The
Decameron
Project
Submit your story
The
Decameron
Project
The
Decameron
Project
Featured
Featured Stories
Winners
Theme
Competition: Dante
Competition: “Outside My Window”
Current Theme
Previous Themes
Stories Hub
Events
Competition: Dante
Competition: “Outside My Window”
Previous Events
Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds Resources
Elizabeth Acevedo
Elizabeth Acevedo Resources
Voice of Change
Frances Cha
Angie Thomas
Ben Moser
Kevin Wilson
Previous Competitions
Horror Fiction Competition
Pride Month Competition
About Us
Mission Statement
More About Us
Press
Our Team
Advisory Board
Partners
Join Our Team
Contact Us
Menu
Featured
Featured Stories
Winners
Theme
Competition: Dante
Competition: “Outside My Window”
Current Theme
Previous Themes
Stories Hub
Events
Competition: Dante
Competition: “Outside My Window”
Previous Events
Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds Resources
Elizabeth Acevedo
Elizabeth Acevedo Resources
Voice of Change
Frances Cha
Angie Thomas
Ben Moser
Kevin Wilson
Previous Competitions
Horror Fiction Competition
Pride Month Competition
About Us
Mission Statement
More About Us
Press
Our Team
Advisory Board
Partners
Join Our Team
Contact Us
Submit Your Story
Search
9th Grade Stories
Search
"So, why did I try so hard? For people who already made up their minds Of who will..."
"I keep falling No matter how careful I am But someone always trips me Yet I never..."
A Chance for All
Ariella
R
Queens
9th
Grade
"Books hold our futures and create how we see those futures. For the characters give..."
"Dear books, I read not for the story or for the satisfaction, but the people. I read for the people..."
Dear Books
Masson
Fink
Waterloo
9th
Grade
"People shed tears and people share love, people share pain and people give hugs..."
Kansas City Window (My Side)
Justis
Johnson
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"Train after train, window after grimy window, my eyes glaze over the sea of passengers"
Ba-bump, ba-bump. The train’s heartbeat thumps through the station, its arrival marking the noisy departure...
The Girl Inside the Window
Sophie
Cheng
Bronx
9th
Grade
"They cover the sky like when you sprinkle sugar in your coffee. Yep, still there. The..."
"When I used to think of Vermont I thought of trees. Just trees. I had never been to this very green state..."
When You Pay Attention
Mia
Pierini
Woodstock
Woodstock Union High School
9th
Grade
"We constantly wonder if we are enough, but acceptance will be our greatest downfall..."
"I wish the people could see the beauty in imperfections. ‘Your too short ``''your to fat ``''your too..."
My Side Is Different
Justis
Johnson
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"The rain drips down the leaves of a tree and travels its way through the gutter..."
"Windows. When open, you are led to somewhere outside of the closed space you live in. A breath of..."
Windows
Bridget
Feltmann
Kirkwood
North Kirkwood Middle School
9th
Grade
"The day we got taken away, my mom lost it that day, she was mad, sad, and..."
"My is life good sometimes. I'm in foster care and so is my little brother. This is my story. So, I was..."
De’Kayla Lloyd’s Life 🎥😇
De'Kayla
Lloyd
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"My head rests on his shoulder, eyes fluttering shut, as we get lost in our own world..."
"I am running, as fast as my legs will take me. Bare footed against the cool marble, dress scrunched up..."
His Favorite Color is Red
Noor
Al-Deen
San Leandro
San Leandro High
9th
Grade
"I'm not going to waste my energy on someone if they're just going to find some way..."
"During the past 15 years of my life, I can say I have been through some hard times. My parents are..."
Life is a Struggle
Mia
Jarvis
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"They say every villain origin has a story, Why haven’t yours been told, Mother?"
“Her life is like a wildflower, different...” I Aimlessly wake up every morning in search of something...
Here lies, me
Mya
S
Flushing
9th
Grade
"Not all stories end in a happily ever after..."
Mature Content
Albert Einstein once said “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want...
The Truth About Happily Ever After
Ruby
Cruz-Flores
Kansas
Turner High School
9th
Grade
7 year tribulation or not?
It is argued amongst Christians if the seven year tribulation of the prophetic end times is a true...
7 year tribulation or not?
Diego
Fernandez
Queens Village
Benjamin N Cardozo High School
9th
Grade
Jones Creek
“Let's go guys, it's time to go,” my sister said. I rushed down stairs with excitement with my hands full...
Jones Creek
Sadie
W
Portland
9th
Grade
The Clouded Window
During the winter it's like looking through a clouded window. The snow coated ledge slowly melting away...
The Clouded Window
Emma
Appel
St. Louis
North Kirkwood Middle School
9th
Grade
"I could see the beginnings of hope..."
Drive By
Mya
L
South Burlington
9th
Grade
"I was done being hurt by fake people..."
The Life of Jay
Sarah
Bailey
Kansas City
9th
Grade
"The trilling of brass trumpets and banging of snare drums..."
What I Love About Kirkwood
Allie
C
North Kirkwood Middle School
9th
Grade
"Let the lack of reality flow through your veins..."
Lack of Consciousness
Janna
M
Philadelphia
9th
Grade
"Not a word can come out except- button mumbled questionings..."
Restless School Nights
Noah
E
Centerton
9th
Grade
I am strong
I am strong But can't let you go I am strong But sometimes I just don't know Wished that I could Have been...
I am strong
Kihanna
Lezama
Bronx
New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science ll
9th
Grade
"Our conscience knows this is not the way So it prays to God for an hour of understanding"
My window flickers off and on Subtle pixels of iridescent light Twisting and contorting I sway in their...
Bread and Circuses
Sofia
V
Brooklyn
9th
Grade
The Painting in my Dining Room, A Letter to my Dog
It’s been a year now, shouldn’t you know what’s outside that window? What if it’s changed? Reese, the park...
