The Course

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Creativity and the Visual World

Fall 2008

Instructor, Jay Moskowitz

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Myths and Masks is a project in the course, Creativity and the Visual World, taught by Jay Moskowitz, Adjunct Faculty. Students write their own myths and produce masks for the main characters. The masks are initially formed out of “plaster-craft” applied directly over the students’ faces. After drying, they are then built up using oak-tag paper, more plaster-craft and “cellu-clay.” They are then painted. The process takes four to five class periods. All masks are built by non-art majors. Creativity and the Visual World is a General Education course which fulfils the requirement for a Creative Thought Direction.

GENERAL EDUCATION: CREATIVE THOUGHT DIRECTION

This course fills a General Education requirement in the Creative Thought Direction. Creative thinking is essential to thrive in our complex and changing world. Creative courses emphasize critical thinking, reading and writing, listening and speaking skills and familiarity with information technology. An understanding of creative process encourages idea development and new interpretations of existing concepts. CTD courses expose learners to formal elements of creative expression, while encouraging them to question and challenge established ideas of beauty. Imagination, independence and non-conformity are encouraged along with the development of skills and attitudes which allow creativity to flourish. They learn to value and appreciate perseverance, and tolerate and embrace ambiguity. Students appreciate creativity in themselves and in others, viewing it as essential to all human endeavor. They learn to research, organize, analyze and synthesize information with the intent to build confidence and establish a new vision of the world.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course explores the relationship between process, self expression and communication through the visual arts. The creative process is first explored broadly as a problem solving tool applicable in all fields of human endeavor. Participants then explore creative process rather than product. Formal elements of design and principles of organization are introduced to help build a vocabulary, a visual language. Historical works of art and contemporary artists will be researched and considered as cultural agents communicating the pulse of humanity. The intent of this course is to encourage confidence in creative thinking/writing, and reasonable comfort with basic tools of art making. Students will also use information technology resources for research on their way to appreciating the visual arts as a powerful form of communication.

The Artwork

Derek Audette

Brian “The Bulldog” Barry

Due to the lack of genuine pirates in the area, Captain Brian “The Bulldog” Barry, his men, and their galleon “The Dutch-Master” were known to be some of the most counterfeit and buffoon pirates of the New England channels. When they weren’t out to sea fighting off armed forces of seagulls dropping not so pleasant stink bombs onto his ship, you could find The Bulldog and his mates at local ports drinking townships dry, or smoking dope causing a ruckus. Once inebriated to the point where one could barely walk, the Bulldog and his men would take their pirate booty of left over booze and peanuts to set sail for a voyage to the next port in search of the infamous “Jungle Juice”. This infamous drink was known to all to make any man invincible to harm and even death itself.

On a dark rainy afternoon in late November of 1588, The Bulldog and his pathetic excuse for ship mates were sailing the treacherous seas of the frigid Atlantic in search of the legendary Jungle Juice when one of the most epic battles in pirate history aroused. The Bulldog had run into his old time comrade turned rival due to a drunken brawl where Bulldog lost his right eye, Tyler “Big Train” Cail. Captain Tyler “Big Train” Cail and his crew ran most of the deceitful Atlantic waters and were always known to have state of the art firearms. The Bulldog found himself in a predicament quickly being in Big Trains territory. Knowing his crew hadn’t been sober or in a battle in nearly five years the margin of victory was slim against Big Train and his wrecking crew.

As the two ships pulled side by side getting into battle formation, Big Train and his crew came out blazing all guns and cannons. Catching the Bulldog off guard he ran around the deck like a chicken with its head chopped off shouting out orders at his men to return fire. After what seemed like hours of whizzing bullets and cannonballs by the crews and destroying the old wooden ships one final blow was thrown. Bulldog grabbed a lonely rusted rifle off the deck of the Dutch-Master and aligned aim right at the Big Train. Looking straight down the barrel making sure the sight of the gun was precisely aimed between Big Trains eyes Bulldog pulled the trigger. The loud crack and fire of the gun was almost too much for Bulldog considering he hadn’t fired a gun in years. Before he could realize the impact of the shot Big Train’s crew stopped fighting and rushed to the aid of their fallen Captain. Big Train had been shot down.

Legend has it; Bulldogs crews’ victory roar was heard for miles. Bulldog and his men graduated that day from baboons to world renowned pirates in a single pull of the trigger. They took down the legendary Captain Tyler “Big Train” Cail. The Dutch-Master was the most respected galleon on the seas for about two years until a drunken sailing accident sunk the Dutch-Master. Unfortunately Bulldog and his crew went drown with the Dutch-Master and were to never sail the high seas again.

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Alison Blais

Under the ocean so blue, swam a little fish named Clue. He swam so deep, and found it so neat that he could swim the ocean blue. Bubbles floated to the surface of the little fishy Clue, who found near the top a girl named Sue. She opened her eyes and much to her surprise, were bubbles that popped and splashed. She laughed and giggled at the feeling that tickled her little nose as they touched. She laughed till she cried and cried till she laughed until she could no longer do. From sitting in the sun so bright until the sparkle of the night that she could finally see who created the bubbles that popped and splashed. The little girl had communicated under the ocean so blue with little fishy Clue. Little Ol’ Clue was oh so shiny, and loved to wiggle his hiney. He swam and swam until he saw a hand, and noticed that it was the hand of that blondy Sue. Sue and Clue would meet every day from sunrise to sunset, little Clue would let little Sue take him out of the big ocean blue, with water in her hands for a second or two. Clue had a friendly face when he saw Sue in her place on the rock at 10 o’ clock. They would spend together from ten to two, or until little Sue got water in her shoe. Clue and Sue would always meet, and laugh and giggle at the funny world, made just for a fish and a girl. What kind of a friendship lasts forever until ever, ever, ever. Only one based so true between the little fish and the little girl named Clue and Sue.

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Tyler Cail

The Myth of the Predator

As legend has it, in the deep woods of Columbia, every hundred years, only in the hottest of the summers, the oldest elders of the village say, villagers would begin finding their people without their skin. . .and sometimes much, much, worse.

