At the first Writer's Ink meeting, we played a writing game called "Pass the Buck." This game is a classic and produces some very interesting short stories. Every person is given a paper with a story starter, and they have five minutes to write the beginning. Every five minutes, the papers are rotated until each story has parts written by all of the participants. The end result is a mishmash of everyone's writing styles! Anyway, here is one of the stories:Thinking back to yesterday, I wonder how all of this could have happened. Just a few days ago, life seemed almost normal, sitting on my couch watching the World Cup. Now I have a story no one will believe.
It all started yesterday when I was walking home from soccer practice and saw a flying saucer. How could this be? I looked around, wondering if I was the only one who noticed it. Everyone was walking around as if nothing was happening. I checked the sky again, and sure enough, the UFO was there.
Just then, I saw an alien walking toward me. Should I run? Should I talk to it? My mind was going a mile a minute, but my legs were frozen to the ground as if they were buried in Arctic ice. But then I sprang into action, running as if my life depended on it…because it probably did. I heard the aliens call for a search team, and I tried to hide myself behind some trees and form a plan. Outrunning them wasn’t really an option, neither was surrendering.
I had no choice but to try to get some help, so I ran toward other people on the sidewalk yelling, “Help! Aliens are trying to capture me!!” People thought I was completely mental, and one passerby called the cops. They arrested me and placed me in jail, which they said was for my own good. Ha! Yeah, right. I figured the aliens would be there any minute to take me away since I was trapped. Well, there was nothing left to do but wait for them and try to outsmart them when they got there.
I never got the chance. They teleported me out of the cell to their planet! All I could see was aliens of all colors, all wearing a type of human-looking soccer outfit. One alien walked up to me and said, “You, who are such a soccer fan, must challenge us to a match.”
“But, how do I play soccer against millions all by myself?” The aliens all began to laugh maliciously, their voices sounding very robotic. “Why are you laughing?” I asked.
The aliens smiled. “You are to play soccer against only one of us.”
I shrugged. “Well, OK, I guess that’s not so bad.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, earthling,” answered the alien. He gestured to my opponent.
I looked over and gulped. There stood before me a rather large, sis-legged alien. He had his humongous arms crossed over his chest and he glared menacingly down at me. Great, I thought, how am I going to get out of this one? Before I knew it, they blew the whistle to start the game. “Whoever gets a goal first wins,” said the first alien, an evil grin plastered on his face.
“What happens if I win?” I asked, feeling rather bold and reckless.
“If you win,” said the alien, “we will let you go free. But you won’t win.”
The ball was dropped between us, and the game began. The six-legged alien moved gracefully and with strength. All I could do was weave through its enormous legs and try to steal the ball. I was actually getting closer to the alien’s goal. I was tiring, but so was he, and I thought I might actually win.
Then, the unthinkable. “Aaaaargh! Nooooooo!” The alien scored using his telepathy.
I started to shake. “What happens now? Are you going to eat my brain? Chop me up and sell my body to different intergalactic nations as a delicacy?”
“What? No, you freak! We’re going to send you home as a trophy of our good sportsmanship. We just needed some fresh entertainment.”
“Oh,” I sighed. Instantly I was teleported back as if nothing had happened.
So that was my yesterday. What’s up for tomorrow?
Actual school supplies!
Kelliann had the most beautiful shading in her picture of a schoolgirl. It was my first choice for a winner.
A schoolgirl
A schoolgirl with talking school supplies 
Kathy drew a really cute comic about a school of fish! I gave it a prize for originality.
Still another schoolgirl
Out of all the schoolgirls, I deemed this one the cutest, so Lynn won a prize.
The last schoolgirl
We have purchased a growing number of Playaways for the teen and J sections this year, but you may not even know what they are! Playaways are audio books that come pre-loaded on mp3 players. You just plug in your headphones and go! They are way more portable than books on tape or CD. Some libraries charge to borrow Playaways, but the Upper Darby Libraries do not. You can borrow them for three weeks and renew them twice, just like books.
Avast, me hearties! Ye shall surely slay the enemy with such fearsome weapons!
Everyone's a poet!
Ooooh...deep!
Sharing some writing
Getting ice from the cooler.
