,” George thought to himself. As if the bear could read minds, the bear looked up and saw George. The bear roared as loud as he could and started climbing up the tree. George started climbing higher as fast as he could. He reached the way top of the tree. The bear was climbing faster and faster. Finally, George saw a big pile of leaves and jumped off the tree thinking the whole way down, “I’m dead.” Crash! George landed on the leaves unconscious. The bear stopped on a thin branch as he watched George jump down. Crack! The branch broke and the bear dropped to the ground and died. When Mack got back he saw George and the bear lying there. “George, are you okay?” George didn’t move.

Two hours later George woke up and found Mack cooking the deer and the bear over the fire. “You hungry?” Mack asked George.
“I’ve never been more hungry,” George said.
“Here, eat some deer.”

Chapter 5 "Heading Out"

It was the next morning and everyone was picking up bodies in the blazing hot weather. Mack, George, and Mom were sleeping in the tent when a soldier came in and started to drag Lewis out. Mack woke up, “Goodbye Lewis.” “Sir, would you like to watch me bury him?” the soldier asked. “The bed has wheels.” “Alright, that sounds fine.” George pushed Mack out on the dirt path as they watched Lewis’s burial. As they filled up the hole with dirt, Mack said goodbye one last time.

It was a couple of months later and Mack was still in bed. Chris rushed in the tent with a cane. “Sir, I carved you a cane. If you use this, you’ll be able to start your journey today, or you can wait awhile just to get ready.” “Well, Chris, you and your army have been a great help, but I think we should start heading out today. We got to get this kid and his mother free,” Mack said. “Sounds good sir,” Chris said. “George, I carved you a cane also,” Chris said. “Mr. Chris, my leg doesn’t hurt though.” “Ah, so you say. That leg will get sorer than ever walking all the way up north.” “George, he’s a doctor, do what he says,” Mom said. “Fine, I’ll use it,” George said stubbornly. “Well, General, it’s been a great pleasure camping with you,” Mack said. “It’s been a great pleasure camping with you,” Grant said back. “Well, goodbye General,” Mom said. “Goodbye madam.”
Mack, George, and Mom were two hours into their journey when they heard a loud yell. Next, they heard someone ordering something (not in English). Last, but not least, they saw men dressed in feathers and cloth. “No, no, no, no,” Mack said. “Indians! Run!” George screamed. Mack, George, and Mom started to run their fastest when the Indians started to chase after them. The Indians had ferocious dogs on leash. They let them go and the dogs started to chase after George, Mack, and Mom. One of the dogs jumped on George and started biting him. “Get this thing off me!” George screamed. The dog was ripping through George’s clothes and another dog was biting George on the arm. An Indian came up and stole his cane for no reason. He just picked it up and chucked it. Mack and Mom didn’t even notice what was happening to George. Mack was walking as fast as he could on his cane, but the rate he was going, he was a goner. “Mack! Start running!” Mom screamed. “I can’t! There was a musket ball that hit my spine! Remember?” “Mom! Mack! Help me out!” George screamed. “George! Hang on!” Mom ordered. Mom booked over to where George and the dogs were. Mom tried to tackle the dogs but they just jumped on top of her. “Mom, are you nuts? That’s not gonna work. “Guys! The Indians are right behind you!” Mack screamed. The Indian Chief shot his bow and arrow at Mom. “Mom!” George screamed. George saw the arrow coming like it was in slow motion. Quickly, George pushed the dog on him up a tiny bit and next thing you know, the dog collapsed with an arrow sticking out of him. George got up and pulled the arrow out of the dog and stabbed the other dog with it. “Alright, Mom, Get up!” George screamed. George and Mom caught up to Mack and ran as fast as they could. Another arrow came zooming in. It was heading right towards Mack. Luckily, it went right over his shoulder. “Whoa!” Mack screamed. Another one came zooming in. This time, Mom fell with an arrow in her leg. “Mom! Are you okay?” George asked. “I’m fine. Just go without me.” “No, Mom, I got shot in the leg. I didn’t say to go without me. You got shot with an arrow in the leg. You can get up.” As soon as George finished saying that, he heard a gunshot and saw Mom close her eyes. “Mom, no!” George screamed. “George, I’m sorry, she’s dead. We must keep moving. “You’re right. I’ll miss her so much,” George said. “C’mon, we’ve gotta go,” Mack said. George and Mack got so far ahead that they hid in the woods and watched the Indians pass by. “Mack, you think my mom is looking down proud of me for leaving?” George asked Mack. “Only if she didn’t want to see her son dead. So the answer is, yes, she is very proud of you.” “Mack, I miss her already,” George started to bawl. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

