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November/December 2007 Special Issue--Teen Writing Contest Winners This special issue of Teen Talk features the winners from the Vineland Public Library’s annual Teen Writing Contest. Teens submitted poems and short stories to be judged. Out of 4 short stories and 11 poems, three winners were chosen from each category. This issue includes all of the winners. Congratulations to those who won and thank you to everyone who participated!
1st
Place Poetry Winner The Ballad of an Unfortunate Sailor This is a tale of
sea and loss, a yarn of loss at sea, The desert, my friend,
would be a sea if each dune was a wave, So it was we find
our man scanning the horizon, Ever closer crept
the night, the stars came out to play; At night, there are
things in the sea that no one dares to day; Before long, the wind
slacked off and eerie silence fell, “Ho, Sailor,
art thou blown off course to float upon these waters? “Forgive me,
O thou Ocean King, but I indeed am lost, “If you could
only bring me close unto the nearest port, “Ah, but may
I name my price? Just one lock of your hair. Our foolish friend,
so easily won, did as the merman bid, The merman wore a
handsome grin as our friend leaned down toward him, A desperate struggle
then ensued, but ‘twas an uneven match; Our man had soon tired,
his legs like lead, for he had not eaten in days, Other sailors sometimes
see the ghost beneath the water, So if you ever take
a fancy to go out to sea, 2nd
Place Poetry Winner The Lost Friend’s Key I stand
in the hall as you pass your way through, I know you see me
as I stand in the way, You’ve rejected
it all to be the person they see, 3rd
Place Poetry Winner A Child’s Imagination If ever
I may chance to see Or if I met a leprechaun Or maybe I would settle
for Mum says it’s
just a figmentation So if you ever look
and see 1st
Place Short Story Winner The Memory
Meredith Weathers was beautiful, inside and out. When her beloved John died at sea only a few months after she gave birth to their little boy, Johnny, it had been said that a part of her died out there with him. She knew she had to move on though, and she always found strength in Johnny. Johnny grew up and met his true love, Regina, and they married. When Arielle was born, Meredith was the happiest grandmother alive. When she started to get sick, it broke everyone’s heart, but she always stayed strong. “It was just her time,” Regina said a few days after they had heard the news. “I know, but it just isn’t fair!” Arielle cried. “She would want you to be happy,” her mother said compassionately. “How can I be happy when I’ve lost my best friend?” The following months had been the hardest of all of Arielle’s life. She was only twelve and felt like the whole thing was aging her five years or so. She had never felt so lonely and confused. One day, Arielle was feeling overwhelmed by a rush of fatigue. On her way to her room, she couldn’t help passing the pictures that she had framed of her grandmother and put on her dining room walls. There were still numerous boxes of her Grandma’s pictures scattered all over Arielle’s dining room floor. She sat down to give the one box that was marked “Meredith’s Childhood” another look. Arielle loved looking at her grandmother’s pictures from when she was younger, especially when she noticed how similar they looked in the pictures. One in particular caught her eye. It was a photograph of Meredith with two girls on either side of her who looked very familiar. Meredith had a beautiful deep lavender dress on with shimmering silver stones around the high waistline. White lace was at the edges of her pouf skirt and around the edges of the strapless top. She then realized who the two girls were next to her. They were her two best friends, Louisa and Beatrice. She had loved talking to them at the memorial service, and hearing about how fabulous her grandmother was, even as a child and into her teenage years. Meredith looked beautiful, but something extra caught Arielle’s eye. Meredith was wearing an amazing necklace that sparkled and reflected off of Meredith’s big blue eyes with its royal blue color. Almost suddenly,
Arielle became even more tired than she already was. She rested her head
on the box with the photograph still in her hands and she couldn’t
help closing her eyes. She missed her grandmother so much, and at the
moment, the only thing that could comfort her was the great memories they
had made together. The next time she opened her eyes, she was still in
her dining room and her photograph was next to her. But in another way,
it was a totally different room. The walls were a deep red, instead of
the pearly white they were before. There was carpet instead of hardwood
floors, but the most significant difference was the view through the window.