The story behind this, as it would turn out, was that the alien pictured in the mask I have created goes from planet to planet, hunting the most dangerous and worthy of prey. That is why they call him the Predator. He hunts for sport and only attacks men who are armed. No women or children are harmed. He skins the ones he doesn’t want and keeps the skulls of the best trophies.

Many men have tried, but until 1987, no man had every killed a predator. That was, of course, until Arnold Schwarzenegger came along. He and his team were sent into the woods of South America on a rescue mission for the U.S. military. While in the jungle, they realized they were being hunted by something that was not human, or even from this world. The predator killed off most of his men, including Jesse Ventura and Carl Withers to name a few. After falling into a pile of mud and realizing that the predator could not see him, Arnold discovered that the predator must use heat vision to see. He went on to set up a large, booby-trapped area that night. He made a bow and arrow as well as some makeshift explosives from his gunpowder. The scene was set for a final interplanetary showdown between Arnold and the Predator.

Arnold wisely started a large bonfire in order to mess up the predator’s heat vision, and made a loud call to tell the predator to come get him. The predator hears, and begins moving through the tree tops towards what he knows was Arnold’s yell. The predator moves in quietly upon Arnold’s area, searching for his prey. Since Arnie is camouflaged with mud, the predator moves right by, but Arnold sees him. While moving along a tree branch near the fire, the predator is struck from above with an explosive arrow that Arnold crafted.

Finally the predator sees Arnold and the chase is on! The predator catches Arnold and beats him badly, only toying with him at first - savoring the kill. The predator takes off his mask and Arnold sees the hideous face that is pictured in my mask. Arnold begins to run realizing that he has no chance. The alien wisely avoids one booby trap—he is very smart—but walks right into another. Arnold kicks out his trap and a giant log falls on top of the predator, knocking him out cold. Just when Arnold is about to finish the job with a big rock to the head, a sense of curiosity and perhaps mutual respect comes over Arnold . . . he throws the stone aside – a fatal mistake! The predator activates his self-destruction device and no evidence, needless to say, is ever found of his stay on planet Earth. As legend has it, Arnold had just enough time to escape the blast, but that is just hearsay as the government has since covered up any existence of Arnold’s team or what happened that summer in Columbia.

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Sarah Cloutier

Once there was a boy. His family called him Tag and his friends called him Tagalong. He was small and not strong enough to hunt with his friends in the woods. They would tell him that he would never be strong enough to hunt with them and that he should just give up and stay with his mother. Tag wished he could be strong like his friends, he knew he was meant to hunt with them. Soon Tag started to dream about hunting. Only he wasn’t himself.

Padding softly through the moonlight toward his prey the wolf catches a slight breeze and a glimpse of the deer. The fresh scent of doe drowns all other activity in his brain. Barely breathing he stalks lower to the ground. He knows his pack is close and silently surrounding their prey. Grazing at the edge of a clearing the doe lifts her head. The wolf lunges unseen from behind the animal as his pack blocks the getaway.
It was the same kind of dream every time, just Tag and his pack. One morning Tag couldn’t sit still much longer so he went out for a walk in the woods. The dawn colors shone overhead as little drops of sunlight trickled through the evergreen canopy. Sure of where he was going he ventured onto a path he had never seen before. How did he know these paths so well? The path came to a hill and Tag looked up. Standing tall atop the crest of the hill was a wolf. The wolf he had seen in the dreams! Tag climbed the steep incline finding rocks and tree stumps for footing. He finally reached the top and dropped to one knee to rest. The wolf approached him and Tag looked up into a face of striking familiarity. He saw himself. Tag knew that anytime he needed to hunt all he had to do was dream about being the wolf. Tag spent the day with his pack learning to hunt and the next night dreaming of hunting. Soon he would be good enough to hunt with his friends. Soon he would be as good a hunter during the day as he was when he dreamt.

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Stephanie Blanchette

Once upon a time, in a beautiful kingdom far, far away on a beautiful summer day, a beautiful little princess was born who was named, Bellarosa. When she was just a baby, all of the people in the land would praise her and say, “Look, at this baby, she is the most beautiful infant in all the land.” When she was a child, all of the people in the kingdom would see her dark curls and crystal blue eyes and say, “Look! There goes Princess Bellarosa, the most beautiful child in the land.” And when she was a teenager, the people of the land were still saying, “Would you look at her? She is the most beautiful girl in all the land and she will be a very beautiful woman soon.”

But Bellarosa grew tired of hearing how beautiful she was. She didn’t believe these people who told her she was so beautiful. When she looked in the mirror she only saw herself plain and boring, the same as she had always looked; Boring dark ringlet curls that could never hold a comb, boring blue eyes the color of dirty water hidden under ridiculously thick lashes, a freckly boring face, boring scrawny legs and boring arms to match. She was nothing special. She hated how she looked. And one day Bellarosa decided to set out on a journey to find the most beautiful thing in the world. She would take whatever it was, and she THEN, she decided, “I will truly be beautiful.”

So Bellarosa set out on her journey early the next morning in August. She wore a plain dress and brown shoes. She did not want to look like a princess.

She had decided the night before that would start with the Fairies. She would ask them what they thought was beautiful, surely if anyone knew what was beautiful in the world, they would, they had seen everything!
When she came upon the realm of the fairies, she was greeted warmly by a few of them flittering around a spotted mushroom. “Hello,” the pink-skinned one said, “what brings you here my dear?” Bellarosa told them of her quest to find the most beautiful thing in the world. After a moment’s thought, the Fairy replied, “Well, flowers of course. Flowers are wonderful for playing in, giving shade, and come in many beautiful colors. Yes, they are very beautiful.”

“Thank you!” Bellarosa said, and began a new search for some of the beautiful flowers the fairies had spoken of.

She soon came upon a beautiful rose. “Yes, she thought, flowers are beautiful.” And she picked one and tucked it into her hair. “Hey!” shouted another rose nearby, “What are you doing picking my friends?!” Bellarosa explained her quest and the little rose answered, “Flowers are not the most beautiful things in the world, the supple green leaves of the forest trees are!” Bellarosa thought about for a minute of the trees in her palace garden she had spent so many climbing or sitting under and decided, “Yes, I will find the green leaves of the trees, for they ARE very beautiful.” And she was on her way.

