Grab Bag Writing Challenge - January 2016
- avalanche - bundle - chimney - flurry - frost - garland - hibernate - jingle - jolly - melt - pine - scarf - sniffle - tradition - wool -
by Allyson Celestra
Ive and Aly decided to start a new tradition of spending a weekend at a tiny log cabin in the woods during the winter holidays. This log cabin had a red chimney and was nestled near the foot of a large mountain surrounded by the many pine trees of the nearby quaint forest.
Ive and Aly hadn't seen any bears on their trek to the cabin as they all seemed to be hibernating. The two of them were very jolly and hyped about their Christmas movie marathon and interpretative dance competition that would include popular Christmas hits such as Jingle Bell Rock.
Once they reached the cabin, with garlands around their necks in place of scarves, they started to play the first song which turned out to be Baby It’s Cold Outside. They quickly began to dance, which turned out to be more of a flurry of limbs flailing everywhere as neither of them had any dancing skills whatsoever.
After a few more songs, they decided to end in a tie and call it quits. They plopped down on the sofa and bundled up with piles of blankets as their cats meowed softly from their woollen cat beds. As they settled in for the movie marathon, all was quiet and all you could hear was the sniffling of Aly’s cat and the opening credits to The Santa Clause.
Suddenly, there was a clamour outside and a rush of noise that sounded like a freight train. The two of them quickly paused the movie, looked out the window, and realized they could not see anything. Snow from an avalanche had coated their tiny cabin. They tried to open the door, but it seemed to be covered in frost and wouldn’t budge at all. With a sigh, they realized all they could do is just sit tight until the snow hopefully melted by the time morning came. They decided to make the most of a bad situation, so they bundled themselves up in comfy blankets once more, and decided to resume the movie. They watched movie after movie until they passed out.
Early the next morning, the snow seemed to melt a bit so they were able to leave the cabin. They quickly dressed and ran outside to play in the snow. They built snow badgers and snakes, then had a snowball fight in which Aly emerged victorious, but Ive would probably tell you otherwise. Their weekend of copious amounts of snow, bad dancing, and movie marathons turned out to be an unforgettable one that sparked their tradition of spending time there each winter.
Ive and Aly decided to start a new tradition of spending a weekend at a tiny log cabin in the woods during the winter holidays. This log cabin had a red chimney and was nestled near the foot of a large mountain surrounded by the many pine trees of the nearby quaint forest.
Ive and Aly hadn't seen any bears on their trek to the cabin as they all seemed to be hibernating. The two of them were very jolly and hyped about their Christmas movie marathon and interpretative dance competition that would include popular Christmas hits such as Jingle Bell Rock.
Once they reached the cabin, with garlands around their necks in place of scarves, they started to play the first song which turned out to be Baby It’s Cold Outside. They quickly began to dance, which turned out to be more of a flurry of limbs flailing everywhere as neither of them had any dancing skills whatsoever.
After a few more songs, they decided to end in a tie and call it quits. They plopped down on the sofa and bundled up with piles of blankets as their cats meowed softly from their woollen cat beds. As they settled in for the movie marathon, all was quiet and all you could hear was the sniffling of Aly’s cat and the opening credits to The Santa Clause.
Suddenly, there was a clamour outside and a rush of noise that sounded like a freight train. The two of them quickly paused the movie, looked out the window, and realized they could not see anything. Snow from an avalanche had coated their tiny cabin. They tried to open the door, but it seemed to be covered in frost and wouldn’t budge at all. With a sigh, they realized all they could do is just sit tight until the snow hopefully melted by the time morning came. They decided to make the most of a bad situation, so they bundled themselves up in comfy blankets once more, and decided to resume the movie. They watched movie after movie until they passed out.
