122018 SWB DIGITAL EDITION

More documents

Recommendations

Info

20 x December 20, 2018 — January 9, 2019 x www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 Charlie walked over and put his head on Percy’s lap. Percy looked at him in surprise. He smiled and gently stroked Charlie’s head. At that moment, Charlie realized that they needed him as much as he needed them. “Merry Christmas, Lucy,” Percy said. “Merry Christmas, Percy.” Honorable Mention A Golden Thread by Libby Fana Ocoee Alone. The worst place to be during the holidays. The wind howls down the muddy road. “Aw, come on!” A stagecoach whips by, causing my ratty clothes to be strewn with mud. I’m Michaela, but everyone used to call me Mike. My family’s cabin was burned down by the new townsfolk. They didn’t like us. I’ve been hard on myself ever since, because I am the only survivor. We always loved to spend Christmas together. Papa always gave me a porcelain doll, and Mama gave me thread for sewing. Clump, clump. The horses’ hooves are pounding in sync with my heart, my adrenaline on high. A carriage pummels toward me. I must have been daydreaming about Christmas in the middle of the road, because the next thing I know, my head is throbbing, my arm is bloodied, and people are crowded around me. “What’s your name?” “Hello?” “Where does it hurt?” All these questions make my head throb more. “What do we do?” a woman says, softly, yet firmly and gently. I recognize her voice from when I was in the road. I’m not there anymore. I am in a small room with large French doors leading to a balcony. A woman in a corseted dress, probably from New York or Boston, stands by one door, a concerned look on her face. A maid soon comes in with fresh towels and breakfast. A man with broad shoulders and dirty-blonde hair sits next to the wardrobe. “I don’t know,” he says in the same concerned voice. “Oh, she’s awake!” the woman exclaims with surprise. The maid rushes over and places the towels on the wardrobe and gives me the breakfast tray. After the accident, I think I fell asleep, because I don’t recognize anyone or anything. Luckily, the woman spoke. “I’m Mrs. Bennet. I’m sorry for not properly introducing myself.” Mrs. Bennet. The name seems familiar. “And I’m Mr. Bennet,” the man says. Mr. Bennet! That’s it! Gov. Bennet of Colorado. That’s probably why I am stuck in this ritzy mansion. The Bennets are the only people who can afford to house me, at least while I’m sick. Things can’t get any worse. The door creaks open, and a boy my age stands there staring at me. “I’m Laurence Bennet,” the boy says, as Mrs. Bennet plucks a corset and light blue dress out of the wardrobe. “Here,” she says. “This will get you through the day.” And she lays the beautiful dress on my bed. “Thank you,” I reply. I open the door to leave and walk into a massive hallway. The grand marble foyer has a velvet rug with a gold thread lining. Gold thread. The last thread my mother gave me was gold. I start to cry. Laurence walks out and asks what is wrong. I tell him everything. “We can get rid of the rug,” he offers. Alone. The same feeling as on the road. “No. It just reminds me that I’m still alone,” my voice cracks. “No. You can live with us,” he says, as a broad grin sweeps across his face. His deep blue eyes twinkle like two deep pools in the scorching summer sun. Two weeks later, I shriek as a snowball strikes me. “Oops!” Laurence yelps back, not sounding so innocent. He dashes away, and I sprint after him. My arm has made a full recovery. We soon arrive at the mansion. It is Christmas Eve. I want to pay the Bennets back for their kindness. With the little I have, I buy some thread and fabric, and I make them a quilt with baby Jesus on it. His halo is made of golden thread. Honorable Mention The Sunny Vacation by Elsie Gordon Winter Garden One cold day in January, Santa and his reindeer were dreaming of a warm beach. Up in the North Pole, it was snowy and windy. The beach they remembered was toasty and tropical, but they were cold and miserable. Santa and his reindeer, who were still tired from delivering Christmas presents, wanted a break. They were also tired of the snowy weather and said staying in the North Pole just wasn’t fun or relaxing. They happily thought of when they had flown over sunny Florida on Christmas Eve. They could almost hear the noisy, white seagulls squawking and soaring over the blue Atlantic Ocean. They could almost smell the saltwater and taste the spray of the waves. Santa and his reindeer wisely decided they must visit Florida at once. It was time for a vacation! After they packed their bathing suits, ice pops and sunglasses, they swiftly flew to Cocoa Beach. Santa sat down in a chair and began sunbathing his fat, jiggly belly. Rudolph dug holes in the sand with his hooves. All of the other reindeer splashed in the clear water and played their reindeer games. It was a fabulous, happy trip, except for one thing: Santa got a bad sunburn on his big, jolly belly. But they were still so happy that they went on their Florida vacation, they decided they would come back again