Unsinkable
CRACK! The sound tore through Ruby’s dreams. Her eyes lifted drowsily. What was that? Muffled screams came from outside her cabin door. Instantly, she knew something was wrong.
Ruby and her sister, Eliza, were traveling on one of the greatest ships to New York City—alone. They hoped to find work and send their wages back to their family in Europe. Ruby had a keen sense of adventure and saw this as an opportunity for one of her greatest quests.
“Eliza?” Ruby whispered to the bunk next to her.
Her sister groaned, muttering something indecipherable about pancakes. But finally, Ruby shook her out of her dreams, and together they crept out of their cabin.
“Evacuate!” somebody shouted.
A scream crawled up Ruby’s throat, and she clutched her sister’s hand.
“What’s happening?” Eliza asked a nearby man.
“We’ve hit an iceberg. The ship is sinking,” he explained hurriedly. “A few of us are warning passengers about the accident, but you children need to get to safety.”
“But I thought the Titanic was unsinkable,” Eliza said. “Ruby, get to the lifeboats. You have to claim a seat.”
Ruby nodded, tugging on her sister’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Eliza shook her head. “The man said he’s warning people about this. Some people don’t know, so I’m going to help.”
“No!” Ruby desperately cried. “You’re coming with me.”
Eliza gave her a reassuring smile. “There’s still plenty of time. I’ll make it. But I don’t want you to get lost. Go, Ruby. I’ll see you soon.”
Time passed slower than Ruby thought possible as she sat in the lifeboat. Eliza isn’t here yet. She curled in a ball, exhausted from her emotions, which were crashing harder than the ocean. Suddenly, she felt the boat being lowered into the icy sea.
“Eliza!” She screamed, standing up with a start. “Eliza!”
An elderly woman sitting beside her pulled her down. Ruby began to sob.
Hours passed hollowly, but at last, their boat reached another ship whose passengers welcomed them, wrapped them up in warm blankets and offered them food. But Ruby was too exhausted and sad to eat.
“There’s one more boat!” A man called out.
Ruby turned and gasped at the sight. Eliza! She was numb with cold and clinging to an overturned lifeboat, but she had made it. When she climbed on board, the two girls pulled each other into a tight embrace.
“I thought I had lost you!” Ruby sobbed.
Eliza squeezed her tighter. “It’s OK. I helped save lots of people tonight, and by the grace of God, I made it out alive.”
— Sarah B., 12, Kansas
The Wolf Who Couldn’t
It was a beautiful, sunny day in Curry County, New Mexico. Three pig siblings—Lenny, Winslow and Poppy—were lying in a humongous mud puddle, wondering what to do.
“I’m tired of sitting around all the time doing nothing but wallowing in the mud!” Lenny whined.
“Well, we could build our own houses,” Poppy replied. “Then we could have a garden, a pool and all the things we don’t have here.”
Immediately, they all jumped out of the puddle and ran in opposite directions. Lenny, the youngest, trotted off to the tailor’s shop to purchase 900 feet of wool to build his house. Winslow walked to the candy store and bought 500 pounds of Smarties and 100 pounds of glue. Poppy, on the other hand, was smarter than her brothers and drove to the brick store to buy 200 pounds of bricks.
As Poppy made her way to the location of her future house, she stopped to watch Lenny work on his house. He was making it right in the desert—next to 20 prickly cacti! Lenny was seriously stuck in the wool, squirming and yelling for help. Being a kind sister, she helped get him out of the wool. After this little incident, she drove half a mile away and found Winslow patiently stacking Smarties on top of each other. He stopped every few candies to glue them together. She quietly tiptoed past him so she didn’t break his concentration.
Finally, she arrived in the middle of the woods, grabbed her axe and cleared an enormous spot for her house. Three months and two trips to the brick store later, her mansion-sized house was finished. Not only did she have the house, but she also had a flourishing garden with tons of fruits and vegetables and a yard with a pool!
All was well for a time, until one day, an especially hungry wolf arrived in Curry County. His sense of smell was as sharp as a bloodhound. Following his nose to Lenny’s house, he boomed, “Ooh, I smell ham! Open up, or I’ll tear your house apart with my razor-sharp claws!”
“No one’s home!” Lenny squealed, grabbing a frying pan for defense.
“Oh, yes, I think someone is! I heard you, and now I’m coming in!” Powerfully, the wolf tore a gaping hole in the soft, woolen house.
Lenny, seeing how strong and hungry the wolf was, sprinted out of what was left of his house, jumped on his motorcycle and zoomed to Winslow’s house. Horace, the wolf, was so shocked at the fact that he tore a hole through the house that he didn’t notice Lenny zooming away.
When he came to his senses, Horace glanced around Lenny’s snug little house to see if the pig had hidden somewhere. The kitchen looked cozy, but there was no pig to be seen. The bedroom looked super inviting, but there was still no pig. Horace finally realized that Lenny’s motorcycle was gone. Dashing out of the house, Horace puffed and panted in the hot desert sun. Finally, Horace reached Winslow’s candy house and sniffed.
“Mmm … smells like bacon and ham!” he exclaimed. “Open up the door, or I’ll eat your house down!”
“Never!” Winslow and Lenny shouted in unison.
“Fine, I’m coming in!” Horace declared. He didn’t waste any time gobbling up the Smarties. After three mouthfuls, he stopped eating when he realized he was eating not only candy but also glue! Spitting out what was left in his mouth, he saw Winslow and Lenny speeding away on Lenny’s motorcycle.
Twelve minutes and 53 seconds later, Horace reached Poppy’s brick house.
“Mmm…ham, bacon and pork. Yum!” he shouted, drooling. Pounding on the strong steel door, he declared, “Let me in or I’ll…I’ll…” His voice faded away as he looked at the immense size and strength of Poppy’s house. Finally, he found his voice. “I’ll punch and kick your house down!”
“We dare you to try, Mr. Wolf!” Poppy said.
“This will be as easy as the last two houses,” he muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, the pigs heard the sound of hard breathing, claws scraping the cement around Poppy’s house and finally, a terrible yelp. Poppy rushed to the door, opened it and found Horace writhing on the ground, clutching his wrist and howling in pain.
“Mr. Wolf, what did you do? If you promise not to eat us, we’ll take a look at your arm.” Slowly, he stood up, sobbed and rushed away. He was never seen again.
As for Lenny and Winslow, they rebuilt their homes right next to Poppy’s house, and they used bricks for their houses this time. Now they hang out together every day and always make sure to watch out for hungry wolves.
— Lydia F., 15, Wyoming