The Painting in my Dining Room, A Letter to my Dog
Caroline
Xiong
Fresh Meadows
9th
Grade
Behind the Mask
The windowpane is spotless after one last wipe of a cloth. My reflection smiles at me, relieved to have...
Behind the Mask
Ritika
Sinha
Wayland
9th
Grade
Realms of Perspective
Outside my window lies countless worlds that live together in perfect harmony. Some of which can only be...
Realms of Perspective
Malach
Edwards
Muscat
Beaconhouse Private School
9th
Grade
"...billions taking place on the other side of a piece of glass that keeps me warm."
How many lives do I reach in a given day, how many objects do I affect? The vast Earth, so much interaction...
Do We Matter?
Shane
Murphy
New York
9th
Grade
I See Fire
Through the window, I see An Asian grandparent, parent, sibling, Human, Pushed, And slashed, And robbed...
I See Fire
Ronald
Deng
Fresh Meadows
9th
Grade
"We stared at my ceiling with nothing to do than stare out the window. we look out my..."
I remember our last summer. We sat on my bed bored. Sat on the floor bored. We stared at my ceiling with...
our last summer
Mae
White
Lithonia
American Home Schools
9th
Grade
"Scars become gifts of knowledge, These peeled bandages, encase something stronger..."
Outside my window Souls crash down Lungs breathing their last These souls extinguish like blown-out candles...
Wounds That Can Heal
Saanvika
P
Monmouth Junction
9th
Grade
"...tugged at her wrinkled dress as she gasped for air on the brink of her devastation."
In this corner of the world, the legends that kept children awake during humid nights were true; and people...
Mujer del Mar
Xavian
Plinde
New York City
A. Philip Randolph Campus High School
9th
Grade
"My old envious ways began to trickle in, I decided to follow her home in hopes that I..."
Kamilah was perfect. Everything she did was flawless. She was incapable of failure and she only knew how to...
The Girl Who
Cairon
Harrison
Boston
9th
Grade
"However, outside of my window, The nation has turned a new page..."
Inside of my window, I am a fourteen year old immigrant from Nepal, with an immigrant family that has...
Change
Shreyash
Shrestha
Rego Park
Bronx Science
9th
Grade
"If only your window portrayed a prettier picture."
“Why didn’t you tell someone” they’d ask you. “Why didn’t you say something” they’d ask again. “Is your...
See Something, Do Nothing
Mihi
H
New York
9th
Grade
"But not the outside Cold nor hot Day to night Spring to winter And summer to..."
"To me Outside my window is like a movie People come and go Seeing new people each year Life isn't..."
Outsider
Anita
Haydee
Brooklyn
9th
Grade
"There was utter darkness. Then, a faint white glow appeared. The glow kept growing..."
It was an unusually boring Friday night. I was all alone at home and had nothing to do. Suddenly, my...
Innovator of the Past
Rameez
Baig
Muscat
Beaconhouse Private School
9th
Grade
"It was always nice to walk without anyone near you. You can hear the trees swaying..."
"I walked aimlessly through the field of tall golden grass. Hidden in the mix of grass blades were..."
A Lone Lilac in a Sunflower Field
Lysandra
Bosmenier
Hinesburg
9th
Grade
“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free..."
I believed I was safe, the world was safe until I opened my eyes and realized it was all just a dream. I...
The World Through My Eyes
Syeda
Rameen Ali
Muscat
Beaconhouse Private School
9th
Grade
"The negative forces retreat and I'm now the last man standing."
The sun rises and the echo starts. My eyes open to four white walls and one window looking into an empty...
Last Man Standing
Yordani
R
Brooklyn
9th
Grade
"The thoughts don't feel like my own; my mind seems out of control. They move into..."
"There are different kinds of numbness. There’s the numbness you feel once your fingers have been exposed..."
A Mind Without Sensation
Celia
Hernandez
New York
9th
Grade
"Their eyes are hollow and dead. I try to scream, but I can’t make my lips move right."
Light pours into my room through the four large windows on the walls. The sun, high in the sky, casts soft...
The Shadows’ Tug
Veronica
Miskavage
Hinesburg
9th
Grade
"I want to lie in a room made of glass so the world may bloom around me as the trees..."
Outside my window, the flowers dance upon the damp grass as spring blesses the ground with its blissful...
Outside My Window
Destinee
Addison
Bentonville
Bentonville West High School
9th
Grade
"Do they cry and whine? Or are they stoic and strong..."
Outside my window, I view the people go by. Each body, and each mind, and each eye, and each life...
Outside my window
PK
Schlarman
Kirkwood
North Kirkwood Middle School
9th
Grade
262 people. 262 people were killed in my hometown last year...
262 people. 262 people were killed in my hometown last year. New record for us since 1970, but I’m not sure...
Life of 314
Zach
B
St. Louis
9th
Grade
"Because it pains me to see the things outside of my window..."
Sometimes I like to keep my curtains closed, Because it pains me to see the things outside of my window...
Beyond The Closed Curtain
Veah
Conner
Kansas City
9th
Grade
"My brain seemed to ache and throb, and I turned my head toward the large window to my..."
Perhaps from the view of a stranger one would think that the young teen was deep in his own thoughts, the...
You the Bird
Ina
Ma
Ellicott City
Wilde Lake High School
9th
Grade
The Chaos in The Ville
Outside my window is the ville which until 2020 was chill my city my precious home is gone into pieces like...
The Chaos in The Ville
Jaidyn
Yates
Louisville
9th
Grade
"millions of people are losing their jobs, families are at risk of falling into..."
Every morning I look out my tall, white, window. The window, surrounded by plants, is sometimes hard to see...
Outside My Window
Jeanette
Nawn
Upper Darby
Monsignor Bonner Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School
9th
Grade
"The dark. It closes in around me and makes the tree limbs seem like hands reaching..."
