Kiss Me Deadly Characterization

Mike Hammer is the protagonist of the story. He was once a WWII Veteran, and he fought against the Japanese. Now he is a private investigator. Below I have listed some of his traits (that I see) and given examples of why.

He is definitely rough. I say this because in cases, if there are people out to kill him, when they try he often kills them instead of turning them over to the police. He also has a tendency to get rough with people if they do not give him the information that he wants/needs. A good example is the instance where he goes to a locker room looking for evidence. When he is denied access, he beats up the guy behind the desk and tells him to “be nice next time”. He then walks into the room. I thought there wasn’t any reason for this- I mean, just tell him you are a private investigator! No need to beat the crap out of him!

At the same time, I also think he is compassionate- he takes care of his love interest and secretary, Velda. On her birthday, he gives her a string of genuine pearls, and in return she loves him back- staying at his side when he is in the hospital and helping him with his case. Velda is engaged to him. A good example of his compassionate side is shown in the middle of the book- where he tells his thoughts and how he feels about Velda, saying that she is his everything. So he does have a soft side- the only thing he loves more than Velda is making sure that justice is served and his will to kill.

The only other thing I could call him is a terminator- he knows his job and he gets it done, but not always in the way that abides by law. He is notorious for breaking the law while solving his cases. He tries to have a sense of humor in his killing sometimes- for example, when he kills two hired men, he props their dead bodies up against a dead end sign and leaves them there- a sick, twisted sense of humor. He is also known to use bribery to get his job done- such as bribing the car mechanic to get a few bombs out of a car and also attempting to bribe the guy at the locker room- but to no avail.

You had asked me if I would want him as a friend- no, I probably wouldn’t. I might hire him as a bodyguard, but that’s about it. Just from reading, he doesn’t seem to be the type I would hang out with. I don’t like people who kill- even if it is for a good reason. Maybe if it was to save me, but other than that, I will stick to normal people, thank you.

The antagonist of the story is the young, beautiful Lily Carver. At first, she seems like the innocent roommate of Berga Torn (the victim). It is later revealed that she was behind the death of the original Lily Carver and Berga Torn, and that she herself is not Lily- she is an imposter. She only killed them because her lover, Doctor Soberin, had to cover himself up. She is described as beautiful and “full-figured”.

As for traits, I would say for the first she is VERY sneaky and manipulative. She befriended Mike and played him up only to use in her plan. She only reveals herself in the last pages of the book, after Hammer kills Dr. Soberin. Mike even let her stay with him and kept her safe (away from the authorities, as they would probably know that the real Lily was dead). He kept her up to date on how the case was going- a big mistake.

It is never said who she really is. She is discovered to be horribly scorched from her knees to her neck from fire, but she keeps this masked under a robe the entire book. She shoots Mike with his own gun in the end, but as she leans in to whisper to him, he flicks his lighter against her and sets her on fire, and then escapes. My reason for saying she is sneaky? Well, she gains his trust and betrays him in the end AND she works with the secondary antagonist.

I would also say she is timid (at least when she is acting. Assume that you don’t know she is the antagonist yet.) When Mike is gone, she double locks the doors and when he comes back she is shaking. She also runs away from his apartment when someone tries to come into the apartment. She is found in the basement having a mini panic attack. It is later revealed that this is all part of an act, so I guess you could also say she is a good actress. She didn’t run out of fear; she ran because she thought the two hired men would kill Mike and she wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore. Unfortunately for her, Mike killed them and stuck them underneath a dead end sign.

Mike had to track her down; after Berga’s death she cleared out of her apartment because 1( Berga had been paying the rent, and 2( because she didn’t want to be recognized by the police when they came snooping through the apartment looking for clues. Her appearance (other than what I mentioned above) is that she has platinum blonde hair and scarlet red lips. She often wears a robe.

Would I want HER as a friend? MOST CERTAINLY NOT! I don’t like psychopathic killers that go to jail (if a normal cop catches them) or are brutally murdered (if a made up detective catches them).  She has no good traits in her whatsoever. I wish that the book had gone into more depth with her character, and I wish for once that the author WOULDN’T KILL PEOPLE OFF! I’d love to hear their full confessions, and see them put behind bars- not slaughtered, shot, and burned.

Velda is the supporting character of the book. She is best known as Mike Hammer’s fiancé and secretary. She is described as having dark hair and being very beautiful. She loves Mike very much, and she is very helpful. She often helps Mike out with his cases, gathering evidence and trailing people.

I would she is loyal. She always is helpful and sticks by Mike, no matter what kind of scrape he gets into. She is also a faithful employee, and she always makes sure to do her task. She gathers a lot of information for Mike, even if it means getting kidnapped doing so. She also tails suspects to find out more about them. She also shows loyalty by staying next to Mike when he is in the hospital for 3 days.

The second supporting character is a woman named Michael Friday. She is the kind sister of semi-antagonist Carl Evello, who was involved with the mafia. She is oblivious to her brother being evil, and sticks up for him often until Mike shows her evidence he is a mafia man. This shows she is loyal and loving of her brother.

She is described as having light brown hair and being tall and pretty. She helps Mike a lot, giving him leads on certain people he asks about. She breaks into her brother’s safe and finds the paperwork needed to prove he is guilty. Mike warns her that people like her brother often end up dead, and at first she takes it harshly.

There finally comes a time where she has to make a choice: her brother or doing the right thing. She chooses the right thing and tells Mike she is sorry and that now she knows. This leads to Mike getting struck over the head and getting kidnapped, but he breaks free and kills Evello.

Would I want Velda as a friend? Probably not. There is nothing really wrong with her, but I don’t tend to hang with people like her. I think her best quality is her loyalty. While I DO look for loyalty in a friend, I also look for a sense of humor, which she doesn’t seem to have. She seems to be more the love interest/pretty face of the story more than anything else.

As for Michael Friday, while she is a supporting character she is only briefly mentioned so I couldn’t tell you much more than what I already did about her. I think that she knew deep down from the beginning that her brother was mixed up in something, but didn’t want to believe it. So instead she got angry and went looking for evidence- and then was FORCED to face the truth.

And this wraps up my character paper! The book was an excellent read. Thank you for giving me the project, Dad. 

Tarzan of The Apes Book Report

Tarzan Of The Apes

Book Report by Madison Nef

Characters

Tarzan
Tarzan is the handsome, “godlike” son of Lord Greystoke and Lady Greystoke. Deserted on an island due to the death of his parents while he was an infant, he is raised by apes and has some brutish habits. He is described as having darkened skin due to sun exposure, and he is very wild. He is vicious and aggressive, and as he is an excellent hunter, he is always hunting animals for his food. He loves 2 creatures in the book dearly: Kala, his adopted ape mother, and Jane, a beautiful American girl who comes to the island on an expedition. He teaches himself how to read and write, but can speak no English. He is VERY strong and athletic, and being he lived with the apes, he knows how to swing through the trees like one.

Tarzan loves books, and sees his father’s cabin as his “den”. When the white men come to the island, he leaves them a message telling them not to harm any of his items, and signs the message “Tarzan of the Apes”. He takes this name after killing Kerchak and ruling the tribe for himself.

D’Arnot
D’Arnot is a French officer who comes to the island with the Americans who is taken captive by island natives. He is very smart and brave, and is willing to look death in the eye. He seems to have a high pain tolerance, as he is whipped and sliced and does not once cry out in pain or agony. He is loyal to the Porters. Late in the book he befriends Tarzan and tries to humanize him, teaching him to talk, read, and some basic manners. He sees Tarzan as a person, not a wild animal.

Jane Porter
Jane Porter is the beautiful young daughter of American professor Porter. She is very kind hearted and timid, and is very caring for her father and her slave/friend Esmeralda. She falls into love with Tarzan once she realizes that he isn’t just a beast, and is willing to give up her normal life for him. However, after a slight misunderstanding, she leaves to marry the man she is SUPPOSED to marry back in America, though she doesn’t love him.

