Date: 5/3/24 Written by: Safia Valika Age:16

Leaves blowing forcefully Away from their only home Down to an unpleasant pile Ready to be tossed away

As they seize from the perfect green To an ugly brown Pleading for the absent water As they begin to weaken

From the warm and blue skies To the cold and windy gray As the flowers so prevalent in spring Now falter and die down

Your painting is a world Where the cold wind is a peaceful breeze That carries each leaf to its own space That brings back their power and strength Making their brown color be beautiful

Where the bare branch still stands Through the wind’s yearn for its leaves Through each leaf’s goodbye Maintaining its beauty and shape

Where new flowers begin to bloom Where shades of yellow cast above Where beauty is present In the season full of sad goodbyes

Footnote: This is based off of the painting you made during winter break of 2023-24!! Remember the beautiful leaves and bra

Amrynn’s eyes grew distant, considering. The memories were streaked with motion blur, and ‘not long;’ they opened their mouth to say, only for their thoughts to be interrupted by the soft ticking of a clock.

toc… toc… toc…

…still there?

“Eeh!” They jerked, swiping away the spidery touch. Someone yelped, yanking back a hand. Blinking, they stumbled over an apology. “Sorry. Sorry! I spaced. What did you ask me?”

“You’re fine,” Chris rubbed the offending hand, twisting the watch around her wrist. “I asked how long it took.”

Ah.

“Would you believe me if I said I did not know?”

“Explain.”

“Time is not the same on my planet. We do not have a moon,” They gestured to the lopsided crecent in the evening sky, “and our sun does not set. Night and day are places, not moments. We do not have ‘week endings.’”

“You have a year, though, surely?”

“Yes. And other groupings. But if not for the need to run the world on a schedule, time is just a feeling to me.”

“So… homework doesn’t just feel like it takes a ling time cause it’s boring, it does take a long time?”

“Sort of, yes. In any case, what need was there to track time in space, without a schedule, without even a year? It is all artifical. I could find out. Convert it into days, months, years as you know them. It would only mean something to you.”

If this answer satisfied Chris, Amrynn did not know.

It was a normal week until a weird looking ship lands on our front yard. My mom steps out to take a look at it. It had gray powder spurting out everywhere. Wanna know whats weirder? The seats were upside down and so was the steering wheel! But what really shocked my mom was that sitting inside the behicle was a little boy who looked just my age. He was asleep too.My mom picked him up and he suddenly jolted from his sleep.”i dont want to hurt you , i just wanted to make sure you were ok” the boy relaxed. “Do youknow where you came from?” “My home, planet wanaka fraka” “what?” my mom thought “uhh ive never heard of thst before” “where are ypur parents ?” She asks “at my home they sent me down here because i was different “ “they don’t want me” this was unbelievable to my mom who can’t imagine being a parent who doesn’t love their kids.But sje still believed their might be a possibility he was right. She looked up the planet on her computer and realized thst it was aterrible townnin Saturn where kids were tortured and discriminated because of their differences. Every singleday kids would work day snd night they never got s break. Thry slso hid the meaning of weekend and good days too from kids. It was horrible from what she saw. Our family was a busy family with 4 kids. We had a lot of events coming up like purboldrst leaving for college, our aunt getting released from cancer snd a garage sale. But we knew we had to make time for this kid. We couldn’t just leave him. We worked through our busy schedules and adopted him. We also taught him the right side up( he only knew upside down) and most importantly we taught him about weekends. It was a horrendous journey because he was a hard kid to teach (cant blame hom) he missed his home and his life but eventually he became the best funniest and sweetest person wver. He called himself the character who didnt know what weekends were 🫶🏼🌺💙 Always remember that there is always a way ghings can work no matter how hard the journey gets💜💜

*"Weekend."

"We friend."

*"Weekend."

"We send."

*"Week."

"Week."

*"End."

"Begins...all over again."

*"There's absolutely no way you believe you're saying what I'm saying."

