Playgrounds at Night: The Circuit Fall 2016 Issue

Welcome to 826michigan’s e-journal, The Circuit. Each workshop season, we publish outstanding pieces of student writing through this electronic quarterly. Remember fall of 2016? It seems like a different world. Join us as these delightful and moving pieces bring back the excitement and ingenuity of the wonderful students who visited us at our Saturday workshops and Drop-in Writing for weE-bots on Liberty Street in Ann Arbor and our Drop-in Writing for Wee-bots at the Detroit Public Library last fall.

New to 826michigan programs? Check out our schedule of free creative writing workshops for students ages 6-18 here on our website. All workshops are free and open to the public, although some require pre-registration. Our website offers more information about all of our programs for young people in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Detroit—we look forward to seeing you at a workshop soon. In the meantime, let the current of this issue of The Circuit—Playgrounds at Night—bring warmth back to your toes, fingers, and hearts.

This issue, we'd like to give special thanks to Cydni Seifort, workshops intern; Claire Stano, weE-bots leader, and her dedicated army of helpers: Carman Judd, Sara Hoffman, Josh Wirgau, Tim Monger, Erica Decker, and Luke Jackson; Emily Thomson, DPL Redford Branch librarian; and Katie Pak, editorial intern. Without their care, attention to detail, humor, and dedication, we’d be lost in the perils of this wintery mix. Thank you so very much for keeping the engine running full blast all semester long!

Sitting Criss-Cross-Applesauce

Heidi Harrell, 7
Burns Park Elementary

Once upon a time there was a bear named Grizzalena. She was not sitting criss-cross-applesauce. Someone walked by and tripped over her legs. The end.

Lesson: Sit criss-cross-applesauce.

Don’t Lie

Liliana Yamamoto, 7
Carpenter Elementary

Don't lie, because you could get caught and get in big trouble and that wouldn't be good, so never lie in your life or you will be very bad. And never ever touch a wild polar bear, not even a wild brown bear—those can go super savage, so be aware of bears. And rocking chairs can be a real hoot. They can fall over very easily, so when you sit on the chair be very cautious about the falling thing and don't make it fall on your toes.

An Ambush of Tigers

Annabelle Yan, 6
Lawton Elementary

An ambush of tigers is a group of tigers that work together. A party of blue jays is a group of birds that fly together. A leap of leopards are leopards that stay together. A rumba of snakes are two rattlesnakes that dance together.

The Great Food Getaway

David Wall, 11
Fortis Academy

I saw a pack of wolves chasing a mischief of rats! The rats stole the wolves' food! Then, out of nowhere, a walk of snails started walking right where the sewers are (the rats’ goal was to put the food in there), and although the rats are mischievous, they let the snails go ahead, and the rats and wolves stopped moving. Then, finally, the snails left, buttt . . . a business of flies came. The rats stopped, but the wolves kept going and got their food back!

Random Rhyming Poem

Josiah Atkinson, 9
Bach Elementary

Things with wings fly around and lie on the ground. Dogs play with logs while snakes bake a cake, making a drake and eating a chicken in the kitchen. A cat wears a hat, standing on a mat, tackling a bat. A fellow asks a fellow, “Where is my mellow?”

“Please don’t ask me that again or I’ll bellow,” he answered. Then Fellow 1 turned into a punter and punted him on the spot and tied the pants into a knot.

When they saw the snake baking a cake, making a drake and eating chicken in the kitchen, they fled and ran. Now I can stop rhyming.

Most Terrible Things

Ewan Lemens, 10
Eberwhite Elementary

I looked out of the window, as sad as can be,
As the most terrible things were happening to me.
My dog had just died,
My friend had lied.
I fell out a window,
I broke my Nintendo.
I crashed my new car into a bar,
I threw my best ball way too far.
My house caught on fire,
I punctured my tire.
I knocked over my favorite vase,
Bees stung me a bunch in the face.
A bookshelf fell on me,
I lost my ability to see.
My favorite book fell into water,
But I did get to see a baby otter.
As you can see,
I’m as sad as can be.