Kala
Kala is a great she-ape who mothers Tarzan after his parents die. She had a baby, but lost it due to an accident. When she hears Tarzan’s crying, she cares for him and raises him as her own. She is very loving and protective, and also very strong. However, she often puts Tarzan’s health before her own, which helps lead her to a quicker demise.

Kerchak
Kerchak is the head of the ape tribe. He is very powerful, bad-tempered, and dislikes Tarzan. He is very strong and often goes on rampages in his tribe. Altogether, he is a powerful and scary but good leader. Tarzan ends up killing him and becoming “Tarzan of the Apes”.

William Clayton Greystoke
Tarzan’s cousin, a rich man who seeks courtship with Jane and has a disliking towards Tarzan. He is unaware that Tarzan is actually his cousin. Tarzan, in the end, does not let Clayton know the truth- though he himself knows. He does this for Jane’s sake. Clayton lies about Tarzan in order to get Jane to like him better- as he is smart and suspects Jane’s liking. He is a very handsome and regal looking man. He is kind, but at the same time manipulative.

Professor Porter
Porter is Jane’s father, an eccentric scientist who travels to the island on an expedition. He is said to have white hair and a large pair of rimmed glasses on his nose, and is dressed sloppily. He is smart.

Setting

The story takes place on an unnamed jungle island. It is wild and untamed, with a sandy beach near the ocean that fades into a deep and dark jungle. The trees are very tall, and there are many strange plants. Late in the book, some black people arrive on the island and start a small village in the heart of the jungle.

The cabin of Tarzan’s father is built relatively high up so that no animals can get in, and is described as very messy. It has a lock on its door that is complicated and also very strong windows. It is shabby but strong. In it is a bed, a table, a chair and some shelving. Since the Greystokes had only a little bit of supplies, it is nothing too much.

Plot

The story starts in the seas with the Greystokes on a boat. They are talking and see the captain being rude and cruel to his shipmates and later on in the night here the sailors talking about a mutiny. Lord Greystoke warns his wife to stay below decks, and then goes to warn the captain, against warnings from a crew member. The captain, however, rudely brushes him off. Not more than an hour later, the mutiny begins. Lord Greystoke and his wife go above decks to see the captain and his men have been slaughtered. Lord Greystoke had been kind to the man in charge, Black Michael, previously, and so a promise is made that no harm will be done to him or his wife as long as they make no nuisances of themselves.

Black Michael drops the Greystokes off on a remote island in the ocean and leaves them a week’s worth of supplies. He promises to send someone to get them- but that is a lie. Lord Greystoke builds a cabin in the trees with some furniture using the supply crates, and soon he and his wife settle in. He hunts for their food- but through the nights, they begin seeing apes. Not knowing what they are or what they do, they begin staying inside at night. After a close encounter with a large ape, Lord Greystoke does not leave their cabin without his rifle. His wife gets pregnant with their son, but when he is only a year old, she dies after an encounter with the chief ape, Kerchak, and Lord Greystoke soon follows, leaving their son crying in his crib.

Now, not too long after this happened, the she-ape Kala had her own baby. However, as she was swinging through the trees with her baby, it fell from around her neck, dying on the ground below. Kala went to retrieve her baby, and saw it was dead. But then she heard a cry from out by the sea- a strange cry. She went to investigate, and found the baby in the cradle. She grabbed him, and placed the body of her own dead baby in the cradle, taking the baby as her own and naming him Tarzan.

As Tarzan grew, he had close encounters with the wild beasts of the forest that was his home. To the apes, he was embarrassing- he was white skinned, with a thin, small nose and dull teeth. He had no hair but what grew from his head, and he often looked at his reflection in lakes and felt ashamed. Kerchak always hated Tarzan for this reason… but then again, Kerchak hated most newcomers to his tribe. However, Tarzan could swing through the trees wonderfully, and as he grew, he became a skilled hunter. As Tarzan was exploring one day, he discovered the beach and his father’s cabin.

He cautiously went over to it, filled with curiosity, and came upon the locked door. He fumbled with the lock for awhile before undoing it and entering the cabin. Inside, Tarzan found books- and he became fascinated with them. He took no notice of the skeletons on the bed and at the desk- instead, he looked at the strange little symbols on the page. He did not understand them, but the books had pictures, and as he looked he saw pictures of people like himself!

This sparked an entirely new idea in him, and as his curiosity grew, so did his desire to learn to read. Slowly, he connected the pictures with the symbols, and taught himself to read and write. He spent less and less time with his pack, and more and more time with his books in the little cabin. Soon, things began to happen in his pack- Kerchak became angrier and angrier, and apes began to die. Finally, the day came when it was Kala’s turn to die- and Kerchak killed her out of rage. Tarzan didn’t forgive him, and in turn, killed Kerchak, using his father’s knife.

Tarzan put his foot upon Kerchak’s chest and called out in ape: “I am Tarzan, killer of many beasts! I am Tarzan of the Apes!” And so Tarzan was. But he pulled away from his pack, letting it fall to bits as he always spent time at his cabin. One day, he noticed something strange- people on the beach! The people were black, and he didn’t like the looks of them. He watched as they walked into the jungle, stopping at a clearing.

Over the months, a small village was built, and soon, there were hunters in the woods, driving Tarzan and his apes back into the wilderness further. Tarzan didn’t dare to go to his cabin anymore for fear of other men.

Now one day it happened that the village chief’s son was out hunting with his bow and arrow, and he caught Tarzan’s eye. Tarzan was fascinated at how he could kill a stag with one simple arrow. Tarzan wanted the bow and arrow. He had taught himself how to make and use rope by weaving vines, and now he used this trick on the hunter as he walked by.

Woosh! A loop of rope landed around the hunter’s neck, strangling him. Soon, he was dead. Tarzan went over and inspected his kill, taking the arrows and bow, and also a few articles of clothing off of the man. He had seen the pictures of men wearing clothing in books, and why should he, Tarzan of the Apes, not have any? He then took to the trees and tried out his new weapon.

After a few hours practice, Tarzan could use the bow and arrow quite well. He discovered the secret of its killing- it was dipped in a special mixture. But soon Tarzan ran out of arrows, so he went looking for more. He leapt through the trees towards the village, and perched in a tree just above where a woman was making the poison arrows. She would take one, dip it, and put it on a rack to dry. Tarzan watched her carefully. Suddenly, a cry went up in the village- the chief’s son had been found!

The woman went running with the rest of her village, and Tarzan took the opportunity to snatch an armful of arrows before retreating to his tribe. For a long while things were good for Tarzan- he even returned to his cabin to stay with his treasure. While there, he found some more stuff- A golden locket, a picture of his family (though he did not know it), and small book. However, the book was written in French, and Tarzan did not know how to read it.

For months things were fine- until the ship came. Tarzan watched from the trees as trunks were unloaded and people walked off of it. This is when he first saw Jane- and he fell instantly in love with her. She seemed so graceful, so elegant, so beautiful- but most of all, she was like him. The people from the ship noticed his cabin. They almost went over to it, but something happened on the ship and they turned for a moment. Tarzan quickly dashed over and left a note on the door for them to find, warning them not to touch any of his items.

Jane and her slave took up housing there, and by and by danger came around. Tarzan was intent on protecting the girl, and anyone close to her. Once he had averted the danger, he left to go save the other people who had been on the ship. Jane begins to think that Tarzan is a jungle god sent to protect everyone, but William Clayton, who loves Janes, tells her he is nothing but a wild beast.

Jane wanders off into the woods one day, and is attacked by a giant ape. Tarzan swings in and saves her, but as she is wounded he takes her to a clearing and builds a small tent for her to sleep in. When she wakes, he gathers fruit and gives it to her, and they share a meal together. Through sign language, he explains that he cannot talk. Jane understands, but she gets sick and has to stay in the jungle a few days more until she gets better.

Finally, Tarzan takes her back to her people and leaves her a love note. She reads it, and gives him one back, telling him that she has promised her heart to another. Tarzan feels betrayed, and goes back to his ape tribe. Jane tries to tell him that she doesn’t love the other man, but Tarzan doesn’t understand.

