Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2017 finalist , Phoebe Clifton ! Phoebe finished 7th grade this past school year . The story she submitted is called " Shadows In The Moondlight " We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did ! + + + + + When baby Kamaria was born , she looked just like the moon . She had pale skin , nearly white hair , and dazzlingly blue eyes . Her parents , Ayo and Jelani , were surprised to see her because she looked so different from them . Soon after Kamaria was born , Ayo and Jelani took her to the town healer to see what was going on . + + + + + " Don 't give us pity about our daughter . Do you think we care what she looks like ? Do you think it will bother us to have to get her in the moonlight on the full moon ? " Jelani 's voice was rising and the healer was beginning to look unsettled so Ayo put her hand on her husband 's shoulder and turned to leave . + + + + + Kamaria grew to be a strong and well loved woman . She had always stayed close to home and Ayo and Jelani looked after her unique needs . One full moon when Kamaria was 23 , she was outside , running and enjoying her powers to make inanimate objects come to life , a power she had discovered only a few years ago . Her powers only worked while the full moon was up and it 's effects died away soon after . Even though Kamaria had to stay outside all night on the full moons , she always felt stronger and more excited at night . Sometimes a child would come up to her in the dark and they would play oh - so - quietly with the rocks and pebbles she made come alive . However , tonight she had a visitor that was not a child , but a Persian man she had seen around the village a few times . + + + + + " I couldn 't help but notice you outside at night a lot , so I thought I 'd come to see you . " + + + + + " I 'm sorry , I didn 't mean to startle you , but you are so kind and helpful to the villagers , and I 've heard nothing but good things about you , so I wanted to come out and meet you myself . " The man was handsome . He had dark brown hair , deep brown eyes that looked as though they had so many secrets behind them , and his skin looked like he 'd spent many hours in the sun as it was rough and dark . Kamaria noticed that he spoke with a thick Persian accent . " This must be the man who has been teaching Persian to the children , " she thought . + + + + + The two of them spent the night together , chatting and laughing . Over the next few months Javed and Kamaria became good friends . One cold December evening , a full moon , Kamaria was outside holding a rock that she had made come to life . She petted it 's head and sang to it . Longing to have a child of her own one day , she whispered a prayer . + + + + + Kamaria jumped , surprised . She looked up and saw a bright , white - toothed grin and couldn 't help but smile herself . " Hello , Javed . I not seen you in many months . " + + + + + Kamaria shot him a look . " I no good … but I try for you . So you no have to speak mine language . Where you been ? " + + + + + Javed rolled his eyes . " I really appreciate you learning Persian , but this conversation will be quicker in African . I got a job in a village far west from here . " + + + + + " Stop it , " she told herself , " you have no feelings for him that go farther than friendship . " As much as she wanted to believe that , she knew it wasn 't true . Kamaria sighed . + + + + + " What ? I - oh yeah everything 's fine . " Kamaria got nervous how he looked at her . She was furious at herself . The months they had spent apart changed her , she now couldn 't stop thinking about him . + + + + + " Come on Kamaria , I know you better than that . " Javed came closer . Soon their faces were only inches apart . Kamaria took a shaky breath . + + + + + " This cannot be happening , " Kamaria told herself . Javed reached out and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear . But instead of taking his hand back , he moved it to her neck . He drew her so close their noses were almost touching . + + + + + " Did I ever tell you that your eyes are beautiful ? " Javed whispered to Kamaria . Before she could respond , Javed pressed his lips against hers . They were soft and warm and Kamaria felt safe in his arms . For several seconds she enjoyed this feeling , not wanting it to end , but Javed pulled away . " I … I 'm sorry I don 't know what I was doing . " He stumbled and sputtered . + + + + + Kamaria didn 't say a word , she just sat next to him and put her hand over his . They spent the rest of the night talking and looking at the stars . As the sun began to rise Kamaria couldn 't hold back the question nagging at her all night . + + + + + " Kamaria , I want to stay here , with you , but I made a promise that I would stay and teach for a few years . " Javed squeezed her hand . + + + + + That next years were awful for Kamaria and Javed . They tried to visit each other as much as possible but it wasn 't easy . One day when Javed was visiting he found Kamaria sitting on a swing in her yard . + + + + + " Hello Kamaria . " Javed was so excited to see her because they hadn 't seen each other in a many months . + + + + + Kamaria 's head swung around and a smile broke over her face . " Javed ! " She ran into his arms and he scooped her up . She planted a kiss on his forehead and he set her down . He didn 't say a thing but picked up her hand . + + + + + " I 've loved you since the day we met . Your smile and laugh brighten up my heart on the darkest of days . I love you for who you are and what you do . Kamaria , will you marry me ? " Javed put on his sweetest smile . + + + + + Kamaria couldn 't hold in the tears . " Oh Javed , I don 't know what to say except … yes ! I never thought this day would come . I love you Javed , so very much . " + + + + + Kamaria smiled , " How about a kiss instead ? " + + + + + When they announced their engagement , no one was surprised . A few years after Javed and Kamaria 's marriage , they had a baby girl who looked so much like her father , Javed joked that