Why I'm Thankful for My Family

Today I am going to share why I'm thankful for my family. First of all, I'm thankful for my parents. My dad is a very hard worker, earning a lot of money. Every day he works from 8:00 A.M. to about 6:00 P.M. He is exhausted at the end of the day because he is an electrician. Also my dad is a Christian who takes his faith very seriously. My mom takes time to teach important things about our country, about Christianity, and our education. In school, she teaches us about our Constitution so that when we grow up and vote, we know who to vote for. Every morning she does a little bible study with me and my brothers. She has taught us to be obedient, orderly, diligent, kind, and content. Both my mom and my dad know what is best for us. It doesn't matter if we think it's fair or not, it always turns out to be good.

I'm also thankful for my brothers. John is very skilled at guitar and likes to entertain us by playing a lot of cool songs. John is also a very good big brother. Whenever any kid comes over and starts to pick on me and Dan, John always tells them to stop or go home. Steven, my other brother, is very skilled at piano and violin. He is also a good big brother. He always sets an example. Whenever one of us is fighting, he always tells us to stop. My younger brother, Dan, is also very skilled at piano. He makes up some really cool songs that sound good. Dan is also a very loyal brother. He sticks up for me, and I stick up for him. Anything I do, he does; anything he does, I do.

I'm also thankful for my two sisters, Kasey and Jessy, and Kasey's husband, Eric. Kasey is a very nice sister who lets my brothers and I come over and play. She serves us very good food that I love. Eric is very nice for always playing with us. He is helping John and Dan make remote control airplanes right now, and he shows us his plane. Overall, Eric is a really nice brother who plays a lot of things with us. Jessy is a nice sister for taking John, Steve, Dan, and me out to Wendy's and stuff like that. Any time Mom and Dad are gone, she will help us make dinner and sometimes take us somewhere.

The last member of my family that I love is our dog Morgan. She is a Golden Retriever who really loves us. We love her too. Morgan is the nicest dog I have ever seen. I know that because she always likes to be around people and have them pet her. We really love Morgan because she is very rambunctious. Whenever she sees someone she doesn't wag her tail… she wags her tail and her whole butt. My family is the best family, and that is why I am thankful for them!

Chapter 4 "Battle Stations"

"Get a medic!" Grant screamed. Grant's medical staff started to carry Mack and George to the medical tent. "How's your leg kid?" The medic named Christopher asked. "It's fine. Just heal Mack," George answered. "He's not waking up," Chris said. "We've got to get this bullet out!" Grant ordered. "We're trying our best sir," Chris replied. It was two hours later when the surgery was over. George and his mom were waiting eagerly for the news. "Mack... was a good man," Chris said slowly. "That's why God spared his life." "No way," George said in surprise. "Just don't continue on your journey until Mack is fully healed," Chris said. "You guys can camp out here for a little while." "Thank you so much!" Mom said. "You guys can go in and see Mack now," Grant said. "Hey kiddo, how's your leg?" Mack asked. "So good I forgot I was shot," George said. "How's your spine?" "Very sore." We can't go on our journey for a couple of months." "I'm expecting a couple of battles too," Grant interrupted. "Nothing you can't handle, General," Mack said. "Sir, random people are at the top of the hill with muskets," the corporal told Grant. "They waiting for a fight?" Grant asked. "Most likely sir." "Battle stations!" Grant ordered. "Charge!" The leader of the other side ordered. The leader was wearing a white mask to cover up his face. "George! Mrs. Tucker! Get in Mack's tent in the back of the camp!" Grant ordered. "C'mon George," Mom said. "Get in, get in," Mack said quietly. George, Mack, and Mom were waiting in the tent for the battle to be over. All of a sudden, everything got quiet. Mack, George, and Mom were waiting in the tent scared to death. The leader with the mask came in the tent. "Hello," he said. "What do you want?" Mack said angrily. "You tell me, Mack." "Lewis?" What are you doing?" Mack asked. "Coming back for my slaves you traitor," Lewis said. "I see you lost three of them. George is hit, and you seem pretty injured yourself Mack. Looks like you're not doing to good." "Lew, you got two options," Mack said. "Get out of my way, or I'll kill you. And you know I don't want to do that." Mack had a gun hiding under the covers.
"Kill me!" Lewis laughed. "You're so weak Mack, you have been your whole life." "I'll tell you one more time. Get out of my way, or I'll kill you." "Drop the gun," Grant ordered. General Grant came in from behind with a gun. "Sorry Grant. I can't do that, but you can." Bam! Grant shot Lewis because Lewis tried to kill him. "Lewis!" Mack screamed. "I'm sorry Mack, he attacked me."