The next day, Jane’s ship is ready to leave and she leaves Tarzan one final note, saying she is sorry. Then, she leaves. Now, unbeknownst to Tarzan, there is still a ship at his island- that which belongs to D’Arnot, a French officer who came with Jane’s ship. When Tarzan goes to get more arrows, he discovers that D’Arnot is captured by the blacks, and he rescues him and takes him to the same clearing as he had taken Jane.

There he nurses D’Arnot back to health, and explains to him that he cannot talk. D’Arnot thanks him, and teaches him to talk. Tarzan then explains about Jane, and how she is in love with someone else, and how she left for a far away place. D’Arnot gets in his ship, and takes Tarzan with him back to Chicago. Before they go to see Jane (who is now engaged to Clayton, Tarzan’s cousin,)  they stop for a fingerprint test.

Tarzan shows D’Arnot his father’s journal, and D’Arnot realizes that Tarzan is Lord Greystoke’s son. As it turns out, the fingerprints will not be done for a few weeks, so Tarzan and D’Arnot go to Chicago to see Jane. The fingerprint results come in, and Tarzan realizes who he is- but he does not tell Jane or Clayton, for the  sake of her own happiness.

Robert Frost Poems 2

The Road Not Taken

 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;         

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,         

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.         

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.         

I get the feeling in this poem that the poet is looking back on his life and seeing that one tiny little change can make a huge difference. The roads represent the different choices in life- you can be a follower, or you can be a leader. By "taking the road less traveled by", he chose to be different. He made his choice: to be a poet, and obviously it was the correct one, as he is a published author and made money off of his work. This reminds me of the story my dad tells me about how him and my mom met:

It was after a party that mom, dad, one of dad's friends and one of mom's friends had gone to. The two men and the two women were going to walk on the beach. Dad's friend walked off with mom's friend, and mom and dad were left, so dad grabbed mom's hand and they started walking. A few months later, after living together for awhile, they got married... and then had me and my sister and so on and so forth.

That is a very BASIC version of the story, but the main thing I am trying to focus on is that Dad had a big choice to make: to grab mom's hand or NOT to grab mom's hand. And that ONE LITTLE CHOICE- well, that certainly made all the difference.

Neither Out Far Nor In Deep

The people along the sand

All turn and look one way.

They turn their back on the land.

They look at the sea all day.

As long as it takes to pass

A ship keeps raising its hull;

The wetter ground like glass

Reflects a standing gull

The land may vary more;

But wherever the truth may be--

The water comes ashore,

And the people look at the sea.

They cannot look out far.

They cannot look in deep.

But when was that ever a bar

To any watch they keep? 

I feel that this poem is kind of about sticking out. This may sound silly, but take this into consideration: Many people stare at models, and think, "oh, she/he is pretty, and I'd love to date him/her". They judge off of appearance- they don't know what is inside the person- if they are nice, loving. They judge by appearance. Meanwhile, there is a perfectly average person that is very nice and kind- but they don't get a second glance compared to the model. "The land may vary more, but wherever the truth may be: the water comes ashore, and the people look at the sea".

A Patch Of Old Snow

There's a patch of old snow in the corner,

That I should have guessed,

Was a blow-away paper the rain

Had brought to rest,

It is speckled with grime as if

Small print overspread it,

The news of a day I've forgotten,

If I ever read it.

To me, what Frost is trying to get across is that sometimes, people earn something but yet do not receive it. The snow, instead of melting like snow normally does, has survived long enough to become dirty. To some degree that is an achievement- but is still seen only as a patch of dirty snow. It is kind of like someone taking credit for a good deed that you yourself performed, and getting great attention for it- and you stand in the crowd watching, even though it should be YOU getting the attention. 

The Mermaid Story

The Mermaid’s Call

By Madison Nef

Chapter 1- A Strange Hand

For years, legends have been passed through my town, Seashville. There are accounts of ghosts, sea monsters, hellhounds- but the most famous legend is that of Shelly. Shelly is a beautiful mermaid said to swim in Seashell Lake. Our legend tells of a wonderful underwater kingdom, with treasures unimaginable. There is a castle made purely of gold and pearls, and the mermaids swim in it. When they get lonely, they simply sing in a lovely voice to attract sailors… and then capture the sailors for themselves. But that is just the stuff of legends…so I thought.

It all started on a day in July. I was hanging out with my two best friends, Emily and Katy. “Hey, you guys want to go to the beach today?” I asked them. “Sure, Melanie,” they replied in chorus. We left my house and walked down a rocky path to get there. The sun beat down on our backs. Our “beach” is just a sand strip that surrounds the lake, but it is worth it. I could already feel the cool, crisp water on my back, the summer breeze whipping through my hair…ahhhhh.

We finally made it to the lake. “Beware of Jelly,” Emily joked. Jelly is our supposed resident lake monster- an oversized jellyfish. Anyone who’s been here long enough knows there is no such thing, and that Jelly is just a sales gimmick. Nevertheless, I am still hesitant to go in the water. I slowly step in, letting my feet soak for a minute. My friends run in, laughing and splashing, and I soon join them. “Let’s play ‘find the locket’,” says Katy. Find the locket is a fun game- we use a plastic, yellow necklace and drop it somewhere in the lake. Then, the ones who do not know where it is have to find it underwater.

Emily hides the locket first, and then tells me and Katy to go find it. I take a big breath of air, and then dive beneath the surface. I scan the bottom and quickly see the necklace. It is halfway covered in sand. I swim over and reach for it, and at the same time, another hand grabs for it. I pull hard, and the necklace breaks free into my hands. I surface quickly to yell at Katy, who I assumed was the one who had reached for the necklace, but she is across the lake with Emily. What had grabbed my necklace?

I look around cautiously. Then, I run over to my friends. “Did you guys grab my necklace?” I ask, already knowing the answer. “No!” my friends clamor. I sigh and say “Let’s head home… I am feeling sick.”


My friends walked me home and hung out for a few hours. When they FINALLY leave, I go to my room to lie down and think. I think about the hand, and right away my brain connects it with Shelly. ‘But Shelly is a myth’, I think to myself. ‘A myth and that is all’. I drift off into a deep sleep, and start to dream…

Chapter 2- The Dream

I open my eyes slowly. Light fills them and I squint. I sit up to look around. I am on a beach SOMEWHERE- I do not remember ever seeing it. I see a huge wave coming- it is going to crash right on top of me! My brain tells me to scramble inland, but instead, I dive into the water. It feels natural to me- I am swimming perfectly and shockingly, I am breathing! I look downward and see something glittering at the bottom of the lake.

I dive down gracefully and find it is a mirror. In entices me, and I look into it- but the face looking back at me is not my own! Instead, a face with big blue eyes and thick, blonde hair looks back at me, flashing a supermodel smile. I cannot pry my eyes away from the mirror, it is so addicting! But when I do pull my eyes away, I look down- only to see that I have a tail! And not just any tail- a gorgeous mermaid tail! It is a soft green color, with gold and pearls all over it.

But even though it is not natural, I don’t feel the least bit surprised. I continue to gaze into the lovely mirror, which somewhat matches my tail. But then, I hear a voice- a screeching, gurgling voice-cry out: “Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiivvvvvvvvvvvvvveee itttttttt baaaaaaaaaaaccccckkkkk!” I spin around, and an ugly being is coming towards me! Once it is up close, I see that it is another mermaid, and if you look, she is somewhat pretty. She has a shark’s tail, and teeth to match. Her eyes are silver, and her hair is jet black and long. She snatches at mirror. “GIVE IT BAAAAACK, SHELLLLYYYYYY!” she wails.

I wake up shivering.

Chapter 3- Shelly’s POV (Spoiler! The dream is actually reality…Shelly’s POV picks up just after it ends.)

