WriteOn! 2024

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6th Grade

1st Place

 Ester Tartari, Vlora

Prompt A

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I live alone with my pet cat. Her name is Lucy. It is really cute and sweet. I love her so much but one day a really weird things started happening… Here’s begins my story….

    It was a sunny, beautiful day. I woke up and got off bed, went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Then I went to the kitchen and cooked breakfast. Then I saw my cat standing beside me and just watching me from the ground. Then she started meowing, but I thought that she just wanted some food, so I went to grab the cat treats. When I filled the bowl with food, she didn’t eat it and just kept meowing like she wanted to tell me something. So when I finished my breakfast I went to her and straight up asked her a question like she was a human:

-What’s wrong my baby?

Then she said:

-You human thing, I just want you to pick me up, and I wana give you some love! Pick me up now, you, you… huuuumannn! Meow….

I didn’t expect her to give an answer!... I just expected a really cute meowing, but not talking! Anyway… I picked her up and then she asked me, while looking at me all cute and adorable:

-Do you wana meet meh friends… Meow meow?

-Uhm… sure I guess….

Then she brought me in the garden and she meowed really really loudly.

Immediately two shadows started coming down from the sky.

I was really surprised and scared, because the two shadows were a unicorn and a baby dragon. I screamed, but my cat covered my mouth. Then I met the two of them and they were really nice actually.

The sun started hiding it’s face… and the moon showed up. I went to bed with my kitty adn I said:

-Good night!

-Good night! Meow… meow

When I work up I thought it was just a dream but I was calm, but I was wrong:

-Yo, get off the bed, I’m waiting for my food…. Meow meow!

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2nd Place

Endri Pina, Ersekë 

Prompt B

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There was a school day. I was so confused with my friend because he keeps saying, “There is a dragon in this town, it will eat our heads”. I was thinking that he was joking. Then I done with the school. I was walking in the street, But… the thing that my friend said were not joke! An extremely big dragon appeared! I started running but the dragon were crying,  I said to him “What happened bro?” it said “HELP ME! I LOST THE WAY!” And I was very confused again but I decided to take the dragon in my house. It was just a baby dragon! I feed him with fried chicken, that tasted very good for the dragon! I started playing games with it! And it name was George! We went walking. Talking about what we can do and later watching together the sunrise in 6:00 am. I know this is crazy but it is my new best friend. I showed him my YouTube channel and later we ate breakfast. In 9:00 am I decided to pet the dragon and later flying and exploring the whole world. I took everything we needed and later we started our adventure. The dragon were hungry. I gave this time to him raw meat. George was happy that I was his new best friend. So I said to him “SO THERE STARTS OUR ADVENTURE”. We fled to Antartica first. We saw some penguins. They gave us fishes. We said to them-Thanks for the fishes- and then we left. Our next place was America. We meet a lot of people. Next place was the white house. We met Donald Trump. Then we wore astronaut suit. We went to the moon. There was aliens. We was scaried of them so we decided to go back home. The way was so hot. When we arrived back home, we made a bath. Sadly, next day his mom came to take his son to go home. I hugged him and said to him- Goodbye my friend, see you another time. But this was the best day of my life.

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3rd Place

 Avni Axhami, Kukës

Prompt B

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So, I was going to school, you know a typical thing on Monday. When I was going to school I found something weird. It was an egg with red spots. I had never seen such a thing in my life. All of a sudden the egg started cracking. I was scared because I did not know what the egg could have been. When the egg cracked. I saw a dragon. I was so confused. I was wondering where the egg came from. I put my dragon in my school bag. I was scared because the teacher would have been suspicious on what I had. After school I was so relieved I was going to cry. I looked at the dragon, he was a magnificent dragon. When I went home with my dragon I saw a portal. I was again confused. My dragon slipped in my arm and he went into the portal. I followed him but little did I know I went through the portal. The portal sent me in a massive dragon’s cave. I kept on following the dragon but… I heard footsteps. They were so strong it teared up the ground. I looked up and I saw a massive dragon. I was super scared I started running. Lucky me I found a sword. I swung the sword to kill the dragon but the little dragon said to me to not kill her mother. The big dragon  (the momma) spoke too! She told me to get out of here. I got out but I didn’t know how to get to my world. After a while the big dragon opened a portal. I did not know then but she did it. When I got back to my world I entered in my house. After a while I was going to sleep but I still missed my little buddy dragon.