Early the next morning, the snow seemed to melt a bit so they were able to leave the cabin. They quickly dressed and ran outside to play in the snow. They built snow badgers and snakes, then had a snowball fight in which Aly emerged victorious, but Ive would probably tell you otherwise. Their weekend of copious amounts of snow, bad dancing, and movie marathons turned out to be an unforgettable one that sparked their tradition of spending time there each winter.
by Arianna Stonewater
After all of the hype around Slyth-o-Ween, it was time for Arianna’s favorite tradition, ignoring Thanksgiving and decorating for Christmas! There was so much to be done: the garland needed to be hung, a pine tree needed to be chopped down, and then, of course, it needed to be decorated! Perhaps most importantly, though, was to rally the troops! One would think Christmas was a happy holiday for everyone, but not Aunt Traci. Every year she refused to get into the holiday spirit and, instead, preferred to hibernate until the snow began to melt. Well this year, Arianna was determined to get Aunt Traci into a jolly mood; this was her first Christmas after starting at Hogwarts after all! Arianna grabbed her scarf, some Floo powder, and decorations. Then, she set out for Aunt Traci’s house.
When Arianna arrived in Aunt Traci’s fireplace, a flurry of soot fell from the chimney. “Well, it’s better than last time,” thought Arianna, “At least there aren’t any bats!"
"Aunt Traci? Where are you?”
She heard a sniffle from the other room, “In the front room, Arianna.” She made her way to the front room to see Aunt Traci in a bundle of partial blankets and wool fabric.
“Aunt Traci, what is going on?!”
“Well, I wanted to surprise everyone with warm blankets for the holidays. I decided this year was going to be the year when I really tried to celebrate, but then this avalanche of fabric fell over and I’ve been sitting here for two hours trying to get out!”
“Oh, let me help!” Arianna laughed, and helped her aunt out. Just then, they heard the jingle of the front door bell.
“Now who could that be?” Aunt Traci wondered aloud as she got up. She opened the front door and was surprised to find her neighbor’s daughter, February, standing there with a box. “Oh my goodness, February, I had forgotten you asked me to help you frost the cake!”
“Cake? What cake?” Arianna asked, interested because she loves cake!
Aunt Traci responded, “Well, I was going to surprise your family with a party and I asked February here to bake the cake. She asked me to help her frost it with my special sprinkles — the snowflake ones.”
“Well, this is certainly a great surprise, Aunt Traci! Let’s get started!”
After all of the hype around Slyth-o-Ween, it was time for Arianna’s favorite tradition, ignoring Thanksgiving and decorating for Christmas! There was so much to be done: the garland needed to be hung, a pine tree needed to be chopped down, and then, of course, it needed to be decorated! Perhaps most importantly, though, was to rally the troops! One would think Christmas was a happy holiday for everyone, but not Aunt Traci. Every year she refused to get into the holiday spirit and, instead, preferred to hibernate until the snow began to melt. Well this year, Arianna was determined to get Aunt Traci into a jolly mood; this was her first Christmas after starting at Hogwarts after all! Arianna grabbed her scarf, some Floo powder, and decorations. Then, she set out for Aunt Traci’s house.
When Arianna arrived in Aunt Traci’s fireplace, a flurry of soot fell from the chimney. “Well, it’s better than last time,” thought Arianna, “At least there aren’t any bats!"
"Aunt Traci? Where are you?”
She heard a sniffle from the other room, “In the front room, Arianna.” She made her way to the front room to see Aunt Traci in a bundle of partial blankets and wool fabric.
“Aunt Traci, what is going on?!”
“Well, I wanted to surprise everyone with warm blankets for the holidays. I decided this year was going to be the year when I really tried to celebrate, but then this avalanche of fabric fell over and I’ve been sitting here for two hours trying to get out!”
“Oh, let me help!” Arianna laughed, and helped her aunt out. Just then, they heard the jingle of the front door bell.
“Now who could that be?” Aunt Traci wondered aloud as she got up. She opened the front door and was surprised to find her neighbor’s daughter, February, standing there with a box. “Oh my goodness, February, I had forgotten you asked me to help you frost the cake!”
“Cake? What cake?” Arianna asked, interested because she loves cake!
Aunt Traci responded, “Well, I was going to surprise your family with a party and I asked February here to bake the cake. She asked me to help her frost it with my special sprinkles — the snowflake ones.”
“Well, this is certainly a great surprise, Aunt Traci! Let’s get started!”
by Arielle Lemoyne
After spending the first part of winter hibernating inside, Arielle and Ryan decided they were going to start a new tradition of building a snowman during the first snowfall. They watched the snow through a frosty window, and once a thick layer had settled, they bundled up and headed out into the flurries. Ryan began forming snowballs and rolling them around the yard, while Arielle went to look for some pine branches to use for the snowman’s arms. As the snow continued falling, they began assembling the snowman, stacking the snowballs on top of each other from largest to smallest, and sticking the pine branches on either side.