I look back behind myself. Shadow is still tailing me, teeth bared. I grin to myself- I have the mirror, not HER. Everyone knows that there are a FEW key things about mermaids, some of them being:

• We love to sing and we love music
• We LOVE mirrors
• We are very catty and curse any man who tears apart from us after enchantment
• We love the water and could never part with it

I swim faster, towards my home in a large rock underwater. I grab the seashell handle on my door and swim in fast, slamming it behind me, which causes my house to shake. I hear Shadow banging on the door outside, screeching at me. I am shaking, clutching the mirror tight to my chest. ‘Why should I give it back?’ I think to myself. ‘I found it, not her, so it is rightfully mine!’ I place the mirror carefully under my pillow and swim to the door. I am shaking like a fish out of water as I slowly open the door.

Shadow is hovering in the water, glaring at me angrily. “I saw it firrrrst!” she wails in a horrible, shrieking sound. I clap my hands over my ears. “Yes, and I reached it first!” I contradict angrily. “The mirror is rightfully mine- it even matches my tail.” “Well, when I saw it it looked like me!” Shadow fumes at me. “Oh, so when you saw it it had a bad attitude and a set of chompers too big for its face?!” I retort casually, a sly smile sliding onto my face.

Shadow turns a dark shade of red and slinks away.

Chapter 4- A Friendly Dolphin (Melanie’s POV)

I get up early in the morning, still feeling stricken from my dream. I try to tell myself that it is nothing, but deep down I know the only way to get rid of the tugging curiosity is to go back to the lake and look around- under the water.

I rented some scuba diving gear from a local shop, and after strapping it on, jumped into the water. I try to look around, but the water is very murky and I can’t. Nevertheless, I dive down into the water, and as I am about to give up hope, a dolphin shoots by. ‘Wait, what? A dolphin?’ I say to myself. ‘There aren’t any dolphins down here!’

I quickly follow the ‘dolphin’ through the murkiness. Amazingly enough, it leaves a good, clean trail for me to follow! Finally, I come to a large log. I see that the dolphin has stopped just past it, so I swim over it. As I get closer, I see that the ‘dolphin’ is not a dolphin- it is a mermaid! “Shelly?!” I ask in disbelief as I swim closer. The mermaid turns to face me. She is old looking, with white hair and grey eyes. She shakes her head sadly. She tries to speak, but I do not understand her language.
I shake my head, and then she nods slowly. She softly starts singing, and this I CAN understand:

I’m not She-e-ly,
But perhaps you’ll he-elp me,
I’ve dropped my glasses in this sandy flo-o-oor!
Find them,
I’d be so very glad…

I look around on the floor, and see the glasses lodged in some sand. I grab them and hand them to her. “What’s your name?” I ask. The mermaid made a garbled noise: DAAAAA-LLLLLLL-EEEEEEE. I thought for a minute, and then had an idea. “Is your name Dolly?” I asked. The mermaid nodded. I smiled, and continued on my way. I had been so caught up in my little adventure that I forgot to check my oxygen tank… and I slowly lost air and sank to the bottom of the lake.

Chapter 5- A Mysterious Recovery
When I regained consciousness, I was in the local hospital. My mom and dad were standing by my side, each with a worried look on their face. “Wha-what happened?” I ask groggily. “You were found washed up on the beach,” my mom replies calmly. “It’s a good thing we found you when we did- Stuck in that mask with no air- the doctors thought you were gone!”

I was shocked. I just wanted to relax now. “Could you tell me my favorite story?” I asked. I am 13, and a bit old for stories, but this one is my favorite. It is about a mermaid, and it has a good morale. Here is how it goes:

Opa turned to the first page of the strange book of fairy tales. “This story is called The Entangled Mermaid.”
“I like mermaids!” Arianna said excitedly.
Opa laughed, “Yes, I know you do. Now this story starts with a young mermaid named Cordelia. She was a beautiful mermaid and her parents loved her more than anything. The three of them all lived happily in a little pool connected to the ocean. It was half salt water, like the ocean, and half fresh water, like a river. All of the other mer-families loved visiting this pool because being in the ocean all the time was dangerous.”
“Why?” asked Alex.
“Because the ocean is full of scary sea monsters. That’s why all the mermaids were afraid to travel in the sea without mermen. So, because their pool was safe, Cordelia and her parents often held parties for all of the other merfolk.”
“I wanna be a mermaid so I can go to a mermaid party!” Arianna said, pouting.
“Well, maybe someday, if you wish hard enough, then you’ll turn into a mermaid.” Opa winked. “Now, one day Cordelia’s parents left to visit some relatives in a far away part of the ocean. It was a treacherous journey, so they left Cordelia at home. Excited that she now had the pool to herself, Cordelia invited all of her mermaid friends over for a picnic. After they ate, all of the mermaids searched for seaweed, pearls, and coral to put in their hair to make it even more pretty. Cordelia was crowned the Mermaid Queen.”
“What’s a mermaid queen?” Alex wondered aloud.
“That means that everyone voted that she was the prettiest of all of the mermaids. After they chose their Queen, all of the mermaids talked about how strange it would be to be a human. You see, they didn’t understand things like legs and clothing. They were all having a wonderful time when suddenly a merman came swimming up, looking pale and tired. Cordelia asked him what was wrong and he said that some horrible humans were going to come and drain the pool to build a dam. Do you know what a dam is?”
“Oh, oh! Is that the thing that beavers build with trees?” asked Arianna.
“It is! Good job. So, when they heard this terrible news, all of the mermaids panicked because if the pool was destroyed, then they would have to live in the ocean with the sea monsters all of the time. Cordelia, however, didn’t believe the merman. She thought that he was making it all up just to have an excuse to come see how beautiful she was. She told him to stop trying to scare them and shooed him away. After that, all of the mermaids left and Cordelia went to bed. That night she slept for longer than usual and when she woke up the pool was almost empty. As she swam around in the shallow pool, she noticed that a dam and fences had been built around the pool while she was asleep.”
“The merman was right!” said Alex.
“Yes he was. Cordelia was scared that she would never be able to make it back to the ocean, so she swam up to the dam and tried to climb it. At this exact moment, her parents returned to find their home blocked by the dam. They saw Cordelia trying to escape and attempted to help her, but Cordelia’s beautiful hair got caught in the dam. The more she struggled, the more her hair got tangled.”
“Oh no!” said Arianna, looking scared. “Is she gonna be okay?”
“Just be patient, Arianna. As Cordelia was struggling to free herself from the dam and her parents were trying to help her, some humans nearby heard all the noise they were making. Four of the humans rushed up and grabbed Cordelia, who was so scared that she fainted. Cordelia’s parents cried over the loss of their daughter and their home. They would have stayed there and cried all day if some more humans hadn’t tried to grab them as well, forcing them to swim away. When Cordelia awoke, she found herself in an aquarium.”
“Like Goldie!” Alex said, pointing to his goldfish in its fishbowl.
“Yes, like Goldie, except Cordelia’s fishbowl was much bigger. She could see the faces of many humans coming to look at her every day. For the rest of her life she lived in that aquarium, on display for the humans. She learned that if she had not been so vain and if she had only listened to that merman who tried to warn her, she would be out in the ocean with her parents. So, kinderen, being smart is better than only caring about your appearance.” Opa said, finishing the story.
“I get it!” said Arianna.

I sigh and smile as the story ends. My eyes drift closed and I slip into a deep sleep.

Dolly’s POV (Short Paragraph)

I saw her go down. I couldn’t just leave her there to die; she had, after all, helped me. I knew that humans couldn’t breathe water, they had to use special tanks filled with something called ‘oxygen’. So I swam down, grabbed her, and pulled her to the surface. I left her in plain sight- I hope she was found. I had to leave quickly so I wouldn’t be discovered. I wish there were more people like her around- Kind and generous.

Melanie’s Journal

August 15th, 2013
I have been out of the hospital for 1 month now and since have not gone back to the lake. Now that I know mermaids exist, I can go visit them- I am still scared though- if I fainted again, it would be dangerous. I don’t know WHO rescued me from the bottom of the lake… but I have a pretty good hunch. The last thing I remember from the bottom of the lake was looking up and seeing a shadowy figure swim over me before my eyes rolled back in my head.