8th Grade

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1st Place

Argesa Hereni, Kukës

Prompt A

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My mom called me from the next room. She was going to visit my sister. My father was going with her too, this means I am home alone!!!

After my parents went out I opened my laptop. This would be my first walk alone in the forest. I’ve been waiting so much for this. I prepared my camping bag with all the things I needed I downloaded a navigator that would tell me the way to the forest. Then I got out the door, following the navigator on my phone.

Finally I found the forest, but unexpectedly too many voices were murmuring near my ear. I turned around and waited to see someone, but nothing happened. Then I fell on the ground. A big mouth in the middle of the tree made me scream.

“Who’s there.” I shouted.

“What do you mean?” the big mouth asked.

I didn’t know that the trees in this forest could talk. I never thought about something like that. This forest was so thrilling. While minutes past I was doing fine with the trees.

“Why did you come here in our forest?” -started one of the trees

“No one came to visit us since two hundred years ago.” said another.

“Look I won’t hurt you trees. I just wanted to explore this forest.” I answered

“We won’t hurt you too. We’re just happy that finally someone came to visit us.”

“And you will be rated for this. We have a present for you. We saved this little present for many years.”

“I can’t wait to see what it is.” I said.

“But we have one condition. Only if you stay with us, the present will be yours.” -they said.

“I can’t stay will you guys, because I have a family too. How can I stay with you?”

“It’s okay we can do something for that.” They answered.

Too many things happened at the same time. After a while I found myself inside one of the trees. That doesn’t have any sense. I started crying but I didn’t see any tears. I wished this could be a dream but this was the truth. I couldn’t do anything. At least I wanted to get my present. I heard a human voice. Then I realized how unlucky that human was.

2nd Place

Samanta Stafasani, Burrel

Prompt A

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The aliens need to know how to act normal. But that is going to be really difficult. People are going to judge them because they don’t look like us, they can’t speak our language, they are just different. I don’t know what to do, if I don’t treat them good I am going to feel bad for myself. I am going to take it easy. What’s the worst that can happen? Maybe they are going to leave and never come back again, maybe they are going to always remember that horrible experience that they had. Ughhh. I should trust myself and believe I can do this.

    Next Day

I had the best day of my life. First when they came I gave them candies. It was so funny, they didn’t know what they were and started peeking their noses with it. I just couldn’t stop laughing. I tried to tell them that they should eat it. You should see my face. I was like “Eaaaaaaateeee it, puuuuuuuut iiiiiit in yooooourr mouth.” When one of them tried it everyone was just like, “Atatapatata”. I didn’t know what that meant but I think it meant “It is good.” After that I took the four of them to an ice cream shop. I ordered chocolate ice cream and one of the aliens thought it was poop. He was like “Ewwwww”. I told him to try that and after years and years and years of begging him, he tried the chocolate ice cream. Nah, I’m just kidding it took only 5 minutes to convince him. I bought some nike costumes for them and they couldn’t stop looking at themselves in the mirror. You should see my phone, I took photos of them when they were posing in front of the mirror. Then I went to show them my school. They had never seen books or pencils or even students before. Everyone looked at us. The small aliens felt really sad and lost so I took them out to take some fresh air. Then the bell rang. We needed to go to class. We had history and one of the aliens was really smart. He would write latin language and the teacher was shocked. After history we had PE and we were going to do an orientation inside the woods. The biggest alien could say where North East was and lead us. We won! At the end of the day I was really tired. When I went home, mom had made tacos. We ate like pigs, and then went to my room. I didn’t recognize that I fell asleep. When I woke up this morning and saw a letter. There it wrote:

“We are never going to forget you, your candies and your nice face.”