When she came to the base of one of the trees containing the beautiful leaves, she reached out and took a large branch off of the tree and tucked it in her dress. “Yes, she thought, these leaves are beautiful.” Suddenly, the giant tree from which Bellarosa had taken the branch began to shout! “HEY! Where are you going with my leaves?”

Bellarosa explained her quest for the most beautiful thing in the world and after a moment the tree replied. “Well, in my opinion, it is not the trees, but the birds in their branches! With their beautiful purple feathers and gentle nature, the birds are what you want if you’re looking for true beauty.”

“Yes, birds are very beautiful,” said Bellarosa and decided to look for some to take for her very own. She left the tree behind her, one branch less, staring and rattling in the wind as she walked into a deeper part of the forest.

Soon she came upon a group of purple birds, in the branches of a small bush, chattering away and eating berries. She snuck up behind one of them and quickly yanked a purple feather from the closest one. “OUCH!” squawked the purple bird. And with a rustling of feathers, all of the others scattered out of the bush and into the higher branches of a nearby tree, causing the bird with stolen feather to nearly fell out of the tree. “What on earth are you doing?!” the startled bird asked Bellarosa, rubbing her backside where the feather had been stolen. Bellarosa told the purple bird of her quest while the group of her friends looked on with disapproval from the nearby branches.

“I see…” said the bird and Bellarosa waited while she thought. “I think, what your really looking for is a waterfall.” “A waterfall?” asked Bellarosa. “Definitely. Waterfalls are the most beautiful thing on earth, they are pure and clean and sparkling. You need to find a waterfall.”
So Bellarosa stuck the purple feather behind her ear and headed on her way. She followed a stream to where she thought there would be a waterfall. Soon enough, she head the thunderous roar of the falling water and knew she was close.

As she crept through the forest upstream towards the waterfall, she heard a rustling in the bush, and when she came to the clearing around the waterfall’s pool, there was a great, big, giant bear!

The bear turned to look at Bellarosa and made a strange face. “Hello little girl,” he said, “what brings you to this neck of the woods?” Bellarosa shakily explained her quest for the most beautiful thing in the world and was surprised to see the giant bear laughing when she had finished telling him about the birds and shook his head. “Water is beautiful yes, but what’s inside the water is where true beauty lies.” Then he edged closer to the side of the pool at the waterfalls edge, and slowly moved his giant arm around beneath the surface…then SPLASH! With a quick wet motion he pulled out a beautiful salmon. “This is beauty.” The bear said, and tossed the fish at her feet, before making his way back into the woods.

“Bellarosa looked at the many colorful scales on the fish, the beauty of their symmetry and construction. “Yes,” she said out loud. “Fish are very beautiful.” And se yanked a few scales from the fish’s side to add to her collection of items. “HEY!” said the fish, gasping for breath, “what are you doing?” Bellarosa plopped the fish back into the water and told him of her quest. “Well ya know, we fish are quite beautiful, but what you really need, is to find a butterfly. For they are truly the essence of beauty.”
“You’re right!” said Bellarosa, and she started again, on her quest for earth’s true beauty. She traveled far and found the butterflies, the butterflies led her to a rainbow, who led her to a sunset, who led her to an old man on the beach while she looked for a starfish, who told her nothing was more beautiful than the night sky, whose stars then told her that to them, beauty was in the sun…

Bellarosa was exhausted. She had traveled hundreds of miles and every beautiful thing she found led to something else, that led to something else, that led to another thing, and another and another, that someone thought was beautiful.

Her arms were tired from carrying her treasures, and her feet were tired from walking so long. She decided it was time for a rest. So she set her things down on some grass, and planted herself on a rock on the top of a small hilltop that overlooked what seemed to be her parent’s entire kingdom. She sat just gazing out at her homeland…when suddenly, she heard a tiny voice from somewhere near her right foot. “Hello?” Bellarosa said, looking around for the source of the tiny voice. She heard a very small, “Help!” and she looked down to see s tiny black ant, with its back leg caught beneath her brown shoe. “Oh goodness I’m so sorry!” cried Bellarosa, lifting her shoe off of the tiny ant’s leg and letting him crawl onto her outstretched finger. “Thank you.” said the little ant and she brought him close to her face.

“I’m dreadfully sorry little ant, I’m just so tired from my long journey I didn’t think to look where I placed my feet!” “Why so long a journey?” he asked, looking slightly less interested then he sounded as he examined his leg. Bellarosa decided she did not want to tell him such a long and disappointing story and decided to avoid the question all together by asking him the same question she had asked so many others.
“What is the most beautiful thing in the world?”

The ant looked up from his leg and stared at the being towering over him. He noticed a rose behind her ear, and feathers in her hair, and stars and scales, and butterflies’ wings on her cheeks and nose, and a sunset on her forehead and stars on her forehead.

“Dirt.” He answered simply.

“Dirt?!” She said in disbelief! “Of all the colorful, bright, sparkling things in this world you think that brown, boring, messy DIRT is the most BEAUTIFUL?!”

The ant stared at her for a moment, her cheeks flushed behind their mask of world wonders she had collected, looked into her bluish-grey eyes and said,

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And to me, dirt is the most beautiful thing in the world.”

Bellarosa simply stared as the tiny insect crawled from her finger to her knee and back down to the ground again to be on his was amidst his beloved dirt. And as she watched him walk away, limping a little, she suddenly realized something so profound, so amazing, and so insightful she could hardly contain herself…

She realized at that very moment,
that he was exactly right.

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Ashley Dow

The Lion Queen

Long before humans roamed the Earth, Lions were a peaceful species. They were calm, quiet, and nonviolent animals. They were herbivores that ate a diet consisting of only plants and herb life. They wandered the Earth making friends with other animals. All other animal species tried to follow the Lion example. They tried to refrain from violence and threat. The Lion Queen, ruler of all the Lions, was a great leader. She ruled with kindness and compassion. She believed that the Lions should never hunt other animals out of respect for their lives. For millions of years the Lion species set the standard for all other animals in the animal kingdom. All animals became herbivores, and all species became friends with each other. None of the animal species hunted each other. There was peace between all animals. This was due to The Lion Queen.