August 28th, 2013
I finally got up the guts to go back to the lake today. I only waded in up to my ankles though… I think the accident is getting to me. Tomorrow, me and Emily and Katy have plans to dive together- there is no backing out now!

August 29th, 2013
We just got back from diving! I didn’t run out of air- but I didn’t see any mermaids either. I guess that if they were common, everyone would see them…or maybe I am just crazy, maybe they don’t exist. I am almost positive I did though… otherwise, how would I have gotten from the bottom of a murky lake to the beach?

I closed my diary, satisfied. I had gotten over my fear of water. For the rest of the summer, I was going to scuba dive with my friends. I was going to chill out on the beach, take art class, do whatever I wanted- and maybe even spot a couple more mermaids. As for my friends, I don’t think they quite believe me- but I don’t care. I know what I saw, and I have reason to believe it.

Mermaid’s Prologue

Shelly, like all mermaids, aged slowly and happily. She kept the mirror, despite Shadow’s efforts to claim it for her own. Hundreds of years later, she was crowned the mermaid queen of the lake. She cleared out the murk and pollution that made the lake ugly, and this brought new life the area. Mermaids found underground channels from the sea and came to live in the beautiful lake- and since there were more mermaids, there were more sightings, and since there were more sightings, there were more tourists. The mermaid kingdom thrived, as did Seashville.

Shadow was never peaceful- she wanted the mirror. She let it destroy her completely, and she grew out of control. She was thrown out of the lake when Shelly became queen for thievery of another mermaid’s mirror, when she was denied the one she wanted. She left in a fury, and since there was a large monster passing by, it is presumed she was eaten. In any case, she was never seen again.

As for Dolly, she had reached the peak of her life. She got very ill after rescuing Melanie, and died shortly after. But she died happily at a ripe old age of 2035, and knew she had died for the right purpose.
The End

Leprechaun

Mythological Creatures Report

By Madison Nef

Isobel’s Story

Isobel skipped through the rolling green hills of Ireland. The sky was bright blue and the clouds were white and fluffy. The bright rainbow in the sky reminded her of the legend in her town- the legend of the leprechaun’s gold. The legend was that if you followed the rainbow to its end, you would find a small cave. In this cave lived a leprechaun, and if you could fool him with a riddle, you would get his pot of gold.

How wonderful it would be if that was true, Isobel thought. Her family was very poor, living in a small shack away from the town.  Her mother was a seamstress, and her father was a farmer for a rich family in town. Isobel’s older brother, Conor, was a dog breeder, but he had long since moved out of the house and did not correspond with the family anymore. Isobel herself was almost 13- the age when she had to find a job of her own.

Isobel turned to head back to her house… when she heard laughter. She whipped around to look behind herself, but no one was there. She looked up- the rainbow was fading into the distance. She took a few steps towards the rainbow. The jovial laughter sounded again, only louder. She started walking into the rainbow… and the laughter grew louder with each step. She saw a cave up ahead, and ran to it. Was this real? Were her eyes playing tricks on her from being in the sun too long? Just then, it started to rain and the rainbow faded away.

Lighting struck the ground and the thunder rattled the earth. Terrified, Isobel ran home. She told her mother and father about what had happened, and they both agreed that she had too much sun. Isobel went to bed. When she woke the next morning, the laughter still rung in her head- so she ran out the door to find the cave, had there been one. She tried to remember her path- and came upon where the rainbow had fallen.

She slowly turned on her flashlight and peered into the cave. It was dark, and seemed empty.  She walked into it a little, looking around. It was quite spacious for a cave. Suddenly, something crunched beneath her feet. She looked down and saw a small bag of chips. She frowned, what was that doing here? She walked further in, and as she did, she grew uneasy. Suddenly, something hit her over the head- and everything went black.

When Isobel woke up, she was hanging upside down from the ceiling of the cave, and a strange little man with bright red hair in a green suit was standing in front of her with his arms crossed. “You’ll never get me gold!” he yelled at her. “Your gold?! Why would I want you-“Isobel’s sentence trailed off, for she saw that behind the little man was a huge pot of gold, enough to make her whole TOWN rich! Isobel couldn’t believe it- standing in front of her was a LEPRECHAUN!

She stared at him in disbelief for a minute. Then she remembered the legend- you had to fool the leprechaun with a riddle if you wanted his gold! “Don’t I have to tell you a riddle?” she asked the leprechaun. “Yes ye do,” said the leprechaun. “You have three tries to fool me.”

“Um… what do you call a fake stone in Ireland?” she said. “Why, that’s easy! A shamrock!” exclaimed the little leprechaun. “Well then, what do you get when you cross poison ivy with a four leaf clover?” she asked again. “A rash of good luck! Everyone knows that,” said the leprechaun. He was not readily going to give up HIS treasure!

Isobel gave the riddle one last shot. “What happens if a leprechaun falls into a river?” she asked. “Well, he, well….” The leprechaun trailed off. Isobel grinned. “He…. Loses his favorite tie?” the leprechaun asked nervously. “NOPE!” Isobel roared with great glee. “He gets wet, like anybody else! Now give me my gold!” With that, she wriggle free of the rope holding her up, and ran to the pot of gold. She picked it up and ran from the cave.

She gave the gold to her family, and donated what they did not need to charity. She never went back to the little cave in the woods. Her and her family lived happily ever after.

The Leprechaun’s Tale

We leprechauns tend to keep to ourselves. We don’t mind pulling a trick or few on the humans, and giving them misleading facts, but we don’t downright interact with them… unless they come near our gold. I am Sean, and I am the leprechaun of Goldstern Valley. I live in a secluded cave in the hills, and I don’t get involved with humans unless they come to my cave looking for trouble. I will lead them to it with my laugh sometimes, because, as one of my kind, I love tricks. But I would NEVER give up my gold.

It was a normal day for me. I got up and put on my green suit and my favorite silver buckle shoes. I lit my pipe and stumbled into my cave’s kitchen for breakfast. Living situations could have been better, but I did not care as long as my gold was safe, and from what I had seen, this was the best place for it. I went to check it to see if it was still where I had left it. All was intact, so I grabbed my lucky coin and headed for the forest market.

The forest market is well disguised by small magical creatures. It’s a little town for us where we go to shop. Mostly fairies and pixies run it, and they are VERY careful not to come in contact with humans. I use my lucky coin at the market all the time. It is a coin that always returns to my pocket- no matter how many times I spend it. While at the market, I overheard weather would be bad tonight, so I started to go home. But as I did, I noticed a redheaded young girl heading towards my cave!

To throw her off, I laughed a deep, guttural laugh. She paused, looking around. I ran back to my cave and got my megaphone, and started laughing more. She was coming towards my cave! But just before she could enter it, the sky opened up and she ran home. My heart was beating terribly fast, and so I went to my bedroom and slept.

However, my sleep was needed to prepare me for the next day- the girl returned, and when I woke up, she was near my gold room! I grabbed my frying pan from the kitchen and took a jump, knocking her on the head with the pan as I came down. Once she was out cold, I dragged her into the gold room and hung her from the ceiling by her ankles using magic spells sold to me by a witch from the market.

When she awoke, all the girl wanted to do was tell me riddles. The first two I got right, but then she stumped me with the last one. I’d never fallen in water, how was I supposed to know!? I told you I have little contact with the outside world (with the exception of going to the market). But then something even worse happened.  The witch’s spell wore off, and the girl got free! And since she had stumped me with a riddle, she took my gold- and there was nothing I could do about it.

She left, and I was very broken hearted. That was my life’s savings she had just taken from me! I was in deep despair- until I remembered the code of the leprechaun. Because we are such dishonest creatures, we have spells on our gold- in 100 years, our gold is returned, every piece intact- doubled. Until then, I at least had my lucky coin to go to market with- and perhaps I could gamble for some gold at the town pub.

Robert Frost Poems

A Prayer in Spring
Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day; 
And give us not to think so far away 
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here 
All simply in the springing of the year. 