"Pft! No! I'm trying, really! Here, do it again and I'll watch super close."

*Sigh. "Fine." Ahem. "Weekend."

"W-wally..."

*"I'm gonna stop you right there. Let's try this thing backwards, kay?"

"Yup!"

*"End"

"End."

*"Week."

"Speak."

*"Week."

"Meat."

*"Week."

"Weak."

*"Oh my gosh you got it!!! You said what I said!"

"Sure."

*"Now try it forwards. Weekend."

"Weakened."

*"That's it!"

"Really? Huh! No wonder you're tired."

POV: 1st year ~~Remus~~ “But I don’t understand James,” said Sirius looking confused, “Why wouldn’t you do schoolwork on Saturday and Sunday? That’s what Mother and Father had me and Reggie to do. And Father went to work those days too.” James sighed. “Well, for everyone else, those two days are called ‘The Weekend’, and you usually don’t have to go to work or school. You clean and relax and just hangout.” “Come on Sirius, It’s not that hard to understand,” said Peter. “Guys, why don’t we see if the dictionary can explain the weekend,” said Remus, who walked over and opened the common room door, “Fiiine.” groaned the other Marauders. James pulled a big book off the top shelf and handed to Remus. “I could’ve gotten that easier than you, you know,” Remus said teasingly. “I know, but it’s almost the full moon, so it would’ve hurt more for you to get it down.” “Yeah but- “ “Guys! Can we just look it up already?” Sirius asked impatiently, “And keep your voice down when you’re talking about Remus’s Furry Little Problem.” He whispered. “Yeah I know.” James answered. They opened the book and flipped to the ‘w’ section. “Ok, the book says the weekend is ‘the period from Friday evening through Sunday evening, especially regarded as a time for leisure.’” Remus read quietly, trying not to disturb the other students in the Library. They all looked at Sirius expectantly. “Um… ok, I guess I get that. Thanks for helping me guys.” Sirius smiled at them weakly and walked out of the library before anyone could stop him. “I wonder what’s wrong,” James said, “I’m going to ask him-“ “Wait James, I think I know. I’ll meet you in the common room, alright?” Remus looked at James, “Ok,” James replied, “Come on Pete, we can play exploding snap.” They left the library and went their separate ways. ~~Sirius~~ Sirius quickly walked out of the library, his thoughts tumbling around in his mind. He ran up the astronomy tower stairs and climbed out of the window to sit on the roof. He was sitting on the flat roof whenever Remus climbed up to join him. “Hey Padfoot, are you ok?” Remus asked quietly, “I don’t know. I guess I’m just mad at my parents for keeping this from me,” he said, “and I know it’s stupid, but-“ Remus interrupted, “No, Sirius it’s not stupid to want to be like everyone else. I mean, everyone has the weekend. It’s just like, part of life or something, I don’t know.” “Thanks Moony,” he smiled at Remus, “let’s go back to the common room.” “Goodnight James!” Yelled Peter, “Night Remus!” Yelled Sirius, “G’night Sirius!” Yelled James, “Goodnight Peter!” Yelled Remus. Sirius smiled. He loved doing this every night. He was falling asleep, when he suddenly had a thought. “Hey Rem?” He said quietly, “Are you still awake? I have a question.” “ I’m awake now,” said a sleepy voice in the bed next to his, “what did you want to ask?” “Who came up with the weekend?” Sirius asked. “Well, it was most likely Henry Ford, a muggle man who had a car factory, but some wizards claim it was Duggulous Hatson, the wizard who was at one point Minister of Magic. Does this answer your question?” Remus asked. “Yeah, thanks.” “Ok good. Go to sleep now, ‘kay?” “Ok, I will.” Sirius answered sleepily. Sirius fell asleep almost immediately, but not before he heard Remus softly snoring. He was glad he had such good friends.

