In February we found ourselves buried under endless snow, but as the month wraps up, the sun is giving us hope of something new: a little warmth, green buds bursting, and a play written by seventh-grade students set in ancient Greece. For the first time in its history, Sevenatenine features a script at the end of this post this month, created by a group who calls themselves "The Burnt Potatoes." The plot might leave you asking . . . will it get a second season in March? You will have to wait and see!
But first enjoy two pieces from our editors, a poem about dreams and a short story that just might haunt your dreams and leave you wanting more. The infamous longest-shortest month of the year is ending. Take some time for reading the wonderful work our Holicong students are creating.
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| Artwork by Brendan K., Grade 8 |
Dreams
Dreams are a half-thought-out joke, scribbled on a page.
Unwritten stories, sketches, and plays.
Dreams are stares in the mirror,
A reflection of doubt.
Dreams cling to hope,
That ideas may wander out.
So maybe someday,
Above the crowded streets of a
city,
There will stand a girl
It’s her thoughts that are pretty,
Those unwritten words, the
half-thought-out wit,
It pours from her mouth,
and no one will sit.
Dreams are large, growing, and
vast.
And you will reach them,
Releasing your past.
by Zoe L., Grade 9
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| Artwork by Mia M., Grade 8 |
Too Big
A cat strides through the dark, a beacon in the night. Its
glaucous fur illuminates its path as a fuzzy halo, an interruption to this
mysterious black void it seems to be in. The cat moves forward, but nothing
appears. Just more and more black, like water had been poured on the sun and it
turned cold, oozing its tar remains all over the planet. If the cat wasn’t
there shining its blue light on the landscape, there would be nothing. Nothing
at all.
So this feline must be important.
And that’s when the mysterious creature stops. Only for a moment.
But a glitch in the program, big or small, means something amiss. Something
worth paying attention to. Something dangerous.
Now the cat stops again, and sits, it’s tail swishing back and forth,
creating a fan of light behind itself. And in this same moment, this cat
transforms. Into a girl. She has long, glowing locks the same color as her past
feline form. They are floating off her shoulders, still the only source of
light. She looks to be around seventeen, and she is wearing all white. It
stings to look at her, illuminated against this miserable black place.
And her eyes.
Oh, her eyes.
They must’ve been the same as they were when she was a cat, as her
pupils were slits, cautioning, and alert. But it is their color that makes them
so abnormally beautiful. They are, of course, white. The flecks, though.
Glaucous, and stunning. They glittered against her matching aura.
She speaks, and her voice echoes off invisible walls. “What is
foolish enough to join me here?” Her words are strong. Dangerous.
Nothing seems to happen, but the girl glares, and shifts her
position. “Don’t you dare taunt me. I can destroy you with the snap of my fingers.”
Another voice booms throughout the dark, and the girl stiffens.
“You may have stopped the others. But you will never stop
me, dear Evangeline.”
The girl called Evangeline’s eyes flick toward the side. “How do
you know who I am?” She growls.
A chilling, evil laugh reverberates around, and Evangeline closes
her eyes.
“I’ve known you since the first time you came here. Because I was
your first enemy.”
Evangeline’s aura flickers. “You,” she whispers, suddenly shaken.
“How?”
“The Wonderers don’t know what they don’t know, honey. And neither
do you.”
“Get to the point.”
“Well... when you defeat darkness... it doesn’t just go away. When
you turn on a light, is the blackness vanquished? No. Because when you turn
that light off again, it’s right where you left it. Ready to play.”
“What are you saying.”
“I’m saying that you and your team of so-called warriors are no
heroes. And neither are you.”
Suddenly, the darkness surrounding Evangeline becomes darker
somehow. Like a fresh layer on a faded streak of black paint.
Her glow flickers once more.
“No.”
“Yes,” the voice counters. “We’ve been here the whole time.
Resting. Watching. Learning. So that when we do come back, we’re stronger, and
smarter than before. And so that we can get rid of you, and everyone working
against us for good. So that the light can no longer vanquish the darkness. And
we can survive.”
That’s when everything bright about Evangeline is taken away, and
she seems to be eaten by the surrounding midnight. Now the only thing left is
her voice.
“Lucian, can you hear me? I need backup. I can’t beat it this
time. It’s too big.”
“No one can save you, Evangeline. Because you’re right. I am too
big.”
And that’s when every trace of Evangeline disappears. And all that
is left is vile, suffocating, darkness.
In another place it’s all white. A boy sits slumped at a desk,
fast asleep.
But not for long.
Like a ghost had walked through him, he screams and jumps up,
paler than a sheet.
Through heavy breaths, he says: “Evangeline? Hello? Yes, I can
hear you! Evangeline? Wha-what’s happening? What’s too big?”
He is silent for a moment, then he stumbles backward, falling into
his chair. His hand flies to cover his mouth.
“EVANGELINE!” he screams.
by Emery F., Grade 7
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| Artwork by Kathryn B., Grade 8 |
Pheidippides
Act
1
Scene
1
Curtain rises in the agora which is
bustling with people on a Sunday morning. There are wooden stands everywhere
and it is very noisy. The narrator speaks with a lot of emotion, and wears a
white toga. The narrator also carries a clay tablet and stands in the right
corner of the stage; downstage.