they should name her Javed II . She had his dark hair , a big smile , and an innocent face . However , she had Kamaria 's eyes , bright , blue and shining . + + + + + " What should we name her ? " Kamaria asked , " That has nothing to do with your name , " she added when she saw Javed open his mouth with a smirk . + + + + + Every year , Mahdokht grew more clever , bright , and beautiful , and just like her mother , she was well loved by everyone in the village . A few weeks after Mahdokht 's ninth birthday , Kamaria was looking for her because she promised that Mahdokht could stay up all night with her for one full moon when she was older to see her mother 's powers . " Mahdokht ? Where are you ? " Kamaria was running around their small house looking for her daughter . " Sweetheart , this is special , the full moon is tomorrow and I want to prepare you . " + + + + + " Mamma ! Mamma ! " Kamaria heard her daughter crying from outside and she rushed out to see Mahdokht lying on the ground below a tree with her leg twisted at an odd angle and blood all around her . + + + + + " Oh honey , I 'm so sorry . I 'm going to bandage you up as best I can but the healer is gone for a few days so we 'll have to wait before we visit her , " Kamaria looked at her daughter 's leg to examine the damage . It was definitely broken , and there was a long , deep gash running almost the entire length of Mahdokht 's leg . + + + + + The next morning things had gone from bad to worse . Even though Kamaria had bandaged Mahdokht 's leg , the Attar house was in the poor area of town , so there was a lot more dirt and germs in the house and Mahdokht 's leg was beginning to get infected . + + + + + That evening Mahdokht passed out from the worsening infection and Kamaria was frantic . Seeing her young child sweating and barely breathing , Kamaria was in tears . She knew full well what would happen to Mahdokht if the infection spread anymore . Kamaria also knew what would happen to her if she didn 't go outside tonight . She was preparing to watch her own child die and die beside her when she remembered what her mother had told her long ago . + + + + + " You have the gift to sacrifice yourself for someone you love . All you have to do is put one hand on your heart and one on their 's and say out loud , " I give you the gift of life . " + + + + + Kamaria knew immediately what she wanted to do . She took a last look at her suffering daughter and felt glad she would be fine in a few moments , but so very sad not to be there to see her better . Kamaria put one hand on her heart , the other on Mahdokht 's and whispered , " I give you the gift of life . " + + + + + Mahdokht awoke , feeling perfectly fine . She looked down at her leg and saw that it was completely healed , no cut or anything . Mahdokht rose from the couch feeling happy but confused . " Why is my leg better , and where is mamma ? " Looking down at her leg some more , Mahdokht realized there was a large pile of powder on the floor near her feet . A closer look told her it wasn 't powder at all , but moon dust . Mahdokht thought , " Mama told me once that she could sacrifice herself once for someone else , so she must have used it on … me . " + + + + + " No … no no no no no ! Mamma ! " Mahdokht slumped over and cried for minutes which turned to hours . + + + + + Javed opened the door with a smile on his face , happy to see his family . However , it quickly faded when he saw his daughter crying . He rushed over and put his arm around her . As soon as he got closer , he saw the moon dust and knew what was wrong . Javed sunk down next to Mahdokht and they cried together far into the night . + + + + + " Papa , what are you doing ? " Mahdokht asked curiously . Her father hadn 't gone on a trip since her mother died . + + + + + Javed turned and his face was solemn , " We are leaving this house and we aren 't coming back for a while . Pack everything you need , we leave before sunrise tomorrow . " + + + + + " But - , " Mahdokht didn 't get to finish her question before Javed gently picked her up and put her in the hallway and closed the door . With no better option Mahdokht turned and walked quickly to her room and packed only necessities and her most precious belongings , including a picture of her and her mother , a spyglass , and a pearl bracelet Kamaria had given her on her ninth birthday . Aside from it being her favorite present ever , it was the last thing Kamaria ever gave to her . + + + + + Mahdokht sighed and a tear rolled down her cheek , " I miss you Mama , I wish you were here . " + + + + + " Mahdokht ? " Javed peeked his head into the room , " I 'm really sorry I pushed you away , you have a right to know what 's going on . " Javed took Mahdokht in his arms and wiped her tears away , " We are going on a … journey … to find some sort of closure for your mama 's death because I have noticed how much you 've changed in the past three years and how hard it has been for both of us . + + + + + Sunrise the next morning brought a short breakfast and quick baths before Javed and Mahdokht were standing outside the house . " Well , off we go , " Javed said , " I have our money and food . " Both of them took deep breaths and started off to wherever their feet might lead them . + + + + + " Yes Mahdokht , we are going north and we 'll be in the snow in about two days . I hope there won 't be a blizzard but if there is we 'll just find shelter and we 'll be fine . " Javed sounded tired from the uphill trek and he knew it must be even harder for Mahdokht on her short legs . " If you need to rest we can stop and sleep . " + + + + + Mahdokht yawned and stretched her arms , " I am tired but if … if … " + + + + + Javed turned when he didn 't hear his daughter 's voice anymore and he saw her lying on the ground , already half asleep . Smiling slightly , he covered Mahdokht with a blanket and laid down next to her , falling into a deep sleep . + + + + + The next morning they started on their way again . It was a mildly uneventful day except for a run - in with a bear , but Javed