The End

“You do know what a weekend is?” Myrtle said through her screen door. The android detective tossed her a comical confused look. “Does not compute,” Hacthet said. Then he started do the Funky Robot dance on Myrtle’s front porch. Myrtle opened the door and pulled him through. “I have neighbors.” “You wouldn’t think so from that outfit,” Hatchet said. Myrtle re-tied her bathrobe over her pajamas. He turned her and gave a gentle push towards her bedroom. “Get dressed hussy. I’ll wake the boy and we’ll make breakfast. Hurry, Chief, the game’s a foot.” Myrtle rushed into a pair of jeans, boots, and flannels. Pulling her long dark hair into a ponytail, Myrtle walked back to the kitchen. Hatchet was standing behind a sleep tousled Django teaching him how to beat eggs. Suddenly Myrtle was thrown into the past when my boys would get up early to make her special surprisingly messy breakfasts. Hatchet caught her eye. They stared at each other an invisible rope tied them to one another. Then Hatchet quickly looked away. “Mom! How do you want your omelette rare or well done?” Myrtle smiled for her son. The three of them had started “counseling” to help Django adjust to re-connecting with Hatchet after the years they had spent apart. Myrtle always put air quotes around the word counseling in her mind because even though she believed therapy was good for other people she didn’t trust it. She never let her guard down. She was never one for talking about feelings. And she never forgave anyone who hurt her once. That’s one of the reasons she had fallen for Hatchet in the first place, part of her believed he could never lie or leave. Androids were supposed to be perfect. “Dad said he needed you for a big case? Does that make you Watson? Will there be a big laser fight? Will you be on the news?” Myrtle put Django in a loving headlock. Django chattered on full speed while Hatchet busied himself cooking the Denver omelettes. They ate their breakfast in the car with Django still talking the entire way. When they stopped to drop him off at Rita’s house, Django even allowed his mom to kiss him goodbye. “Be good, I’ll pick you up soon. And remember I’m always Sherlock,” Myrtle said. Back in the car, Hatchet told the SatNav to take them to the Vi-Jon Flower Market. “You know he thinks we are getting back together,” Myrtle said. Hatchet nodded this heavy gray head and stared out of the passenger window. They drove in silence to the market. “What’s the score?” “My CI told me the Market is a good place to pick up information on the Saturnine murders,” Hatchet said. “What kind of info? We know FlorCorp ha an iron grip on all of the distributors in their region and now they are moving in on the growers. Everybody knows and no one talks.” They parked and began walking with the Saturday morning crowd. Hatchet touched her arm guiding Myrtle towards one of the flower stalls. They looked at lilies and roses and a bouquet of sunflowers that cost more more than her first car. Hatchet chose a small bouquet of lavender. Myrtle accepted it and they held hands as they strolled. “I just don’t want to be the bad guy here. Jang has had it rough and—“ “Trust me you can never be the bad guy. He pushes against you because you’re his rock. He loves you, he always loves you. Thank you for letting me try to be a good father again.” Hatchet spoke softly pressing his cool cheek against her ear. She wanted to lean into him gather comfort like she used to before everything went wrong. “You two should get a room.” They approached the vendor, a well muscled android clearly former military grade, surrounded by delicate orchids and bizarre succulents. The seller pointed out many large glorious specimens. Myrtle’s picked out the tiniest one. It had powdery pale celadon leaves on a stubby stalk so weird it was adorable. Myrtle glared at Hatchet to pay. He grimaced and paid. They walked the entire market pretending to be just another pair of lovebirds enjoying the morning. Back in the car, she sighed with frustration. “How can we find out who killed ChiChi and Judy if no one will come forward.” The car backed out slowly and joined the traffic heading to the ‘burbs. Hatchet pulled the plant out of its pot. “Hey don’t break it!” A silver milli-disc fell into his open palm. “Watson let’s head to the station and examine this first.”

