_"If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"_

...

Governess Pemola, the Witch belonging to El Rosa Peak, had grown to hate humans almost as much as the trees did.

She hated humans' snide manner of speech, the arrogant drawls of men making claim to her forests.

She hated their violent steps, crashing through plots of mud, uprooting ecosystems if only f...

It's often said that language is the embodiment of experience. In Japanese, _Komorebi_ describes the action of sunlight peeking through the trees. The Urdu word _Goya_ depicts the moment fantasy becomes reality and _Kilig_, in Tagalog, manifests the feeling of butterflies in your stomach.

**Write a poem or story inspired by a made-up word with an incredibly interesting meaning.**

...

"Congratulations, Class 62-00..."

Amidst the boom of his voice, Professor Găunn's oversized white coat swept across the floor like a pocket rag.

"On your _first official assignment._"

Selah joined her colleagues in a round of cacophonous applause.

Today she and her classmates would be transitioning from Brighteners into Catchers, the ultimate promotion for a first-year.

While a Brightener, ...

_Once. _

_Twice. _

I blinked back against the warm sunlight spilling from my bedroom window. Then, in a lazy lawn, stretched stiffly against the bubblegum headboard.

"You're finally awake..." A low voice mused.

I snapped forward instantly, stunned into a strangled scream. When the comforter glided to the floor with a cartoonish _plop,_ my satin pink pajamas were left on full display.

At the f...

"Still waiting on someone, sir?" The rosy-cheeked waitress wondered.

Her brown eyes darted wearily to the empty booth across from me, concern curling each eyebrow.

"Yes, thank you. He should be here any second now."

I brought the steaming mug of English Breakfast to my lips, sipping slowly before giving her a tight-lipped smile.

_Bitter. _

_Much_ more bitter than usual.

"Actually, dear...d...

Visiting my grandfather in North Carolina was nothing short of a civic wonderland. Before my feet had even crossed the flaxen welcome mat, I was being ordered, per our routine, to list each US state and capital in alphabetical order.

"_Let's hear it, Cheyenne..._" he would govern.

And, like a soldier appeasing his Lieutenant, I would begin to rattle names off.

"_Alabama, Montgomery. Alaska, ...

Did you forget?

Tucked under a sweater

Not your favorite, but it used to be

In that box you never visit

In that corner you never think of

Covered in dust

and losing what lasts of me

You left me here

Did you forget?

Perhaps you had lost track of me back then?

Or had you been looking ever since?

Was I so replaceable?

Was I something not worth finding?

You would stay up all night looking for a pen...

_There are fifteen days in a Grizzly week._

_On day four, we sift powder._

_..._

I stand with the other twenty threes in the biggest field at the complex. The sky is purple-pink with sheets of sulfuric red and blue and silver. The air is cloudy with the thick, sweet scent of sifting residue. Today is the longest and hottest day of the week.

The powder's tiny granuals coat my arms and nailbeds...

The pounding in my head painfully knocked me awake. It pulsed through me violently, punching at my temples and chewing at my palms. It wrenched me from a dreamless sleep, prying my eyelids awake and surging my body forward.

And then the pain vanished, replaced suddenly by a seemingly endless flood of blinding light.

"Sonya?" A familiar voice rang around me.

As my eyes adjusted to their surrou...

Hands carved carefully

Digging holes in cheeks

Peeling away the shedded skin

Revealing the soft ripe middle

Hands that started fire

That wiped soot from skin

Wet with fruit and clay

That foraged for you

Hands in godspell

That raised hands to your temples

and called you religion

That prayed to you

Hands of olive oil and salt

Fingers drowning in embroidered fabrics

To hide the jewels you cried f...