"As the last glimpses of the sun shine through the steadily thinning clouds I close my eyes and listen..."
Night
Anna
Brown
Perkinsville
Woodstock Union High School
9th
Grade
"I woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night. It was about the horror movie..."
"That’s when I saw the girl or it, floating in the hallway, sitting in a cross-legged position..."
The Dream
Taylor
Aiken
Jamaica, Queens
9th
Grade
"I can almost Forget/ The weight of lives/ And the stress/ To protect/ From an invisible k
"Crackling and burning, The flames pull me in And I almost Forget..."
Almost
Leah
Kuhnert
Woodstock
Woodstock Union High School
9th
Grade
"I’m scared of dying and you’re really the only one I can tell/ Because I’m afraid of thei
"Gazing outside I see the moon that man somehow reached..."
Her Allegory
Yoobin
O
Jackson Heights
9th
Grade
"I notice the gray brick underneath the blue-teal bicycles rolling through, human in tow.
"I used to look outside my window, and see a vast blue coastline, with small boats..."
The Past and The Present
Norah
M.
9th
Grade
"It's hard "staying in the closet" but if I reveal it, I would get punished, badly..."
"We all can admit, this year was bizarre, but my life just began. Yet, this year was a struggle and we..."
Live. Life. Change.
Pinku
A
Sicklerville
Overbrook High School
9th
Grade
"As his eyes moved, the horrible being to his left came into view. The creature..."
"Alone. The trees of the forest around him were just barely visible in the darkness, the faint glowing..."
The Shade
Joey
Etnyre
Hoffman Estates
William Fremd High School
9th
Grade
"As he looked inside, a shiver went down his spine. The cabin had nice beige walls..."
"It was a dark, misty night in the woodlands of Dowsken, Alaska. The tranquil atmosphere was interrupted..."
The Crow Cabin
Lucas
Papamitsakis
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Technical High School
9th
Grade
"The doll turned her head towards Jess’s room. Jess ran out of the room and ..."
"She looked back and saw her footprint, shiny and clear on the dark floor. 'What's that?' She thought ..."
Down to the Flames
Cathy
X
Brooklyn
9th
Grade
"Even justice has been warped beyond repair."
"Every man who has in his soul a secret feeling of revolt against any act of the State, of life, or of..."
The Tipping Point
Estella
Ugbebor
Los Angeles
9th
Grade
"The grotesque collection of bodies with some dead, drooping arms dragging on the..."
"'They didn’t treat the kids good here,' Marks inquired, 'did the?' 'Only the rats were,' Officer Bells..."
Rat King
Anais
S.
Saratoga
9th
Grade
"Embedded in the soil of our nation is racism, slavery, and persecution"
It seems as if over the past few months there has been a shift in the world.
What can we do to be heard and why do we need to share our voices more than ever?
Olivia
Hersh
New York, New York
9th
Grade
"The officers look at each other, as if they are confirming what they're about to do."
Silence. Terrible, unceasing silence. That is what's left after watching George Floyd plead for his life...
To Dream of Justice
Leah
Stewart
Sufflok, Virginia
9th
Grade
"You used to be the girl who loved dragons."
Armor doesn’t fit over stretch marks. Stainless steel dissolves when it meets your numb, purple scars...
The Dragon
Emma
Meyers
Santa Fe, New Mexico
9th
Grade
"I pretend I am in her arms, the coat is her body. I run my hand over my forehead and through my hair. Over and over, just like she used to so I could sleep."
The lights don’t turn on anymore. And the sink dribbles but doesn’t run.
Glory Be
Aviva
N
Santa Fe, New Mexico
9th
Grade
"I am strong. / I am myself. / I AM She."
SHE sits in the classroom, always raising her hand, even if SHE’s not sure of her answer...
She
Aarushi
B
Princeton, New Jersey
9th
Grade
"I growled to myself, ‘Don’t be weak, warriors don’t feel.’ I put my head on the soft grass and my eyes slid shut."
I awoke with flames dancing in my peripheral vision. The air itself felt singed...
Ryoshi
Finn
Graham
Eton, United Kingdom
Eton College
9th
Grade
"It wasn’t that she was poor like a peasant was--she had acquired plenty of wealth over the years--she was just bored of being herself."
“How would you like to be immortal?” The question rang through the room, causing the listener’s heart to beat faster.
How Would You Like to Be Immortal?
Rebecca
Losey
Livermore, California
9th
Grade
"He remembered nothing from that night. All he knew was growing up without a mom had been horrible."
Our story begins, as many do, in the future, with a boy and his dog. This story is a tragic one.
Birthday Surprise
Kai
Cooper
New York, NY
9th
Grade
"The doctors told him he may never play again."
In March 2004, Sean Mcdaniel turned 16. The problem was he felt like he was 10 due to his rough environment and lack of education...
How Sean Mcdaniel Became a Star
Jake
Deutscher
Atlanta, Georgia
Blessed Trinity Catholic Highschool
9th
Grade
"When there were numerous healthy ones in the adjacent cages, should she chance the heartache of losing this pet after bonding with him?"
Carrie looked into each set of eyes, and they all looked back at her longingly. One by one, cage by cage, she peered inquisitively inside each, hopeful that her search would be a success.
A Chance Encounter
Mark
Dungan
Marietta, Georgia
Blessed Trinity Catholic Highschool
9th
Grade
"Sean had been dreaming about having this 1965 cherry red Mustang for so long. On his sixteenth birthday, his parents told Sean that they had a surprise for him."
"Sean woke up again, just like so many other nights, dreaming about the car."
Earning Your First Car
Trevor
Schweizer
Johns Creek, Georgia
9th
Grade
"There were no other solutions. They knew it fit squarely on the chosen one to succeed."
The day started out like any other day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing sweet melodies, and a sea of yellow covered every outdoor surface. Today was to be the day that is anticipated all week long.
