B Bradley the Inventor
By Francis Allgood
Last year, we got a new kid in our class. His name is "B Bradley." We really didn't notice him much until last summer.
I am on the same swim team as B. Every morning, we have swimming practice at 7:30. That is just too early. Our coach is very firm--no goofing around! B and I are in the same swimming lesson and live in the same neighborhood. We've both been complaining about lack of sleep.
My mom made me go home from practice with B last week. I really wanted to go to my best friend's house, but we car pool with the Bradley's and mom had to take care of some business. I'll never forget that day.
B has a nice home--nothing too fancy. But his room is a real surprise. We walked into an immaculate room. He didn't have any carpet or rugs--just linoleum--black and white. All of his walls are painted black. His bunk beds are built into the wall, up high, like a loft. B has one wall that resembles a chemistry lab. His father built him these chrome shelves that go all the way up to the ceiling. And there is a ladder that rolls along the top shelf. He has hundreds of bottles in rich greens, deep blues, and vibrant reds--each neatly labeled. He has a lap top which contains all of his experiments.
I said, "Wow, B! What a room." He looked sort of embarrassed and told me that he and his dad planned it just so. He said, "You're in luck! Today we are going to work out the details of the rocket launcher." Of course, I have no idea what he's talking about. "I'm going to build some rockets for the Fourth of July fire works," he continued. "I've got some light weight metal sheets and I need your help in building a base for the rocket." I was sort of relieved that I wasn't going to have to mix up combustible ingredients over a hot Bunsen burner!
We got some supplies and looked up the rocket launcher on the internet. B had lots of contacts and web sites to check out for reference. After reading the instructions, I could think of nothing but molding the rocket launcher into position. When I heard my mom's horn honk outside I jumped up in amazement! How could four hours have slipped away that fast? Especially considering that I was learning something new! I told B goodbye, and he promised not to continue until I came back tomorrow.
I have been to B's house every day this week. We are now finishing the rocket launcher and it is time to paint. We took it to the back yard and spent the afternoon painting several rockets and their launchers in red, white, and blue. By the time I had to go home, we had five rockets lined up on the fence to dry. All of them ready for the 4th of July.
Every year, our neighborhood has a party on July 4th. This year it is in my cul-de-sac. I'm thrilled that I got to help B create the patriotic rockets. I feel like I've really contributed to the festivities. When it finally got dark, we all began to shoot bottle rockets and fire crackers! Then, B put on a real show with a rocket. It must have shot up a mile. Then, a little army man floated down in a parachute. Everyone gave B a standing ovation.
It took us fifteen minutes to find the parachute. Mom made us clean up all the debris and B and I just sat outside talking until midnight. Now I just can't wait until the science fair.

THE RIFCOG It was a cold dark night my mum and dad were out at a dinner party. My grandpa was asleep that's nothing unusual for him to do at his age . There was knocking at are door, I wasn't shore if I should wake up my grandpa or answer the door I remembered that my aunty was supposed to visit so it was probably her.
I walked over to the front door and twisted the handle then the door opened and there stood the outline of a huge monster with what seemed like six red eyes . I thought it was going to reach out and grab me but instead it stepped forwards, out of the shadows and patted me on the head. It was then that I realised it was aunt RIFCOG.
She walked straight past me without even saying hello. My aunt walked up to my grandpa and slapped him on the head he snorted and wriggled. My aunt huffed and said "just the same as last time,snoring his head off". My aunt Stuck out her hands and her nails grew longer and sharper her eyes glowed with anger, her teeth became bright white and longer than usual, her skin sprouted with green hair. My aunt's body changed into a blobby shape and lastly her eyes duplicated until she had six eyes.
My aunt was no longer an aunt; she was a "RIFCOG", a beast that lives in a tree trunk in the forest near where my aunty lives. I always wondered why my aunt is always down by the Forest .
There is only one thing to get this evil spirit out of my aunt I have to get some light into its face. I grabbed a torch and shone it in to my aunt's face. The slime melted of my aunt's body her eyes became normal again her teeth became normal again the hair fell of and then my aunt fell to the floor. Just then my parents rang the door bell and my grandpa woke up.
THE END