Narrator: Our
story takes place in Ancient Greece, in the middle of Athens on a Sunday
morning. Everyone is out, trying to buy things they need before they must go
back to work. But then something happened out of the ordinary Sunday Athenians
usually have.
There is a man dressed in a white toga in
the middle of the Agora on a bench. This man is the Athenian army and navy
general Miltiades. Miltiades is a strong, tall man in his middle ages with
blonde hair on the top of his head. He also has rough hands and a soft-spoken
voice.
Athenian General (Miltiades): Attention,
attention everybody. (The crowd in the agora quiets down.) I sadly bring
terrible news. We have just gotten word that the Persians are planning to attack
and are marching towards us right at this very second. (The crowd whispers
and murmurs in panic.) Now I know this sounds scary, but luckily, the
Athenian army and navy are already set for battle.
Narrator: There
are thankful sighs of relief from the Athenian people, but they don’t realize
that there is more news to come.
Athenian General (Miltiades):
But we don’t have enough men for battle, which is why we need to ask other
city-states for help. And when I mean city-states, I mean Sparta.
Narrator: Now,
the Athenians and Spartans have always been enemies. They have always been
rival city-states. Now imagine how much backlash Miltiades got from telling the
Athenian people they need to ask for help from Sparta. Yeah… that did not go so
well.
There is an uproar with the Athenian
people, and they start calling Miltiades crazy.
Miltiades: I
understand your frustration. (As the crowd starts to calm down.) We have
been rivals of Sparta for many years. I don’t even want to ask them for help,
but it is what we have to do if we want to survive and if we want to provide a
brighter future for our city.
Narrator: Wow…now
that is how you give a speech! Although the Athenians did not like the idea of
asking Sparta for help, they all agreed it was the only way to not get
slaughtered by the Persians. But there was one problem, and that problem was
someone had to go all the way to Sparta to ask for help.
Miltiades: Oh,
come on! No one wants to do it?
Pheidippides: I’ll
do it.
Miltiades: (Turning
his head to look who said that.) Great! We have a volunteer. Now who
said…Oh no. (He whispers to himself.) Anyone else? (trying to act
like he didn’t hear Pheidippides.)
Pheidippides: I
said I would do it. (Speaking louder so Miltiades could hear him.) Wow.
I guess all the time he had spent running into boats has taken a toll on his
hearing.
Pheidippides is a shorter man with brown
eyes and black hair. He wears a brown toga and has old sandals. Pheidippides
has a poor attitude, is rude, and is short tempered.
Miltiades: No,
I heard you, but I was ignoring you because you are the last person I would
want to send to Sparta. (Miltiades is now stepping down from the bench and
walking to Pheidippides.)
Narrator:
Now for all of you viewers, you might be wondering what the heck is going on!
Well, I am about to tell you. If you haven’t figured it out before, Miltiades
and Pheidippides hate each other. They are complete opposites. Pheidippides is
more of a goof off who doesn’t really care about work, and Miltiades is a
goody-two-shoes who got good grades at school and worked his way up the job
ladder to an army general. Pheidippides is just a common Athenian. They were
also in all classes together in school throughout their childhoods, and they
did not get along. So, whoever made the saying opposites attract...well, they
lied.
Miltiades: (Now
at Pheidippides.) Look buddy, I am not going to let you go to Sparta and
ruin this important mission.
Pheidippides: Well,
I have changed and have become more responsible.
Miltiades: That
is what you always say! You said you changed when we were in fifth grade, but
then you put hot coals in my slippers. And then after that you apologized and
said you would change. And take a guess at what happened next. You put melted
cheese in my brand new Gugi’s. (Shows a spin off version of Gucci shoes) What
I am trying to say Pheidippides, is that you will never change, ok? You will
always be a self-centered jerk! (Now in Pheidippides face.)
Narrator: Now,
you also don’t know that Pheidippides was very short tempered, so if someone
said or did something that he didn’t like, he had to lash back out and that is
exactly what he did. (As Miltiades is walking away Pheidippides trips him
and Miltiades sprawls on the floor.) See what I mean? But while Miltiades
was on the floor and the whole crowd was laughing at him, he realized
something. He was going to allow Pheidippides to go on the quest to Sparta. And
hopefully Pheidippides would die during the quest. It was an evil plan, but you
have to admit, it is genius.
With his evil plan and a smirk on his
face, Miltiades gets up. Acting like he and Pheidippides are best of buds, he
swings his arm over Pheidippides. Miltiades then quiets the crowd and
announces.
Miltiades: I
have decided to let Pheidippides embark on the quest. (Pheidippides has a
look of surprise on his face.) I believe that he is the right person
to go on this quest and I believe he can get the Spartan army to join us in
defeating the Persian army! (Miltiades throws Pheidippides arm in the air
and the crowd cheers. Miltiades now turns to Pheidippides as the crowd
disperses.) You will leave at dawn tomorrow so pack your bags and sleep
well; you have a long journey ahead of you.
Narrator: And
with that, Miltiades walks away and leaves shocked Pheidippides in the street. There
is Pheidippides’s chance to prove his worth to the city of Athens and he knows
he can’t blow it.
The curtain slowly comes down while the
narrator is talking.