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night; 
And make us happy in the happy bees, 
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees. 

And make us happy in the darting bird 
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill, 
And off a blossom in mid air stands still. 

For this is love and nothing else is love, 
The which it is reserved for God above 
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfil. 

I feel that while the poem is in itself a "prayer", I think it is also the poets description of what he feels heaven will or should be. It sets a haunting yet strangely happy tone. At the same time, it gives a very powerful description. I picture, while reading this poem, a large meadow with rolling green grass up to my knees, a bright sun, and a blue sky dotted with a few clouds. There are flowers all over the field of all kinds, and trees whose branches crack in the wind.

The Vantage Point
If tired of trees I seek again mankind,
Well I know where to hie me—in the dawn,
To a slope where the cattle keep the lawn,
There amid lolling juniper reclined,
Myself unseen, I see in white defined
Far off the homes of men, and farther still,
The graves of men on an opposing hill,
Living or dead, whichever are to mind.

And if by noon I have too much of these,
I have but to turn on my arm, and lo,
The sunburned hillside sets my face aglow,
My breathing shakes the bluet like a breeze,
I smell the earth, I smell the bruisèd plant,
I look into the crater of the ant.

To me, it seems that the poet feels shielded and invisible to the outside world- like he has something to say but can't say it. This poem gives me a sense of sorrow and a little bit of anger. If I could rename this poem, I would call it "The Hermit's Poem". That is what I feel the man in the poem is-a hermit.

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.   
His house is in the village though;   
He will not see me stopping here   
To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   
To stop without a farmhouse near   
Between the woods and frozen lake   
The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   
To ask if there is some mistake.   
The only other sound’s the sweep   
Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.   
But I have promises to keep,   
And miles to go before I sleep,   
And miles to go before I sleep.

This, to me, is a haunting poem. A man seeking solitude and seclusion loves the woods... But at the same time it sounds like he has a family and loved ones waiting for him at home, and his duties to them are greater than his duties to himself. This poem makes me think of a dark cliff with tons of tall pine trees on it, looking down over a small town. It seems to me that the man writing the poem didn't care for the cities or towns, but for the secluded forest life... but he has family waiting in a city, and he cannot stop for his own desires.

The Pasture
I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I shan't be gone long. -- You come too. 

I'm going out to fetch the little calf
That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I shan't be gone long. -- You come too. 

This poem makes me think of a young boy initially. On the surface, it sounds like a list of chores, but if you look more deeply into it, it is more a comforting poem to say to a child- "I shan't be gone too long- you come too". The more and more you read it over and over again, the more it sets in not as a list of chores but perhaps a mother telling her child she will be right back.

Stars

How countlessly they congregate
O'er our tumultuous snow,
Which flows in shapes as tall as trees
When wintry winds do blow!--

As if with keenness for our fate,
Our faltering few steps on
To white rest, and a place of rest
Invisible at dawn,--

And yet with neither love nor hate,
Those stars like some snow-white
Minerva's snow-white marble eyes
Without the gift of sight

This poem is a bit mysterious to me. I think that he is trying to relate to the different constellations and how they each tell a story, and how we each in our own way have a story in the stars. It also seems to hint that sometimes, a good life is right in front of us- we just fail to see it in our own stupidity.

The Mystery of The Greek Icon

The Mystery of the Greek Icon
Book Report by Madison Nef

Characters
Marty
Marty is the main protagonist of the book. She is a 19 year old college graduate from America who is spunky and fast-acting. Throughout the book she proves to be very brave. She is known to love her father very much, and has lived with him since she was 15, when her mother died. When he disappears, she goes around the globe to find and rescue him.
Peter
Peter is Marty’s love interest. He is described as a tall, wiry Swedish man of about 20. He cares very much for Marty, acting almost as her ‘big brother’ in the book. He is very timid and shy, but refuses to leave her side until she finds her father. He is described to be a bit weak, and gets jealous easily, especially of Stephanos.
Stephanos “Steve”
Steve is a Greek man of about 22. He is the older brother of Vicki, and is described as a tall, muscular man. His hobby is traveling to different parts of Greece and being a photographer. He is very useful in the book, and is shown to have a slight crush on Marty. He is loyal to his friends, and drives them wherever they need to go in Greece.
Vicki
Vicki is a young girl of about 20, a tour guide in Greece. Marty and Peter meet her while taking a tour of Greece, looking for information about the icon that Marty has. She is very friendly with them as they keep coming back to her business, and finally invites them over for dinner. She proves useful to them, as she can provide them with good information about the area.
Bart
While Bart doesn’t have much dialogue in the story, he is the center of the plot. He is kidnapped by a gang smuggling icons that belong to museums out of the country, and when he goes after them, he gets drugged and is taken prisoner. He is shown to love and care for his daughter very much, and he is also shown to be a very thoughtful man.

Dr. Nigrita
Nigrita is the main antagonist of the book. He is the head of the smuggling gang that kidnaps Bart and smuggles icons out of Greece. He is known for wearing black suits and driving a grey Mercedes.

Setting
The story takes place in different parts of Greece. The main part of the book takes place in the Meteora, where the most famous monasteries are.  It is described as very rocky and hilly, with beautiful sunrises and sunsets as the sun peeks over the mountains in the morning. There are many ravines in the area where the story is. Greece is also known for its beautiful blue bays and wonderful ocean scenery. Marty and Peter often eat at quaint little sidewalk restaurants with great view of the ocean.

Plot
The story starts with Marty at college, celebrating her 19th birthday with her friends. She receives a package from her dad, and opens it, mentioning that this is the first time he has ever missed her birthday. However, good news does not come in her present. The letter says that her father is in Sweden, sick with leukemia. He tells her in the letter, “take care of the little one”, implying the small Greek icon he sent to her as a gift.
In the letter, he uses their code name for help, “two Bart”. Marty, assuming he is in trouble, heads out to Sweden immediately to stay with a family friend’s family. When she arrives, she meets the Miller family, and Peter, the eldest son. She greets them, and then immediately goes to the hospital to see her father.
However, at the hospital, she is told by the clerk that he is better and checked out with some ‘friends’ two days ago, leaving no forwarding address. Upon inquiring if he is better, the man laughs and tells her of course, otherwise the doctors would not have let him leave.
When she goes home, she discovers another letter from Bart, saying that he is following a trail through Athens. Marty says that she must go immediately, but Peter insists she stay an extra day, and then he will go with her.

The next day they set out to Athens, Greece, and when they arrive they go to their hotel. The next morning, they take a tour about Greece, searching for information on Marty’s icon. She is sure it has some connection to her father’s disappearance, but she is not sure what. Their tour guide is a kind young girl named Vicki, who is most useful.
After taking her tour a few times, Vicki comes over to them and asks them over for dinner. When they go over to her house that night, they meet Steve, a traveling photographer and Vicki’s older brother. They learn from her mother that the icon comes from a place called the Meteora, a place where all the famous monasteries are. Upon seeing the icon, Vicki and her family are almost positive that it is not a re-production because of the fine detail in it.
Steve offers to drive them to the Meteora the next day, if they are interested in going. They accept, and then head back. At the hotel, a message waits for them, and it is from Bart. He says, this is much more than where the torch starts…and then breaks off the phone call. Putting two and two together, Peter and Marty figure that he is in Olympia, where the first Olympic games were.
When Steve arrives to take them to the Meteora, they beg him to take them to Olympia instead. He consents, saying that it is the same distance in the other direction anyway, and they set off. When they reach Olympia, they tour the stands, and when they do, they see 10 men in black suits exiting in single file. Marty is convinced that these aren’t your typical tourists, and she learns that they always ask for night passes from the old woman at the ticket stand.
As she is leaving, Peter runs back to get her and tells her to follow him. They go back to an old tunnel under the stadium, where he shows her a message he has found in the daylight. On the wall of the tunnel, there is a scribbling that says one word: B A R t.
The B on the message is very clear, but the rest of the letters are sort of dragged off, as if he was walking and writing. Marty is horrified when she see the writing come off when she touches it, and automatically thinks it is blood. Peter recognizes the smell, however, and says that it is just ash from the torch, and that if someone looked, they could find it in the tunnels because the caretakers swept it out so that the next torch could be lit.
At this point, Marty starts freaking out and is sure he has been kidnapped. They see him being dragged into a car by 3 men in black suits as they exit the stands. Marty automatically wants to go after him, but Peter holds her back and says he overheard the name of the lead man, and that he has the license plate number of the Mercedes that he was put in.

