Burnt imagination

”Courage is the resistance to fear, the mastery of fear, not absence of fear” -Mark Twain

    Kieth Hanlon hadn’t seen his brother for five years. Keith was 23 years old and lived by himself in a small house. Keith’s twin brother, Andrew, who also 23 years old. Their mother passed away from trauma 10 years earlier. Their dad moved away from their house and retired to the countryside. The father gave their old house to both of them to sell. They hadn’t been to this house for 5 years. When they were to go back to the house to renovate they were sad because that was were their little sister went missing.

     They met up in a subway near the town which they used to live in. They drove together to the house and stayed their the next on sleeping pads on the floor. The next morning the young men went out the front yard gardening and they saw they old man walk by. The same old man that confronted them in the old abandon house down the street. They walked up to the man and as they did they remembered what he said years back before their sister went missing.

     “Why did you say not to bring our sister into the old abandoned house.” Keith asked. The old man answered, “A long time ago that house used to be a bakery. Me and my wife lived their with our daughter. One day the house burned down and our little girl was stuck in the flames and just kept crying, my dolls will protect me! My dolls will protect me! Over and over again as she got melted away by the fire.” He paused, “So your sister went missing, I see” the old man answered. “The only way to bring her back is to go to the house and burn your sisters doll. And then you will be able to bring her back.” The old man said. He then walked away. Andy grabbed his hand gun and the two brothers ran to the Abandoned house and broke down the front door.

     They barged in and say the doll on the middle of the kitchen floor laying on its back. “Go start a fire” Keith said to Andy. Andy ran outside to find wooden scraps. Keith slowly approached it and bent down and picked up the doll. He walked outside and tossed it in the fire that Andy made. They watched as the dolls yarn hair shriveled up and the skin turn black and burning stuffing squeezed out of its burning body.

     When the doll was finished shriveling up. The two boys saw a flash of light and were at the same spot next to the house but the house was new looking and not all wrecked. They walked in the house and on the floor was a puddle of blood. They slowly crept up the stairs Andy’s handgun pointed forward. Their were splotches of blood on the top of the stairs and in the upstairs hallway. They walked down the hall to the little girl room. They opened the door and what they saw horrified them.

     Their were at least ten bloody bodies of little girls sitting up against the wall were they remembered the dolls were. They saw their little sister sitting at the end of the row. Their six year old sister sister had buttons brutally stabbed into her eye sockets and a smile sowed into her face. The rest of the bodies of little girls were like this also. Keith felt a warm breath on the back of his neck.

     He turned around and saw a tormenting deep red face with charred black hair and pitch black eye sockets. Andy shot at the creature at least five times with no effect. The brothers ran over the their sisters bloody body and hoisted her up. All of a sudden the house caught on fire and brothers were trapped in this small room with a homicidal creature that started screaming, “your gonna die!” “Your gonna die!”

     The brothers ran over to the window and broke it open. They climbed out onto the roof and the burnt girl sprinted over towards them. The girl grappled onto Keith’s leg. “Get’er off me!” He wailed. Andy shot at her red boiling face. The girl released her grip and the boys fell off the roof onto the ground. As they hit the ground the house turned all black and old again and their little sister woke up. “W-what happened” she said. And then she fainted.

Class trip

“You don’t always need a plan. Sometime you just breath, trust, let go, and see what happens.”

-Mandy Hale

     It was a cool night as we huddled around the campfire. The Windsor staff singing a camp song and us doing had motions along. We were only half a day into our trip but we were already bonding as a class and as people. The dark surroundings kept us focused on what really mattered which was us. The stars weren’t out although we all imagined they were behind the thick layer of clouds that coated the sky.

     The first day we got settled into our cabins with our advisor and then had a big meeting in a empty “meeting hall”. Our advisor played games for awhile until we had to go to out first periods. Our advisor had waterfront and since it was a wet day we couldn’t go in the water. We were disappointed but we were still happy to play team bonding games and activities which we did as an alternative. The next and last period we had that day was low ropes. Our advisor went into a building and played a game were we had to get from different platforms with to small planks that were each not long enough to make it from one to the other so we came up with a solution which was and we were able to as a group complete the challenge. We had a pasta dinner and then had some time to play games like ping pong and tetherball. After that we had campfire and then went to bed.

     The next morning Mr. Fitz woke me up early to go running. I was very exited but not very energized. I ran for at least 3 or so miles until I started to get very tired and then I turned back and ran back to camp. At camp I read for awhile until breakfast started. Breakfast was oatmeal and our advisor had KP which they called kitchen party i think. We washed the dishes and then went to our first period of the day. We had high ropes as our period. I was very excited since I have always loved ropes courses and the fear and adrenaline of being up high on a tight rope or a wobbly board. They had two options which we the grapevine and the Jacobs latter. I succeeded in the grapevine which was a tight rope with dangling ropes hanging down for support. I then attempted the Jacobs latter with Sam, it was a giant latter with the rungs at least five feet apart and ten feet wide. We helped each other up to each rung one at a time up the wobbly, wet, and slippery boards. As we climbed suspended about 30 feet in the air feeling like we were about to fall. Me and Sam made it to the fourth bar until we had to get off because the period ended. After that daring and frightful event we had a nice snack of goldfish and apples. After snack, we had drumming above the dining hall. Drumming was fun and a couple of advisees seemed to nail it. After we had lunch we had the shield activity. Then we had free period, I went to the waterfront to make up for missing it. After that we had dinner and campfire. We then went to sleep.