Chapter 3 "The Underground Railroad"

Tom was a great kid,” Mack started to preach at Tom’s funeral. “He was a friend to most of us and a best friend to George.” Once the sermon was over, George walked up to the coffin and placed a rose on it. His mom set a rose on next, then Mack, Lewis, and one more man. George couldn’t sleep that night. He was thinking about all the fun times he and Tom had when they weren’t working. “George, what’s wrong?” George’s mom asked. “Just thinking about Tom,” George said. “Tom was a good kid.” His mom said. “He was also a loyal friend.” George said. “Well, try to get some sleep,” his mom said. “Master Lewis is probably gonna be pretty stressed.”

When George woke up he found himself in a wagon riding away from the plantation. “Mom, what’s going on?” George asked. “Mr. Mack is taking us on the Underground Railroad,” “Mack!” Lewis screamed. “Get back here now! I don’t want to hurt you!” Bam! Gun shots were flying past the wagon. “Get down!” Mack ordered. Guards jumped on their horses and chased after the wagon. One guard jumped off his horse and on the wagon. Bam! George shot the guard with Mack's gun. "George!" There's four muskets in the back of the wagon. Give one to yourself and the rest to those three men!" Mack ordered. Bam! Mack killed the last guard with his pistol. "Alright, we're safe now," Mack said.
One hour later, they ran into a southern army. “Get out of the wagon,” General Robert E. Lee ordered. He was pointing a gun at Mack. “Where is the slaves' plantation?” “Back down south,” Mack answered. “Southeast in Virginia.” “But these slaves aren’t going anywhere.” Click, Lee cocked his handgun. “You’ve got three seconds to turn this wagon around,” Lee said. “Three... two... one!” Bam! “Mack!” George screamed. “Don’t worry about me and run!” Mack said. “The gunshot was the northern army general! There’s gonna be a battle!” Mack screamed. Bam! Bam! Bam! “Get out of here!” The northern general, Ulysses S. Grant, said . Mack, George, his mom, and the three other men booked out of there. “Keep running!” Mack screamed. Bam! Bam! Bam! All three of the men dropped dead. “No!” Mom screamed. “Mom get back!” George screamed. George ran and pushed his mom on the ground and, BAM! “OW!” George screamed. George was shot in his right leg. “Mrs. Tucker! Get up and help me carry George!” Mack screamed. “Ah! Take it easy! George demanded. Bam! The northern army was pushing through the southern army. Bam! Mack dropped George. “Mr. Mack!” Mom screamed. Mack was hit right on the spine. Bam! “That’s all of them, we’ll give you shelter at our camp,” Grant said.

The Underground Railroad

Introduction

This story is about an African boy named George Tucker who is twelve years old and he was born into slavery. The Underground Railroad isn’t underground and it isn’t a railroad. It’s just a secret pathway up north.

Chapter 1

Slavery

It was a sunny morning when George woke up. It was 8:00 A.M., and he was ready for another hard day. His family was separated from him besides his mom. Behind Master Lewis’s back, George’s mom taught him how to read and write. The master’s younger brother, Mack, didn’t think slavery was right and had taught her how to read and write.

“Come on! Keep it moving!” Master Lewis ordered. Whip! George got smacked on the back with the whip for the fourth time today. “Lewis, don’t you think you’re being a little harsh on them?” Mack asked. “Oh they’ll get used to it,” Lewis replied. “Mack you’re twenty-three years old. You can’t feel sorry for everyone your whole life.” “I do, because I don’t have a black heart, Lewis,” Mack said. Lewis was silent the rest of the day thinking about what Mack said.

Chapter 2

Runaway Slave

“George. Mack whispered in the middle of the night. “George. George! Now George was wide awake. “What is it? George asked. “I’ve got a plan," Mack said. “What’s your plan?” “Basically, it’ll bring you to the north,” Mack said. “What’s your point?” “Don’t you know?" Mack wondered. “The north hates slavery. Some are called abolitionists, and they try to abolish slavery,” “What’s that mean?” George asked. “It means they’re trying to end slavery,” Mack answered. "They’re on your side.” “Can my mom come too?” George asked. “You bet she can,” Mack said. “I’m planning to get about twenty more slaves up north.” “Then count me in,” George said. “Alright, go back to sleep,” Mack said. “Night George.” “Night Mack.”

“Alright, get up,” Lewis said nicely. “You guys get a short day today,”

“Tom, can you pass me that shovel?” George asked his best friend who was also a slave. “Sure thing,” Tom said, passing a shovel. “Hey, did you notice that Master Lewis is being awful nice today?” George asked Tom. “Can anyone not? It’s like Mr. Mack knocked some sense into him," Tom said.