The Chosen one
Charlie
Cowan
Canton, Georgia
Blessed Trinity Catholic Highschool
9th
Grade
"...lightning strikes a few feet next to the treehouse. She quickly jumps from the ground in fright..."
In a small town named Greenville, nothing bad ever happens. Day by day nothing changes, it’s always the same routine for everyone...
The Doll in the Woods
Catherine
Campbell
Roswell, Georgia
Blessed Trinity Catholic Highschool
9th
Grade
"When the triplets started growing older, the dad started noticing something extraordinary. The triplets had powers, he never thought that was possible."
They were a new, happy married couple that were scientists. They lived together in a big city and wanted to have children. The wife became pregnant, but she also became very sick. The husband and wife tried to do everything they could to cure her.
The Triplets
Ann Marie
Bobar
Atlanta, Georgia
9th
Grade
"And when I told him what I did I could see in his face that I had lost him forever."
The day started off the same as everyday, waking up, going to school, doing homework, and going to bed. It was the same cycle until I met him.
When I Lost Everything
Stella
J
Marietta, Georgia
9th
Grade
Dirt Roads
In the dirt roads, a little small town will the population just under 1,000. There was a boy who wanted to escape this town. He wanted to go to the
Dirt Roads
Edward
Ahrens
Marietta, Georgia
9th
Grade
"But during the second half of the game she caught a pass, juked out her defender, and ran towards the goal full speed..."
This was the moment she has waited for ever since she started playing lacrosse in fourth grade. She has put in so much effort and has worked so hard for this moment...
I’m Still Standing
Haden
Noyes
Marietta, Georgia
9th
Grade
Sacrifice
With that feeling of pain going through every part of my body, I knew I did the right thing. Waking up on a Sunday morning with the sun going through the blinds streaming in my eyes is a great way to wake up. As I feel the warmth
Sacrifice
Alexandra
Allen
Roswell, Georgia
9th
Grade
"We raced into the kitchen with two mugs ready for us to drink it all."
I was sitting in my English classroom wondering when the bell would ring for my next class when all of the sudden, in the corner of my eye I saw something fall from the sky...
Snow Day
Lucy
Bianchi
Atlanta, Georgia
9th
Grade
"The next morning as she packed her air force duffel bag full, she broke down into tears, crying out that she could not go to New York..."
She was just a young, inexperienced air force nurse, twenty-three and lived in Charleston, South Carolina...
The Airman
Avery
Young
Roswell, Georgia
9th
Grade
"'This is it.' I think to myself in my head. 'This is how my story ends.'"
My eyes open. I can feel my heart thumping, “boom, boom, boom.” My throat closes up. I struggle to breathe. It feels like there are a thousand pounds on my chest, and if I could only struggle out from under the weight this would all end. But I can’t, and this is not ending.
Alone
Madison
Guynup
Woodstock, Georgia
9th
Grade
"No one likes to lose, but in losing winners are born"
The way I was watched gave me a sneaking suspicion. All the eyes locked on me crippled my movement. The stress and anxiety made me blind.
Athletes
Josh
A
Marietta, Georgia
Blessed Trinity Catholic Highschool
9th
Grade
"Sudden warmth and the smell of coffee pleaded with me to stifle my thoughts, but the words that would change my life still spewed out of my mouth. “I saw him!” I cried."
Lightning ripped through the sky, but I had to keep going. Rain seared the deep lacerations across my body, but my legs still chased the horizon with desperation
I Saw Him
Rachel
Mina
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey
9th
Grade
"'We never had enough food. No one in Taiwan did. Taiwan was plagued by starvation during the war'"
The chaotic cafeteria drowned me. Voices ripped at my ear--laughing, shouting, and whispering. The fluorescent lights hissed at me. Everyone at my lunch table sat around me with smiles plastered on their faces. How could they manage to stay so upbeat? How could I manage to live knowing this?
Egg
Ava
Yan
New York, New York
9th
Grade
"I recognized the shape of the brown wooden sculpture from the necklace my mother always wore; however, her necklace had shimmering white diamonds and not a gory dead man."
My parents gave me a silver cross as a graduation present from preschool. My cross was about two inches long and one inch wide. It had small round shimmering white diamonds that rested on a silver backing and hung from a thin dainty silver chain.
The Brown Wooden Sculpture
Martha
G
New York City
9th
Grade
"'Did you ever meet Putin?' 'Do Russians like trump?' 'Do you know if the Russians helped Trump?'"
Its torso is shaped like a colossal peanut. Its head is round with a glimmering face painted upon it with thick guache, covered in colorless yacht lacquer. The Matryoshka doll, Semenovskaya nesting doll, [Матрёшка] bears the scent of damp old wood.
The Matryoshka Doll
E
S
New York, New York
9th
Grade
The Angel and the Train
Mature Content
After sunset my reflection appears in the black depths of the kitchen window, thin, pale and drunk. The ruins of the gas station are burning in the hills, a sheet of wet gold floating on my chest. I can pick out the familiar scent of smoke.
The Angel and the Train
Zarar
Zarar
New York, New York
9th
Grade
1 / 5
1
2
3
4
5
"So, why did I try so hard? For people who already made up their minds Of who will..."
"I keep falling No matter how careful I am But someone always trips me Yet I never..."
A Chance for All
Ariella
R
Queens
9th
Grade
"Books hold our futures and create how we see those futures. For the characters give..."
"Dear books, I read not for the story or for the satisfaction, but the people. I read for the people..."
Dear Books
Masson
Fink
Waterloo
9th
Grade
"People shed tears and people share love, people share pain and people give hugs..."
Kansas City Window (My Side)
Justis
Johnson
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"Train after train, window after grimy window, my eyes glaze over the sea of passengers"
Ba-bump, ba-bump. The train’s heartbeat thumps through the station, its arrival marking the noisy departure...