The Candle
I was in the basement of my grandma's house when my grandma called for me to come upstairs. I ran up and she said she was leaving, but my cousin Shayla was coming over. Well my grandma left and I stayed upstairs watching TV for a bit until Shayla came. My grandma had just moved in to the house, so we weren't familiar. We only knew that there was some mysterious storm shelter in the backyard that was bolted shut.
We went outside to find the keys because we were 11 and didn't know what to do. We found a locket, a key and 3 jellybeans in a box that was buried. We tried the key. It was too big, so we put everything back except the locket. Then Shayla went into the shed and brought out a huge shovel. She started smacking the shelter door with it. After about 3 minutes of her smacking and me picking open the locket, a huge hole was in the shelter door. We couldn't see anything in there because it was too dark outside.
We went in to get a flashlight when we heard a big "BOOM" coming from outside. Shayla ran outside to find the whole entire shelter door caved in. I brought the flashlight and shined it in there. Shayla went to get a camera but I wasn't sure why. I looked in but right when I turned on the flashlight, it went dead. So, Shayla got another. She shined the flashlight and I just couldn't believe what I saw, but I knew it was true, and real. Shayla snapped some pictures and we got out as quickly as possible.
When grandma came home, we weren't there. We were at the neighbor's house. We went back to grandma's and she said, "I was looking for you two. Where were you?" "At Joey's house" I said with fear in my voice and eyes as I looked outside at the shelter.
Shayla and I ran outside and guess what?..... The shelter door was back on, bolted shut, and everything was perfectly in place how it was before. Shayla tried to tell grandma what happened, but grandma seemed mad about us snooping around. Grandma said "I cannot believe what you girls are saying. I just can't. I mean it looks like you didn't break the door or anything."
At that point I knew it was all a dream; the dead man in the shelter, the locket, the jelly beans, the key.
Everything!!!
But then Shayla pulled out her digital camera and showed it to grandma. It was a disturbing picture and I puked. Sorry, I would put a picture of it on here but I don't have it.

Alone
My mother and father had just left the house to go to the movies.

I was baby-sitting my two little sisters when the doorbell rang. I knew that I shouldn't answer the door for obvious reasons, but something drew me to open it.
I saw a man at the door and said, "Can I help you?" He looked at me and stared, as if he didn't hear me the first time. I repeated myself several times, but he just stared. I remembered that he might be deaf, and taking three years of sign language, I signed 'Can I help you?' He nodded, heavily and then pushed me aside and stepped in. I signed 'Do I know you? Do my parents know you?' He nodded again. And then stared at the back wall with the picture of a strange figure that came with the house.
My father wanted to throw it away, but my mother said it would go with her new wallpaper. Anyway, back to the story.
He automatically sat at the kitchen table, like he knew where everything was in the house. I asked him what his name was and he shook his head no. I asked him again and he shook his head no, more seriously this time. I started to get scared for myself and my two baby sisters in the house. I told him to wait there and I would be back later. I ran into the next room and picked up the phone to call the police. But when I picked up the phone, I didn't hear a dial tone; I heard breathing ... deep breathing.
I hung up the phone and stared into the kitchen. The man was still sitting there, he hadn't moved. I called the kids upstairs and I locked them in my room so he wouldn't hurt them or whatever he planned to do. Then I ran into my parents room to get the cordless, so I could peek into the kitchen to see if he picked up the phone. When I went downstairs, I looked into the kitchen. 'Good,' I thought. 'He's still sitting down. Now I can call.' But when I clicked the phone, I heard breathing, even though he was sitting down. I screamed and hid behind the wall.
I didn't like this. When I looked to see if he heard me (I screamed so loud that even a deaf man could hear me) he was gone. I don't know what happened, but when I looked at the picture on the wall, there was the man; he was staring at me and occasionally he would blink.
I told my parents and they didn't see the man there. Only I could see him. I don't know why, but I am never alone anymore.

“I Wish” Once upon a time there was a little girl called Millie and a little boy called Billy who was Millie’s younger brother. Millie and Billy shared the same bedroom and sometimes, when it was bedtime and they were snuggled up in bed, they would play a game that Millie had made up called “I wish”. They would take it in turns to start first.
Tonight it was Billy’s turn. He said, “I wish I had a tree house made of wood, high up in the tree at the end of the garden.”
“How would you get to your tree house?” Millie asked. “Would you climb up the branches of the tree?”
“I wouldn’t need to,” Billy said. “There would be a rope ladder attached to the tree house and I’d climb up that.”
“It’s my turn now and you’ve given me an idea,” Millie said. “I wish I could fly like a bird. Then I’d fly up and see you in your tree house.”
“That was a good wish,” Billy said. “Now its time for my next one.”
“What’s that?” Millie asked.
“I wish I had my own little car that I could drive up and down the garden path,” Billy said.
“A toy car?” Millie asked.
“No – a real car but a little one,” Billy replied. “It would have a real little engine and everything.”
“Do you know what I wish?” Millie said, taking her next turn.
“What?” Billy asked.
“I wish it would snow tomorrow,” Millie said. “Then we could have a snow fight with snowballs and make a snowman too and have loads of fun.”
“Yes,” agreed Billy. “That would be great. I wish that too.”
Just then mummy came into the bedroom. “Time to go to sleep,” she said. “Snuggle down under the covers, children. It’s a cold night and snow is forecast for tomorrow. Say night-night.”
“Night-night, mummy,” Millie and Billy said, and then smiled to one another. It looked as if that last wish of theirs might come true. Thinking dreamily about the fun they were going to have if it was snowy the next day, Millie and Billy snuggled down and fell fast asleep.