Next, they go to the monastery and ask the nuns there about the icon. They agree that it is an original, and say that they recall seeing it somewhere before. It turns out that the painting on the icon is of St. Nikolas, whose monastery was shut down when the Nazis invaded. They say that the icon is probably very rare, and probably came from the ruins of the monastery.
 As they walk out, discussing the icon, they are cornered by a man in a black suit. Recognizing him as one of the men from the gang, they dodge onto Vicki’s tour bus and ride with the group until the next stop. She playfully scolds them for not being part of her group, but allows them to ride and stick with the group through the next stop.
At the next stop, the group heads into a Greek museum that is run by a monk. Upon seeing the icon, the monk gets excited and says he wishes to show it to the high priest. Marty is about to say yes, but Vicki warns her that it could take hours to get it looked at. She declines, but the monk says that it looks very similar to an icon they had been expecting for their collection.
After the museum, Peter and Marty discuss the icon and figure out that Bart has discovered a smuggling operation, and has been kidnapped because of his knowledge. They figure that the icon needed to be saved, so Bart sent it to Marty. They see the Mercedes with her father in it zoom by, and make an attempt to follow it by cab. Finally, it stops at a small cottage. Marty wants to go in and save her father, but Peter stops her.
They go to a local inn and call Steve, telling him they need backup. They know that there is at least 2 men in the cottage, guarding Bart, and that the leader, Dr. Nigrita, has gone to get more people. Steve arrives, and they tell him of their situation. He agrees that they should get the police involved, so he calls them. However, they dismiss him for being drunk because of the time.
Steve, dismayed at his failed attempt, tells them his plan to rescue Bart with help from his cousins, who live nearby to the cottage. He calls the police again, begging them to listen, and finally they agree to come.
Steve’s cousins are shepherds, and they only understand their goats. There are 4 of them. That night, they gather their goats and surround the house. The goats act as a distraction so that Marty can slip in through the back window of the cottage and rescue her father. When the two men go outside to see what the ruckus is, they are rounded up by the police.
Bart is in bad condition when he is out of the house. The drug effects are just starting to wear off, and he gives Marty a hug and asks for water. He is taken automatically to the hospital by Marty and Peter.

Once he is better, he explains that their hunch was correct. His bank that he worked at had been involved in the scam, and one of his friends was involved. When he heard about the operation, he decided to track it down to its base and shut it down. He managed to recover one icon, and realizing it wasn't safe, send it to Marty.
However, he was captured by the gang and drugged. He was then dragged from city to city, with vague memories of trees and men spooning soup into his mouth. He said that for the short period of time he was conscious, he came to know the leader of the gang as Dr. Nigrita. Also, he said they meant to kill him by dropping him into a deep ravine.
With his help, the rest of the gang is tracked down and captured, and many of the icons are returned to their rightful owners and/or homes. Marty, though sad to let go of her icon, gives it to the monk museum where it belongs. She is just happy to have her Dad back.
The book ends with this closing paragraph, No Copyright Intended, all rights go to Mary Tyson Pickering.
“Belted into my high-backed seat, I felt the big plane rise smoothly into the clear Greek skies. Below, Athens sprawled across its hills like a humped mural of some make-believe city, but I barely noticed. My senses were numb with the emotions of the past half-hour. Bart had promised he’d be home for my graduation. “The conference in Vienna will be over,” he said, smiling, “and nothing in the world can keep me away- not even kidnappers!”
Then Peter had gathered me into his arms and whispered, “Til next fall, Marty! I’m coming to your country then-“ and he named the very college Bart had helped me choose. There was nothing brotherly about the kiss that followed and, in a happy daze, I’d joined the line of boarding passengers.
Now I unwrapped the little package Peter had pushed into my hand. Without looking, I knew what it contained. An icon. Inside would be the painted pictures- of whom, it didn’t matter. Just the feel of the smooth wooden covers was enough, that and the memory of his parting kiss.”
I personally really enjoyed the story. It was a good mystery, and it kept me intrigued until the final page.  I hope you enjoyed this report, as I worked VERY hard on it.

The French and Indian War

The French and Indian War (The Seven Years War)  (1754-1763)

2-Page Paper by Madison Nef

The French and Indian war was started when both Britain and France claimed territories in the New World. This territory was the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. At the time, the Native Americans inhabited these lands, and they were very attached to their land.

After much trading and begging, the Indians eventually allied with France, as the French knew that the Indians were all about getting things- so they would do good fur trades and other trading with the Indians for their alliance.

Because this war is well known in the United States as the French and Indian war, many think that the title refers to an on-going battle between the French and the Indians. However, the war's title instead refers to the friendship between the two groups.

The French and Indian war was different from some of the other battles that had been fought. The number one reason it stood out was because many previous wars started in Europe, and then spread to other parts of the world as the war progressed. However, the French and Indian war was started in North America, and so war erupted more in North America than anywhere else.

This conflict lasted for two years before England officially declared war with the French in 1756. For the next nine years, the French and British battled for dominance of the Indian territory. In the beginning, the French had many great successes such as the defeat of General Braddock in 1755. Early success was attributed to the Native American allies. The Indians feared the British with their weapons, and believed the settlers would drive them away from their homes.

However, the French victories did not last long. In 1757, British forces captured Fort Duquesne. Two years later, the successes continued with the captures of Forts Quebec and Niagara. Once the French city Montreal collapsed, the French were through with fighting. Montreal had been their main post, and with it gone, the French were helpless.

The French and Indian war was brought to an end in 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The Treaty of Paris was signed to officially end the French and Indian war. It was signed by Britain, France, and Spain. It stated that the British would get the lands east of the Mississippi River and Canada, while Spain would get Louisiana in compensation for Florida, which was also given to the British. It was a wonderful success for the British.

 Before the war's finale and the signing of the treaty, the battlefield had extended to Asia, other parts of Europe, and Africa. Unfortunately, France lost control of all of its colonies, and England gained possession of Canada and the territory between the eastern United States and the Mississippi River. The French were driven back out of Canada, which the British now had control over.

Here is a map of where the war took place, and where the different forts and victories by both sides were:

 

Although the war with France ended in 1763 with the signing of the treaty, the Indians were poor losers and continued to fight with the British over the issue of land claims. "Pontiac's War" was started shortly after the Treaty of Paris was signed, and many of the battlefields that had been fought on previously—including Detroit, Fort Pitt, and Niagara—were the same.

The Indians, however, were already worn out by many years of war, and quickly lost to the ferocious British retaliation. Even though the British won, the issue remained a problem for many years to come.

The results of the war quickly ended France’s political and cultural influences in North America. While England gained massive amounts of land and vastly strengthened its hold on the continent and its colonies, it badly damaged the relationship between England and the Native Americans. This worsening relationship between England and its colonies was what eventually led into the Revolutionary War.

Last of the Mohicans

The Last of The Mohicans

Progressing Report by Madison Nef 

This report is going to be a little different than some of the other reports I have done. I am going to do this report as I read the book, describing my thoughts on the book.

The author of this book is James Fenimore Cooper. While he doesn’t go into depth about characters, he has very good dialogue. Here are the characters in the book.

Hawkeye (The Scout)

Hawkeye is a white Indian. During the book, he is referred to as “the scout” more often than he is by his true name. Though he is white, he was raised by Indians. He has learned to accept both the Indians and the British. His name means “Long Rifle”, which is suiting since he is very good with a rifle.