     We woke up the next morning a little sad that it was our last day. We had egg sandwiches for breakfast and then had our first period which was indicatives. During initiatives we did team building games and activities and seemed to successfully complete most of them. After initiatives we had snack and went to games. We played broom ball in the meeting hall and then went to the common area and played ping pong and spike ball. Then we had goals and reflections in the dining hall. We were a little depressed that it was our last activity. We discussed our goals for the year and other aspects of life. We then played ninja and I lost. After goals and reflections we went back to our dorm to pack up. As we walked out onto the path and walked to the buses carrying our luggage we reflected back to our times there and the moments we had shared with each other.

     The trip was fun and inspiring for at least me and probably the whole grade. My favorite activities were the ropes course with Sam and then going back the next day and beating my record with Liam. I loved the waterfront and the ropes swing. The food was great but that doesn’t really matter. What really matters is the bonding with my classmates and that was the soul purpose of the trip.

Fenn opportunity 

    Fenn is a school that gives opportunity and chances to try new things. It is a place to try something like languages, arts, sports and more. Fenn is very important to me because it was when I came to Fenn that I started to finally be able to find and use my skills. I have never been able to wrestle or woodwork before I came to Fenn. Along with the freedom and independence that Fenn gives you. I couldn’t think of what would be if I didn’t come to Fenn in the first place.

     Before I came to Fenn I never used a real camera. In photo class I was able to finally use and learn about them. I learned how to photoshop and take pictures and work all the settings of the camera. Before Fenn, I had never been in a play or an act. At Fenn I have acted in at least two and been in the tech crew in many more.

     Before I came to Fenn I went to the Lincoln public school and it definitely didn’t have the same effect that Fenn has on me. Fenn has a lasting good effect on the students that go to it and a lasting good effect on the people that go to it too. It was a challenge to change and begin a new school in 6th grade but when I got to Fenn I was and still am grateful that I am here.

Charred Imagination 

 By: Connor Soukup

“Whenever I am about to do something stupid I think, would an idiot do that?, if an idiot would, I would not do that thing” - Dwight Shrute

      It was the spring of 1960, 12 year old Keith and his twin brother Andy were feeling adventurous. Their was an old house that was said said to of caught fire and was then abandoned. A section of the left side of the house was collapsed and the house was black and charred. When they finally built up enough courage the two daring brothers stepped into the house through the unlocked back door.

     They went into the main room and saw a big brick stove and a couple of charred loafs of bread. There was mice scrambling around the messy wood floor. The two boys climbed the stairs to the second floor. There were a couple of empty rooms but one room that was completely full that had an old twin bed and dressers and a wardrobe. There were a bunch of slightly charred dolls that were leaned against the wall. The room was dirty and charred, it had burnt pink curtains that were starting to fall apart and hang down to the floor. The boys played around in the room and jumped on the bed. All of a sudden the boys heard the door downstairs open. The boys ran down the stairs in hope to escape. They stopped when they saw an old man standing by the door. “Who are you?” Andy asked. “I used the live in this house” the old man responded. “Until it burnt down in 1940”. “W-why did you come back?” Andy said. “To warn you” the man said. “Warn us what?” Keith butted in. “That you can play here all you want but never bring your sister”. The old man warned. “Um… ok” Keith said. The boys left in a hurry.

      Weeks later Keith and Andy decided to go back. Their mom told them they needed to bring their little sister, Jamie because she was going out to town and needed someone to watch her. The brothers forgot about the old man's warning and went on. When they got to the house they decided to go back to the bedroom. When they were up thier the sister noticed the dolls. Being six she went over and started playing with them. Suddenly, the sister saw a flash and here brothers were gone. She was in the same room but it was nice and not burnt. She saw a figure rise up from under the bedsheets. Then she heard a girls voice say “what are you doing with my dolls”, “put them down”. “Put my dolls down!” “Put them down!”. Jamie put them down. “Why were you touching my dolls!” The bedsheet slowly slid off her face. It revealed black messy charred hair. Then a red blistered forehead. Then it revealed her eyes which were just black holes. It showed her teeth and her lips which were bloody and blistered. Her lips puffed out and her teeth her black and charred. And then it showed a burnt blistered face of a little girl. “What were you doing with my dolls!” She said. The little Jamie started to cry. She got up and ran down stairs. The girl got up and chased after her. They ran down the stairs and to the kitchen area. The girl caught up to Jamie and pushed her down. “Don’t touch my dolls!” The girl said. “Since you love dolls so much why don’t you become one!”. The burnt girl then took out a sewing kit and threaded the needle. “Now you will feel my pain” she said. The burnt girl started sewing into her skin. She sewed through her skin to make smile on her face. Jamie screamed and cried as the burnt girl plunged the needle in and out of her skin. As the burnt girl kept sewing, Jamie started feeling a burning feeling in her chest and it spread throughout her body. Finally the burnt girl sewed two black buttons into her eyes. Jamie’s body went numb as everything went black.

      Back in the bedroom the brothers couldn’t find their sisters anywhere they looked all over the house but she was nowhere to be seen. The brothers decided to go back home to inform their parents. On their way out they saw a doll laying on the kitchen floor. Andy said to himself , “Hey, that doll sort of looks like Jamie”.