scared it away by banging together the pot and pan they had brought . The next few months passed by in a similar manner . One day , Javed and Mahdokht were feeling particularly discouraged . They were considering turning back even though they hadn 't found anything close to closure . However , the next day , the blizzard hit . The disaster started that morning when Mahdokht woke up to see snow being thrown all around her . + + + + + " What ? Go back to sleep Mahdokht . Please , I - " Javed sat up to the wind picking up even more speed . " We have the start of a blizzard . " + + + + + Now fully awake , Javed began directing Mahdokht on what needed to happen . " We need to pack up everything right now and get a move on . We must find a cave where we can find shelter and then we can figure out what to do from there . " Within an a few hours , the blizzard had fully formed and there was no cave in sight . + + + + + " Mahdokht , I 'm so sorry . All that 's happened out here has been bad . Everything from blisters to blizzards and we haven 't had anything close to closure . " Javed was nearly in tears and he sunk to the ground . " All I 've done since your mother 's death was try to protect you . She made me promise if she died , I would look after you and put you before everything else . Now I 've just taken you away from all you 've ever known and maybe we 'll never make it back . " + + + + + " Papa , no , " Mahdokht said , " We will make it back but not until we find closure . But first we need to find a cave and wait out the blizzard . We won 't last out here for much longer , so we need to keep moving . " + + + + + " Oh , just since I was taught well by a wise man named Javed Attar . " Mahdokht smiled back at helped lift him off the ground . + + + + + The wind was only getting worse and even though it wasn 't currently snowing , the snow already on the ground was blowing around them making it nearly impossible to see . + + + + + Unwilling to give up , Mahdokht and Javed trudged on . The moon rose , a full moon , and even though the travelers couldn 't see it , it was beaming down at them , giving them a blessing . + + + + + It was nearly ten o ' clock and the darkness was making it even harder to see amongst the snow . Mahdokht and Javed couldn 't even see each other , even when Mahdokht held tightly onto Javed 's backpack so she wouldn 't fall behind . Still with no luck in finding a cave , both Javed and Mahdokht were getting tired and cold and both were thinking they might not make it when suddenly the wind just stopped . It didn 't just quiet down a little , it fully stopped and the snow fell back to the ground . + + + + + Since there were no trees to make shadows in the clearing Mahdokht and Javed were standing in , the moonlight was reflected off the snow all around them , making it sparkle . It looked like there were lights shining on the blanket of snow that covered the ground . + + + + + After what might have been minutes or hours , Mahdokht and Javed opened their eyes and turned to see their shadows in the moonlight . Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2017 finalist , Larrabee Mitchell ! Larrabee finished 2nd grade this past school year . The story he submitted is called " THE LEGEND OF CANIS LATRANS " We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did ! + + + + + Zack Stewart woke up on a sunny day . He had a plan to rob the house across the street . He had been a criminal ever since the government turned him into one . Years ago , he was imprisoned for criticizing the government . He made a deal where he spent all his money to buy his freedom . Now he had to steal money . + + + + + He packed his bag and got ready to commit the crime . With a rope , he lowered himself out of his window so as not to be seen . He crept through the bushes quietly and climbed up the wall of his neighbor 's house until he got to the window . He pried open the window and jumped inside . He tossed a beanie over the security camera and moved on . + + + + + He took out a silent bomb and placed it on the wall . It blew the wall open , and there was the stash of money he was looking for . He unzipped his bag . And filled it with money . He jumped back out the window and climbed the rope into his house . + + + + + He was disturbed half way through a song by the sound of sirens . The police had found him . He slid down the rope with the bag of money and ran into the forest . He could hear the police as he crawled through the undergrowth . + + + + + He reached a fence and hopped it . He was at the airport . He looked around and then saw a plane carrying cargo that was just about to leave . He ran towards it and dived through the door just as it closed . He hid himself , and the plane lifted off into the sky . + + + + + He slowly fell asleep on the plane . He was on the run . He couldn 't get caught . He didn 't want to go back to prison . Then his whole life would be wasted . + + + + + Zack didn 't do well on planes . He got so sick and for some reason also very thirsty . He could drink anything . Then he saw an open cargo box that held some sort of black formula . + + + + + He took one of the test tubes from the box and examined it . It looked edible to him , but he decided to leave it , despite his thirst . + + + + + Both his curiosity and his thirst grew . Finally , he couldn 't resist it anymore . He picked up the test tube and drank down the whole thing . It was thirst quenching and tasted much like coffee . + + + + + " Hey , how much longer till we get to our destination , " said Zack , forgetting that he was a stowaway . + + + + + The startled pilot looked back and saw Zack . He said , " What are you doing here ? " + + + + + In the middle of the battle , Zack figured out he could turn into a coyote . Then it dawned on him . The black formula had made it so he could shape shift into a coyote . + + + + + Zack , in his coyote form , darted around the plane . He opened a window and slashed at the pilot with his claws . The pilot fell backward and out of the plane . + + + + + Then Zack put