One stormy day, the Lion Queen was bringing a vegetable plant to a group of sick cubs in a cave. The cubs began eating their meal thankfully. All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, a gigantic lion came storming into the cave. “Lion Queen,” he roared, “We have been searching for you!”

“Who are you?” She asked, standing protectively in front of the cubs.

“We have formed an alliance of lions that desire to bring you down Lion Queen! We want to take power of the Animal Kingdom! We think that all lions deserve to be powerful and fierce!” Now, many lions with snarling teeth were forming a circle around the Lion Queen.

The Lion Queen spoke softly, “But we have brought peace to Earth and harmony to all animals.”

The angry group of wicked lions was now growling at the Lion Queen, “We do not care about peace. We have come to kill you and take power! We want to rule all of the animals! We want them all to fear us!”

The Lion Queen was surprisingly calm, “I am most wise. I have expected this violent behavior from your kind for some time. You will never be satisfied with peace. You will always wish for more power and control. If you must kill me, I ask for just one thing; please do not harm the cubs.”

The wicked group of lions took over through intimidation and fear, and forced all of the other lions to engage in the act of hunting other animals. From that day on, the lion species became a violent one. They brought terror and fright to all other species in the animal kingdom. They became predators and hunters.

The story of the Lion Queen was past down from generation to generation of lion cubs, and her last words were never forgotten. Although her followers were forced into becoming hunters, they never forgot her kindness. To this day, it is said, that her followers are still out there, waiting secretly to be brought together to peacefully overpower the dictatorship of the wicked lions. They hope that one day the way of the Lion Queen will be the way of the animal kingdom once again.

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Haley Fenderson

In the dawn of time there was a Great Creator who was quite lonely. He didn’t have anyone to share love with. Deciding that he needed a queen to love and give him children, he created a beautiful wife. The queen was lush and full of life. In His eyes she was a most perfect creation; her name was Earth. Her eyes were of the ocean, her skin the open land, and her hair the many different colors of foliage. Earth and the Creator were so in love that soon Earth conceived and gave virth to twins. She names them Man and Woman. The two happy parents were so pleased by these children that they bestowed them with many gifts. He gave them a bright sun to keep them warm and a moon to provide them with light at night. She provided them with marvelous creatures of all types to live with and many types of plants to nourish them. Creator and Earth were so pleased with their two children that they wished for more. And so, Earth and Creator had bountiful offspring. The Creator was so happy and in love with his beautiful wife for giving him all he had ever wanted, that he wanted to give her a gift. To show appreciation for all that she meant to him, he made her a crown of regal mountain ridges that would stand strong for eternity.

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Andrew Garozzo

Sunburn God (Frank)

Have you ever wondered why when you go outside for too long, with the sun blaring, you soon feel this pain all through your body? Frank, the sunburn god, is the menace that plagues the Sun god as much as he possibly can. The Sun being the almighty good in the universe, brightens the day and shines down freeing people from the horrors of the night.

When Frank and Sun were very young gods, they grew up together. They were best friends. Until one day there was a horrible occurance. While at their god like school, Frank got an amazing idea, as he so frequently like to do. He began to start mixing potions together. He was trying to make the cure for cancer. After centuries and centuries of mixing, he had done it. He had found the cure to cancer, but there was a catch!
Now throughout this time, Sun was becoming more and more powerful every single day! He had grown a love for his power. Frank comes up to him one morning, and explains to Sun that he had found the cure for cancer. Sun becomes ecstatic! With this potion, he would become more powerful than anyone could imagine. He asks Frank what his plan is for the potion. Frank could see the gleam in Sun’s eye and could immediately tell that Sun wanted to have his name as the designer of the potion, and Frank did not want this. Sun had done none of the work! He tells this to Sun, and you could tell that he was not pleased!

Frank heads home that night, and heads to bed. Soon after getting comfortable he hears a sound from in his lab. He quietly walks toward where the sound originated. He could see something slightly glowing on the other side of the room, near his potions. Freaked out, he frantically looks for the light switch. He flips it on only to find Sun stealing his potions. Frank, now suffering from temporary insanity and rage, grabs the potions and destroys everything in his lab. Throughout this process, he somehow mixes a potion that turns him invisible.

The next morning Frank wakes up and recaps what happened the night before, he vows to avenge the treason the Sun has done. So whenever the sun is shining, he goes around hurting people and giving them cancer, so that others will dislike the sun, and his power will diminish. Because of Frank, this is the reason you get Sunburns. Frank has vowed to continue harassing the Sun, until the day the sun is no more!

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Curtis Jackson

Just after the beginning of time, when all things had been created and the earth was teaming with animals and vegetation of all kinds, there was a single man roaming the world. His name was Vassillios. He enjoyed his life on earth; he could swim in the ocean, run in the meadows, play in the jungle’s vast canopy, and relax under the beautiful night stars. He ate fruits and berries of all kinds, as much as he desired. He never felt lonely because he had millions of animal friends. He never realized he was different from them.

At this infantile stage of the universe the planets had not yet settled into formation. The sun was slowly moving closer and closer to the earth. Eventually the sun got so close that it melted the sand at the top of the tallest mountain. Vassillios saw the thin cloud of smoke wafting off the top of the mountain. He was intrigued by the sight so he began to climb the mountain to see what it was.

When he reached the summit he saw what had happened. The sand had melted and formed a sheet of glass, which acted like a mirror, reflecting everything it saw. He kneeled over the glass and, for the first time ever, saw his reflection. Suddenly, he knew he was not like the other beings on earth. He grew very self conscious and lonely.

He no longer felt he could relate to the animals, and he longed for human interaction. As he walked down the mountain he realized he would have to find more people like him. He had been all over the earth and had not yet found another like him so he concluded he would have to leave earth in search of a companion. The only other places he knew about were the Sun and the Moon. He decided he would have to travel to the Sun, as the Moon was constantly vanishing and reappearing.

