The Eggleston Club would like to announce the winners of its annual Short Story and Poetry contests for children. The club had four winners this year.
– Natalie Sullivan, second grader at Jeff-Craig Elementary, won for her poem “The Little Seed.”
– Carly Bennett, fourth grader Switzerland County Elementary, won for her short story “Murderer in the Basement.”
– Ky Baker, fifth grader at Jeff-Craig Elementary, won for her poem “A Church Song.”
– Jessica Duvall, seventh grader at Switzerland County Middle School, won for her short story, “Live in the Moment.”
The Eggleston Club would like to thank all the students, teachers, and parents for their participation and support.
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The Little Seed
By Natalie Sullivan
There was a seed
It grew into a weed
A bee landed on the weed
To the bee, the weed was
beautiful indeed.
*
A Church Song
By Ky Baker
The wind blew hard that autumn day
And whistled like a church song
As it rushed past me
It reminded me of a song I knew
That flowed through the air
Like leaves in the wind
It sounded like and old church hymn
The chorus resonated through the trees
I danced to the melody in the breeze
*
Murderer in the basement
By Carly Bennett
One night, I was home. I was all alone. My family and I lived in a small log cabin in the middle of just about nowhere. We were two miles deep into the woods where no one could ever know what happened in our house. There wasn’t much that went on, but if something did happen, you definitely wouldn’t know.
Anyway, I was home and I was playing with my dog, Rufus, and I heard a noise. Rufus’ ears perked up, so I knew he heard it too. I didn’t think much of it, I hear noises all the time.
The noises usually come from the basement. There are some things down there I can’t even begin to explain. Most noises come from our small air conditioning unit. I was used to hearing the rumbles and growls, but this noise was different. It sounded like metal scratching metal.
We had our washing tub downstairs. It was made of shiny steel. It had a nozzle where the water would come out and a little compartment for your soaps and stain removers. We also had a landline and a bathroom downstairs.
I heard the noise again, but this time, louder. Much louder.
I may be 13, but I’ll admit I’m scared of just about anything. I hate the dark, and I won’t watch scary movies. People scare me all the time, and noises scare me far worse, so I was fearing something was in my basement.
After six times of hearing the strange noise, I had decided to call my parents, just to ask them what I should do.
I picked up the landline and dialed my mother’s number.
“Hello?”
“Hey, uh, Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“Well I was sitting on the couch with Rufus, and I heard a noise from the basement that sounded like metal scratching metal, and I know Rufus heard it too. His ears perked up and everything. I heard it a lot more.”
“Don’t worry, It’s probably nothing. Just go to sleep. Your father and I will be home shortly.”
“Okay, goodbye.”
I tried to fall asleep on the couch, but I kept hearing the noise, I even think I heard a voice a couple of times.
I got sick if it. I couldn’t take it anymore. I was afraid to do anything. I picked up the phone and dialed 911.
“911 what’s your emergency?”
“I’m home alone and I keep hearing a very strange noise, It sounds like metal scratching metal, but don’t worry, it’s probably nothing”
“We’ll send someone out in about forty minutes.”
“Thank you”
“Goodbye”
The noise got louder. I heard voices that seemed to be saying, “Kenzie.” That was my name, Kenzie.
It got even louder. Within 5 minutes, I knew someone was in my basement. I was freaking out, but I figured that if I kept hearing the noise, I was probably safe. But still, what was I supposed to do? It’s not like I could just leave my house, because if I tried, the person could hear the door open and close.
Ten minutes after I gotten off the phone with the 911 operator, the front door swung open. It was the state police. They told me to stand back and 3 of them ran down stairs while one more stayed with me. I heard loud bangs. Three of them. The officers came up with a large body bag. I knew the man was dead. I felt scared when one of the officers came up with a gun that the man was trying to kill me with.
When the officers called my parents to tell them what had happened my mother was mad at herself for thinking nothing of the call she had received form me earlier that evening.
A week later, I met the 911 operator that had practically saved my life. I had asked her how she knew to send the police so soon.
“When you were talking to me, I heard heavy breathing and after you had hung up, I still heard someone on the line, so I knew that there was someone listening on another phone. I remember you saying you were home alone and hearing the voice made me realize that the noise was probably coming from a person listening on another landline.”
I looked in amazement as I realized that if this lady hadn’t thought to do the things that she did, I could have died.
From that day on, I never stayed home alone again, and my family always are sure that our doors were locked. We even took the time to find a better place to hide our spare key. We took many extra precautions.
That day scared me for the rest of my life. I will never forget the lady who saved my life.
*
Live In The Moment
By Jessica Duvall
“Bre come eat breakfast!” My mom shouted up the stairs. I jumped out of bed feeling good, thinking: this is the day to ace my class presentation. In history we had to create a class presentation about the Civil War and we had to include dates of what day that event happened, etc. I grabbed a pair of my extremely tight jeans, my baggy ACDC t-shirt, and my old, dirty pair of white high top Chuck Taylors. I ran down the stars, getting dressed on my way down. When I got to the bottom of the stairs I saw my mom, dad, and my brother, Adam, sitting at the table. Adam acted like he was going to miss the bus, eating his cereal like he only had 30 seconds to finish. I sat down, poured my cereal into the bowl.