Wiggle and Jiggle

Avery McEwen, 10
Eberwhite Elementary

I stared at my wall with nothing to do. I looked down and saw my shoe. It started to wiggle and jiggle. I ran to my door and scraped my toe on the floor. I fell down the stairs like I was falling down Kilimanjaro. My mom was examining farro. My dad was slouching on the couching. I remembered about my shoe jiggling and wiggling. Oooh! One thing you will agree in a shoe jiggling and wiggling, it is not WEEEE!

Things That Slightly Alter Reality

Reese Westerdale, 12
Slauson Middle

Playgrounds at night
Churches in Texas
The wistfulness of entering a used book store
Empty museums
Empty parking lots in the night
An empty area where many people usually are
Previous schools in the summer
The farthest bathroom stall during a concert
A child, much well-set in youth, who is extremely talented at music
Abandoned stages and sets
The subtle but persistent feeling that you are out of place
The time of day where the sky still reflects the night,
and you are awake but everyone else is asleep

Why Does the Racoon Eat Garbage?

Carter Hawkins, 7
University Prep Academy Mark Murray Elementary

One day, Racoon told Owl he wished he had all the king’s gold. Then Owl told Tiger, who said that was worst idea ever. Then Tiger said to Crow that Racoon said he wanted to have all the king’s gold. Then it spread fast and got to the king. The king said to Racoon, “Yes, but only look at the gold.” That made Racoon scratch the gold, so the king said, “You now have to eat trash!!!”

Shi Shi

Anna Harrell, 9
Burns Park Elementary

I am Shi Shi. I am a beautiful princess. I live in a town called Fluff Town. Fluff Town is really, really tiny. I don't like being a princess. At night I sneak out of my castle and go to Cloud Land with my two friends, Mi Mi and Fi Fi. We always play hide and seek.

My favorite food is jellybeans. We always get one jellybean a day. We choose when we want to eat it. I know you are probably thinking our life is perfect, but it's not. People are littering and the trash is falling on their town. Also, people are stepping on homes and grocery stores. We need to help!

The Flipping Competition

Bryce Danzy, 9
Homeschool

TJ was swimming in the garbage can and found a vegan cake. He got invited to his friend’s house, and he said, “I am going to throw a slumber party.”

TJ said, “Who can flip better than me?”

Then Julien said, “We have a special guest coming up on the stage, so Bryce can get that music in!” Bryce and TJ had a flipping competition and it went on for three hours. Bryce won the competition.

How I Found a Diamond

Mara Janke, 7
Homeschool

One lonely day I found a diamond. I found the diamond in my front yard. The diamond was blue. The diamond was as big as anybody’s hand. When I found the diamond I was relieved because the diamond could have magic. I was going to keep the diamond forever. I ran to my room. My room was on the second floor. I ran slowly past my mom. I was lucky that my mom didn’t notice. I ran to the second floor and hid the diamond under my bed. I also discovered that the diamond was magic. How I found out it was magic was by looking through a telescope.

The next morning a pirate sailed to our house on a pirate ship. And while I was sleeping he crept into my house, woke me up, and pointed a sword at me. But it was not an ordinary sword. It was sharp, pointy, and long. He said, “Give me the diamond!” I was scared. I did not speak for a long time. Then I finally gave him a very pretty package with a sandwich in it. After the pirate took the sandwich and left, I started to laugh at the pirate and I lived happily ever after. The end.

Why Don’t Tigers Like Lions

Nevaeh Tomala, 11
Crescent Academy

Once there was a lion and a tiger that both wanted to be king. The animals voted. All the animals voted for the lion. The tiger was very, very, very angry about why he didn’t become a king and other animals didn’t vote for him.

So one day, the tiger made a plan about fighting the lion, but the tiger said, “The girl lions are very dangerous.” The lions had a bird that could see danger everywhere, and the bird saw danger and told the king, so he got more lions into their pride.