The Girl Inside the Window
Sophie
Cheng
Bronx
9th
Grade
"They cover the sky like when you sprinkle sugar in your coffee. Yep, still there. The..."
"When I used to think of Vermont I thought of trees. Just trees. I had never been to this very green state..."
When You Pay Attention
Mia
Pierini
Woodstock
Woodstock Union High School
9th
Grade
"We constantly wonder if we are enough, but acceptance will be our greatest downfall..."
"I wish the people could see the beauty in imperfections. ‘Your too short ``''your to fat ``''your too..."
My Side Is Different
Justis
Johnson
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"The rain drips down the leaves of a tree and travels its way through the gutter..."
"Windows. When open, you are led to somewhere outside of the closed space you live in. A breath of..."
Windows
Bridget
Feltmann
Kirkwood
North Kirkwood Middle School
9th
Grade
"The day we got taken away, my mom lost it that day, she was mad, sad, and..."
"My is life good sometimes. I'm in foster care and so is my little brother. This is my story. So, I was..."
De’Kayla Lloyd’s Life 🎥😇
De'Kayla
Lloyd
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"My head rests on his shoulder, eyes fluttering shut, as we get lost in our own world..."
"I am running, as fast as my legs will take me. Bare footed against the cool marble, dress scrunched up..."
His Favorite Color is Red
Noor
Al-Deen
San Leandro
San Leandro High
9th
Grade
"I'm not going to waste my energy on someone if they're just going to find some way..."
"During the past 15 years of my life, I can say I have been through some hard times. My parents are..."
Life is a Struggle
Mia
Jarvis
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"They say every villain origin has a story, Why haven’t yours been told, Mother?"
“Her life is like a wildflower, different...” I Aimlessly wake up every morning in search of something...
Here lies, me
Mya
S
Flushing
9th
Grade
"Not all stories end in a happily ever after..."
Mature Content
Albert Einstein once said “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want...
The Truth About Happily Ever After
Ruby
Cruz-Flores
Kansas
Turner High School
9th
Grade
7 year tribulation or not?
It is argued amongst Christians if the seven year tribulation of the prophetic end times is a true...
7 year tribulation or not?
Diego
Fernandez
Queens Village
Benjamin N Cardozo High School
9th
Grade
Jones Creek
“Let's go guys, it's time to go,” my sister said. I rushed down stairs with excitement with my hands full...
Jones Creek
Sadie
W
Portland
9th
Grade
The Clouded Window
During the winter it's like looking through a clouded window. The snow coated ledge slowly melting away...
The Clouded Window
Emma
Appel
St. Louis
North Kirkwood Middle School
9th
Grade
"I could see the beginnings of hope..."
Drive By
Mya
L
South Burlington
9th
Grade
"I was done being hurt by fake people..."
The Life of Jay
Sarah
Bailey
Kansas City
9th
Grade
"The trilling of brass trumpets and banging of snare drums..."
What I Love About Kirkwood
Allie
C
North Kirkwood Middle School
9th
Grade
"Let the lack of reality flow through your veins..."
Lack of Consciousness
Janna
M
Philadelphia
9th
Grade
"Not a word can come out except- button mumbled questionings..."
Restless School Nights
Noah
E
Centerton
9th
Grade
I am strong
I am strong But can't let you go I am strong But sometimes I just don't know Wished that I could Have been...
I am strong
Kihanna
Lezama
Bronx
New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science ll
9th
Grade
"Our conscience knows this is not the way So it prays to God for an hour of understanding"
My window flickers off and on Subtle pixels of iridescent light Twisting and contorting I sway in their...
Bread and Circuses
Sofia
V
Brooklyn
9th
Grade
The Painting in my Dining Room, A Letter to my Dog
It’s been a year now, shouldn’t you know what’s outside that window? What if it’s changed? Reese, the park...
The Painting in my Dining Room, A Letter to my Dog
Caroline
Xiong
Fresh Meadows
9th
Grade
Behind the Mask
The windowpane is spotless after one last wipe of a cloth. My reflection smiles at me, relieved to have...
Behind the Mask
Ritika
Sinha
Wayland
9th
Grade
Realms of Perspective
Outside my window lies countless worlds that live together in perfect harmony. Some of which can only be...
Realms of Perspective
Malach
Edwards
Muscat
Beaconhouse Private School
9th
Grade
"...billions taking place on the other side of a piece of glass that keeps me warm."
How many lives do I reach in a given day, how many objects do I affect? The vast Earth, so much interaction...
Do We Matter?
Shane
Murphy
New York
9th
Grade
I See Fire
Through the window, I see An Asian grandparent, parent, sibling, Human, Pushed, And slashed, And robbed...
I See Fire
Ronald
Deng
Fresh Meadows
9th
Grade
"We stared at my ceiling with nothing to do than stare out the window. we look out my..."
I remember our last summer. We sat on my bed bored. Sat on the floor bored. We stared at my ceiling with...
our last summer
Mae
White
Lithonia
American Home Schools
9th
Grade
"Scars become gifts of knowledge, These peeled bandages, encase something stronger..."
Outside my window Souls crash down Lungs breathing their last These souls extinguish like blown-out candles...
Wounds That Can Heal
Saanvika
P
Monmouth Junction
9th
Grade
"...tugged at her wrinkled dress as she gasped for air on the brink of her devastation."
In this corner of the world, the legends that kept children awake during humid nights were true; and people...
Mujer del Mar
Xavian
Plinde
New York City
A. Philip Randolph Campus High School
9th
Grade
"My old envious ways began to trickle in, I decided to follow her home in hopes that I..."
Kamilah was perfect. Everything she did was flawless. She was incapable of failure and she only knew how to...
The Girl Who
Cairon
Harrison
Boston
9th
Grade
"However, outside of my window, The nation has turned a new page..."