They stepped back and stared at their work, wondering what else they should add. “You should give him your scarf!” suggested Ryan, looking at the thick wool scarf wrapped around Arielle’s neck.
“I can’t – it’s too cold!” she protested, sniffling. But she spotted a garland hanging outside the house, so she grabbed it and wrapped it around the snowman. “This works much better,” she said, “but he still needs a face.”
“If only we had a fireplace, we could have used some coal for the eyes,” Ryan sighed. They had been complaining about their lack of a chimney for weeks, because obviously that was the only reason Santa didn’t arrive with a basket of puppies for them. Then Ryan remembered the jingle bells they had hanging on the tree inside. There were definitely enough to make some eyes and a mouth. “I have an idea!” he announced, “You should go grab a carrot for the nose, and I’ll get the rest!”
The two of them headed inside. Arielle went to straight to the basket of carrots sitting on the kitchen counter. They were going to practice for their carrot eating competition today. Arielle was getting hungry so she though she might as well start practice now. She grabbed a carrot and starting munching on it…
A couple minutes later, Ryan appeared in the kitchen. “I wouldn’t think it would take you this long to find the carrots…oh.” He noticed the now empty basket beside Arielle, who was standing there munching on the last remaining carrot. “What are we supposed to use for the snowman’s nose now?” he asked.
“Oh. I forgot about that. Um, we can use this one,” Arielle suggested, holding up the half-eaten carrot.
“That’s disgusting. Let’s go look for something else,” said Ryan, and they headed back outside, leaving behind a slushy trail of melted snow.
They walked out and stood in front of their snowman, sizing him up. “I think he looks pretty jolly without the nose,” Arielle said.
“I agree. We better go inside before an avalanche comes,” said Ryan, mostly because he was kind of tired of the whole thing. So Ryan went to take a nap, Arielle went to find more vegetables to eat, and the poor snowman sat outside by himself, without ever getting his own nose.
After spending the first part of winter hibernating inside, Arielle and Ryan decided they were going to start a new tradition of building a snowman during the first snowfall. They watched the snow through a frosty window, and once a thick layer had settled, they bundled up and headed out into the flurries. Ryan began forming snowballs and rolling them around the yard, while Arielle went to look for some pine branches to use for the snowman’s arms. As the snow continued falling, they began assembling the snowman, stacking the snowballs on top of each other from largest to smallest, and sticking the pine branches on either side.
They stepped back and stared at their work, wondering what else they should add. “You should give him your scarf!” suggested Ryan, looking at the thick wool scarf wrapped around Arielle’s neck.
“I can’t – it’s too cold!” she protested, sniffling. But she spotted a garland hanging outside the house, so she grabbed it and wrapped it around the snowman. “This works much better,” she said, “but he still needs a face.”
“If only we had a fireplace, we could have used some coal for the eyes,” Ryan sighed. They had been complaining about their lack of a chimney for weeks, because obviously that was the only reason Santa didn’t arrive with a basket of puppies for them. Then Ryan remembered the jingle bells they had hanging on the tree inside. There were definitely enough to make some eyes and a mouth. “I have an idea!” he announced, “You should go grab a carrot for the nose, and I’ll get the rest!”
The two of them headed inside. Arielle went to straight to the basket of carrots sitting on the kitchen counter. They were going to practice for their carrot eating competition today. Arielle was getting hungry so she though she might as well start practice now. She grabbed a carrot and starting munching on it…
A couple minutes later, Ryan appeared in the kitchen. “I wouldn’t think it would take you this long to find the carrots…oh.” He noticed the now empty basket beside Arielle, who was standing there munching on the last remaining carrot. “What are we supposed to use for the snowman’s nose now?” he asked.
“Oh. I forgot about that. Um, we can use this one,” Arielle suggested, holding up the half-eaten carrot.
“That’s disgusting. Let’s go look for something else,” said Ryan, and they headed back outside, leaving behind a slushy trail of melted snow.
They walked out and stood in front of their snowman, sizing him up. “I think he looks pretty jolly without the nose,” Arielle said.
