A Community Heart

A Community Heart

by

Jayse Bickel

(age 12)

On April 3, 2020, Greg Grotton, chariman of the board of selectmen in Union, Maine, accepted a community project to install a giant lighted heart to thank the essential workers. 

Greg said that the heart was really a community effort, because the land is owned by Brian Powers, Dan Beasly loaned him a generator, and Wayne Kirkpatrick, the owner of Four Corner Variety Store, rented a truck for him. 

Greg got the idea when his daughter, Kimberly Wickenden, who teaches Camden Rockport elementary school gave her students an at-home assignment to draw a poster to thank the essential workers. Greg said the parents sent pictures of the thank-you posters to his daughter. He then was inspired to build a 25 ft. x 35 ft. heart out of wood and Christmas lights by the blueberry fields of Clarry Hill Rd. , where he has displayed a lighted star at Christmas time for the last three years.   

Greg said that he asked his daughter, Kimberly, to invite her students and their parents to come to the Union Methodist Church in Union for a surprise party, where he told the families about the heart. "The kids loved it," Greg said.

(Assignment for Lesson # 18 - Journalism)

If you are between the ages of 4-12,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Signed,

Wiggles the Polliwog

Beside the Pond

Beside the Pond

by

Jayse Bickel

(age 12) 

I look over the pond, 

My brothers beside me. 

The great Oak brags that he is stronger;

We do not deny it.

Though wind blows, 

My brothers and I bend. 

Yet the Oak breaks. 

We feel the wind;

The wind makes us sing. 

The earthworms burrow beneath our roots; 

It tickles. 

They make us laugh. 

Dragonflies climb on us 

To take off their coats 

And merge into adulthood. 

What am I?

(Answer:  a reed)

(Assignment for Lessons #17 - Point of View)



If you are between the ages of 4-12,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Signed,

Wiggles the Polliwog

The Ghostcoons

Ghostcoons

by

Jayse Bickel

(age 12)

Once upon a time, there was a middle-aged 45-year-old woman named Bess, who had just bought an old house on a hill in a town called Swampland. The man that owned the house before her told her that it used to be an old robber hideout. 

One day, as she was fixing up the kitchen, she heard a loud noise coming from the ceiling. She thought to herself, "Must be those raccoons again. I'll take care of them later."

After she finished cleaning out the acorns in the cupboards, she thought to herself, "Better go take care of those raccoons." She sighed. 

As she walked up the creaky attic steps, she heard the raccoons again. Bess made it to the trapdoor that led to the attic. She opened the door and climbed out into the attic. She looked around at the old trunks and dusty boxes. Bess walked up to an old green trunk that all the rattling noises seemed to come from.

She lifted the lid and stepped back. Instantly, a white shape rose up from the trunk, and she heard a scratchy "shcrchhht shhht."

"Yikes! A ghost! I gotta get out of here!" 

She ran down the stairs, all the way to town, right up to the sheriff"s office. "You've got to help me!" she shrieked. "There is a ghost in my attic!" 

"Now, now," said the sheriff. "There's got to be a logical explanation for this. I'll come with you to investigate this 'ghost' business."

So the sheriff drove Bess back to her house. They got out of the car and walked carefully up the steps into the house, past the kitchen through the door, up the attic steps, and into the attic

 "Shrchhh shhh."

They froze. "Now, Bess," said the sheriff. "There's no such thing as a g-g-ghost," he whispered. 

"It's over here," Bess whispered. 

The sheriff walked up to the trunk, paused for a moment, and lifted the lid.  But nothing came out. 

The only thing that was in there was an old white sheet. But wait a minute, the sheet was breathing. Bess yanked off the sheet, and under were two raccoons. 

"So it was raccoons," laughed Bess.

~ ~ ~

(Assignment from Lesson # 16 - Endings)

If you are between the ages of 4-12,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Signed,

Wiggles the Polliwog

The Hairy Caterpillar

The Hairy Caterpillar

by

Jayse Bickel

(age 12)

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Bianca who was mortally afraid of bugs, of all shapes and sizes. 

One day in early June, as she was walking home from school, she saw a humongous hairy caterpillar on the sidewalk. 

Bianca screamed very long and loud. "Bianca's feet couldn't move as she watched the caterpillar coming closer and closer." 

And then, Splat! 

Her little brother accidentally stomped on the caterpillar, and everything was fine.  

(Assignment for Lesson #12  - Climax)

If you are between the ages of 4-12,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Signed,

Wiggles the Polliwog

Mice

Mice 

by

Jayse Bickel 

(age 12)

It all started a few weeks ago, when my Dad discovered mouse droppings in his van. Mom and my sister Brooke said, "Eww gross!" 

And my sisters Kaedyn and Violet said, "I wanna see." 