soon. Honorable Mention My Last Christmas by Jessie Roddy Westfield Lakes I will never forget my last Christmas. It was filled with perfect memories. My parents really went above and beyond that Christmas. While I laid asleep in my hospital bed on Christmas Eve morning, I was awakened by my mom, who was stealthily attempting to slip my monogrammed red, green and white Santa hat on my hairless scalp. I gently opened my eyes and instantly beamed when I saw my room was no longer an ordinary hospital room, but it was my own personal Christmas wonderland. I sat up as fast as I could. I hugged my mother tightly and couldn’t help but burst into the most joyful laugh. She hugged me even tighter and tried to hide her face, but I could tell she was crying. As we embraced, my dad tiptoed through the snowflake streamers in the doorway, and then saw that I was awake. “Oh, darn,” he said. “I thought we would have at least another half hour to finish before you woke up.” He stopped and saw how jubilant this gesture had made me. “Merry Christmas, Bug,” Dad said softly. He joined my mother and me in our hug, and we didn’t let go for a while. Later that night, we all snuggled into my bed with a mountain of fuzzy blankets and mugs of hot chocolate. We turned on all the classic Christmas movies we could manage until we drifted off to sleep. The next morning, I woke up to a present in my lap. It was wrapped in a beautiful, white lace paper and a bouncy red bow was placed perfectly on top. I looked around and preciously unwrapped my present, sure not to rip the masterpiece it was. Underneath was a box. I opened it, and inside was the most stunning angel tree topper ever to be seen! It was gold and white with beautiful stones that had been hand glued on it. The angel’s face was pale and her wings mighty. It was perfect. I slowly made my way across the room to the tree my parents had put up and carefully placed the angel on top. I spent the day gazing in admiration at the magnificent present. That night, my parents and I had a feast filled with all of my favorites: honey-roasted ham; sweet potatoes; sugared apples; and my alltime favorite, green bean casserole. The evening was filled with laughs as we reminisced about past Christmas memories. After we finished, my parents tucked me in, read me a few Christmas tales, and said good night. This parting was different though. We stared at one another, and there was nothing but absolute and honest love in the room for what seemed liked hours. They gave me their kisses, and they left. I fell asleep thinking about the angel they gave me that was sitting atop the tree watching over me. Then, that angel took all of my pain away. I didn’t know it was the last time I would see my parents, but it was truly the best moment of my life. Christmas was the reason why. Honorable Mention Home for the Holidays by Addison Tate Celebration Chugga, chug, choo-choo went the train. I felt like I had been on it for years, as I said goodbye to the older lady with wrinkles up and down her cheeks, who had sat next to me during the long ride.
I eagerly stood up and ran to the train door. As I trudged through the snow, I pulled out my brand-new iPhone and stared down at the map to find the nearest Starbucks. I couldn’t wait to have the warm chocolate taste running through my veins like fire. As I entered the coffee shop, the smell of peppermint filled the air. I saw the same lady who had sat next to me on the train! I waited patiently in line, eager for the warm drink to gently touch my lips. When it was finally time to order, I bought my drink, then left to begin my adventure! I awkwardly managed to make my way through the snow and finally reached my first destination, my little cousin’s house. As I arrived at her door, memories washed through my head like waves crashing on a beach. I anticipated seeing her, because I hadn’t seen her in years. I held up my hand to knock, and a shiver ran down my spine. What if she doesn’t recognize me? What if she doesn’t remember who I am? At that very moment, I saw the same old lady going by. Is she following me? I knocked twice, and the big, blue door opened with smiles and excited faces. I felt a sigh of relief as my cousin’s bright blue eyes met mine. “Addie!” she exclaimed and ran toward me, jumping into my arms as though no time had passed. Later that evening, my cousin Hailey and I decided to go to the neighborhood square to watch the tree-lighting. From the flyers I had seen hanging up, it was supposed to be spectacular! As we found a place to stand, Hailey’s big eyes glanced at the tree in wonder. It had lights hanging from every branch with big and small ornaments of many colors. Garland was everywhere with poinsettias wrapped around it. When the event was over, we went home to have our Christmas Eve dinner. When we arrived, Hailey pulled steak and mashed potatoes out of the fridge. I quickly chopped up some fruit and set it down on the table to eat. It was delicious! After we finished eating, I told Hailey that Santa was coming, so like the speed of light, she was upstairs getting