“I agree. We better go inside before an avalanche comes,” said Ryan, mostly because he was kind of tired of the whole thing. So Ryan went to take a nap, Arielle went to find more vegetables to eat, and the poor snowman sat outside by himself, without ever getting his own nose.
by Ivelisse Ada
Allyson Celestra and I were both staying at the castle for the winter holidays, so we decided to have some festive fun. At first it started out pretty normal – we hung garlands from the railings on the staircases and sang Jingle Bells! After we finished that, we took a short walk outside with some hot chocolate. We bundled up before heading out on our jolly adventure, deciding to just walk to the greenhouses and back.
“I didn’t think staying here for the holidays would be that fun, so I’m glad you stayed behind, too, Aly!” I told her.
She laughed. “Honestly, if I’d gone home, I just would’ve hibernated until school started again. If I’m going to do that I might as well stay here,” she said.
I nodded. “I can’t believe there how quickly the snow came. Back in Canada there’s just rain and the occasional frost for what seems like weeks before we finally get snow. Here it’s as if all of this appeared over night!”
Aly snorted, “I wish I could send it all back to Florida. It’s fun for a while but I’m not really used to it. I want it all to melt.”
Just then, the wind picked up, and there was flurry of snow all around us. “UGH,” Aly exclaimed, turning sharply and marching back towards the castle. “I’m getting the sniffles already.” I agreed, using my scarf as a shield for my face against the heavy winds. We both let out a sigh of relief as we got back inside, but I ended up sneezing a few times.
“My nose is cold and runny and it smells overwhelmingly of pine in here.” I grumbled. “How many trees do we really need, anyway?”
Aly started the climb back to the dorms. “Relax, Ive, it’s tradition,” she told me. “Besides, you were all excited about them when they came in!”
When we got back, I suggested we build a pillow fort to get warm again, but Aly quickly discovered that the extra blankets hadn’t been put away properly, because the moment she opened the closet, she was buried in an avalanche of blankets. “Ive…” she whined, “Can we just relax, watch a movie or something?”
I grabbed a thick, wool blanket from the top of the pile. “Sure,” I said, already walking back to the main room.
“Aren’t you gonna help me?” Aly yelled, muffled beneath all the blankets as she tried to dig her way out.
“I am helping,” I joked, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ll go clean out the chimney and start a fire while you clean up all those blankets.”
Allyson Celestra and I were both staying at the castle for the winter holidays, so we decided to have some festive fun. At first it started out pretty normal – we hung garlands from the railings on the staircases and sang Jingle Bells! After we finished that, we took a short walk outside with some hot chocolate. We bundled up before heading out on our jolly adventure, deciding to just walk to the greenhouses and back.
“I didn’t think staying here for the holidays would be that fun, so I’m glad you stayed behind, too, Aly!” I told her.
She laughed. “Honestly, if I’d gone home, I just would’ve hibernated until school started again. If I’m going to do that I might as well stay here,” she said.
I nodded. “I can’t believe there how quickly the snow came. Back in Canada there’s just rain and the occasional frost for what seems like weeks before we finally get snow. Here it’s as if all of this appeared over night!”
Aly snorted, “I wish I could send it all back to Florida. It’s fun for a while but I’m not really used to it. I want it all to melt.”
Just then, the wind picked up, and there was flurry of snow all around us. “UGH,” Aly exclaimed, turning sharply and marching back towards the castle. “I’m getting the sniffles already.” I agreed, using my scarf as a shield for my face against the heavy winds. We both let out a sigh of relief as we got back inside, but I ended up sneezing a few times.
“My nose is cold and runny and it smells overwhelmingly of pine in here.” I grumbled. “How many trees do we really need, anyway?”
Aly started the climb back to the dorms. “Relax, Ive, it’s tradition,” she told me. “Besides, you were all excited about them when they came in!”
When we got back, I suggested we build a pillow fort to get warm again, but Aly quickly discovered that the extra blankets hadn’t been put away properly, because the moment she opened the closet, she was buried in an avalanche of blankets. “Ive…” she whined, “Can we just relax, watch a movie or something?”
I grabbed a thick, wool blanket from the top of the pile. “Sure,” I said, already walking back to the main room.
“Aren’t you gonna help me?” Aly yelled, muffled beneath all the blankets as she tried to dig her way out.