Inside of my window, I am a fourteen year old immigrant from Nepal, with an immigrant family that has...
Change
Shreyash
Shrestha
Rego Park
Bronx Science
9th
Grade
"If only your window portrayed a prettier picture."
“Why didn’t you tell someone” they’d ask you. “Why didn’t you say something” they’d ask again. “Is your...
See Something, Do Nothing
Mihi
H
New York
9th
Grade
"But not the outside Cold nor hot Day to night Spring to winter And summer to..."
"To me Outside my window is like a movie People come and go Seeing new people each year Life isn't..."
Outsider
Anita
Haydee
Brooklyn
9th
Grade
"There was utter darkness. Then, a faint white glow appeared. The glow kept growing..."
It was an unusually boring Friday night. I was all alone at home and had nothing to do. Suddenly, my...
Innovator of the Past
Rameez
Baig
Muscat
Beaconhouse Private School
9th
Grade
"It was always nice to walk without anyone near you. You can hear the trees swaying..."
"I walked aimlessly through the field of tall golden grass. Hidden in the mix of grass blades were..."
A Lone Lilac in a Sunflower Field
Lysandra
Bosmenier
Hinesburg
9th
Grade
“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free..."
I believed I was safe, the world was safe until I opened my eyes and realized it was all just a dream. I...
The World Through My Eyes
Syeda
Rameen Ali
Muscat
Beaconhouse Private School
9th
Grade
"The negative forces retreat and I'm now the last man standing."
The sun rises and the echo starts. My eyes open to four white walls and one window looking into an empty...
Last Man Standing
Yordani
R
Brooklyn
9th
Grade
"The thoughts don't feel like my own; my mind seems out of control. They move into..."
"There are different kinds of numbness. There’s the numbness you feel once your fingers have been exposed..."
A Mind Without Sensation
Celia
Hernandez
New York
9th
Grade
"Their eyes are hollow and dead. I try to scream, but I can’t make my lips move right."
Light pours into my room through the four large windows on the walls. The sun, high in the sky, casts soft...
The Shadows’ Tug
Veronica
Miskavage
Hinesburg
9th
Grade
"I want to lie in a room made of glass so the world may bloom around me as the trees..."
Outside my window, the flowers dance upon the damp grass as spring blesses the ground with its blissful...
Outside My Window
Destinee
Addison
Bentonville
Bentonville West High School
9th
Grade
"Do they cry and whine? Or are they stoic and strong..."
Outside my window, I view the people go by. Each body, and each mind, and each eye, and each life...
Outside my window
PK
Schlarman
Kirkwood
North Kirkwood Middle School
9th
Grade
262 people. 262 people were killed in my hometown last year...
262 people. 262 people were killed in my hometown last year. New record for us since 1970, but I’m not sure...
Life of 314
Zach
B
St. Louis
9th
Grade
"Because it pains me to see the things outside of my window..."
Sometimes I like to keep my curtains closed, Because it pains me to see the things outside of my window...
Beyond The Closed Curtain
Veah
Conner
Kansas City
9th
Grade
"My brain seemed to ache and throb, and I turned my head toward the large window to my..."
Perhaps from the view of a stranger one would think that the young teen was deep in his own thoughts, the...
You the Bird
Ina
Ma
Ellicott City
Wilde Lake High School
9th
Grade
The Chaos in The Ville
Outside my window is the ville which until 2020 was chill my city my precious home is gone into pieces like...
The Chaos in The Ville
Jaidyn
Yates
Louisville
9th
Grade
"millions of people are losing their jobs, families are at risk of falling into..."
Every morning I look out my tall, white, window. The window, surrounded by plants, is sometimes hard to see...
Outside My Window
Jeanette
Nawn
Upper Darby
Monsignor Bonner Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School
9th
Grade
"The dark. It closes in around me and makes the tree limbs seem like hands reaching..."
"As the last glimpses of the sun shine through the steadily thinning clouds I close my eyes and listen..."
Night
Anna
Brown
Perkinsville
Woodstock Union High School
9th
Grade
"I woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night. It was about the horror movie..."
"That’s when I saw the girl or it, floating in the hallway, sitting in a cross-legged position..."
The Dream
Taylor
Aiken
Jamaica, Queens
9th
Grade
"I can almost Forget/ The weight of lives/ And the stress/ To protect/ From an invisible k
"Crackling and burning, The flames pull me in And I almost Forget..."
Almost
Leah
Kuhnert
Woodstock
Woodstock Union High School
9th
Grade
"I’m scared of dying and you’re really the only one I can tell/ Because I’m afraid of thei
"Gazing outside I see the moon that man somehow reached..."
Her Allegory
Yoobin
O
Jackson Heights
9th
Grade
"I notice the gray brick underneath the blue-teal bicycles rolling through, human in tow.
"I used to look outside my window, and see a vast blue coastline, with small boats..."
The Past and The Present
Norah
M.
9th
Grade
"It's hard "staying in the closet" but if I reveal it, I would get punished, badly..."
"We all can admit, this year was bizarre, but my life just began. Yet, this year was a struggle and we..."
Live. Life. Change.
Pinku
A
Sicklerville
Overbrook High School
9th
Grade
"As his eyes moved, the horrible being to his left came into view. The creature..."
"Alone. The trees of the forest around him were just barely visible in the darkness, the faint glowing..."
The Shade
Joey
Etnyre
Hoffman Estates
William Fremd High School
9th
Grade
"As he looked inside, a shiver went down his spine. The cabin had nice beige walls..."
"It was a dark, misty night in the woodlands of Dowsken, Alaska. The tranquil atmosphere was interrupted..."
The Crow Cabin
Lucas
Papamitsakis
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Technical High School
9th
Grade
"The doll turned her head towards Jess’s room. Jess ran out of the room and ..."
"She looked back and saw her footprint, shiny and clear on the dark floor. 'What's that?' She thought ..."