Everyday we work Working hard for the money Needing a day off Tessa🦋

I walked into my third class, more nervous than I had ever been before. They were all staring, and I wondered why. Mom had told me I was different. That people were cruel and would do anything in their power just to see me suffer.

At the time, I just thought she was being dramatic. Turns out she was right. Not even my science partner from second period would speak to me, and we had a worksheet to complete together.

It wasn’t how I looked, was it? If anything, I blended into these kids like a chameleon. I was pale, with straightened, brown hair and blue eyes. I was wearing a solid light blue t-shirt and jeans, with some black and white Vans. I was probably one of the most basic kids there.

It wasn’t the way I spoke, since I barely spoke at all. I hadn’t really made any type of impression on anyone at this school, so why had they been staring and avoiding me. I decided towards the end of my third class that I would silently power through the rest of the day and lock myself in my room, never returning to this place again.

But something strange happened as I was walking to lunch. A girl with brunette, voluminous hair and golden brown skin walked up to me rather quickly and grabbed my hand, smiling at me.

“Hey, do you wanna sit with me? I mean, only if you want to. But I’m sure you do, right? I mean, who wouldn’t wanna—“

“Do I know you?” I abruptly cut off her ranting, taking my hand out of hers. “I’m Alexis, but everyone calls me Alex.” She put her hand out for me to shake. I looked down at her hand and back up at her, and took my hand in hers once again. We only embraced for a few seconds, as she was the one to pull her hand away first.

“And you?” she asked. “Huh?”

“What’s your name?”

“Ellyssa,” I replied a bit discreetly, walking with my head down to wherever my newfound friend had been heading. “Ooh! Found a booth,” Alex mumbled, most likely to herself. She took my hand again and dragged me over to the booth, taking a seat on one side leaving me to sit on the opposing one.

“So, Ellyssa, right? Can I call you Ellie?” she asked, and I only nodded. “Sure. Nobody really calls me that, but— it’s nice, I guess.”

“I like you already, Ellie.”

I smiled at her remark as she began almost instantly talking about something else. I hadn’t been listening at first, but soon I would find out that this exclamation of hers had been more important than the many others.

“So, Ellie, wanna hang out this weekend? I mean, since we’re friends now.. n stuff.”

Probably a new restaurant in town or something.

“Never heard of it, but I’m sure This Weekend has great food,” I smiled, “do they have a website? I’ll look up the menu right now.”

“For what?“ I could see her expression become slightly confused, but it was exaggerated in a way. I could tell there were other emotions she was trying to hide.

“The restaurant you were talking about. This Weekend?”

She looked at me with concerned looking brows, and took both my hands in hers quickly before looking down at her lap and mumbling something.

“Wow— they were right about you,” she exhaled, gliding her thumb over my knuckles, “the rumors were true.”

I looked at her with a genuine look of confusion. “What are you talking about, Alex? What rumors?” She looked pained by having to speak to me about it.

“Ellie, do you really don’t know what a weekend is?”

“The restaurant? Well, I do now, you just told me!”

She let out another stressed-out sigh.

“That— that isn’t what a weekend is. A weekend is Saturday and Sunday, and you get the day off from school and stuff..” she struggled to find the right words to explain whatever the heck she had been talking about.

“Oh!” I exclaimed. “Is that why everyone has been staring at me and avoiding me? All because I didn’t know what that was? I mean, I’m sure there’s tons of people who don’t know—“

“Everyone knows what a weekend is,” she started, “it’s common knowledge.”

“So, why didn’t we have them back where I’m from? We did the same thing on Saturday and Sunday as we did any other day.”

“Well, that explains,” she sighed. “Just, if anyone asks you what a weekend is, tell them ‘Saturday and Sunday,’ those exact words. Okay?”

“Okay..” I responded in an unsure tone.

“See ya around, Ellie,” she patted me on the shoulder before shooting up from the table and disappearing into a crowd of people.

Well, that was weird.