“I am helping,” I joked, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ll go clean out the chimney and start a fire while you clean up all those blankets.”
by Leonie Hauri
In all of her four-and-one-quarter years, Liliana had only ever hated three things. She hated being called Lily. She hated going to the bear cage at a zoo only to be told the stupid bear was hibernating, which meant all she got to see was a sleeping mound of fur inside a phony cave. She hated getting told it had snowed outside only to find pitiful frost on the ground. But, most of all, she hated babysitters.
Babysitters that read her little kid stories with talking animals and fat, jolly men that climbed down chimneys for no apparent purpose. Babysitters that let her win at everything and pretended to be overjoyed that she knew her letters and numbers. Babysitters that expected her to be satisfied with watching TV while they did something they thought was productive, like texting or checking to see how many friends they had on Facebook in comparison to everyone else. Babysitters that came running at every sniffle and got out medicine at every cough.
Angela loved to read stories aloud. Liliana always won at any competition between the two, even spelling competitions. Angela was either practicing to be a cheerleader or wasting her time celebrating Liliana's knowing how to spell 'cat' each. Angela's favourite pastimes included texting her friends while Liliana watched some stupid show on television, going on Facebook, and moaning about her social life. Angela diagnosed every cough or sneeze as the flu and used the medicine cabinet so often that the handle had become worn-out.
Every time Liliana heard the sound of keys jingling, she hid in her room, turned over her snow globe, pretending to be fascinated with the flurry of sparkling silver snow inside. She would hear an exclamation of, "Look at what I got you, Lily!" and would pretend to be excited over a garland of fake flowers, or a bundle of outgrown toys, or, if she was lucky, a misshapen pile of wool that was supposed to be a homemade scarf. On a good day, she would hold back the usual snappish remark upon being called Lily. Liliana rarely ever had good days.
Liliana knew exactly what to do when Angela was around. Don't ask too many questions. Pretend to be a complete moron. Ask her about her social life and feign total interest without looking intelligent. Once, when Liliana had asked what Angela thought about the new tax laws the president was considering, Angela had stared at her dumbfounded for so long Liliana wondered if she might have a seizure. Liliana had decided after that to keep her mouth shut.
Liliana didn't know what to do when Angela opened the door quietly, sat down on the couch, and cried. Liliana looked up from her snow globe and quietly peeked around the doorway. Angela, who usually wore as much makeup as her parents would allow her (according to Angela, this amount was a lot less than her friends) and never left a hair out of place, was red-faced and crying; her eyeliner smeared and her lipstick smudged. Liliana crept closer.
"Angela?" Liliana asked softly, staring at her teary-eyed babysitter.
Angela turned away. "You wouldn't understand," she said bitterly. "You can't, can you? You're too little. You don't understand—". Angela's voice dropped into a broken whisper, "—death."
Liliana considered it. "My grandmother died," she said. "I loved her very much."
Angela put her face in her hands. "You wouldn't understand. No one understands. They — they smile. They laugh. And then they look at me, and they stop talking/ 'She's the girl who lost her mother, you know,' they will say, and— and they don't understand!"
Liliana considered this too. "How did it happen?"
Angela's voice was only a whisper. "Avalanche. Too much snow had melted on the bottom of the cliff and not enough on the top. The whole thing — just kaboom. One minute, my mom was in the forest, and the next—" Angela broke off abruptly as a fresh wave of tears came. After a while, she continued in broken, wavering tones. "She was going to Pine Forest. Does every year. It was her family tradition when she was a kid, a picnic with her mom and dad and uncle and cousin. No one else goes now. Just her. Maybe if someone else had been with her, then maybe — maybe we would've seen. She asked me if I wanted to go, but—" Angela shook her head. "Selfish. Selfish, selfish, selfish."
Liliana looked at her thoughtfully. "You could've. You could've gone with her. And then you would be dead too and who would your father have left? Your father has you and you have him, so be strong for each other. Crying is going to happen but it's not going to help. You want to bring your mother back to life? Do it by making something of your own life. Then when you get older you can dedicate a building or a book or something to her and you can say, 'See Mom? See what I did for you?' and she'll be proud. Make her death mean something and it won't be so worthless. Don't go back from here, go forward from here."
Angela stared at her. "Thank you, Liliana," she said quietly.
Liliana hesitated. "Call me Lily," she said. "Now read me The Night Before Christmas."