Down to the Flames
Cathy
X
Brooklyn
9th
Grade
"Even justice has been warped beyond repair."
"Every man who has in his soul a secret feeling of revolt against any act of the State, of life, or of..."
The Tipping Point
Estella
Ugbebor
Los Angeles
9th
Grade
"The grotesque collection of bodies with some dead, drooping arms dragging on the..."
"'They didn’t treat the kids good here,' Marks inquired, 'did the?' 'Only the rats were,' Officer Bells..."
Rat King
Anais
S.
Saratoga
9th
Grade
"Embedded in the soil of our nation is racism, slavery, and persecution"
It seems as if over the past few months there has been a shift in the world.
What can we do to be heard and why do we need to share our voices more than ever?
Olivia
Hersh
New York, New York
9th
Grade
"The officers look at each other, as if they are confirming what they're about to do."
Silence. Terrible, unceasing silence. That is what's left after watching George Floyd plead for his life...
To Dream of Justice
Leah
Stewart
Sufflok, Virginia
9th
Grade
"You used to be the girl who loved dragons."
Armor doesn’t fit over stretch marks. Stainless steel dissolves when it meets your numb, purple scars...
The Dragon
Emma
Meyers
Santa Fe, New Mexico
9th
Grade
"I pretend I am in her arms, the coat is her body. I run my hand over my forehead and through my hair. Over and over, just like she used to so I could sleep."
The lights don’t turn on anymore. And the sink dribbles but doesn’t run.
Glory Be
Aviva
N
Santa Fe, New Mexico
9th
Grade
"I am strong. / I am myself. / I AM She."
SHE sits in the classroom, always raising her hand, even if SHE’s not sure of her answer...
She
Aarushi
B
Princeton, New Jersey
9th
Grade
"I growled to myself, ‘Don’t be weak, warriors don’t feel.’ I put my head on the soft grass and my eyes slid shut."
I awoke with flames dancing in my peripheral vision. The air itself felt singed...
Ryoshi
Finn
Graham
Eton, United Kingdom
Eton College
9th
Grade
"It wasn’t that she was poor like a peasant was--she had acquired plenty of wealth over the years--she was just bored of being herself."
“How would you like to be immortal?” The question rang through the room, causing the listener’s heart to beat faster.
How Would You Like to Be Immortal?
Rebecca
Losey
Livermore, California
9th
Grade
"He remembered nothing from that night. All he knew was growing up without a mom had been horrible."
Our story begins, as many do, in the future, with a boy and his dog. This story is a tragic one.
Birthday Surprise
Kai
Cooper
New York, NY
9th
Grade
"The doctors told him he may never play again."
In March 2004, Sean Mcdaniel turned 16. The problem was he felt like he was 10 due to his rough environment and lack of education...
How Sean Mcdaniel Became a Star
Jake
Deutscher
Atlanta, Georgia
Blessed Trinity Catholic Highschool
9th
Grade
"When there were numerous healthy ones in the adjacent cages, should she chance the heartache of losing this pet after bonding with him?"
Carrie looked into each set of eyes, and they all looked back at her longingly. One by one, cage by cage, she peered inquisitively inside each, hopeful that her search would be a success.
A Chance Encounter
Mark
Dungan
Marietta, Georgia
Blessed Trinity Catholic Highschool
9th
Grade
"Sean had been dreaming about having this 1965 cherry red Mustang for so long. On his sixteenth birthday, his parents told Sean that they had a surprise for him."
"Sean woke up again, just like so many other nights, dreaming about the car."
Earning Your First Car
Trevor
Schweizer
Johns Creek, Georgia
9th
Grade
"There were no other solutions. They knew it fit squarely on the chosen one to succeed."
The day started out like any other day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing sweet melodies, and a sea of yellow covered every outdoor surface. Today was to be the day that is anticipated all week long.
The Chosen one
Charlie
Cowan
Canton, Georgia
Blessed Trinity Catholic Highschool
9th
Grade
"...lightning strikes a few feet next to the treehouse. She quickly jumps from the ground in fright..."
In a small town named Greenville, nothing bad ever happens. Day by day nothing changes, it’s always the same routine for everyone...
The Doll in the Woods
Catherine
Campbell
Roswell, Georgia
Blessed Trinity Catholic Highschool
9th
Grade
"When the triplets started growing older, the dad started noticing something extraordinary. The triplets had powers, he never thought that was possible."
They were a new, happy married couple that were scientists. They lived together in a big city and wanted to have children. The wife became pregnant, but she also became very sick. The husband and wife tried to do everything they could to cure her.
The Triplets
Ann Marie
Bobar
Atlanta, Georgia
9th
Grade
"And when I told him what I did I could see in his face that I had lost him forever."
The day started off the same as everyday, waking up, going to school, doing homework, and going to bed. It was the same cycle until I met him.
When I Lost Everything
Stella
J
Marietta, Georgia
9th
Grade
Dirt Roads
In the dirt roads, a little small town will the population just under 1,000. There was a boy who wanted to escape this town. He wanted to go to the
Dirt Roads
Edward
Ahrens
Marietta, Georgia
9th
Grade
"But during the second half of the game she caught a pass, juked out her defender, and ran towards the goal full speed..."
This was the moment she has waited for ever since she started playing lacrosse in fourth grade. She has put in so much effort and has worked so hard for this moment...
I’m Still Standing
Haden
Noyes
Marietta, Georgia
9th
Grade
Sacrifice
With that feeling of pain going through every part of my body, I knew I did the right thing. Waking up on a Sunday morning with the sun going through the blinds streaming in my eyes is a great way to wake up. As I feel the warmth
Sacrifice
Alexandra
Allen
Roswell, Georgia
9th
Grade
"We raced into the kitchen with two mugs ready for us to drink it all."