The bell has run to signify the end of the week. Kids scurried out of the classroom, ready to become couch potatoes, laying on the couch, picking up their controllers, turning on their Xbox or PlayStation and playing for countless hours. They most likely also stuff their bodies with unhealthy foods like chips, crackers, soda and pizza.

And while they do that, I stay behind. I write endlessly on a blank binder paper, spoiling each page with my pencil. Sentence. Sentence. Sentence. I keep writing sentences nonstop. Each sentence I make, I present to Mr. God. He shakes his head, forcing the paper back into my hands and pointing back to my desk. I trudge to my desk, regretting even breaking a commandment.

Commandment 1,000,000: Thou shalt not believe in weekends, for they are days of laziness.

“Alright then, Jeff. Hope you enjoyed your first day. See you Monday”, Rick announced, grabbing his briefcase from beside his desk and straightening his suit.

Jeff, the new guy, paused in the middle of getting ready to leave, only one arm through the armhole of his jacket.

“Monday? That’s three days from now. What about tomorrow?”, he asked with a frown.

Now it was Ricks turn to frown, confusion pulling at his features.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday”, Rick replied.

“…okay, and? It’s still another day”

Rick shook his head, placing the briefcase back on the ground.

“It’s not just any day. It’s a weekend”

“An ending of a week? What are you talking about? The week doesn’t end. The days just repeat themselves”, Jeff said, slipping the second arm into the jacket. His face reflected Ricks same confused one, though it was for a different reason.

“I mean, yeah, you’re kinda right. But on Saturday and Sunday there’s no work. The office is closed so we have those days off”, Rick explained. Rick knew it was Jeff’s first day at work, but he had to have had other jobs before, right? There’s no way he hadn’t heard about weekends before .

“What? I’m so confused. So you mean to tell me that we don’t come to work for the next two days?”, Jeff pressed, hands on his hips.

“Did you look at the employee contract, Jeff?”

“Yeah, I read the thing front to back”

“Okay, but do you understand the concept of weekends? They’re like rest days where you don’t need to come in”

Jeff cocked his head to the side, as if Ricks words were totally preposterous and impossible to wrap his head around.

“Why would I need rest days? I don’t want to take a break. I love it here!”, Jeff explained, his voice rising excitedly as he spoke.

Rick could practically feel the giddy enjoyment spilling off of Jeff. His eyes were wide and glimmering with glee and his cheeks were flushed with a mirthful youth that Rick hadn’t seen in before in the office. In comparison to the new guy, everyone else, with their dead eyes and waxy sun-lacked skin, were walking shadows beside Jeff’s sunny rays.

Rick sighed and picked up his briefcase again. He tossed Jeff one last smile, half pitying and half polite.

“You’ll change your mind soon enough, trust me. Eventually you’ll look forward to weekends. See ya, Jeff”, Rick said, turning around and exiting his cubical.

Once he was close to the doors, he heard Jeff’s voice from behind his shoulder.

“Well what am I suppose to do for two whole days?”

Rick shook his head, prepared to step foot outside the sliding doors when a thought occurred to him. It was a cruel and selfish thought, but nevertheless he found himself asking the question before the could think to stop himself.

“Well, I have an unfinished expense report and some spreadsheets I was planning to start on Monday. Did you want to do them this weekend?”, Rick asked, turning around to address Jeff.

Immediately Jeff’s eyes lit up and he clapped his hands together in glee.

“Are you sure? Because I’d love to. It would give me something to do over the…”, Jeff paused as if trying to remember something, “the ending of the weeks”, he finished.

Rick grinned, pleased that his backhanded suggestion had worked. In all truthfulness, he was hoping the new guy would be eager enough to take some tasks off his load. Rick now looked forward to a much lighter Monday than before. Maybe he’d even be able to sneak off for an extended bathroom break and watch the game on his phone.

“Perfect! I’ll send you my stuff later. Bye!”

With that said Rick turned on his heel and walked out the building, eager to get away before the new guy changed his mind.