“I love you,” my mom shouted from the front door.
“I love you too,” Adam and I shouted back at the same time.
When I finished eating, I grabbed my backpack, shouting, “Love you Dad,” from the front door, and then I walked out.
When I got to the bus, Adam following, I walked up the bus stairs, “Good morning, Miss Bre.” Muttered my bus driver Billy.
“Good morning, Billy!” I shouted. I turned left and walked to my assigned seat. I sit in the 7th row on the left side, because that’s where the high schoolers sit, in the back. I am a freshman in high school, and this year has been pretty rough for me, with all of the final test exams coming up net week, and all of the work that I have to get done, before semester grades come out. I love softball and tennis, I have always dreamed of playing Division 1, college softball. I hate the word moist and I have always been afraid of spiders and of being kidnapped. I am a short, long haired blond, with blue eyes and a big smile. I have always been kind of shy in my life, but I am just now coming out of my shell.
When it was time to get off of the bus I was the last one off. I walked into the back of the school.
“Bre!” Someone yelled from the direction of the vending machines. I could tell it was Alex, by his deep scratchy voice. Alex is my best friend he is 18 and he had his driver’s license and plays tennis. He hates spiders and snakes, and loves milkshakes. He is tall, dark haired and has brown eyes.
“Hey Alex, I’m so glad you’re back, I missed you.” Alex went to California from Chicago, because his grandmother passed away last week.
“I missed you too Bre.”
“How is everyone? How are you?”
“My family is still having a rough time with it, and I am doing better, but it has been tough. Do you want to walk with me to first period?”
“Of course,” I said. As we walked to first period, we talked more about his grandmother. When we arrived to first period, Mr. Ryan, was sitting at his desk, looking through paperwork and homework from last week, marking off who did it and who didn’t.
“RING, RING, RING,” the bell shrieked. We all sat down in our seats, listening to instruction.
“First up for presentation,” he glanced at his list, “Alex.”
“Ugh,” exclaimed Alex. When he got up there he started by talking about the survivors of the war, and then continued with the dates of some of the actions in the Civil War. When he got done, his face as red as a cherry, he was so nervous about that presentation, and everyone knew it.
“Next is, Bre.” Yes, this was my time to shine, this is my chance to get my grade up to an A. As I was finishing, the phone started ringing Mr. Ryan picked up the phone,
“Yes, yes I will send her down there, Bre, “Mr. Ryan exclaimed, “Take your stuff and go to the office, someone is there waiting on you.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I don’t know, just take your stuff and go down there.”
“Yes, sir,” As I got up and started walking to the door, I heard, “Bre!” I turned around and it was Alex lip syncing, ‘I’m going to miss you,’ being the sarcastic person that he is, I walked out of the door, backwards, looking at Alex until the door closed in front of me and blocked my view. When I got to the office, I was surprised. I saw my grandma, standing there, looking like her puppy just died.
“Grandma, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here to pick you up. I’ll explain in the car, go get your stuff.”
As I walked down the hallway to open my locker, I saw Adam and suddenly got extremely worried, i felt a pit in my stomach. I grabbed my backpack and ran toward the double doors, I walked out, and then started running toward the car.
“Grandma, what is going on?”
“Sweetie, your mother has been seriously injured in a car crash.”
“What? I asked as a tear rolled down my cheek.
“Your mom is in the hospital right now, she was in a car crash on the way to work, this morning.”
“How did this happen? Is she okay? is she going to be okay?”
“She is going into surgery right now, her brain is bleeding, and there is a piece of metal stabbing her in the abdomen, there is some major damage, but everything will be okay.”
As a tear rolled down my face, I was scared to death, I kept repeating ‘everything will be okay’, over and over again in my head. Everything has to be fine, she can’t die. Adam and I can’t live without her, and dad, dad would never be the same again, oh my goodness. What if she dies, what if she doesn’t live to see my graduate, get married, how would I live without her? As we arrived at the hospital, I ran inside, Adam running behind me. “Grandma, Where is she, where is dad?” asked Adam.
“She is in O.R. 2, she is in surgery let’s go take a seat in the waiting room, with your dad. “As I walked to go sit and snuggle by my dad, Adam says, “I didn’t give mom a hug or anything this morning, I only told her I loved her, what if that was my last time hearing her, seeing her? I’m scared Bre.”
“I am too, Adam.” We both started crying, and praying, hoping there was something we could do to make her be okay. We prayed and cried, nonstop, until the surgeon came out of the double doors, looking disappointed. “Mr. Summer,” the surgeon repeated five or six times, shouting across the waiting room.
“Yes,” my father shouted as he stood up. “How is she, is she okay?”