the plane into a dive . Soon he could see an airport and landed the plane there . He turned into a coyote because coyotes can run 15 miles per hour faster than a human . + + + + + Zack turned back into his human self and checked into a hotel . He opened the door to his room . He flopped onto the bed and dozed off . He only slept for a few minutes . + + + + + He woke up and looked out his window only to see police cars in the parking lot . Zack jumped out the window just as the police burst into his room . The police looked out the window and saw him . + + + + + Zack broke a car 's window and opened it . He made a key out of the things he could find in the car . He started up the engine and hit the gas pedal . Now the police had gotten into their cars too . + + + + + Zack swerved out of the parking lot with the police on his tail . He made the car so it was on its back wheels . He used another car like a ramp and he was launched into the air . + + + + + The police caught up with him . A police car bumped him from behind , but that only made Zack 's car go faster . + + + + + Just as he drove past a fruit stand , Zack opened his car door and rolled out behind it . The police saw the car was empty but didn 't know where Zack had gone . + + + + + Zack grabbed a newspaper and ran into the forest . He looked down at the newspaper . It read : Zack Stewart stole over three million dollars in cash from a house just across the street from his house . He then hid in a plane to get away from the police . It is believed that he can turn into a coyote and has now gathered the name Canis Latrans . Canis Latrans is the Latin and scientific name for coyote . + + + + + Zack was surprised that the police knew his real name because his fake identity was Charles Anderson . He was in more danger than he thought . He turned into a coyote so he would be a forest animal and the police wouldn 't find him . He also hoped they wouldn 't find the money . The money was hidden underground near the airport . + + + + + Zack woke up and turned into his human self . He stretched and then he started a fire . The fire crackled as the sun rose up into the sky . + + + + + Zack took one and turned it around in his hand . He shoved it in his waistband and climbed up a tree . Zack trained his stunning gun on the entrance to a clearing . One guy came walking through and Zack fired . A clean shot . Zack heard footsteps coming towards the clearing . + + + + + Zack dropped from the tree . He started to run and motioned for Jessica to follow him . They ran through the forest and every once in a while turned to shoot behind them . + + + + + They reached a sidewalk where two motorcycles were parked . Zack started one up with the key he had made . He tossed the key to Jessica and she did the same . They sped off on their motorcycles in search of a hiding spot . + + + + + They finally found the ruins of an old building where they could hide . Zack and Jessica crawled into what used to be an elevator . They curled up and uncomfortably they slept . Chapter Six : Captured and Rescued + + + + + Jessica woke up and then she said , " We 'd better run . " + + + + + They ran in different directions . Zack crawled across the ground , trying not to be seen in the darkness of night . + + + + + Zack thought this was the end . He would surely be sentenced to death . The government would never let him get away twice . But it wasn 't the end . + + + + + She climbed up a tree and bent a branch . She jumped onto the branch just as she let go of it . The branch catapulted her into the sky . She caught hold of the helicopter , broke the window and jumped inside . + + + + + Zack heard a movement in the helicopter . Then , suddenly , a man popped up from behind a seat and tried to disarm him . Zack put him in a headlock . He then let the man fall to the floor and stunned him . + + + + + " We 've got company , " said Jessica , looking at the radar . + + + + + " There are more police helicopters behind us , " said Zack . " Can you get behind that mountain before they spot us ? " + + + + + " I was with a criminal gang . We intercepted a plane carrying the same black liquid you found . I gave it to the others and they all gained the ability to shape shift into different animals . We formed an army , " said Jessica . + + + + + " Why do you need me ? " asked Zack . + + + + + " A coyote is the only animal we 're missing . You are the missing piece . With you , we will be able take control of the whole state , " said Jessica . Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2017 finalist , Inés García ! Inés finished 7th grade this past school year . The poem she submitted is called " The Winter Woods " We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did ! Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2017 finalist , Natalie Wong ! Natalie finished 5th grade this past school year . The story she submitted is called " Winky and Trouble " We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did ! + + + + + My name is Winky . I am a grey - blue stuffed elephant with a long trunk and fuzzy ears . I can actually move around on my own , but I lie still when humans are around so they don 't see me move . I live in a bright room with white walls and a bed with polka - dot sheets . My favorite hobby is taking lots of naps every day in that bed . + + + + + My owner , who takes care of me , comes home every day and does her homework . After that , she usually plays with me until she has to shower . Usually . + + + + + I was still lying in bed , considering whether to try to go after her , when I heard two pairs of feet and voices clomping up the stairs . I quickly vetoed my idea of going after her and flopped back down on the bed . The door to the room opened , and my owner , along with another girl , came happily into the room , each eating a large chocolate chip cookie . + + + + + I immediately took a dislike to this new girl . She was intruding in MY room , and she was taking up MY owner 's playtime with me ! I kept very limp , but strained to see the girl in