He planted a seed in the ground and wept at the thought of never finding another human. His tears watered the small seed and it grew to enormous heights, stretching up into the sky. He began to climb the trunk of the giant tree. He climbed faster and higher than he had ever dared to climb in the Earth Jungle. His determination drove him even after his muscles felt like giving up.

As he neared the Sun it got extremely hot. He assumed this was the love of his fellow humans radiating out towards him, and he climbed on. Finally he was inches from the fiery orb when the heat got too intense and burned his face and body.

He fell back down to earth, but a strange thing happened on impact. His body shattered into millions of pieces. Every piece had been burnt to a different degree, making an array of multi-colored limbs and human pieces. All these separate pieces of man began to grow and formed bodies. Eventually, there were millions of different people, all with a different shade of skin color. The human race was born and they were able to live in harmony forever.

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Molly Lehman

There once was a witch named Persephone, she was unlike many witches in the fact that she was a nice witch. She lived in a house made of candy in the woods near a little town named Jacksonville. Although she was a very nice witch, Persephone did not have many friends. Kids were scared of her because she had three very big warts on her otherwise sweet, nice face. She also had a black witch hat permanently attached to her head. So to fill up her days she would play with the animals of the forest and decorate her house.

One day two friends named Hailey and Hanna decided to take a hike into the woods near their house. They stumbled across Persephone’s house, but had heard of her and stories about how she was an evil witch with a terrible face of warts. They heard the door opening so they hid behind one of the bushes. Out walked Persephone in a long pink dress with her blond hair in a long braid behind her. She did in fact, have a black witches hat on and three big warts. Hailey and Hanna were expecting the witch to come outside and be evil and mean, but instead when she walked outside she started to sing and dance around. All the animals in the forest came to her and hopped around on the floor near her while she was dancing.

Hanna and Hailey looked at each other and decided to take a chance; they came out from behind the rock. Persephone jumped when she first saw them, but calmed down when she saw it was. She curtsied and introduced herself to them. Hanna and Hailey were amazed; they did not think that this supposed witch was so nice. They came out farther from behind the rock and introduced themselves to Persephone. She said it was nice to meet them and asked if they would like to join her. Hanna and Hailey said “why not?”, and joined in the dancing. After an afternoon of dancing around and playing with the animals, Persephone said it was time for dinner and they went into her house.

She set two plates in front of the two girls filled with candies and cookies. Hanna and Hailey both ate enough to fill up twenty men. It was getting late and they decided they should go home. When they were leaving, they both promised Persephone they would be back every day to come and play with her and the animals. So every day after that the girls returned and played with her, Persephone was filled with happiness and all three of them became best friends.

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Laura Leonard

The Snow Queen

A very long, long time ago, lived a young woman named Jillian. She grew up an only child in a small village far up north with her family. It was almost always cold there and Jillian hated it. She was always huddled beneath a pile of blankets or bundled up in a jacket when she was forced to venture outside. Usually when she did, it was only to see Benjamin who lived next door. Jillian had always had a crush on Ben every since they used to have play dates when they were younger. As they grew older, Ben had his own group of friends he hung out with and they slowly grew apart. But they would always talk when they ran into each other, which Jillian made sure happened as often as possible.

During their senior year in high school, there was a senior ice skating activity in February on the near by lake. Jillian would never have gone, but she felt that maybe at the end she would find the opportunity confess to Ben how much she liked him. But to her horror, she saw Ben was skating and holding hands with another girl. She turned around and skated towards thinner ice to get away from everyone else. Unaware of the danger, the ice broke and she fell through. No one noticed Jillian vanish through the ice and drown, and her disappearance was a mystery.

But that night after search parties had no luck, a blizzard suddenly came with no warning and buried the town. As Ben looked out his window he swore he saw the face of Jillian, angry and commanding the snow to fall harder on his house. Legend has it that it is still Jillian who curses the town with snow to this day and they call her the Snow Queen.

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Caitlin Lynch

There was once a girl with beautiful, long hair, her name was Ashley. Everywhere that Ashley went she would always get comments on how beautiful and luscious her long hair was, although there was one girl that had a problem with her hair.

Her name was Matilda and she had always been jealous of Ashley’s beautiful hair. She had been jealous of Ashley since elementary school when people first started to make comments and now she was still jealous and they were in high school. Her jealously then reached its peak and she decided that she must do something to stop it.

A harsh plan then came to mind, cut all Ashley’s hair off. She decided this was the only way to stop her jealously. In the middle night then she drove to Ashley’s house where everyone was sleeping and climbed up to Ashley’s bedroom window using a ladder. Matilda had never been so scared and excited in her life. She was scared that would get caught by the police or Ashley’s parents and get sent to jail. She was also excited because her dream of finally not being jealous of Ashley anymore would come true.

It had finally come down to the moment of truth and she sneaked into Ashley’s bedroom. She took the scissors out of her pocket and grabbed a piece of Ashley’s hair, although she couldn’t seem to cut it. Matalida held Ashley’s piece of hair trembling, she started to cry.
When Ashley heard Matalida crying she immediately woke up and was shocked to see Matalida standing beside her bed with scissors in her hand. Matalida sobbing, then confessed her whole plan to Ashley and how she had been jealous of her for so many years. Ashley was comforting and nice to Matilda and even explained that Matalida has qualities that she is sometimes jealous of. The two then talked everything over and are now great friends.

