Past Contest Winners

Past Contest Winners... "The Creative Writing Contest" winners here. "The Courage Contest" winners here. "When I Grow Up" winners here.

"The Creative Writing Contest"

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"The Quest of Joe"
by Jesse Wilson, Cancer Survivor!

In the year of 1996, when Joe Dandalhiefer was twelve years of age, and wanted nothing more than to be a kid, he was confronted with a huge, deadly, ugly monster called Cancer. It was black, the color of death, and it stood hunched over. Its scales were rock solid and it had claws that were twelve feet long. Every time it took a rattling breath, green are would come out when it exhaled. Its teeth were sharp and fang-like. Every now and then a little tongue slipped out like a snake. Its body was lumpy with scars all over it. Blook was oozing out of its eyes, vomit out of its mounth and it was completely hairless. It first confronted him on New Year's Day, and Joe didn't know what he was going to do. Soon after it was apparent that Joe would have to forget his childhood and fight this problem or go to the depths of the underworld before his time.

He already had several heroic qualities: he had perseverance, accepted help when he needed it, was courageous, smart and kind. To overcome this Titan, Joe was positive that he would use every one of these personal traits. Joe knew that he had to conquer this beast not only for himself, but for his family. He wouldn't give up until the bitter end. He didn't want his family to feel the grief they would have to if Cancer did what it threatened.

First he traveled to his local soothsayer, who he trusted dearly. The soothsayer ran tests and consulted his books and blood samples until he came to a conclusion. He told Je that he would have to seek the monster in foreign lands to the South.

So with this Joe's journey began. He and his acquaintances made regular tribute to the gods in hope that they would pity him. He sailed to several foreign lands in search of the ogre who was known as Cancer. The ones native to these lands were odd. They poked, prodded, and felt his stomach. They made him lay down on cold tables while they injected substances in his bloodstream and looked at him through strange telescopes that had to be magic. However, Joe knew that he could not accomplish this on his own, so he accepted the help they offered. They insisted upon opening his stomach on several occasions in order to perform strange rituals and consult his insides to see how to make Cancer flee.

Finally they gave Joe weapons to fight off Cancer and gave him directions to a training camp for young fighters. He then sailed to the training camp and met others like him. They too were being torn away at a young age to fight against incredible odds. He felt at home here, and it gave him renewed strength. Every day he fought and never gave up. There, too, they often opened up his stomach to look at the signs and see if Cancer was leaving. He had some close calls, but he was able to survive whatever the villan threw at him, and he was smart enough to know how far he could push himself in one day.

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Once upon a time, there was a purple frog, named Casmo, that loved to eat grapes. This frog ate so many grapes that he became very ill. Since Casmo got so sick he had to find the wisest Toad in the pond. He had heard about this great wizard, named Zoee. This wizard had magical powers that could cure a poka-dot cold. After searching for this Zoee for several days, Casmo finally found him.

He knocked on the the great powerful wizard's door and politley asked if he could come in. The wizard responded in a deep, somber voice, "Yes, proceed." Casmo came in Zoee's house and sat on a lilly pad he had cushioned out for him. Zoee asked what brought Casmo to his part of the pond. Casmo responded, "Oh great one, I'm so sick, I ate too many grapes one day and now I'm afraid I'm stuck with this chronic disease. I had heard that you can cure anything." Zoee scratches his head in disblief of such an disease. Finally, the great Zoee responds, "Casmo I have a secret for curing your disease." Casmo quickly asked what the amazing secret was that could cure his disease of eating too many grapes. Zoee said, "Well, if you wamt to feel better you have to believe that my potion will cure you of this disease." Casmo thought that sounded kind of fishy, but went along with it anyways.

So every night Casmo would lay down and envision the magic potion that Zoee gave to be fighting off the sour disease of eating too many grapes. Soon after just two weeks Casmo began to be feeling better. He hiked back to the great wizard's house to thank him for the great deed he had comitted by curing him of his disease. When Casmo went to thank the wizard he began to laugh at Casmo for thanking him for his magic potion. Casmo was confused at Zoee's reaction, and asked why he laughed at him. Zoee said, "Well, son, the magic potion was just salt water, and you fought the grape disease of with your own magical cure: a hope of getting better."