my peripheral vision . She had blonde hair and was wearing a yellow shirt with jeans . Blondie headed over to the resident computer with my owner and started playing some strange game with specks of light and oddly shaped snakes . I was very confused . Who was this girl , and what was she doing with my owner ? One thing was very clear to me though : this girl was preventing my owner from playing with me ! + + + + + I had to get rid of her , but how ? As I racked my brains , Blondie and my owner left the room . Thinking about my problem , I wished I could literally go up to my owner 's parents and talk to them about it . + + + + + Then it hit me , and I could practically see the light bulb on my head . I could create trouble ! If my owner got in trouble , people couldn 't come over as a punishment , and she would be sent to her room where I was . It was a happily ever after for me and for her ! I took stock of my tools : a roll of string , the flashlight on the bedside table , and my brilliant brain . + + + + + Scampering quickly around to the dishwasher , I opened the door and pulled out the rack . After I was done there , all the silverware was out of order . Then I clambered up to the top of the counter and turned on the tap for cold water . The handle clicked as it turned , but no one heard it . The water only made a slight rushing noise , barely audible through the sound of cars driving past the house . + + + + + A few mysterious minutes later , the stoves were turned on , drawers were randomly pulled out , and a pile of dirty dishes was in the sink . + + + + + As I tiptoed out , or the closest thing I could do to tiptoeing , I accidentally tripped over the raised carpet on the floor with a muffled THUMP . I froze . A door was being pushed open , and footsteps were heading down to where I was . I tried not to scream and ran around behind the stairs to hide . Unfortunately , the footsteps grew louder and louder . A shadow loomed over me , and the big blinking eyes of my owner 's dad peered curiously at mine . The stairwell I was hiding behind was far enough from the kitchen that I couldn 't hear the stoves or water running . I went limp and tried to look lifeless . " What do we have here ? " he muttered to himself . Picking me up , he crept back upstairs with me hanging limp from his hand and proceeded to my owner 's room . The door cracked open and her bleary eyes looked at me , confused . " I found this guy downstairs . Any idea how he got there ? " the father asked . My owner shook her head , even more puzzled . " No , " she answered . Her dad shrugged and placed me in her hands , then closed the door and went downstairs again . + + + + + That was a close call ! My owner was staring at me , but then whispered , " I must 've left you downstairs after dinner , " and laid back down to sleep . If she probed her memory , I knew she would realize that she 'd been sleeping with me the whole time and that would be a whole other sticky situation I would have to figure out . Presently , I dreaded when her dad found out what I 'd done , but at least I was safely back in my room for the night . + + + + + That satisfaction was short lived . In the morning , when it wasn 't even eight yet , a piercing yell cut through the quiet . + + + + + " YOUNG LADY , GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW ! " + + + + + My owner groaned , but quickly hurried downstairs . She came back up half an hour later looking miserable and defiant . + + + + + " I didn 't do it ! Why won 't they just listen to me for once ? ! I wasn 't even downstairs last night ! Then they said I had to clean it up ! Seriously though , no playdates for six months ? ! And no , I don 't know how Winky got down there ! Aaargh ! ! ! " she grumbled while heatedly storming around the room . I felt twinges of shame , but at least there would be no playdates for a long time ! + + + + + I started to worry that I had gone too far with the trouble , because my owner wasn 't acting like her normal self . Then when it was around six in the evening , she stormed upstairs , slammed her bedroom door shut , and started sniffling . " I 'm not ever going to clean the kitchen up ! I don 't care ! " she furiously growled . + + + + + I felt like the worst stuffy in the world , watching as tears dripped down her red and blotchy face , knowing that I caused them . Stuffies are supposed to support and comfort their owners , not make them sad and angry . I hadn 't thought about how badly my owner would be affected when I was making trouble . I 'd been horribly selfish ! This was all for my benefit , and I hadn 't thought twice about other people 's needs . That was it . No more trouble making , and no more selfishness , even if the visitors came every afternoon for the rest of my life . + + + + + Seeing those tears also made me realize that my owner had to deal with a lot more stress and work than me . That night , I crept downstairs without a sound and cleaned all the trouble I had made up . The next day , my owner and her parents woke up and went to the kitchen as normal to make breakfast . From my perch up against the bedroom wall , I could hear heated conversation and a then squeal of delight . When my owner came back upstairs , she related everything that had happened to her with her parents . Little did she know that I already knew what had happened . + + + + + " So I went downstairs and by some magic , everything had been cleaned up ! Mommy and Daddy did question me , but they were questions that I could answer without being the one who caused it . I actually didn 't do it , but right now I 'll take their forgiveness because I really don 't want them mad at me for no reason at all again , " she explained . " Plus , because they think I did it , they said I could have dessert ! " I smiled big in my heart , knowing that my owner would be happy again with her family . I also knew that I would try hard to be a better stuffy to her . Plus , I didn 't care , and I still don 't , how many visitors she got . I just wanted her to be happy . Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2017 finalist , Callum Yeaman ! Callum has just finished 7th grade this past school year . His story is called " The Prefect Apple Pie " . Callum tells us that this short story is based on the family story of how his grandmother learned to cook her apple pie . Now we want some apple pie … We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did ! Leave a comment below on what you thought ! + + + + + Back in California Julie had cherished the apple pie that her mother used to bake . The apples were always perfectly coated in ginger , not too sweet , but juicy and seasoned with just a little bit of salt . The butter crust was cooked till the edges were a rich golden brown , and when you bit into it you were treated to a moist , scrumptious surprise , still warm from the oven . The pie seemed to smell of fall , the dough crispy like the weather , and the apples fragrant with cinnamon . + + + + + Now , in the new house on the military base in Germany , Julie 's mouth watered . She was going to make an apple pie just like that . She started pacing up and down the small , plain , unfamiliar kitchen . To go along with the pie , Julie would prepare a chicken stuffed with carrots , zucchini and onions , just like her mom had done with the turkeys on Thanksgiving , her favorite meal of the year . Just like the turkey , Julie was going to make her chicken juicy , rich and succulent , with the aroma of freshly picked vegetables . She bounced around the room , visualizing how perfect it would look , imagining the look on Henry 's face when he would say , " Oh Julie . This is wonderful . Absolutely wonderful . " He had already bragged to everybody on the base that his new wife was the best cook there was . + + + + + But now she was a married woman , nineteen years old , living in a strange country , with no mom or sisters to call . Julie examined the house with its plain green walls and the solemn painting of George Washington , which hung about three feet from where she was standing in the kitchen . It was so quiet in Germany , so different from her family 's house in California . So different than the walls covered with family pictures and the shelves cluttered with ornaments and filled to the brim with joy . At home , the rugs had been passed down for generations and the paintings all had meaning . In Germany there were no birds chirping outside , no friends stopping by , and nobody was ever on the streets . Just a line of houses : green and gray . Wherever you looked , green walls with a gray trim . Every house was the same . It was an eerie kind of order . A couple of hundred yards away , the big arched gate stood towering over the entry to the base . She could see the dirt pathway where Henry would return at the end of the day . + + + + + Next up was the apple pie . Her mom had always bragged about making a perfect butter crust , but had never explained how to do it . Julie supposed she needed flour , apples ( the green kind ) ginger , water , sugar , nutmeg , and maybe cinnamon ? She would probably need to throw some butter in there , too . Just as she poured the flour into the round silver bowl , she realized she had absolutely no idea what she was doing . + + + + + Then the question came to her : What would happen if it all went drastically wrong ? Everybody on the military base was probably already judging her already , watching for every mistake . To impress them , and most importantly , Henry , she had to make the perfect pie . With more purpose , she mixed the water , butter , flour , and shortening in the bowl . To her surprise , this made a sort of sticky , doughy thing , resembling an uncooked pie crust . She picked it up . The pastry was dripping wet in her hands . She figured that it would be fine if she just let it dry . + + + + + " Ugh , " she grunted . Now she was irritated with her mom , who she had always admired so much . Why couldn 't she have taught her to cook sooner instead of covering up for her ? Why hadn 't Julie told her mom to let her learn to do it by herself ? + + + + + Julie rolled out the gluey mixture , and curled it up at the sides . Next she would prepare the apples . She started to cook them with some ginger and nutmeg . She left them in the pan on full heat for five minutes , and soon they were burnt to a crisp . Now , what was she going to do ? + + + + + She the timer for half an hour and went back to the crust , mixing another batch of dough , and then another , until she 'd used the whole bag of flour . But no matter how hard she tried , she couldn 't get it right . Flour spattered everywhere , all over the counter , on the floor and the oven - - even in her hair ! After the timer went off , she trudged over to the oven . As she opened it up , heat and smoke surged through the doors . It smelled like fall - - if a fire had struck and all of the trees were burning down . When the smoke cleared , inside she saw what had once resembled a chicken . It was charred as a burnt piece of wood , and when she stabbed it with a fork it felt as solid as a rock . A tear stroked down Julie 's cheek , which was still scorching hot from the oven . Her nightmare was coming true ! + + + + + When she looked over at the clock the time was 5 : 15 . She had to get her act together . Without thinking , she turned up the oven to 550 degrees , set the timer for 45 minutes , threw the apples into the crust , and shoved the whole thing in the oven . + + + + + The next 45 minutes were the longest of her life . She thought about how everything had gone wrong and how Henry was going to hate her , and the whole town would be talking about her behind her back . She was never going to have a family or a husband who loved her . + + + + + When the time came to take the pie out she placed her hand on the metal bar of the oven , scared about what was coming next . The sweet scent of apples wafted through the air but the room was as hot as coals on a grill . Without second thought , Julie threw the bar down , pulling open the oven . Soggy pieces of pie burst