“She is fine now, we will be taking her up to the ICU, until she wakes up form the anesthesia, the surgery went well.” A shock of relief went through me.
“Now we will have to wait until she wakes up, there could be side effects from the brain surgery. The brain bleed was placed in a difficult area to get too, so there could be deficits from the surgery, including loss of speech, hearing, and sight. She will be in room 356, third flood, ICU”
“Thank you doctor.” My father said with a relieved and scared expression on his face. As the doctor walked away, we found the elevator, and went up to the third floor, where we found room 356.
“Dad can I call Alex?”
“Sure honey, but make it quick your mom will be waking up here soon.”
“Okay.” As I dialed his number into the dial pad, Adam walked passed, “Room 356.” I told him, knowing that he didn’t know where to go, I hit call, I waited until Alex answered.
“Alex”
“What is it Bre, what’s wrong, why did you leave?” I started crying, terrorized from what has happened, a million things running through my head.
“My mom is in the hospital,” I said crying, with a type of shriek in my voice.
“WHAT! What happened?”
“She was in a car accident, on her way to work. She just came out of surgery,” I took a long pause, “I don’t know if she’s going to make it Alex, I’m scared.”
“I’m on my way to the hospital, I just signed out of school, everything will be okay.” A shock of relief ran throughout my body.
“I need you right now Alex.”
“I know, I know, I’m on my way, I’ll see you in a minute, okay?”
“Okay.” As I walked back toward room 356, I heard shouting, “CODE BLUE, CODE BLUE, I NEED HELP IN HERE!” I have heard that term in Grey’s Anatomy before, meaning their heart stops pumping blood throughout their body. I knew someone was coding, It sounded like it was coming from my mom’s room, I started running down the hall, ran into my mom’s room, and there was everyone, doctors and nurses, just standing there. One with a defibrillator in each of her hands, just staring there. “Time of death, 16:48.” I fell to the ground crying so hard I couldn’t breath. My mom is dead.
Alex walked into the room, “No”. Alex ran up to me, “Bre.” As he said with tears rolling out of his eyes. I got up and buried my head into Alex’s shoulder, and I stayed there for what seemed like forever. I couldn’t breath, I couldn’t speak, all I could do was think.
I let go of Alex and ran over to my dad and Adam, we had a group hug, all of us crying as hard as you could imagine. “Come on guys, let’s go home.” Dad insisted.
As we walked out of the room, I turned around and went and kissed my mother’s head, and told her I loved her. As I got done, I walked out of the room, holding onto Alex’s arm. When we got to the double doors, where we first came in, I stopped and sat down. I can’t do this, I can’t get through my life without her. I got back up, and started walking toward the double doors. When we got to the car, I picked my feet up slowly and stepped into the car.
When I got home, I went to my room, and grieved. When I got home I called Alex.
“Alex?” I asked.
“Yeah?”
“How am I going to do it? How will I grow up without her?”
“I will help you get throughout this, I’m always here for you.” I hung up and fell asleep. I woke up that next morning and I didn’t hear my mom calling up the stairs, it was silent. I layed in bed all day, my phone dinging all day long with text, my dad yelling up the stairs ‘Someone is here for you,’ and all I say is ‘ I don’t want to see anyone.’
“Bre come here now!” I ran down the stairs and I saw my dad crying. I walked into the living room. There was blood everywhere and Adam laying on the floor, with a gun laying beside him, and a bullet hole on the side of his head. There was a note laying by my brother, that read,
“Dear Bre and Dad,
I’m so sorry, I love you both so much, I just couldn’t take the pain any longer. I can’t deal with not seeing mom everyday, not hearing her shout ‘wake up’ up the stairs every morning.”
My brother had just committed suicide.
I ran up the stars, tears filling my eyes. I slammed my door shut, done with everything that has happened. “I can’t do this!” I screamed, covering my face with a pillow, crying.
The next day my dad decided to send me to some kind of emotional therapy. I am going to start a week from today.
A week had passed, and the day came to go to therapy, Alex drove me to therapy and waited for me in the waiting room, while I was in therapy. It was awful, the tears, the sadness was awfully painful. Today we found out how the car crash occurred, the guy was texting while driving and swerved into the other lane, where my mom happened to be.
The day of her and Adam’s funeral was the most stressful day of my life, seeing them in the coffins was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through, so many tears. All I could do was think about the memories we’ve had over time.
A month later, I was feeling better, I still hadn’t went back to school yet, but still in pain. The day I started school again everyone acted like themselves.
Three months later, I was doing fine, perfectly okay, Alex and I are a thing and everything’s just fine. My dad got a job at CVS and I am in activities and clubs at school, I’m on the honor roll, doing amazing in school and I’m doing all of my work, getting stuff turned it on time and studying more that you could imagine.
I am thankful and blessed for the people that have been placed in my life. I couldn’t have gotten throughout everything that’s happened, if it weren’t for them.
Cherish the moments in life, because you never know when they may come to an end.