I was sitting in my English classroom wondering when the bell would ring for my next class when all of the sudden, in the corner of my eye I saw something fall from the sky...
Snow Day
Lucy
Bianchi
Atlanta, Georgia
9th
Grade
"The next morning as she packed her air force duffel bag full, she broke down into tears, crying out that she could not go to New York..."
She was just a young, inexperienced air force nurse, twenty-three and lived in Charleston, South Carolina...
The Airman
Avery
Young
Roswell, Georgia
9th
Grade
"'This is it.' I think to myself in my head. 'This is how my story ends.'"
My eyes open. I can feel my heart thumping, “boom, boom, boom.” My throat closes up. I struggle to breathe. It feels like there are a thousand pounds on my chest, and if I could only struggle out from under the weight this would all end. But I can’t, and this is not ending.
Alone
Madison
Guynup
Woodstock, Georgia
9th
Grade
"No one likes to lose, but in losing winners are born"
The way I was watched gave me a sneaking suspicion. All the eyes locked on me crippled my movement. The stress and anxiety made me blind.
Athletes
Josh
A
Marietta, Georgia
Blessed Trinity Catholic Highschool
9th
Grade
"Sudden warmth and the smell of coffee pleaded with me to stifle my thoughts, but the words that would change my life still spewed out of my mouth. “I saw him!” I cried."
Lightning ripped through the sky, but I had to keep going. Rain seared the deep lacerations across my body, but my legs still chased the horizon with desperation
I Saw Him
Rachel
Mina
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey
9th
Grade
"'We never had enough food. No one in Taiwan did. Taiwan was plagued by starvation during the war'"
The chaotic cafeteria drowned me. Voices ripped at my ear--laughing, shouting, and whispering. The fluorescent lights hissed at me. Everyone at my lunch table sat around me with smiles plastered on their faces. How could they manage to stay so upbeat? How could I manage to live knowing this?
Egg
Ava
Yan
New York, New York
9th
Grade
"I recognized the shape of the brown wooden sculpture from the necklace my mother always wore; however, her necklace had shimmering white diamonds and not a gory dead man."
My parents gave me a silver cross as a graduation present from preschool. My cross was about two inches long and one inch wide. It had small round shimmering white diamonds that rested on a silver backing and hung from a thin dainty silver chain.
The Brown Wooden Sculpture
Martha
G
New York City
9th
Grade
"'Did you ever meet Putin?' 'Do Russians like trump?' 'Do you know if the Russians helped Trump?'"
Its torso is shaped like a colossal peanut. Its head is round with a glimmering face painted upon it with thick guache, covered in colorless yacht lacquer. The Matryoshka doll, Semenovskaya nesting doll, [Матрёшка] bears the scent of damp old wood.
The Matryoshka Doll
E
S
New York, New York
9th
Grade
The Angel and the Train
Mature Content
After sunset my reflection appears in the black depths of the kitchen window, thin, pale and drunk. The ruins of the gas station are burning in the hills, a sheet of wet gold floating on my chest. I can pick out the familiar scent of smoke.
The Angel and the Train
Zarar
Zarar
New York, New York
9th
Grade
"So, why did I try so hard? For people who already made up their minds Of who will..."
"I keep falling No matter how careful I am But someone always trips me Yet I never..."
A Chance for All
Ariella
R
Queens
9th
Grade
"Books hold our futures and create how we see those futures. For the characters give..."
"Dear books, I read not for the story or for the satisfaction, but the people. I read for the people..."
Dear Books
Masson
Fink
Waterloo
9th
Grade
"People shed tears and people share love, people share pain and people give hugs..."
Kansas City Window (My Side)
Justis
Johnson
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"Train after train, window after grimy window, my eyes glaze over the sea of passengers"
Ba-bump, ba-bump. The train’s heartbeat thumps through the station, its arrival marking the noisy departure...
The Girl Inside the Window
Sophie
Cheng
Bronx
9th
Grade
"They cover the sky like when you sprinkle sugar in your coffee. Yep, still there. The..."
"When I used to think of Vermont I thought of trees. Just trees. I had never been to this very green state..."
When You Pay Attention
Mia
Pierini
Woodstock
Woodstock Union High School
9th
Grade
"We constantly wonder if we are enough, but acceptance will be our greatest downfall..."
"I wish the people could see the beauty in imperfections. ‘Your too short ``''your to fat ``''your too..."
My Side Is Different
Justis
Johnson
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"The rain drips down the leaves of a tree and travels its way through the gutter..."
"Windows. When open, you are led to somewhere outside of the closed space you live in. A breath of..."
Windows
Bridget
Feltmann
Kirkwood
North Kirkwood Middle School
9th
Grade
"The day we got taken away, my mom lost it that day, she was mad, sad, and..."
"My is life good sometimes. I'm in foster care and so is my little brother. This is my story. So, I was..."
De’Kayla Lloyd’s Life 🎥😇
De'Kayla
Lloyd
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"My head rests on his shoulder, eyes fluttering shut, as we get lost in our own world..."
"I am running, as fast as my legs will take me. Bare footed against the cool marble, dress scrunched up..."
His Favorite Color is Red
Noor
Al-Deen
San Leandro
San Leandro High
9th
Grade
"I'm not going to waste my energy on someone if they're just going to find some way..."
"During the past 15 years of my life, I can say I have been through some hard times. My parents are..."
Life is a Struggle
Mia
Jarvis
Kansas City
J.C. Harmon High School
9th
Grade
"They say every villain origin has a story, Why haven’t yours been told, Mother?"
“Her life is like a wildflower, different...” I Aimlessly wake up every morning in search of something...
Here lies, me
Mya
S
Flushing
9th
Grade
"Not all stories end in a happily ever after..."
Mature Content
Albert Einstein once said “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want...
The Truth About Happily Ever After
Ruby
Cruz-Flores
Kansas
Turner High School
9th
Grade