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Matthew Newton

Devil Boy

Long ago in a place far away full of strange creatures that all lived in a time of chaos and constant fighting, an even stranger boy was born. He looked like a devil and everyone was so frightened of what he would grow up to be. There was a prophecy predicted that the devil boy would come and change the world forever. No one knew how to take this though. The boy looked like a devil so everyone assumed that he would raise hell and change the world for the negative. Every night the creatures would have to hide in their houses and lock the doors to avoid the evil dragon that reeks havoc on the town every night if his dinner is not left waiting for him. One night the town was unable to put the feast out for the dragon because they themselves had to eat. Sure enough the dragon tore the town apart hurting so many people including devil boy’s mom. She was killed in this horrific act. Devil boy vowed to himself that this dragon would pay with his life. Devil boy was now all alone. Everyone was scared of him because of his appearance no one would give him a chance even though he was so nice. He ran away from this awful place not forgetting what he had promised himself. He traveled for days climbing huge mountains not finding any place to settle down and live by alone in peace. As he reached the top of the tallest mountain he saw a house. His curiosity led him inside to find an old man with long white hair meditating. The man, with his back turned says “I have been expecting you devil boy”. Devil boy was startled he asked so many questions. How do you know who I am? Why are you waiting for me? Who are you? The old man silenced him and just told him to sit and meditate. Devil boy did and sure enough he stayed with the old man for years training, learning the skills of martial arts. One dark rainy night devil boy just had a bad feeling. He went to wake up his master but he would not wake, He had died. Devil boy was upset but was thankful for everything he had learned. He knew it was time he went back to his old town. Everyone was so scared thinking that he came to attack them everyone locked themselves in their houses before they prepared the meal for the dragon. Sure enough the dragon came and instead of seeing his dinner he saw devil boy. The dragon attacked first but the devil boy’s skills were just too powerful. The battle lasted all night and the townspeople were terrified to see what the dragon had done to the town. As they approached the center they saw the dragon laying their lifeless. No one knew what had happened. Suddenly a little boy’s voice says “look, there in the mountain.” Sure enough it was devil boy returning to his true home no that he had fulfilled his promise to himself, and the prophecy he was born with. He waits in the mountain meditating, waiting for evil to strike again.

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Andrew Nunes

In the days of the Aztec there lived the greatest emperor, Azimotto. He ruled over his people with care and prosperity yet came down hard on his adversaries with a cold fist. He was also a great warrior; conquering many lands and keeping his people safe. He defeated many deities and evil gods that threatened his existence.

One day during a solar eclipse, the god Tzizimitl tried to come down to Earth and devour many people. Solar eclipses were the only time this deity could get to Earth because she was able to move from the stars that gather around the moon. As Azimotto saw her coming, he rounded up his most intense soldiers. Zazzibon and Tatziluu were among his top warriors, who Azimotto trusted with his life. Zazzibon was also Azimotto’s oldest son, who would be heir to the throne if anything ever happened to the king.

Upon arriving to the battlegrounds the Aztec warriors saw Tzitzimitl and all of her evil henchmen traveling in a large pack. This got them all so fired up that they chased the enemy and began battle before arriving at the sacred battlegrounds. Instantly Azimotto was attacked by a dozen henchmen but quickly diminished them and made way towards the evil goddess. She was half snake and half skeleton, wearing a crazy array of armor and animals skins. Zazzibon and the diety were engaged in a very intense battle on top of a cliff. As soon as Azimotto came in contact with the two, Tzitzimitl delivered a powerful slice right through Zazzibon’s torso, cutting him in two. For the king to see this, he became so enraged that he burst into fire and destroyed the Tzitzimitl with his new god-like strength. After decapitating the evil god, her skull was quickly snatched up and displayed for the whole village to see. This was a symbol to all of how strong their fearless leader was and for those that gave their lives in that crazy battle.

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Morgan O’Connell

How the Brown Bunny Came to Be

A long time ago there lived a group of bunnies who were all white as snow. They had thick fur to keep them warm during the long winters which blended in perfectly with their surroundings. These were some of the happiest bunnies that ever lived until The Melting happened. When the newest members of the clan were still young all the snow started to melt. It got so warm the bunnies’ fur started to fall out. The elders knew something had to be done to save their families. Sadly, the only solution was to leave their homes and make the journey to a place where they could survive. They hopped for days looking for just the right place. Food was scarce and the weather was trying, but the bunnies made it to a spot that looked promising. It was, however, in the mountains which made them stick out. The bunnies decided to settle in this new spot. Years went by and those that experienced The Melting were long gone. New bunnies wondered why they were white instead of gray, like the mountains they lived near. “We are supposed to blend in so we can hide better” complained Brenda. Her mother explained what had happened and how the bunnies used to live where there was snow as white as they were. Brenda, all snug in her bed, wished as hard as she could to be gray and for all her friends and family to be gray too. She wanted to know how it felt to be one with the land. The next day Brenda awoke and ran to the mirror to see if her wish had come true. It had, well partly. To Brenda’s surprise her feet were gray! She ran to her mother, but her feet were not gray. Brenda then ran to her friends and their feet were gray too. It seemed that all the young bunnies were turning gray!

Years passed and again the bunnies’ landscape was changing. The mountains they had lived next to for so long were crumbling due to excessive use by curious tourists. Brenda, now a mother herself, remembered the story of The Melting and knew it was happening all over again. She knew what had to be done. Once again they left their homes and searched for another sheltered place to live. This time, however, it was harder. There was no food left over to take with them on their long and tiring journey. They searched for years and found only concrete jungles filled with unhappy, wasteful people. They kept on thinking that one day they would find the snowy place that their ancestors lived or another mountain they could thrive on. But in the end all they found was a small patch of dirt, filled with rocks and trash. They made their burrows and scavenged for food. Brenda did not want her children growing up in these conditions, but it was all that was left. Sadly, she knew that in time her children’s children would be the same color as the dirt they were now living in just as she saw herself and her friends change to blend in with their environment.

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Michelle Orbison

Many many years ago, a small ladybug named Little Ladybug lived with her mother and father in a village that rested close to the edge of the sea. She was very beautiful but very different from the other ladybugs that lived around her. Unlike their many black spots on their red wings, this ladybug only had bright crimson red wings with no spots. She often felt very sad about not looking like the others, although her mother told her every night that she was the most special of all the ladybugs by the ocean. Still, the little ladybug cried herself to sleep many nights and did not even want to play with her friends for fear they would make fun of her and call her names because she was different. She usually stayed in her own yard with her parents and helped them by doing her chores. Her parents were very grateful for Little Ladybug because she was so helpful but knew she needed some encouragement.