Uncas (The Young Indian)

Uncas is a young Indian archer who is very able with the bow and arrow. He is a Mohican Indian. He is called “the young Indian”. His character in the book was named after a well-known Mohegan sachem, or head chief. He is the son of Chingachgook, and he is the last of the Mohicans, meaning the last pure-blood Mohican born. His name means “Bounding Elk”.

Chingachgook (The Indian)

Chingachgook is the strong, brave father of Uncas. He is the last Mohican Indian chief. His name means “Big Snake”, because he can comprehend even the slightest movement very well.

Colonel Monro

Colonel Monro is a war officer for the British who is posted at Fort William Henry.  He is the father of Cora and Alice. He is the reason that the girls are traveling. He is very caring and gets worried about his girls very easily.

Duncan Heyward

Duncan is the escort to the two girls, Cora and Alice. He is very easily worried. He is known to have a strong attraction to Alice.

Alice Monro

Alice is the younger sister of Cora and the daughter of Colonel Monro. She is described as very beautiful, and more delicate than her sister. She is also more easily frightened and is very timid. She looks up to Cora a lot, at one point calling her “mother”.

Cora Monro

Cora is a dark haired, beautiful girl. She is the older sister of Alice, and the first daughter of Colonel Monro. She is more spunky and courageous than her sister, and she is like a mother figure to Alice. Magua, the enemy, has a liking for her and kidnaps her to take her for his wife. In the end, she dies with Uncas while trying to protect herself.

Magua (Sly Fox)

Magua, or Sly Fox, is the main antagonist in the book. He is a cunning former Indian who was humiliated by his tribe. He had been caught drunk, and was whipped in front of his tribe. Since it was Colonel Monro who introduced him to alcohol, he swore vengeance. However, he has a strong attraction to Cora, and kidnaps her to take for his wife. In the end, when Cora and Uncas die, it is said that they will be married in the afterlife.

The only character that I think Cooper really developed was Magua. He gave him a back-story and everything. He gave him a love interest, a good motive, and the perfect bad-guy spirit. Also, Magua is the only character in the book that I really understand. The rest of the characters are not ever developed.

Here is the plot:

The story starts out with the author describing the characters a little, mainly the sisters and Heyward. The story tells us that they are going to Fort William Henry with reinforcements because their father needs help- he asked for more troops and none are coming, and the fort might be taken over. Heyward is the girls’ escort.

However, Magua claims to know a shorter trail to the fort, and leads them away from the reinforcements and right into a trap, where they are ambushed by Huron Indians. Now, at the same time, Uncas, Hawkeye, and Chingachgook are also out in the woods, walking to the same fort to offer help. They see the other party getting ambushed, and run to help. They manage to save the troop, and offer to go with them to the fort, as they suspect that the Indians will be back with reinforcements.

As they walk through the woods, Chingachgook hears a noise and claims that it is a “four footed beast”. The “beast” turns out to be a horse and rider, whom they mistake for a foe and shoot down. The horse is killed, and the rider gets spooked. After drinking some water and regaining his senses, he introduces himself as David, a psalmist and music teacher. He admires the smart thinking of the Indians as they throw his dead horse into the river, saying that “water leaves no traces”.

David proceeds to join the group as they go forth. Soon, they come upon a waterfall with a cave behind it, and as it turns to nightfall, decide to sleep in it while the Mohican Indians stand guard. During the night, the Hurons return and capture Cora, Alice, and Heyward. They are brought to Magua, the head of the Huron tribe, and questioned. Magua proposes to Cora, but she declines and asks why he is so intent on killing her family.

Magua then goes on to say that he was introduced to “firewater” (alcohol) by Colonel Monro and that Indians are not supposed to be drunk.  He is caught misbehaving while drunk, and is humiliated in front of his former tribe by being called up in front of them and whipped harshly. He says that Indians are usually proud to show scars of war, but these marks are shameful and he must hide them under the dyed cloth of the white-faces.

The Mohicans, upon finding their company gone, run to the woods to find them being held. Uncas and Hawkeye are quick to kill 2 of the Huron tribe, and in shock, they leave their prisoners and run off. After regaining the members of their troop, they continue to Fort William Henry.

Upon arriving at Fort William Henry, they discover that Frenchman Montcalm is there giving bad news: The British will send no more reinforcements. Distraught but happy to finally see his daughters, Monro orders everyone to leave the fort. Displeased that Montcalm allows the people to walk away so freely, the Hurons massacre them as they leave and take Cora and Alice as prisoners. David, unbeknownst to the others, follows the girls and their captors.

When Colonel Monro realizes his daughters are gone, he immediately tells the Mohicans to hunt for clues to her whereabouts. When Uncas searches, he finds small and large boot prints that he says belong to Magua and Cora. He says that there is no trace of Alice. Monro insists that they search for Cora. As they move through the woods, Uncas finds a musical object, along with some more boot prints. He recognizes that David followed the Indians.

They follow the trail all the way to the outskirts of a Huron village, where they find David. He tells them that the Hurons consider him mad for all of his singing and won’t kill him. He also tells them that Alice is being held in this village, and that Cora was brought to a Lenape one. Together, they all devise a plan to save the girls.

Disguised as French medicine men, David and Heyward enter the village with intentions of saving Alice. Uncas and Hawkeye are sent off to rescue Cora, and Chingachgook stays with Monro, who, as a result of the events, is deranged. David and Heyward are barely into the village when Uncas is brought in by Indians, having been caught.

Magua comes into the village and demands that Uncas be put to death, but does not recognize Heyward in all of the chaos. Hawkeye “borrows” a bear skin from the Hurons and sneaks in with Heyward to help save Alice. They find her in a cave, wrap her in cloth and bring her out as a person that the “medicine men” have to heal.

While Heyward carries Alice off towards the Lenape village to wait for the others, David and Hawkeye, still disguised in the bearskin, sneak back in to save Uncas. The guards recognize the bearskin and let the two in. Uncas, once found, puts on the bearskin and leaves, while Hawkeye pretends to be David and starts singing. David stays behind in Uncas’ place.

Discovering David, the Hurons realize that Uncas has escaped. They find Magua, bound and gagged, in the cave. Seeing they have been deceived, the warriors become enraged and swear vengeance. Meanwhile, Magua ventures off to the Lenape village, where he demands the return of his prisoners, and warns the Lenape of Long Rifle’s reputation. A chief asks the prisoners who is the "long rifle".  Heyward, mistaking Hawkeye's wishes, claims he is the man. Hawkeye also claims the title, and the chief makes them do a shooting match, which Hawkeye wins.

Tamenund, the Lenape chief, at first grants Magua's wish to keep his prisoners, but Cora begs him to reconsider. She eventually begs him to hear from a Delaware warrior, referring to Uncas. When first taken to the tribe, Uncas offends the Delaware. They tear off his clothing and see a turtle tattoo on his chest, the symbol of his clan. Tamenund accedes to all Uncas asks and frees the prisoners, except for Cora, as she belongs to Magua. Magua reluctantly agrees to Uncas's demands but says he will keep Cora. Hawkeye had offered himself as sacrifice, but Magua refuses. Uncas and Heyward both vow to hunt down and kill Magua and rescue Cora.

According to custom, Tamenund has agreed to give Magua a three-hour head start before permitting the Delaware to pursue to try to rescue Cora. As the Delaware prepare for battle, David arrives. He said he saw Magua and Cora at the Huron village, and she was hidden in the cave where they earlier found Alice. The Mohicans go back to the village to take back Cora.

The Delaware are in three parties: one led by Hawkeye and Heyward, one by Uncas, and one by Chingachgook and Munro. They force the Huron back to their village and finally take the village over. Magua escapes with Cora and two of his warriors and Uncas, Hawkeye, and Heyward pursue them through the mountains. Cora stops on a rocky ledge, refusing to continue because she has had enough. When Uncas attacks the Huron guarding Cora, both he and she are killed. Hawkeye arrives to see Uncas and Cora die, and enraged, shoots Magua.

The book ends with the accounts about Uncas’ and Cora’s funerals. It says that Cora and Uncas will be married in the afterlife.