Idiomville

Well, the coffeehouse has come and gone, and now it's time to settle down and read November's ninth-grade (and very belated) post!

Have you ever exaggerated? Ever said something that wasn't meant to be taken literally? Ever said idiom? Now normally we dismiss these ideas as just a phrase... but what if it was taken literally? What if when a cat had your tongue, it actually did. Well, welcome to Idiomville, were all your everyday idioms, become real.

 

Idiomville

The town looked quiet and old-timey as I parked in the five and dime parking lot. The population was a mere five hundred and the streets were bare. I slowly hopped out of the car and opened the diner door.

"Hello?"

From the back-room I could here harsh whispering. It sounded like a pretty intense argument. But when they heard my voice they quieted down and came out--with an axe. "Oh, um I'll...I'll come back later" I rushed to the door.

"No, no I just have an axe to grind with her," the old man said.

"Sorry?" I asked, opening the door.

"Oh, nevermind that! Come in and have a seat, what can I get for you?"

"I'll just have a cup of Joe."

The man's face contorted and suddenly he said, "Excuse me?! We don't serve cannibals here. You're going to have leave and take your sick ideas with you!"

I sat there dazed for a second--before realizing what he thought I meant. I then proceeded to explain to him that I called coffee "a cup of Joe". He slowly nodded his head and went to the back of the kitchen. I took a deep breath in.

Suddenly a hooded man entered the diner and sat in the booth behind me. The little old waitress scurried over with the coffee pot and leaned down to pour me a steaming cup. I smiled to her and she leaned in close. "Obviously you're a visitor to town, so listen to me and listen well. That man over there," she gestured to the hooded figure, "has quite a temper. Last week, in an intense argument, he lost his head."

She left it at that and waddled back to the kitchen. I rolled my eyes. I couldn't stand people who were so easily overtaken by emotion. I decided that I would ignore him--keep my distance as best as I could. Unfortunately, that wasn't very well. He stood up and came over to me. "Could I have some of that coffee?" he asked, rather politely.

"Sure," I said.

He leaned over to pour the coffee and when he stood back up his hood fell off. Suddenly I felt sick. I looked at him in total shock and disgust. Where he should have had a head, there was an empty void. I shot up from the table and ran to the door. But suddenly a teenage girl entered and threw her textbook across the floor. She then proceeded to kick it, punch it and slap it. I watched, in horror as she took her rage out on the thing. But most disturbing of all was the lack of response from the other townspeople. Suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. "Excuse me, miss? What exactly do you think your doing?"

She looked at me confused, "Um, I have a test tomorrow. So I thought that I had better hit the books."

I had seen enough. I walked right out of that diner. As I started walking towards my car a group of guys started to walk towards me. The "pack leader" called out to me as he got closer, "High five!"

I lifted my hand up as he pulled from his pocket a paper number five and held it above his head. I lowered my hand and smiled sheepishly.

"Woah, dude. Not cool--dissing me like that, so not cool." he sulked.

I didn't know what to do. The people in this town were insane. I sat down in the middle of the parking lot--maybe I was the one going crazy. I needed to take a break from the outside world. I sat in my own silence for no longer than one minute before I felt a tap on my shoulder. A little girl, maybe six years old, sat beside me.

"Keep an eye on that one," she whispered.

"Who? What?"

"Keep an eye on that boy who just gave you a high five. I certainly do," she said.

Nodding, I responded, "Oh, okay. Thank you."

I turned to look at the boy who I had just high fived. On his shoulder was something round, white and seemingly squishy. I looked closer and to my surprise I realized it was a human eye. When I turned to look at the little girl I noticed her left eye missing. I am positive I fainted right then and there.

By now, I was tired and confused. To make matters worse it started raining cats and dogs on me. Literally. A puddle of Dachsunds lay across the street and Siamese cats started filling the gutters. Poodles were showering down all around me and Calicos fell in heavy sheets around me. It was pouring. I stood up and unlocked my car. I wasn't wet, but furry. I saw an ASPCA truck travelling down the road. On my windshield a small paper fluttered in the wind. "GREAT DANE HURRICANE IS COMING... BE PREPARED!" I sighed, started my car and headed down the road.