So they made their plans about the fight. The king thought that the tigers were going to win but they didn’t. The lion won! The lion punished the tigers. The punishment was that they were not allowed back into the jungle.

Some Say that She is a Ghost

Selene Freudenberg, 10
Bach Elementary

Some say that she is a ghost. Some say that she is a demon. Some say that she is an evil spirit. Some say she is immortal, but she died. But everyone knows one thing: if she is sensed, someone will vanish. Sometimes, she comes to you in your dreams. Sometimes, you just feel her icy grip on you. She is a nightmare. She is horror. She is terrible. She is around you. She is watching you at this very moment, and maybe, you might be the next one. No one knows what she does to her victims, but they never, ever return.

He was alone, He didn’t know how or why, but he was completely alone. It was all white; he couldn’t see. But he could smell. It was the smell of fear. He could hear. It was the sound of fear. He could feel. He felt fear. It was swallowing him up. It was seeping into his body. It was getting in his soul, and it was slowly feeding on him, until his soul was gone, his spirit was gone. He was nothing but a hollow body. He had been conquered by fear. Now, he was an It. It could no longer follow its own bidding. Its only goal now was to spread more fear, and to follow its master’s bidding. Its master is becoming more powerful and is growing an army. Gaining more recruits. Its master is rising. One day, she may come for you. Because she is watching you, and waiting for the right moment to strike. Her name is FEAR.

Thieves

Dawsen Mercer, 12
Tappan Middle

Thieves
walking through the dusty shelves,
which pages will I delve?
Musty pages
bindings of silk
were these pages once as white as milk?
Seem as old as earth,
could that truly have been their birth?
Have thieves broken in?
Knowledge is gold,
after all.

The Blue Sweater

Gabriel Etheridge, 6
Edison Elementary

One day, a lion was shopping at the mall and saw a blue sweater. Lion said, “I want that blue sweater.”

The cat said, “The sweater is $8.55.” The lion cried. He was sad. He only had $5.25, and it was $8.55. He sadly walked home.

Dear Salli

Julieta Turon, 9
Honey Creek Community School

1/30/16

Dear Salli,

I’ve enjoyed these years with you, and I’ve learned a lot. My favorite project of the year was the book report, and I really think you should do it again. I’m really thankful that you dedicated a year for me and everybody else, because that means that you were willing to do it. Two years, for me, isn’t much time with you, so I’m really missing you and I hope I can see you again.

Your Student,
Julieta

A Demon Creeping

Ewan Lemens, 10
Eberwhite Elementary

It was a dark and stormy night at the Detroit Institute of Art. There was a demon creeping around. A guard was watching over the prints and drawings section when he started to hear noises in the food court, so he decided to check it out. When he got there, he saw nothing so he started to head out. When he heard his stomach grumble, so he got a snack. When he got back to the section, he noticed a painting was different. He saw a shadowy-like creature. Then, in the next few seconds, it was gone.

At the American art section, a guard was noticing strange sounds in the great hall so she went to check it out. She noticed nothing, so she went back to the American art section, where she felt a cold hand on her ankle—and she was tripped. When she stood back up, she saw a shadowy creature jump  into a painting and disappear. She walked over to a painting and noticed three shadowy creatures sitting on people in white dresses. Meanwhile, in the heavily guarded European sections, guards and curators were noticing strange things in the paintings. One saw a golden stone-like creature hiding in the shadows of one painting. Another said he saw a shadowy creature with red eyes hiding in the bushes. So they all met in the main circulation area to discuss the differences in the paintings. When they walked back into the section they noticed all the paintings with the creatures had disappeared.

On the third floor in the British section, one guard looked up at The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli and noticed that what people had been seeing (the shadowy creatures) were originally from that picture. So he stared at it for a while, when he felt a swish of wind behind him. He looked back and saw nothing, so he turned back and looked and the painting and noticed the demon creature wasn’t there.