There were no houses or new developments. There was only grass, a pen
for a big, fluffy dog in its house and farmland that stretched for miles. “Don’t cry sweetie,” her grandmother whispered to her with her soothing voice. “You’re here now. I know you’ve been missing me as I’ve been missing you, too.” “Grandma M., how is this possibly happening? Where am I and how am I able to see you?” “Why, you’re at my sixteenth birthday party! How do you like it? It took me so long to decide on the decorations and pick out my dress. I can’t believe I spent $100 for this! Well back then—I mean now—that’s a lot of money.” “I think you look gorgeous, Grandma M., but I still don’t know how I can be here and seeing you again. I’ve wished on so many stars and prayed so many prayers for this.” “That’s
exactly it, Sweetie Pie!” she said. “You answered your own
prayers. You wanted it so badly that your dream actually came true.” “Yeah, Sweetie?” “I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and how much I appreciated all you did for me. I still can’t believe you’re not here with me anymore. I don’t know how I can go on without you.” “I know, Sweetie Pie. I’ve always known how much you appreciated everything. You have to remember that I will always be with you, even if you can’t physically see me. I’ll always love you. Now, come with me. I want to show you around.” “Okay,” she shrugged and dried her eyes. “So this is my house!” Meredith said excitedly. “This is your house? I never knew this was your old house!” “Well, I guess that son of mine never told you,” she said, laughing. “This house wasn’t only mine. It was my mother’s and her mother’s, all the way back to the late 1800’s when my great-great-grandmother Louisa first built this house with her husband, John. “That’s amazing!” Arielle said. “I had no idea so many memories were made in this house. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me?” “I guess it was just never brought up.” “Grandma M., your necklace is so beautiful. Where did you get it?” Arielle asked. “I knew you would like it. It was an engagement gift to my great-great-grandmother from my great-great-grandpa John,” she said. “It’s been passed down through the generations. When my mother gave it to me, it was one of the greatest days of my life.” “It’s truly breathtaking, Grandma M. Where is it now?” “Your mother has it, I suppose. She was hesitant to take it when I gave it to her. She was so scared she was going to lose it. It’s almost time for you to go, but always remember that I love you; always have and always will.” “Wait, Grandma M. I don’t want to go!” “I know, Sweetheart,” she began, as tears filled her eyes, “but you can visit me whenever you want. I’m here for you always.” “I love you, Grandma M.” “I love you, too, Arielle. You’ll always be my Sweetie Pie.” Everything went blank. Arielle felt herself traveling, but her feet weren’t moving. She saw a bright light slightly fading and fading until it was gone. She closed her eyes. The next time she opened her eyes, she was in her dining room, except this time, she was back in the present decade. She looked around, still lying on the ground, with the box still underneath her head and the photograph still in her hands. After she realized that she was only dreaming and wasn’t with her grandmother anymore, she was overcome by sadness. Her mother walked into the room. “Hey, Sleepyhead,” she said. “I’m glad you’re up. I found something for you in one of the boxes that was in my room from Grandma M. Here.” She gave Arielle a small package with her name on it in purple marker and in beautiful handwriting with hearts on both sides of her name. It was wrapped in white paper with a deep lavender bow on the top. As Arielle opened the package, there, wrapped in the delicate satin fabric, was the necklace that was in the beautiful photograph. Beside it was a small note that read: “To
my Sweetie Pie. Arielle started crying, only this time, they were tears of joy. 2nd
Place Short Story Winner The Ranch Road: Portal into a Different World What place do I love? Why, the ranch of course. What’s new? I’m sure that if you asked any of my friends what I’d write this story on, they’d be able to tell you without thinking. After all, it is all I ever talk about. You know how sometimes you can meet a person, and, without knowing them for more than a few minutes, know that you’re going to be good friends forever? Yeah, well, it happens with places too. No matter how long I’m gone, a piece of my heart will always be at the ranch. It’s where my parents grew up. It’s where they met; where they were married. I guess you could say that that horse ranch in the Poconos is more a part of my family’s legacy than anyplace or anything else in my life. But, really, the ranch itself is too big of a place, too overwhelmingly beautiful and amazing to fit into one short story. It would take a book to describe everything I love about the ranch. So I’ll just choose one section. It makes sense to describe to you the road first, the ranch road. It’s not just a road, you see--it’s a portal into another world, another universe. Once you’ve turned the corner into the woods, you’re no longer in the outside world of little towns and shops and farms. You’ve entered a whole new land, mystical and beautiful and magical. But let me explain. Imagine a road. Not just any road, but a dirt road deep in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, surrounded by trees, not a house in sight save an old, abandoned barn here and there. Let’s say it's fall. The ranch is always beautiful in fall…not to say it’s not beautiful at any time. Anyhow, we’re driving along our dirt road, and below to both sides there are valleys overgrown with tall grass, and in the distance trees of all hues, from bright, brilliant reds to striking yellow to homey, familiar browns and greens. You get the feeling they’re competing for your attention, but the irony is that they make a much more beautiful sight all together than any one would on its own. You can taste the freshness of the air. It’s a funny thing to say, I know, but it’s true. If you stick your head out the window of the passenger seat and take a deep breath, you’ll taste it too, fresh, clean, and crisp. It gives you a feeling of adventure, excitement, maybe even mystery. You don’t know what’s ahead, but you know you’re ready to face it. It’s here that your chest fills with a renewed strength. Soon you come out of the valleys and into a forest. There’s a silence there, but it’s a friendly, cheerful silence, as if the birds are playing hide-and-seek. You slow for deer, and it’s a good thing, because there go a mother and two little fawns hopping out in front of you. They stop in the middle of the road and gaze at