ready for bed. I set out a couple of presents then left to let Santa do his job. I crept up the stairs and tucked myself into bed. The next morning, I felt a tug on my arm. My eyes opened wide. It was Hailey waking me up to go open presents. It was early in the morning, and the sun wasn’t up yet, but I crawled out of bed. When I came downstairs, there were presents lining the entire house! Hailey jumped and squealed with excitement. Before a word even came out of my mouth, she was opening gifts. When I looked out the window, I realized that the old lady who had sat next to me on the train was Mrs. Claus. She was waving at Hailey and me. Right next to her was Santa! On his sleigh! It was a great Christmas, and I enjoyed every second of it. That year was the best Christmas yet! Honorable Mention The Green, Greedy Grinch by Atticus Gordon Winter Garden One cold Christmas morning in New Jersey, Jerry, Johnny and Ruby Gurr were excited to open Santa’s presents. But something green was quietly creeping around the neighborhood. It was the green, greedy Grinch! He picked the specific home he wanted to steal from, and it was the Gurrs’ house. He took the children’s presents, which made Jerry, Johnny and Ruby very sad. Santa found out, and he called the police. A bald policeman arrested the greedy Grinch and made him give back the presents. The Grinch felt sad, because he had to spend Christmas in a dark, dirty jail. We learn from this story that if you steal, there are consequences, even on Christmas Day. Honorable Mention Christmas Crisis by Will McAfee Tuscany It was Christmas Eve, and Danny was shopping for his family. He had bought every gift except his mom’s. Loud voices, beeping cash registers and muffled music filled his ears. All around him, people were shoving and pushing to snatch their items. Danny felt overwhelmed. All year, he had been saving money for gifts. Danny knew exactly what he was going to buy for his mom. It was the perfect necklace with large shiny gems, and it was on sale. But there was only one left! As Danny raced through the aisle, a regal lady greedily grabbed the special necklace. Danny was devastated. He left the store miserably with no gift for his mom. www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com x December 20, 2018 — January 9, 2019 x 21 What would his mom do if she didn’t get a gift from him? Danny went home to think. He came up with many ideas for gifts, but none of them were good enough for his mom. If only he had gotten that stunning necklace. But, wait! Danny could make a necklace. He looked around his room for supplies and gathered string, power tools and the special geode he had bought as a souvenir on his family’s trip to Alaska. The geode was special to him, but his mom was even more special. Danny drilled a hole through the geode and threaded the string through it. When he was done, he carefully wrapped the handmade necklace. He was excited to give it to his mom in the morning. Even though it wasn’t the perfect necklace from the store, he thought his mom might like it. On Christmas morning, Danny’s mom had unwrapped every gift but his. Danny gulped with nervousness as she lifted his gift to open it. Her face was surprised when she saw the necklace. Danny, who thought she didn’t like it, was discouraged. Then she smiled. “I love it!” his mom said as she gave him a big hug. “I like it best, because you made it,” she whispered in his ear. Honorable Mention The First Snow by Kaitlyn Ochoa Wesmere Naomi gazed lazily out the sun-stained window, eyelids half closed. Wintertime in the small town of Pine was always sunny and hot, definitely not Christmas weather. The brunette sighed as the sound of clicking heels snapped her out of sulking. “Naomi, get ready!” her mother barked. “We’re going Christmas shopping today, remember?” Naomi huffed. Christmas shopping was no fun when it felt like summer. Trudging down the stairs, her mother shot her a bright smile. “There you are,” she chirped happily. The sulking brunette only hummed in response, brushing past her mother and out the door. It seemed that every corner of Pine was bustling with people; well, every corner except the Christmas tree lot. Naomi CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 Messages will be published in the Feb. 7, 2019, issue. Deadline: Jan. 16, 2018 • Length: 20 words maximum
Page 1 and 2: 27TH ANNUAL STORIES OF THE SEASON C
Page 3 and 4: www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com x
Page 5 and 6: Instead of a plate of cookies for y
Page 11 and 12: 27 th annual of the Stories of the
Page 13 and 14: Child Winner Elliot Scroogeman’s
Page 15 and 16: Faye looked up from her paper and c
Page 19: and hear the steady beep of the mon
Page 23 and 24: “Merry Christmas,” he says befo
Page 25 and 26: I decide to enjoy the moment. Yahoo
Page 27 and 28: CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 Honorable Me
Page 35 and 36: Florida hotelier and Southwest resi
Page 39 and 40: WHERE SERENITY MEETS SCIENCE. Annou

122018 SWB DIGITAL EDITION

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?