Young+Author+Winners

**Two Young Author Winners**

 * Short & Sweet by Isabelle M. - 5th Grade (see below)**


 * Ants by Nicholas M. - 1st Grade**



















Short & Sweet

 By: Isabelle M.

Emma slowly sat down on the cold step, leading to her brown house, and looked up at the sky. It was a gray colorless blanket of nothingness. She perched her head on her hands and sighed. A steady drip-drop of rain started to fall gently on the lawn. Getting slowly to her feet, Emma walked over to a wet patch of lush grass and laid down. Today had been flat out boring. Emma closed her eyes and fell asleep with an image. That image was Emma running through the rain with a friend.

The rain stopped. ‘Only a dream. That would //never// happen to a girl like me,’ She thought and pulled herself up and sadly trudged inside. The dim lighting coordinated with the light brown walls. Pushing her bedroom door open she plopped down on the sky blue bed. Emma stared at the many pictures covering her walls. Lazily standing up, she pulled off her wet clothes and put on some navy blue pajamas. She looked in her short mirror. Her blond hair fell to a little longer than her shoulders. The once bright green eyes were dull and did not have their usual sparkle. Her skinny hand pushed away her bangs to reveal her ghost-like face. Pulling her hair in to a tight ponytail, Emma flicked off the light and clambered in to bed. ‘Look forward to a gruesome day a Montview Elementary, tomorrow,’ she told herself.

Sunshine streamed through the curtains as Emma’s watch beeped in her ear. She yawned and threw off her pjs and pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a pearl blue tank top. She walked in to the kitchen. Her mother was putting some bread and half a bagel in the toaster.

“I’m not going to school,” Emma whined.

“Yes you are, Emma.” Her mother said simply.

“No I’m not! I hate it there!” Emma yelled.

“If you go today, you won’t have to go tomorrow.” Her mother sighed.

“Fine! I’ll deal with my own problems!” she snarled and snatched the small polka-dot lunch off the counter along with her black binder. Emma stomped out of the house without saying anything else.

Emma arrived at the tall building of Montview Elementary and ran to her locker. The blue handle was smashed. A group of girls Emma’s age walked by and snickered. Emma caught what one girl was saying, “I bet she still has to buy clothes from the toddler section!”She laughed. The girls walked away casting filthy looks over their shoulder.

Emma told herself, “I can live without friends. Those girls were talking to someone else.”But a little voice in the back of her mind whispered, “Yeah, right. The girls shot it at you dummy. You’re the excluded girl who’s bullied. Fat chance you’ll survive.”Trying to push the voice away, Emma sighed and slipped in to class. She sat down and stuffed her binder and jacket in to her desk. The classed filed in and while walking past, Rachel sneered, “Sleep well, shortie?”

Emma sunk down in her chair, as deep as she could get. The morning lesson was interrupted by the ceiling rattling. Emma looked around and then, the room was filled with dust and a loud, BOOM! The air duct that was attached to the ceiling had crashed in the middle of the class room floor. The dust settled and the room looked absolutely trashed. Kind of like a tornado had ripped through it. Everybody screamed and Emma coughed weakly. Mr. Hill was frozen to his desk. Amanda, Will, and Haley limped out crying with large cuts and bruises. Emma looked around and saw shattered glass of the pet bunny’s cage.

“Snuggles in gone!” She yelled. The class gasped and slowly inched forward to the air duct. The little black and white bunny was huddled against the grate. His little blue eyes were round like everybody elses’.

Some girls finally crouched in the air ducts’ entrance and attempted to squeeze inside. No luck. Their shoulders didn’t even fit, and they were some of the smallest. A tall boy named George walked over to Emma.

“Emma, right?” He said. She nodded.

“We need you to get in the duct,” He pointed to the duct.

“Wh…What? Me?” She stuttered. George nodded and smiled.

“Just to get Snuggles. You’re the smallest,” He pointed out.

Emma stood rigid for a moment and finally said, “Fine. But remember, I’m doing it for the bunny’s sake, not for the stupid classes’.” Emma started walking to the air duct. ‘Go for it,’ she told herself, ‘Show this class you just as good as they are!’ Emma knelt down and squeezed in to the small silver opening.

The scratched walls stood and inch away from Emmas’ shoulders on either side. The duct fit perfectly around her small body. Emma squinted to see Snuggles, and he was huddled near a dusty grate. Coughing, Emma slowly advanced through the dust. She gently extended her hand and touched his plush fur. Grabbing his shaking body and cradling him, Emma pushed herself out of the tunnel. Cheers filled Emma’s ears as she gave the little bunny to George.

George smiled and winked, “Thanks,” Emma just nodded. She was still in shock that anyone would be cheering for //her//.

The class clapped and Mr. Hill slowly approached Emma.

“Good work Emma.” He smiled, and then turned to the class, his ‘serious face’ on, “I hope you all learned a lesson. Emma is just the same as you. Just because she’s short doesn’t mean you can tease her.” Emma blushed and lowered her head as everyone in the class said sorry. The class then gently streamed out and headed for a new classroom. Emma was in front, leading everyone. George clutched Snuggles and whispered his thanks in her ear.

‘Maybe being short isn’t so bad after all!’ she thought to herself as she beamed from ear to ear.