You are now leaving Idiom-ville.

Population: 500

Hope to see you again!

As if.

by Rory R., Grade 9

artwork by Claudia E., Grade 9

The Countdown Continues!

A flash of light, a mysterious girl, and an even more mysterious land. These are just some of the things that await you behind the doors of "Where to Belong." When books and girls fly and where the very fabric of reality is tested, "Where to Belong" will keep you guessing to the very end.

Artwork by Michael H., Grade 8



Where to Belong

A striking flash of light struck the house in two. Acrid smells of smoke curled from the burning house. But strangely, it wasn’t burning. No, it was merely the blinding light engulfing the house, filling every nook and crevice. Every part of the house was smothered in this mysterious light- except for one tiny corner. The light stretched and teared to get to it, pulling with every drop of its energy. Then, in that one millisecond, everything disappeared. 

Caroline slid out of the window. What had happened? She wasn’t sure. One moment she had been sitting on her bed, admiring the daylight streaming from her window, the very window she tumbled out of, reading her book, when she noticed the light getting stronger and stronger, and stronger still…..Caroline felt the grass beneath her. Course, rough, and bland, just like the way everything else seemed to her. Sighing, she picked up the bland book off of the bland grass and walked through the bland neighborhood that she was in.  She came across the grasslands with the path winding towards a land nobody has ever dared ventured before. Now, it was deserted. Now, it was just a bland scenery for bland people to look at when life was too bland to be noticed. Caroline looked up at the sky stretching infinitely from the horizon.

She wanted to be a bird; she wanted to fly on the never-ending sky and let her soul be free. In her imagination, she saw a girl holding onto the strings of balloons, their colors striking compared to the dull neighborhood. The girl was somehow different from anyone Caroline had ever seen. It wasn’t her complexion; it wasn’t even the fact that she was flying. It was her energy, how it surrounded her, how it danced around her the most buoyantly out of all of the striking features that she possessed. It was the smile, so bright and graceful.  The girl seemed so much more content than Caroline. On the girl’s dress was the word “Ella” sown in beautiful flowing letters. Then Caroline realized that it wasn’t her imagination. It was reality. The balloons were books drifting away, pulling Ella with her. Caroline glanced around her, but nobody seemed to notice the girl flying in the sky. 

Ella gracefully retrieved a book with a flourish of her hand, and the book traveled down to Caroline. It situated itself on the fence in one graceful movement and flipped open the pages. It was a picture of Dumbo, the elephant. The pages flipped again, depicting Dumbo waving. Caroline hesitantly waved back. Another page. Dumbo’s long trunk pointed towards the direction of the grassland. Follow me, it seemed to say. With one fluid movement, it leapt off of the molding fence and fluttered onto the crusty path. It seemed to Caroline that it was winding to the very brink of the world. Cautiously, she stepped on the trail to follow the flyaway volume.  

 It seemed to go on for an eternity. But strangely, Caroline enjoyed the feeling of never reaching the end, so when they finally came to stop at a tall, stocky house, she felt a little disappointed. She would have pursued this peculiar book to the end of the world if it hadn’t been such an odd circumstance. The book swooped down and landed at her feet. This page was Dumbo taking his hat off as a welcome greeting. Caroline warily stepped into the house. She didn’t know why, but for some odd reason, this place gave her a feeling she never felt before. It wasn’t just that paperbacks were flying around at their leisure or that every nook and cranny was jammed with books; it was something more. The feeling of energy seemed to show up everywhere here. It seemed to brighten up; the air seemed to fill with color, emotion, and everything that Caroline had never experienced before. It was a refreshing feeling, suddenly opening her eyes to the world. Life didn’t seem as dull anymore; everywhere there was this magical feeling of happiness that seemed to thrive in every corner and every molecule of air in this house. Dumbo had a look of anticipation on his face as he looked to Caroline. He showed her a huge book twice as big as her, propped up on the lectern. It was filled with curlicues of letters, myriad characters, and seemed more magical than any book she had ever seen. Dumbo seemed to be asking her, Can you comprehend this? Caroline realized with a start that she could; the meaning was coming to her faster than a rapid going downstream. She wandered through this place in awe. Everything seemed so peaceful and just. Books-old, new, fancy, plain, big, small, hardcover, textbooks- anything you could think of- they were all here in this beautiful house. And to think that nobody has ever thought of coming here! Sequence the books into chronological order, commanded Dumbo to the mounds of books. He was clearly the boss here. The piles and piles of volumes greeted Caroline warmly with bursts of excitement. Some settling down on her arm whiles others bowed in unison.