you, as if welcoming you to their world, and then hop on over to the other side. Far back in the woods, waiting for them, you spy a breathtakingly handsome buck, his head raised high, his ears standing, alert. There’s a field on your right, with a little rock wall marking its edge. The wall was built for holding cattle, but there’s no cattle in the field now. Still, it adds a friendly, homey effect to the whole scene. That rock wall bends and twists around the whole two hundred acre property. It’s one of my first memories of the ranch. Now we’re getting closer to the end of the road. You can tell because we’re seeing less barns and more trailers, parked back in the woods, a sign of nearing civilization. One trailer has a run-down pick-up parked in front of it; another is surrounded by pink Barbie bikes and playhouses, with a gray-and-white cat perched on top of an old white car. You can smell horse manure too--another sign we’re getting close. Most people hate the smell of horse manure, but to me it’s the most beautiful scent in the world. It means horses, and horses mean the ranch. And then we’re there. It always sneaks up on you: one moment you’re driving through the woods, enjoying the scenery and the wildlife- yes, and the smell of horse manure – and the next moment you’re approaching a white-posted fence, and a split in the dirt road. It doesn’t really matter which way you go; the road only goes in a circle. If you turn right, you’ll drive past the boss’s log cabin, and then loop around and come back to the ranch. But we’ll take the left right now. That road goes straight to the ranch itself; it’s the way you’re supposed to go. You drive past the first parking lot, back in the wood, and park by the house. And here we are. The ranch. 3rd
Place Short Story Winner Searching “What was that Scar?” she asked without looking up from the newspaper that she was “reading." “Ganda!” little Peter ran into the house to hug his grandma Hazel. He was only three and “ganda” was pretty close to “grandma.” “Hello grandma Hazel.” At nine, Edward acted much too old for his age. He was every bit of the responsible genius that both of his parents were, but he wasn’t fun-loving like them. He insisted on wearing his private school uniform everywhere and had his heart set on being a marine just like his dad. Hazel stood and took baby Alice from Scarlett’s arms as she set the diaper bag on the floor. “Mom, thank you so much for doing this. Things have been really difficult lately since Conner’s been gone. I just can’t take the kids to work with me, again. I have to keep this job.” Scarlett had been working at a small library just outside of town after being fired again for taking the kids to work with her while Conner was away. Between the kids, Conner being away, and preparing for her fourth child, Scarlett was exhausted. All she could think about was losing Conner. It would crush her. Not to mention what it would do to the kids, especially Edward. The others were too young to understand, but he knew about death. He would know when it happened by the look in his mother’s eyes. I hope she can handle it, thought Scarlett as she drove down the driveway. Her mother was old. She had problems, especially when it came to remembering things. This was all Scarlett could think about during the day. People could tell that she was preoccupied and her friend Max warned her that worrying causes wrinkles. She opened up the door with shaking hands, “I’m back!” she shouted as she walked into the house. Edward sat on the couch flipping aimlessly through a dictionary. “Hello, Mother.” he said without looking up. Hazel walked into the room and looked from Scarlett, to Edward and back. “Well, hello dear. What a wonderful surprise. Where are Peter and Alice?’ she spoke all bright and cheery-like. But the smile was wiped from her face as soon as Scarlett spoke the words. “Mom, I left them with you.” she spoke these words slowly, as if to a small child. Both of them collapsed onto the couch on either side of Edward. He wasn’t concerned about his siblings. He was intently studying his dictionary when he came across a word that made him stop. Selfish- devoted or caring only for one’s self. That was it. He was selfish. Suddenly, Edward jumped up and started toward the back door. “The last I saw them they were headed out back with Hazel to feed the animals.” All three of them dashed through the back door and started toward the pastures. “Mom, you take
the woods on the right, Grandma, the horse pastures. I’ll take the
pens on the left.” And so, following Edward’s orders, they
began their desperate search for Peter and Alice. Each could hear the
others calling names as they checked every nook and cranny. And there she was! Alice was sitting in an overturned feed barrel, with a black and white cat in her lap, and a handful of horse feed in her mouth (she was at the age when everything is edible). Edward was laughing as he picked her up and ran out of the barn. He didn’t even bother to make her spit out the feed. “Mom! Grandma! I found her! I found Alice!” In a few minutes, all three of them were standing by the porch, crying. “And Peter? You found Peter, too?” Scarlett’s eyes were wide with hope, but as Edward slowly shook his head, more tears began to well up in them. She slumped onto the porch and put her head in her hands. “My little Peter.” she sobbed, “He always looked just like Conner.” She looked up at Edward. “With you three around, I always felt as if your father was really here rather than out fighting. Peter had his looks, you have his sense of loyalty and responsibility, and Alice has his stubborn happiness. I--“ Just then, they heard a familiar sound. They all looked toward the long, straight path through the woods on the left. And there, walking down the path with a shovel on his shoulder looking like one of the seven dwarves, was little Peter singing his favorite song, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." “Peter!” The three of them shouted in unison. Peter looked up at the sound of his name. “Mommy!” he exclaimed, dropping the shovel and running toward them. Scarlett took him in her arms and cried anew. “Mommy, why cry?” He wiped her tears away with his little hands. “Because I’m so happy to see you.” she said. “It five?” He asked holing up three fingers. “Yes, it’s time to go home,” she answered holding him closer. The relief she felt was plain on her face. “Scarlett.”
Hazel said, tapping Scarlett on the shoulder. Scar turned to face her
mother. “I’m so sorry Scar. I can’t even tell you how
sorry I am. I understand if you don’t-“but Scarlett put a
hand on her mom’s shoulder. “It’s OK, Mom,” she
said, “I’ll be here next week at nine.”
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