I got really happy even though it took time for me to translate those words from latin language.

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3rd Place

Elisona Gjana, Kukës 

Prompt A

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Everything was cool when I started the day drinking hot chocolate in nature and it looks like the chocolate kissed me. I and my family was in camping for my birthday to taste the beautiful things of nature. It was morning and I had to build a fire so I had to get some wood in the forest. I was walking in the forest when I heard a soundtrack. I started to find woods but I saw a beautiful rabbit and I started running behind him. But when I see the clock it was 15:30 and this mean that I had to went at my family because the others said: “When the clock is 15:30, everything in forest starts to be angry, so be careful!” I was very scared. I didn’t find wood, I lost my time running behind a beautiful rabbit, and the worst the time was 15:30 and maybe the forest will come alive. I didn’t know what to do. Some scary thoughts came in my head. I was very very scared when I heard a sound behind me. It looks like a group of people started to say something. I thought that it was my family because I was late. But when I went to see my family it was very quiet. Maybe it was a dragon waiting to eat me, or the forest was come alive. It was really scary. In my mind were only bad thoughts. I started to be quiet and I did it. I didn’t have why to be scared, everything was in my control. But again I heard soundtracks and now it was like anyone was singing a song like: Hey,Hey,Hey, We are the trees, we are beautiful trees, Help us please!

           I started laughing at this song. But again some thoughts came in my mind. If they were people why were they singing a song for trees. Maybe they loved so much trees and they sang a song for them. But again I wasn’t quiet. I was walking to my family but I couldn’t. I had lost in the forest!!!

           I was trying to be quiet but I heard someone who was trying to call me. He said “Hey you little girl, what are you doing here alone?” When I heard this I turned back to see who was talking to me. But when I turned back an old tree was speaking. I said “Aaaaaaaaaaa, please don’t hurt me, aaaaaaaa!!!!”

           I was very very scared.

-Who are you?

Said the tree

-Am, am I am Sona, a girl that she lost in the forest but please don’t hurt me. I’m not your evil

I said.

-Ha, ha,ha don’t worry Sona.

-Ok, um I have to go now, bye.

-Nooo where are you going, you are the person that we need.

But I didn’t really think about this, I was running. But some trees didn’t let me go to my family.

-Please, we need your help.- the trees said.

-My help, for what?- I said.

-Because the other people are cutting us. You have to stopped them.

-But how?- I said.

-You have to say at your father to stop cutting us.

-Ok- I said.

But when I started to went at my father he came in the forest. And when he see me talking with trees he was really shocked. But I started to calm down my dad and I did it. I tell him about the trees. But he said:

-No way!

-Please they are alive like us, they breath like us. How would you be if you will be a tree? People are cutting trees in every minute and it isn’t fair.

My dad said:

-You are right, sorry trees I didn’t know what problem is this.

-Thank you very very much Sona and you sir. You helped us very much.- said the tree.

I and my dad went at camping because we were very tired.

From this day I learned a very good thing. Helping the trees is fun. And don’t forget, don’t cut the trees they are alive like us.

8th Grade

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Lolita Mati, Korça

8th grade

1st Place 

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I'm awake, it's the big day! Today is the day that I'm writing that wonderful and creepy experience that happened to me that warm spring day. The "wow" thing wasn't in the morning, but in the most ordinary place in a world, school. yeah school. I just remember that I woke up very angry and of course as always, I was late. It was history class I was hopping that the teacher won't do us a test in history although history is my favorite subject. Teacher finally opened her mouth and said: Students! I have something special planing for you today. 

 

In that moment my mind was like... 

 

Alarm! Alarm! Beware! Danger! Nooooo the test i coming. I could picture myself getting an F and me crying at home for the rest of the week but.....