"Will you dance with us?" asked the books. Caroline never felt so happy, so loved. The events following were blurs of joy, music, color, and energy. It was the most exhilarating day she had ever experienced. The pleasure was almost too much to process; Caroline only remembered the dancing, the jubilancy, and the laughing. 

 Somehow, she ended up in the most peaceful sleep she’s ever experienced. The large book, that acted as a bed, also helped. Sometime in the period between falling asleep and waking up, she seemed to realize something. That she was chosen. Chosen to be the one like Ella and find someone to pass on this life, to make someone else’s existence feel appreciated and fill it with color. She was chosen to help the world understand the importance of books, and to cherish these memories. Someday, she would be like Ella, floating with the books to someplace only people who have realized where the key can go to. Maybe she will pass down the book too, and fill up someone else’s heart to the brim of happiness. 

by Ling X., Grade 8

Coffeehouse Countdown!

So if it seems like we are running a little late on our posts this month, we are!
We have been planning the first-ever Holicong Coffeehouse, and these three posts will lead up to the day of the coffeehouse on Friday the 13th of November.  We hope you can join us.

While surrounded by the world of literature, people can find a companion, someone who they can live a life full of journeys and emotions with. On such journeys, they can also begin their quest for clarity, a deep understanding of life. If You Want a Friend and Clarity will provide you with an insight of these writers' own quests through literature.

 

 

If You Want a Friend

If you want to escape,

whisked away

to a world

with more surprises

than stars in the night sky.

Where imagination and reality collide.

And emotions are merely a game.

If you want a friend

that will make you laugh,

wispy like a fairy’s light kiss

or deep and pure like rare diamonds.

That will make you cry,

cause a single lonely tear

or the waterfall of grief from a broken heart.

That will make you mad,

angry like a bloated volcano

ready to unleash its rage.

That will inspire you,

ignite the flame of curiosity

that burns with passion

and intensity

and keeps you up at night,

wondering.

 

A friend

that gives you

wisdom,

power,

excitement,

fear,

and a plethora more.

A friend that shows you

darkness,

despair,

light,

hope,

and peace.

 

If you want a friend,

follow the musky scent,

crisp,

creamy,

pearl-white pages,

and colorful covers

of the stories

you will never forget.

by Trinity F., Grade 7

 

 

artwork by Carmella P., Grade 7

 

 

Clarity

                                                             

I don’t understand.

I don’t want to understand.

I should understand.

My eyes grasp a tear

But I can’t lock it in

The tears rain down like an April shower

My sadness bubbles to the surface

  I scream but it’s not heard

I cry but it’s not worth hearing

I don’t understand.

 

I don’t want to understand.

I should understand.

My mind and heart sink low

Entering a puddle of midnight black ink

My dreary eyes close

Sun peeks through these unamendable cracks of wonder

Suddenly, sunlight shatters the storm cloud over my brain

My mind is washed away of worries

My tears slowly fade and dry

I finally understand and I don’t know why

It may be hard but it’s worth the fight

I understand.

I want to understand.

I needed to understand.

Clarity

 

by Zara L., Grade 7