One day Little Ladybug was in the house alone because her parents had flown out to the sea for a nice day at the beach. She was in the middle of tidying up the living room when she heard a knock at the door. It was a little old woman, who was crying and carrying a small paint bucket by her side. Immediately, little ladybug welcomed her inside and asked her to sit down. After a minute or two, the little old woman had calmed down enough to tell her what was wrong. She explained that she had been in town doing a favor for a friend when a group of men came along and scared her, causing her to fall and hurt her arm. Little Ladybug went to get a warm cloth to clean the woman’s arm and a compress to put on it so it would feel better. She also made some tea and brought it in for the older woman to drink. When she was satisfied that the little old woman was feeling better, she sat down on the couch beside her and promptly fell asleep.

When Little Ladybug woke up, it had gotten dark and her parents were standing over her, with tears of happiness in their eyes. Little Ladybug got up to hug them and saw her reflection in the mirror behind her. All over her wings were beautiful black dots, carefully painted one-by-one. They were perfectly round and painted a satiny black, which shined in the soft living room light. Her wings had also been repainted a shimmering shade of cherry red. Little Ladybug was beautiful. The older woman was nowhere in sight, but Little Ladybug knew that she had left her a wonderful gift. She had repaid Little Ladybug for her kindness, and Little Ladybug would be forever grateful that she had taken pity on such a kind passerby.

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Jillian Perrault

Sun the Sunflower

Once upon a time there was a flower named Sun. She had friends all over the flower field. Some were daffodils, some were roses, and there were even gardenias. Even though they were different kinds of flowers they still and one other huge difference. Sun was the only flower who hadn’t bloomed yet.

She complained to her parents daily after school. She couldn’t understand why she was the tallest flower but hadn’t bloomed. The other flowers would constantly remind her of this and it really hurt her feelings. Her mother promised her she would bloom soon. Sun doubted this until one morning she woke up and itched her forehead. She realized something was different. There was something sticking out of her head. She looked in the mirror and saw the biggest sunflower petals she had ever seen. Sun turned out to be the biggest most beautiful sunflower of the entire field.

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Dominique Picknell

Fiddler Crabs and Fat Hens

One day, Miss Fox caught Raccoon’s eye. He needed to do something to impress her, because he wanted her to really like him. So Raccoon went to his friend, Miss Rabbit for help. Now, Miss Rabbit was no fan of Miss Fox; especially not since Miss Rabbit liked Raccoon. Still, she said “Say hello. She’ll tell you what she likes.” So Raccoon went to Miss Fox and said hello, and asked if she wanted to go on a date with him. Miss Fox was very pretty, and her orange fur was exciting. She was also very clever, and Raccoon liked cleverness, being something of a clever bandit himself.

“Well,” said Miss Fox, “I don’t just go on dates with anyone, you know. You’ve got to do stuff for me. I want the fat hens from the farmer’s coop.” And with a blaze of orange, Fox was gone. But Raccoon was no quitter; he had to get those hens for Fox, but he didn’t know how. Fox was much cleverer about getting inside the coop. Raccoon tried, but the farmer came out of his house, making a whole lot of loud noise, Raccoon ran away. He tried again the next day, but he couldn’t get the latch before a big dog came and chased him off the farm. Once he was done huffing and puffing, he decided to ask a pro how to get a chicken out of it’s coop. He went to Miss Fox and asked how to get a chicken out of the coop. “Well,” said Miss Fox, “Actually, Mr. Fox gets me all the fat hens that I need. And a couple of nice eggs, too. So… have a really nice day.” Miss Fox laughed at him and ran away. Raccoon was so sad, he cried a little bit. He went back to his tree, and slept in his little den. After all, he had felt bad enough for the hens, but he still wanted to be friends with Miss Fox.

Raccoon was sad for a long time. But then, one day, when Raccoon was searching for fiddler crabs, he saw the beautiful Miss Raccoon. At first, Raccoon was very shy, but she was so pretty, he decided to go up to her anyways. He offered her a fiddler crab, and unlike Miss Fox, she accepted it graciously. She had a very black pretty mask across her face, and Raccoon thought it made her look bad… in a good way. Her fur was very colorful on her face, and she had very pretty eyes. She ate the fiddler crab on her back feet, and offered Raccoon a sprig of wild berries. They went on a date and lived happily ever after.

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Grant Reed

A great while ago, in land that would seem strange to most, a village of pretentious beauty stood far from the eyes of many. Visitors were some how drawn to it, much like the way water always seeks to return to the ocean. Its buildings appeared as though the mountain bore them from its rugged face, rather than being the creation of man. Walls were decorated with the artwork of nature and man combined; vines grew along the same lines man had painted. A unity of two forces that many in this present age find difficult to understand. Trees grew to lend their own in supporting the structures, with no regard to reach for the sun. As if somehow within this place, not even the trees looked for more than what they already had. A natural arch carved by narrow glaciers grinding slowly downhill, stood as the only entrance, and exit, to this place of grandeur. One may walk into its midst and be awestruck by the aesthetic pleasure of the landscape and village alike, but soon they would find themselves asking, “How have these people who live here now, created such as place?”

And the only answer to lend to inquisitive ears is to say, “For they have not.”

This seems only to stir more questions than was originally present. Have they not created it?

Were they not the builders; the engineers; the architects; the minds behind this place of harmony? Or did they, and has their own creation left them empty?

I may assure you only, within this world still walks one of the original. One who’s hands and mind dreamt into existence this place. One who’s hands and mind brushed the lines of paint that nature seeks to mimic. Yet, he no longer lives there. Something stirred within him, he realized that although he had poured himself into the construction of this beautiful place, it lent him nothing in return. The beauty was on the surface. Its harmony ran only deep enough to put one’s feet into, but not be fully immersed. And so he set out to ramble; to leave behind the prosperity of beauty in material and to seek that within. To build within himself a place of beauty. One to be shared with those around him, but one that could be carried where ever his feet carried him. And so to this day he rambles, sharing knowledge and wisdom that far outlasts the intellectual memory of most whom he shares it with. Those who encounter him have said that he has taken on the appearance of the places he has wandered through. His hair turned grey and earthen, but his skin turned the hues of the earth and the ocean’s edge he calls home. So, if once on journeys of your own you are privileged enough to encounter him; sit, listen, and allow him to lend you answers to questions you have yet to ask.