“No whip today, huh, Lew?” Mack asked. “No, I thought about what you said, and I decided that being so harsh is wrong,” Lewis answered. “Hey, George, could you… guards! Runaway slave!” Lewis said. “Tom! No!” George screamed. Guards jumped on their horses and chased after Tom. Tom was running his fastest when all of a sudden he hit a thorn bush. The guards caught up to Tom and he was lying in the bush in pain. None of the slaves were close enough to see what happened when they heard, BOOM! Slowly, Lewis carried Tom back to where all the slaves were. “You murderer!” George screamed. Lewis just looked at him and began to walk again. “Did you hear me?” George asked. “You killed him!” George started to chase after Lewis until Mack stopped him. “It wasn’t Master Lewis,” Mack said. “The guard shot him.”

The Dragon

"Oh, I can't wait to go to Lake Shore Park today", said Josh. Josh's friend, Tim, was bringing him to an amusement park called Lake Shore Park. Josh and Tim packed up and hopped into the car waiting for Tim's thirty-five year old brother named Bill. Bill got in the car and they were ready to go. Bang! Thunder just roared in the sky. Flash! Lightning flashed in the sky. "Man, we're only five minutes away and it starts to storm," Josh exclaimed. They were close enough to hear people screaming. "It's just a storm people," Tim said in the car. Josh and Bill started laughing. Soon, they figured out why people were screaming. A big explosion of fire went off. "That's not lightning," Bill said. Right after he said that, they saw what was causing the fire. A roller coaster named, The Dragon, came to life shooting fire all over the place. "This must be a dream," Tim said. "It isn't," Josh said back. Next thing you know the car was on fire. "Jump out!" Bill screamed. Too late... BOOM! The car exploded. Bill and Tim flew out and landed next to each other, but Josh flew right on the dragon. The dragon was flying way too high for Josh to jump off; he had to hold on tight. Little shocks were coming out of the dragon. "The lightning hit the dragon, that's what caused it to come to life," Josh thought to himself. Josh led the dragon to a giant barrel of water that always dumped on people who would go under it. When the bell rang, it was time to dump. The bell was still ringing when Josh flew under it. He turned the dragon around and flew under it again. This time the dragon got soaked and started to fall. Josh was holding on tight for his life. Bang! The dragon smacked the ground and Josh went flying in the air and splashed into the wave pool. "Hooray for the boy!" everyone shouted. Josh went home and found his picture in the newspaper that said, "Josh Stevens: Hero of Lake Shore Park"

Lost in the Woods

Aim! Fire! Boom! The British blasted their muskets at the Continental Army. This story takes place in 1812 during the War of 1812. “Hey Bob, I have an idea,” Rob said. “What?” Bob asked. “Maybe we can ask Dad to learn how to use a musket and join the war on the American’s side,” Rob said. Rob is older than Bob by two years. Rob is 17, and Bob is 15. Rob and Bob asked their dad to teach them how to use a musket so they could join the war. Their dad said they were old enough to join and they could go into the woods miles away and practice. Rob, Bob, and their dad all rode their wagon into the woods. All of a sudden the wagon hit a ditch and everyone got launched up in all different directions. Rob and Bob were close enough to find each other but their dad was nowhere in sight. “Great! The muskets and Dad are gone,” Rob said, starting to tear up. “Well, nothing we can do but find Dad,” Bob said. Rob and Bob were walking when they found a cave! “Oh God! It better not be a bear,” Rob said. “Let’s kill it,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be smarter to just walk past it?” Bob asked. “No,” Rob said. Rob found two logs about six feet tall and seven inches thick. Bob found twigs and two rocks. They both met behind a boulder close to the cave and set up a camp fire with the twigs. “Why did you want me to get two rocks again?” Bob asked Rob. “You’ll see,” Rob answered. Rob started banging the rocks together and it made a couple of sparks. “We’ll need bigger rocks,” Rob said. Bob went to get bigger rocks. He came back with two giant rocks. “That’ll work,” Rob said. Rob banged the rocks together just one time and it made a three foot fire. “Alright, stick your log in and let’s go kill the bear before it comes out at night and kills us while we’re sleeping,” Rob said. Rob and Bob sneaked up to the cave with their torches and booked in there screaming to kill the bear. Then they heard screaming, and it wasn’t a growl. It was a person dressed in leopard clothes, long brown hair, and a giant club. “I thought cavemen weren’t real,” Rob and Bob said at the same time. “Who said I’m fake?” The cave man said. “Kids. They think cave men are some type of animal! It just means that it is a human bean living in a cave… jerks.” “Wow! I never knew they were that mean,” Bob whispered. “Why did you come and ruin my peace and quiet anyways?” The cave man asked. “Sorry, we thought your cave was a bear cave. We didn’t want the bear to attack us,” Rob answered. “Well, it’s too bad you have to live in these foggy, cold, dark, and scary woods like me.” “Well, we actually live in a home a couple of miles away, but we came here with our dad and two muskets to shoot targets so we can join the war,” Bob said. “Huh, I found two muskets next two a smashed up wagon.” “Those are ours!” Rob said in a excited voice. “Well, take them and join the war,” The caveman said. Rob and Bob took the muskets and ran off. Everything was great until they started to starve. They made some targets and shot at them so they could become a good shot to hunt some food. For two days straight they missed every shot. They then started getting bulls-eyes for another two days straight. They went out and shot two squirrels. Rob and Bob were so hungry they each ate a whole squirrel. Luckily they found a map of the whole woods stapled on a tree. There was a red circle that said inside of it, “you are here.” “Well that’s helpful,” Rob said. They followed the lines on the map to the end of the woods. They followed it perfectly and escaped the dreadful woods. Their mom was so delighted to see them, but she started to cry when she heard that Dad was dead. They calculated and found out they were in the woods for two years. That means Rob is 19 and Bob is 17. They joined the war and survived for the whole war.
The End