out into the kitchen , and what was left of the apples exploded from a pile of mush that must have once been the crust . She took step backward , slipped on one of the apple slices on the ground , and fell on the floor . She got up , infuriated , and bashed her elbow on the counter . + + + + + " Henry , there is something have to tell you . When I met you , I knew how much you loved to eat . I thought you 'd never marry me if you knew what a terrible cook I was . My mom felt bad for me , so every day before you got home , she would prepare a dinner , and I would pretend that it was actually me who made it . Today , my mom wasn 't there to help . " + + + + + " Oh , Julie . " Henry wiped a bit of flour off her cheek . " You know I love you twice as much as any food I 've ever tasted . " Crouching down on the floor beside her , he picked up one of the bits of crust that had exploded from the oven . " But , you know , this pie looks quite delicious . " He popped a bit of charred crust into his mouth , and nodded . " In fact , it might be the perfect pie . " Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2017 finalist , Aarna Patil ! Aama finished 2nd grade this past school year . The story she submitted is called " George Climbs A Tree ! " We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did ! Once there lived two friends , George and Tim . They were in second grade in the same school . They used to walk together from school to home everyday . Tim was full of mischief and liked to challenge his friends to do dangerous things . George always fell for the challenges Tim dared him to do . After a few minutes he came up with an idea , he asked George to wait for some time . Tim ran back to his house as quickly as he could , opened the door using the key under the door mat . Tim directly went to his room , he was out of breath but did not wait too long and quickly grabbed a comforter from his room and ran out of the door . When he reached the tree , George had stopped crying by then but was holding the tree trunk tightly . We had so many amazing entries this year it was hard to pick . Thank you to all who submitted their stories and congratulations to our winners and finalists ! We look forward to working with the winners on the book and posting the finalists work on our website ! How were you introduced to Inklings ? How old were you ? I was introduced to Young Inklings through intersession in 6th grade at the Girls Middle School . Naomi Kinsman was teaching an intersession on writing , and by the end of the week , I realized I wanted to challenge myself to complete a full piece of writing . Through Naomi , I learned about the Your Name in Ink program , and was instantly interested in the opportunity to work with a mentor and publish my own novel . Naomi agreed to be my mentor and I started January of 6th grade . I started considering myself as a writer in 1st grade , when I first developed a love for writing . I would write stories about my adventures on weekends , girls jumping into their bathtubs and turning into mermaids , and girls with blue eyes and blonde hair before binding the pages together and adding illustrations . I was ' published ! ' Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2016 finalist , Therese Viehoever ! Therese finished 3rd grade this past school year . She submitted a story called " Looking for Makayo . " It 's all about a big sister who has to go on a journey to rescue her brother from a villain ! Here 's what one of our judges , Jennifer Fosberry , had to say about the story : " What a fantastic fantasy setting - the portals , the division of ' good ' and ' bad ' in the new land , the bravery of the characters - I felt all that . And I loved her creative names for the places in the story . A definitely accomplished writer of setting ! " Enjoy ! Off in a far away land lived a boy named Makayo and a girl named Annabelle . Annabelle and Makayo are brother and sister , but they are not a typical brother and sister . They are best friends and they love going on adventures . They never , ever fight with each other . Annabelle has dark brown curly hair , blue eyes , mostly peach skin with a little bit of tan . She usually wears a black dress with purple swirls and gold stars at the top . Her gold leggings match the stars and have just a pinch of sparkle in them . The stars on her dress are special - they shine and sparkle in the night . Makayo has straight black hair , blue eyes , and mostly peach skin , but his skin tans just a bit more tan than his sister , but still not a lot . He usually wears his shirt with his name on it and black and gray stripes . His favorite blue pants , which he usually wears , have 8 pockets , 4 in the front and 4 in back . He fills his front pockets with things to help them on their adventures such as ropes , binoculars and much more . He fills his back pockets with good luck charms and four leaf clovers that they would find on their adventures . One day , they went inside their grandma 's attic . Her was attic was brown and creepy with lots of spider webs . There were all sorts of old toys big and small ; many things were broken . There were tons of pictures everywhere , some they recognized as their mom or their uncle or their grandma or even them when they were babies . But there were some they knew not who it was . And there were things that they had no idea what it could be . They were playing in the attic when they saw a portrait hole . They were curious , so they jumped through it . They forgot that it could be dangerous . It was really dark , pitch black . They could not see at all . They started turning round and round , and suddenly Annabelle landed in what seemed like an odd kingdom . Annabelle had no idea where she was . She looked around and realized that Makayo was not with her . Where could he be ? She went looking for Makayo . She thought maybe he might have a good idea for what to do . She did not travel very far before she came along a cute , fluffy bunny . The bunny had light brown hair , teal blue eyes and long ears . " Yes I do ! " said the bunny . " We are in the kingdom of good and bad . Over here is the good part of kingdom ; over there is the bad part of kingdom " the bunny replied . " You are welcome , " said the bunny , " But why did you ask ? Do you need help ? Are you lost ? Did you lose something ? Are you looking for someone ? Do you need something ? " " Um … well , yes , I do need help . I was playing in my Grandma 's attic with my brother Makayo , and we found some sort of picture hole . We went in it because we were curious then , then I landed here , and I did not see my brother anywhere . " " Oh , well that explains it . My name is Sophia … I do not know where Makayo is , but I can help you . There is a museum not far from here , and I am friends with the owner , and he is very wise and knowledgeable , so if anyone knows where Makayo is , it 's him , " said Sophia confidently . " He also will let me use things from the museum . " When they got to the museum , someone new was running the museum . He had disgusting bumpy skin and looked like an overgrown toad . He said grumpily , " The owner is not here , I am looking after the museum today ; the owner is sick . What do you need ? " " The owner is my friend and we wanted to borrow some things from the museum and ask him some questions . Do you think we could borrow those things ? " Sophia asked . They split up to look at as many cars as possible , and just when they thought they had looked at every single car , Annabelle shouted , " I found it ! Here is a car with a picture of my Grandma 's attic ! " Sophia ran over to Annabelle , and they both jumped in . " No , " replied Sophia . She thought for a moment raising her paw to scratch her head when her elbow accidentally pushed a button . Suddenly , the car started to fly upwards around and around a pole . Suddenly , they landed with a " THUNK " in Annabelle 's Grandma 's attic . The attic was dusty and creepy as usual . They quickly started looking for Makayo but did not find him anywhere . They looked in every corner and behind every door , but never found him in the attic , so they jumped though the picture hole again to land back in the kingdom of Good and Evil . " Here is the line that separates the good side from the bad . " Sophia told Annabelle as she pointed to the map . " On the bad side of the map , it shows the Doom Cave , Villain Village , and Goop Town , " Sophia continued . " My friend went to bad town before she told me about the places there . We should go to Goop Town first , then Villain Village , and last Doom Cave . " Sophia led them down a hill and through a beautiful garden to Goop Town . " Goop Town is full of really sticky goop , so we need the goggles to help us see . We have to dive in the goop then swim in it to get across the town . " " Eww , it is sticky and gooey , " said Sophia as she tried to unstick her arms from the goop . " They should sell something so you won 't get stuck . Let 's go farther down . " The goop wiggled back and forth , plop , plop . The suits almost squirmed out of their grip . Annabelle was sure the suits weren 't going to come out , but then , BOOM , out they came . They put the suits on as fast as they could , and a bubble formed around them . The bubble around the suit made it hard to steer . It was also a little squished inside , but it was better than being stuck in the goop . Annabelle pulled the paper out of the goop . It tore in two , but when they put it back together it read , " I Ieft the goop at 1 : 00 . A villain named Elijah is taking me to a castle . He said they were going to buy some supplies for a potion to make him more powerful and convert other people to his side . I don 't know where this castle is because he didn 't tell me where we are going . Please help . Makayo . " Annabelle agreed , and the two friends carefully approached the castle . They tiptoed inside where they saw a huge room full of spell books , cauldrons , potions , capes , potion ingredients , and really expensive wands . There were evil looking people wandering around the room with evil grins . They would cast evil looks at Annabelle and Sophia as if they were doing something wrong . " There are lots of different sections in Villain Village . It says here on the map that the castle is part of the Christmas village . I think we should investigate here first ; the villains like to try to ruin Christmas because people like Christmas , it brings the most joy to people , and Christmas is coming soon , " said Sophia . " Makayo should be around here somewhere , " said Sophia , " it 's 1 : 15 and Makayo said they left at 1 : 00 , and he said that the villain was taking him to the castle , so he should be here by now . " Suddenly , Annabelle shouted , " Look , there is Makayo ! A villain has him in his arms . " The villain shouted back , " No way ! Makayo is my new sidekick . He will stay with me forever . " Then he flew away , giving a cape to Makayo so that Makayo could fly if he needed to , but he was still clutching Makayo tightly in his arms . Makayo was forced to help , but he threw the cape down to Sophia and Annabelle instead . They both put it on and flew towards Makayo . Annabelle and Sophia pushed Elijah away from Makayo together then grabbed him . Then they told Makayo all about the toad , the flying cars , and their journey in bad land . Makayo said Elijah had told him all about his evil plans to conquer the bad land that he also wanted to destroy good land after they got out of goop town . He was working on a potion that would turn all the good people into villains . They were tired from all the excitement , but they walked back to find the car to get back to their grandma 's attic . Annabelle and Makayo hugged Sophia goodbye . They promised to visit good land again the next time they came to their grandma 's house . They found the car with a picture of grandma 's attic and Annabelle showed Makayo which button to push . They started to fly upwards around and around a pole . Again , they landed with a " THUNK " in Annabelle 's Grandma 's attic .