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Brittany Ross

Harmony, the Goddess of Beautiful Sound

“Harmony! It’s time to go inside!” called the child’s mother; or was it her father? She was playing on the side of the house and her curiosity forced her to follow the command to the back. Once she found that both of her parents, Melodia and Rythymus , were awaiting her presence, she smiled a bright, pleased smile.

Harmony, a girl of five years, has yet to speak her first word, or so her parents believe. Melodia and Rythymus know their daughter comprehends and reacts to their spoken language, but they are afraid that they have given life to a mute child, unable to communicate orally. Harmony has grown up with an understanding that everyone has the same voice. Unfortunately, she thinks, Harmony has discovered, through experimenting alone in her room, that her own voice is unlike anything that she has heard in her short life. In fact, she is sure that none before her possessed this trait. Harmony is afraid to be so different and strange in a world so simple. She doesn’t want her parents to be embarrassed to have a daughter so unlike their neighbors’ children.

One morning, when she noticed her mother was vacuuming, Harmony closed the door to her room and began to testing out her voice again. She discovered that when she wanted to, she could make the pitch of her voice higher or lower, changing the way she sounded. Using this technique, Harmony saw her possibilities as endless. She began to hum, flowing one pitch into another; then she began to improvise words where the hums used to be.

Just then the door to her room creaked. Harmony turned around and was shocked to see her mother, Melodia, standing there, just beyond the cracked open door. Instantly, Harmony began to apologize, only to be interrupted by her mother’s words.

“My child, why are you sorry? I have never heard anything so beautiful in my life! Why would you hide such a gift, my love? I never thought one would be able to make such wonderful sound with voice! Please, will you teach me?” From that day forward, our world has known the beauty of song.

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Benjamin Smith

The Tale of Young Gene Simmons

“Mr. Turtle, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” asked young Gene Simmons, “Well I’ve never made it without biting, ask Mr. Owl,” said the disgruntled, old, senile ocean dweller. Young Gene said to himself, “Oh no, not that mean ol’ jerky bird, I’ll figure this one out on my own.” It wasn’t long before Gene was a world-wide superstar Tootsie licker. It was his abnormally enormous tongue that boosted him to such stature. This opened up many new windows for him to explore. He even burst onto the music scene as many of today’s top (bottom) actors and actresses have done. He was much more successful than any of those hacks though. His band was brilliant, perhaps you’ve heard of Kiss? Well you wouldn’t have if it weren’t for delicious Tootsie Pops. Kiss had the most legendary concerts and some of the best fans. There was one fan that stood out from the rest, a real special chap. He was a Lickitung (Yea that’s a Pokemon). This Pokemon was a huge Kiss fan, but became sour with the band when Gene Simmons denied him of an autograph. Lickitung had a tongue so massive that he began to us sit to lure Gene’s fans away from his band by licking to a Tootsie Pop’s center in 2 licks, to get his revenge. Kiss was devastated by their rapidly diminishing fan base, and it called for drastic measures. Simmons has since then retired from Tootsie Pop licking, but knew the only way to get his fans to return was to take this Lickitung down in a battle for the ages. The rules were simple, 9000 pops each, first to the center of all of them without biting wins. It took but 13 seconds, and when the dust settled, there arose the victor. Gene had smashed Lickitung’s efforts, but at what price? The audience was shocked to see that Gene Simmons no longer had no hair. *Cough Cough Splat* Lickitung launched a rather impressive hair ball into the crowd, made of Gene Simmons’ jet black hair. Gene just glared at Lickitung for a moment, and did his trademark tongue wave in his opponent’s face to gloat about his victory. What a terrible story.

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Samie Staubitz

Mother Earth Makes the World

One day, when Mother Earth and Father Sun were floating around in the universe, they both decided they were very lonely. Mother Earth looked down at her body and started to become self-conscious. She decided she did not like being covered in bouncy, turquoise colored waves. She was filled with water, and nothing else. Mother Earth looked at Father Sun, jealous and envious of his beautiful colors, textures and features he carried around on his sphere. She could not understand why everyone else had friends living on them and she was filled with nothing but water. She hoped and prayed that someday she would be able to create places on her globe, so she would not be so ugly anymore.

It was a lonely night in September, the air was starting to get chilly, and the waves were picking up in the sea. It had been three months since Mother Earth expressed her feelings of sorrow to Father Sun, and she had not seen any changed on her body. When Mother Earth closed her eyes and laid down for bed, in her fields of stars, she felt unusually different than she normally did. Cramps filled her stomach with pangs, sudden and fast, not giving her anytime to yell out screams of fear. She thought maybe it was that time of the month again, but then realized she had just gotten her period last week. What was happening? Did Father Sun accidentally get her pregnant without her knowing?

When Mother Earth woke up the next morning, she could not believe the scene on her stomach. There were seven objects, placed apart in all different directions, each with different features and textures. Some of the spots had hills, others were flat and one was even filled with a layer of white, fluffy snow. Mother Earth could not believe her eyes! Had her dream come true? She was now a proud mother of seven continents! She was confused on how she was able to give birth to seven continents without the help of Father Sun. She ran quickly over to Father Sun’s bed, and tapped him on his fire balls … “Father Sun, did we intertwine orbits last night?” Father Sun looked at Mother Earth with a flabbergasted face and said, “No way, I was over at Uranus’s place!”

Mother Earth had somehow, on her own, given birth to her new seven children, which she called her seven continents. It must have been the way the moon was facing her that night in September. In order to remember all of her children’s names, she created a system. Each continent had a different feature than the others, and this enabled Mother Earth to name each of them individually. There was North America, who was the prettiest, then Africa who was the most tan, South America, who did not speak English, Antarctica which was all white, Asia which was shaped like an almond, Europe, who drank tea at every hour of the day and Australia who bounced around like a kangaroo. And that was how the Earth was formed …