The Mysterious Garden

One day there was a very hungry and homeless person named Alfred. He asked so many people for food his throat became sore. "That's it!" he said. "I'm asking one more person and if they say no, I'm finding food on my own." As he said, he asked a very old man for food. The man said that he did not have food but he knew a garden that he steals food from. Alfred ran to the garden, and what do you know, there was the garden. Alfred booked inside the unlocked gate and picked up a tomato. He raised the tomato to his mouth and right before he bit it he heard, "You put that down or I'll make you." Alfred knew he got caught. Right away he jumped into a bush with the tomato still in his hands. He peered all over the garden and saw no one. "False alarm," he said. Again he heard, "put that down now!" The voice was getting angry and scary but still Alfred saw no one. Once more he raised the tomato to his mouth. "That's it!" the voice said. All of a sudden, an orange carrot leaped right on top of Alfred. "Ahhh!" Alfred screamed. "Get this thing off of me!" Going through all this, Alfred thought to himself, "This old man set me up, he never came here; he must be the owner of this garden." Next thing you know, Alfred was tied up with roots by a Maple Tree. "Thanks Maple," the carrot said. "No problem," the tree said in a low voice. "What should we do with him?" the tomato asked. "Nothing!" Alfred exclaimed. "Just let me go, I'll never come back!" "Fair enough," the carrot said. Alfred ran away from the garden and never came back again.

Red Dasher

"And there they go around the last turn of the track," the announcer said. "Number Seven (Raven Little) is taking a strong lead with fifty feet to go. Now Number Six is pulling up in front, I believe that's Red Dasher. Number Seven and Number Six are head to head charging for the finish line. Red Dasher and Raven Little just passed the finish line. This is too close to tell who won, the only way of knowing is by looking at the photo finish," the announcer exclaimed. A huge crowd of people all gathered around the TV shouting, "Who won!? Who won!?" Red Dasher won by the tip of his nose. "Hooray!" the crowd shouted. "This is Red Dasher's tenth win in a row," a man shouted. The next day everyone was back at Finger Lakes for the Championship race. The horses that will be racing are, Raven Little #7, Time Rider#11, Lightning Bolt#12, Thunder#16, Blue Hawk#1, and, last but not least, Red Dasher#6. There had to be about two hundred people that showed up for the race, crunching on popcorn, sipping on pop, and dipping their nachos into their cheese. Ring! There goes the bell. All six horses are running their hardest to win the race. "What? This is crazy," the announcer started saying. "Red Dasher, the best horse in Finger Lakes this year, is losing. He's not just losing, he's getting creamed," the announcer said. The horses were on their last turn and Red Dasher was still way behind. All of a sudden, Red Dasher put on a burst of speed. He passed Blue Hawk. He passed Thunder. He passed Lightning Bolt. He passed Time Rider. Finally, Red Dasher caught up to Raven Little. The jockey on Raven Little kept on smacking his two feet into Raven Little to make him run faster. That didn't stop Red Dasher, Red Dasher's jockey was whipping him like crazy. Red Dasher pulled ahead and beat Raven Little by a whole body length. Red Dasher won his first Championship race. The trophy went to the jockey and Red Dasher got a ribbon. He won three more Championship races then retired.