In all of her four-and-one-quarter years, Liliana had only ever hated three things. She hated being called Lily. She hated going to the bear cage at a zoo only to be told the stupid bear was hibernating, which meant all she got to see was a sleeping mound of fur inside a phony cave. She hated getting told it had snowed outside only to find pitiful frost on the ground. But, most of all, she hated babysitters.
Babysitters that read her little kid stories with talking animals and fat, jolly men that climbed down chimneys for no apparent purpose. Babysitters that let her win at everything and pretended to be overjoyed that she knew her letters and numbers. Babysitters that expected her to be satisfied with watching TV while they did something they thought was productive, like texting or checking to see how many friends they had on Facebook in comparison to everyone else. Babysitters that came running at every sniffle and got out medicine at every cough.
Angela loved to read stories aloud. Liliana always won at any competition between the two, even spelling competitions. Angela was either practicing to be a cheerleader or wasting her time celebrating Liliana's knowing how to spell 'cat' each. Angela's favourite pastimes included texting her friends while Liliana watched some stupid show on television, going on Facebook, and moaning about her social life. Angela diagnosed every cough or sneeze as the flu and used the medicine cabinet so often that the handle had become worn-out.
Every time Liliana heard the sound of keys jingling, she hid in her room, turned over her snow globe, pretending to be fascinated with the flurry of sparkling silver snow inside. She would hear an exclamation of, "Look at what I got you, Lily!" and would pretend to be excited over a garland of fake flowers, or a bundle of outgrown toys, or, if she was lucky, a misshapen pile of wool that was supposed to be a homemade scarf. On a good day, she would hold back the usual snappish remark upon being called Lily. Liliana rarely ever had good days.
Liliana knew exactly what to do when Angela was around. Don't ask too many questions. Pretend to be a complete moron. Ask her about her social life and feign total interest without looking intelligent. Once, when Liliana had asked what Angela thought about the new tax laws the president was considering, Angela had stared at her dumbfounded for so long Liliana wondered if she might have a seizure. Liliana had decided after that to keep her mouth shut.
Liliana didn't know what to do when Angela opened the door quietly, sat down on the couch, and cried. Liliana looked up from her snow globe and quietly peeked around the doorway. Angela, who usually wore as much makeup as her parents would allow her (according to Angela, this amount was a lot less than her friends) and never left a hair out of place, was red-faced and crying; her eyeliner smeared and her lipstick smudged. Liliana crept closer.
"Angela?" Liliana asked softly, staring at her teary-eyed babysitter.
Angela turned away. "You wouldn't understand," she said bitterly. "You can't, can you? You're too little. You don't understand—". Angela's voice dropped into a broken whisper, "—death."
Liliana considered it. "My grandmother died," she said. "I loved her very much."
Angela put her face in her hands. "You wouldn't understand. No one understands. They — they smile. They laugh. And then they look at me, and they stop talking/ 'She's the girl who lost her mother, you know,' they will say, and— and they don't understand!"
Liliana considered this too. "How did it happen?"
Angela's voice was only a whisper. "Avalanche. Too much snow had melted on the bottom of the cliff and not enough on the top. The whole thing — just kaboom. One minute, my mom was in the forest, and the next—" Angela broke off abruptly as a fresh wave of tears came. After a while, she continued in broken, wavering tones. "She was going to Pine Forest. Does every year. It was her family tradition when she was a kid, a picnic with her mom and dad and uncle and cousin. No one else goes now. Just her. Maybe if someone else had been with her, then maybe — maybe we would've seen. She asked me if I wanted to go, but—" Angela shook her head. "Selfish. Selfish, selfish, selfish."
Liliana looked at her thoughtfully. "You could've. You could've gone with her. And then you would be dead too and who would your father have left? Your father has you and you have him, so be strong for each other. Crying is going to happen but it's not going to help. You want to bring your mother back to life? Do it by making something of your own life. Then when you get older you can dedicate a building or a book or something to her and you can say, 'See Mom? See what I did for you?' and she'll be proud. Make her death mean something and it won't be so worthless. Don't go back from here, go forward from here."
Angela stared at her. "Thank you, Liliana," she said quietly.
Liliana hesitated. "Call me Lily," she said. "Now read me The Night Before Christmas."