Story Writing Group Project
2003-2004

The purpose of this collaborative project is to get students involved in an activity that allows them to experience students' writing from other parts of the world.  Not only do they get to read their work, they have to build on what has already been created by the groups that have gone before them.

Story Writing Group Home Page

Authors of "The Other Side of the Cement"

The Other Side of the Cement

One bright, sunny Monday morning four friends Maddie, Tara, Kyle, and Billy were sprinting to Ferson Creek School because they were late.  They had been distracted on their way there when Kyle picked up a stick and yelled, "Sword fight!" Everybody scattered to grab sticks and joined in the battle.

When the fight was finished, they realized that they were going to be tardy and they took off running. In the distance they noticed a section of the sidewalk that appeared to be darker than the others.  As they approached the unfamiliar portion they slowed down their pace so that they could examine the unusual area. They touched the surface

and it felt as if their fingers were sinking into quicksand.  Billy exclaimed to his friends,

"I triple dog dare you to put your hands in the cement!"

Tara replied, "I accept the dare!" She rolled up her sleeves and plunged her palms into the gooshy, gritty mixture. Suddenly she was being absorbed headfirst into the cement. As her friends tried to grab her they were pulled in with her. They

were swirling in a vortex of bright colors.  Suddenly, with a powerful thud, they all landed in a mysterious ...

...dimension. When they were in this new dimension, they spotted four books on the cement. The book Maddie picked up read The Biography of Maddie. Tara picked up a book that read The Biography of Tara.  Both Kyle and Billy picked up books that were entitled The Biography of Kyle and The Biography of Billy.

"This is freaky!” gasped Tara.  Billy read a few pages of them book then he noticed that it was a timeline. It said,...

... When Billy was 8 he slept with his stuffed bear named Binky Bear. Tara glanced at a few pages, and she recognized a picture of herself when she was six years old. She read a few sentences and they said:  “When Tara was six she slept with a wooden, Louisville Slugger baseball bat so when she suspected there was a monster on her bed she would

whack it a few times. When she was eight she learned that the monster had been her mischievous 17-year old brother.”

Tara blushed with the memories and then she thought she spotted movement in a bush nearby.  Tara screeched, “There’s something crawling in the bush over there!”

Everyone eyed the rustling bush and they heard raspy, labored breathing. A silky, awkwardly-shaped critter emerged out of the bush.

“My name is Stalker and I’m not going to hurt you,” Stalker softly

exclaimed.

Maddie wondered, "Are you a lion or an otter?"

"I'm a lotter. I'm half lion and half otter," explained Stalker...

...“How do we get out of here?” asked Kyle. They all were scared and wanted to get out but Kyle popped the question.

            “You have a long journey ahead of you. You have to climb up that mountain way in the distance. There you will write in your biographies what has happened to you. You also have to write how you will get out. After you are done writing whatever you have written will happen. If what you have written works to get you out of here, you will be out. If it doesn’t you will be trapped here forever,” said Stalker. They were all shocked, this was way too easy.

            “That’s all?” asked Billy.

            “Yes, but it will be a hard journey. You will have to use the weapons you have been given and I will accompany you.” Stalker explained. It was now that they realized the sticks they had fought with before had become real swords and their backpacks had become shields. “You will have to fight the defenders of the mountain as well as the keepers of the road.”

            “Then let’s get on with it,” said the ever confident Maddie. As they went along the road the keepers indeed attacked them. They would appear out of nowhere and attack unexpectedly. It was hard work defending themselves and Tara had been cut in the arm so she couldn’t hold her sword. Finally they came to the end of the road and the foot of the mountain. Kyle stepped on to the trail leading onto the mountain.

“NO!” said Stalker, too late. Suddenly archers appeared from everywhere and began firing arrows at them.

“Uh-oh,” said Kyle, and he was right. The group had to run from rock to rock avoiding the arrows of the Defenders. Once they reached the top the top Billy let out a

“Whoopeeeeeeeeeee!” and was nailed in the leg by an arrow and they quickly ran, or in Billy’s case, hobbled into the building. Oddly the Defenders didn’t try and get in. They had all the decided to write the same thing.

Tara came up with the idea they had liked best. It was…

"Todayè…" But she was interrupted by a loud, echoing voice.

            It said, "What are you doing in my palace?'

"It's not much of a palace!" said Billy.

"Silence!!" said the voice.

"Well," said Tara, "We are trying to get out of this dimension and back to Earth!" It said, "I used to live on Earth!" The friends were amazed.

"Well, help us get back," they cried.

"I will help you on one condition," said the face, "That I can come

back with you!"

They all said goodbye to Stalker who was unable to travel through dimensions and then followed the instructions of the face. 

"Close your eyes! We will use mind control! Wish to be on EarthèEarthèEarthè".

They found themselves flying through space, squeezing through something soft and squishy and then standing on solid ground. They opened their eyes. They were back on the footpath where the adventure had begun. They embraced each other and realized that not a minute had passed on Earth although it seemed that they'd been away for ages. What had they been doing? That's right! Going to school. They knew they'd be late if they didn't hurry so without a second thought; they hurried off in the direction of school. Not one of them noticed the small, fluffy white dog, which hadn't been there a moment ago; hurry off in the direction of the butcher's shop!!

Creative Authors from Mrs. Gilbert's 2003-2004 Class

to the Student Page 2003-2004!