I said, "Really, where?"

Dad said, "All the floor."

Then I said, "I hope we can catch it alive. Then Kaedyn and I can have a pet mouse or mice, if there are two of them."Then I asked Dad, "What would happen if I caught one alive? What would you tell me?"

And Dad said, "To get rid of it."

I said, "What if I didn't?"

Then Dad said, "You would be disobeying me if you did."

"What if I didn't tell you?" I said.
  
"Then you would get to keep it," Dad said.

Then I told Kaedyn, "If we caught a mouse, and didn't tell Dad, we could put it in a plastic bin." "We could give it some leaves and dry grass and some nuts and berries, and we could have a pet mouse."

So after that, Dad caught two mice in mouse traps. The last mouse was still alive. One day, Kaedyn and I found a drowned mouse in our kiddie pool.

I had to vacuum out all the mouse droppings. That's four mice dead. Dad keeps putting mouse traps out, just in case we get any more in the van.

Dad said, "They're getting in through the engine and chewing 

through the cabin filter and coming out the vents into the van." 

"So I hope that's the last our family gets mice in Dad's van." 

(assignment for lesson #8 -



If you are between the ages of 4-12,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Signed,

Wiggles the Polliwog

The Close Shave

The Close Shave

by

Jayse Bickel

(age 10)

Once upon a time, there was a weedy lake, and in the lake lived a frog who was called Fred. He lived in a nice cozy little hole in the bank. As he was taking a nap one summer day, he heard a knock at his door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Mister Squirrel. I have some news for you. Your cousin Toad is coming, but he doesn't know Mr.Heron is in town. He might get eaten!"

"I'll go meet him at the river bridge right away," said. Fred." So Fred hopped to the river bridge. On his way, he met Mr. Perch.

"Better swim into deeper water, Mr. Perch. Mr. Heron is coming!"

"Okay, thanks, Fred. I'll warn my family." As Fred began to see the bridge, he saw something tall and blue beside it. 

"Oh no, it's Mr. Heron! I hope Toad isn't eaten yet!" Fred said to himself. Just as he went around the next curve, he saw his cousin Toad hopping as fast as his stubby legs could go. 

"Oh help, Fred! I am being chased by Mr. Heron. He's going to eat me!"

"Oh, no! Quick, Toad, come with me to my house!" Once they got in, they shut and barred the door. Fred said, "All right, Toad, tell me about your journey. 

"Once I left my pond, all was good until I tripped and fell into the pond. I fell right on top of Mrs. Pike, who was guarding newly hatched eggs. She must of that I was a little thieving fish because she started chasing me, but I out-swam her. And that was close. Phew! I swam the whole pond. which brought me to the river bridge. And you know the rest of the story."  

The End

(Assignment for Writing Lesson #4 - Adjectives)

If you are between the ages of 4-12,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Signed,

Wiggles the Polliwog

Mr. Dog Saves Dan

Mr. Dog Saves Dan 

by

Jayse Bickel

(age 10)

Once upon a time by a mountain stream, there was a tiny field mouse, who went by the name of Dan. One day while he was taking a walk by the stream, he met Mr. Bobcat who was out hunting for his supper that evening. 

Then Mr. Bobcat heard Dan talking to himself. "Hmm, I could do with a bit of cheese with nuts with some mint tea." and "Oh, there's Mr. Bobcat. Wait a minute. What is he doing? He seems to be stalking something. I wonder who it is? Ahh, don't eat me! "

"Oh, I will," says Mr. Bobcat,"I didn't have lunch yet, so I'm going to eat you." 

"Wait, before you eat me, let me play you a song." 

What Mr. Bob did not know was that Dan met Mr. Dog on his walk and was close by. So Dan pulled out his reed flute and began to play as loudly as he could, so Mr. Dog could hear. 

Mr. Dog did hear and he came running as fast as he could go. Mr. Dog leaped on Mr. Bobcat. And pinned him to the ground. Don't you ever do that again especially to nice respectable mice? Ok, I won't just let me go your sitting on my tail. Fine all let you go but if I or any of my friends  

 "Thank you," said Dan. "Mr. Dog, I almost didn't get away.          

    

(assignment for Writing Lesson #3 - verbs)

If you are between the ages of 4-12,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Signed,

Wiggles the Polliwog

A Slug

A Slug

by

Jayse Bickel

(age  10)

A slug is a slimy, squishy, shell-less snail. It looks like a piece of orange rubber. 

A slug uses its slime to move silently.

If anything wants to eat a slug like a bird or a toad, it's slime probably tastes horrible.

It eats cabbages, plants, and mushrooms. 

(Assignment for Lesson #1 - Observation)

 

If you are between the ages of 4-12,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Signed,

Wiggles the Polliwog