"Boring Summer Day" By Jessica Agan
One boring day of summer vacation, there was a beautiful yet nerdy girl who had absolutely nothing to do. The air was hot and muggy, and the rain just kept pouring down. The mood outside matched how Amanda was feeling inside. She sat and stared through the foggy window for what seemed like hours. Eventually, the rain stopped, and the sun started peeking through the ominous clouds. Her neighborhood started to come to life, and she ran out to meet up with her friends. They played on the swing set and jumped in the puddles but eventually ran out of things to do. Her friend, Sara, excitedly shouted, “let’s go to the library!¨ The girl brushed off their clothes and started walking in the direction of the library.
On the way, they all talked endlessly and played eye spy extreme. When they got to the library, Amanda's friends immediately went to the computers, while Amanda searched high and low for the perfect book. She stumbled upon a book called The Wondrous Weeping Willow. The cover had an enormous weeping willow tree with a boy sitting at its trunk, with his face in his journal. It was mysteriously creepy but mesmerizing at the same time. It was a novel about a boy named Chris who comes by this tree every day and writes a story about himself and this unique tree. When she was checking the book out with the librarian, Mr. Linden, he said, “Be careful with this book, for funky things have happened before.”
When she got home, Amanda said goodbye to her friends, darted inside and quickly jumped in the shower to wash off the mud. She immediately turned on her lamp, slipped on a tanktop and shorts, pulled the covers over her and opened to the first page of the book. Soon after that, her eyes started getting droopy, and she fell into a deep sleep without turning her lamp off.
The weeping willow tree started growing out of the spine of the book. Hour by hour the tree grew bigger and bigger, until finally, it took over her whole room. The long and wispy branches of the tree wound around pinning her to the bed. When she woke up, she wiggled and wriggled and called for her parents but they did not answer. Amanda started to panic. Then, she remembered that she had a pair of scissors in her night table drawer next to her bed. She struggled to get her arm free and was able to grasp the sharp scissors. Amanda cut and trimmed, but as fast as she did, the branches were growing back. Her heart was racing with fear. She shut her eyes tight and tried to stay calm. “Think, Amanda, think,” she said to herself. “There has to be another way out of this,” she whispered. Suddenly she thought, “This happened when I opened the book, so if I can close the book, maybe the tree will disappear!”
The book had slid out of her hands and down by her legs when she fell asleep. Amanda stretched and struggled until the book made its way back up to her hands. It was nearly impossible to get the book closed, but she kept at it and eventually slammed the book shut. The tree’s branches withered away back into the spine of the book, and Amanda let out a sigh. A voice played over and over in her head, “Be careful with this book, for funky things have happened before.” She quickly got dressed, grabbed the book and ran like the wind to the library. Once there, she scurried around to find the librarian she saw the day before. Amanda fell to her knees and pleaded, “Please Mr. Linden, take this book away, it is evil.” He said, “Remember, I warned you.” She sprinted home where she found her parents sitting on the couch. Amanda ran to them, hugged them tightly and said, “I have to tell you something.”
On the way, they all talked endlessly and played eye spy extreme. When they got to the library, Amanda's friends immediately went to the computers, while Amanda searched high and low for the perfect book. She stumbled upon a book called The Wondrous Weeping Willow. The cover had an enormous weeping willow tree with a boy sitting at its trunk, with his face in his journal. It was mysteriously creepy but mesmerizing at the same time. It was a novel about a boy named Chris who comes by this tree every day and writes a story about himself and this unique tree. When she was checking the book out with the librarian, Mr. Linden, he said, “Be careful with this book, for funky things have happened before.”
When she got home, Amanda said goodbye to her friends, darted inside and quickly jumped in the shower to wash off the mud. She immediately turned on her lamp, slipped on a tanktop and shorts, pulled the covers over her and opened to the first page of the book. Soon after that, her eyes started getting droopy, and she fell into a deep sleep without turning her lamp off.
The weeping willow tree started growing out of the spine of the book. Hour by hour the tree grew bigger and bigger, until finally, it took over her whole room. The long and wispy branches of the tree wound around pinning her to the bed. When she woke up, she wiggled and wriggled and called for her parents but they did not answer. Amanda started to panic. Then, she remembered that she had a pair of scissors in her night table drawer next to her bed. She struggled to get her arm free and was able to grasp the sharp scissors. Amanda cut and trimmed, but as fast as she did, the branches were growing back. Her heart was racing with fear. She shut her eyes tight and tried to stay calm. “Think, Amanda, think,” she said to herself. “There has to be another way out of this,” she whispered. Suddenly she thought, “This happened when I opened the book, so if I can close the book, maybe the tree will disappear!”
The book had slid out of her hands and down by her legs when she fell asleep. Amanda stretched and struggled until the book made its way back up to her hands. It was nearly impossible to get the book closed, but she kept at it and eventually slammed the book shut. The tree’s branches withered away back into the spine of the book, and Amanda let out a sigh. A voice played over and over in her head, “Be careful with this book, for funky things have happened before.” She quickly got dressed, grabbed the book and ran like the wind to the library. Once there, she scurried around to find the librarian she saw the day before. Amanda fell to her knees and pleaded, “Please Mr. Linden, take this book away, it is evil.” He said, “Remember, I warned you.” She sprinted home where she found her parents sitting on the couch. Amanda ran to them, hugged them tightly and said, “I have to tell you something.”