 

Students I thought that today we are going to visit a museum.

 

 Yaaaay- we all said. 

And in my mind I was like......

Omg! Omg! Thanks god!

 

Well if you thing that this was the "wow" thing sorry to let you down but nah. The wow thing is coming but please read more. 

 

Okay so we went there. The thought that we had no test in hostory made me feel like a buterfly flying above a wonderful pink flower. Every thing was sooo boring there All you called see where first pictures, old peaces of paper, pictures, pictures and something else I don't remember right now, oh I found it, pictures again! And I was like...

 

Seriously dude, this is way too borring. 

The teacher was talking to us. She was explaning the circumstances of the states durin first word war showing us a picture of Hitler. So in general boring things. Than we saw a statue of Cleopatra and old stuff from aicent Egypt. That was really facinating tho. Than the best part when my mind was like...... "Wow" was that moment when we saw a real mummy. It was very cool.

 

Than I noticed something strange..... All the most famous things of acient time where there, in just one single museum of our small city. But how.... I mean we saw mummys in a museum in Korca while that mummy should be in the National Museum of Kajro in Egypt. My mind was really blowing in that moment. Later I realise that others didn't noticed that. Click!

 

The light shut down and everything went dark, like deep dark. There's no way you could see anything in that huge museum wich were way larger than the building outside. I started to scream with all my voice. I was looking for others in the dark but.... nothing. I was alone! I know wow right! But wait there’s more! As I was screaming and begging for help I felt a cold very thin hand like a dead meat in my shoulder. I froze. My blood wasn’t circulating anymore. I turned around and sudenly the lights were on again. And what I saw! The mummy was standing in front of me saying –oh hello Lolita. I’m Jack. We are in school together remember. So are you enjoying the visit in museum? What… I was surprised by myself too. I wasn’t screaming anymore. It was the voice of Jack but it was a Mummy!! See, - he contined that pichre over there!

I saw the picture! Hitler was moving!! He was saying something in German that as I understood was let the war begin! And suddenly all the pichers was coming outside the pichur coming towards me. Their faces seemed very angry and ready to attack! My brain was like … Run girl, run!! But the door was locked. I said:

• What do you want from me?

• For all the cakes of the world she can speak!! (Marie Anttonette said!)

• Yes of course I can speak and you miss should be without a head. You were excecudet in 1700s in Revolution of France.

• Oh! How dare you threat me like that. I’m a queen. I’m the queen of cakes!

Than Mona Lisa said:

• Anette, please, the girl was right, you are just a lifelike picture that comes outside of the pichure is the mos ordinary thing in the world isn’t it.

And I was like

• Yeah picture coming in life and trying to attack me is pretty normal.

• But let get straight to the point! (said Xhorxh Washington) Amerika needs us. Slavery should be forbidden.

• Xhorxh, you are a picture for the god sake.

• Oh yeah, for the rights of the museum than.

Than I said

• Guys! – and all the pictures where looking at me. I just wanna go home.

• No until we’ll have a word with you young lady. (Shekspir speaking) You are a drama queen lady. You keep saying allways that history is boring. But let me tell you something! It isn’t. You offended us.

• So let me guess, you came alive and freaked me out just to talk about history is beautiful?

• Of course! (Cleopatra speaking). History is beauty itself.

• Here she started just because you are Miss History doesn’t mean you know everything.

• Guys!! Please let me out I want to see my mommy.

• Mummy? Did she say mummy! Here I am.

• Noo, not you! I said mommy! Look I love history its my favorite subject but today I woke up angry. I realised that everyone in school is gonne outside this cursed or haunted museum without me.

• Darling – said Napoleon Bonapart. Your friends are here but you can’t see them cause we brought you to the dimension of history. We only wanted to show you that history is not boring.

• Yeah, - said King Edward I. History is a wonderful world. You can turn back your head and see a different time. Different sense of lifestyle. You can learn about many things. History is not boring. History is not boring.

• ​

Suddenly I realized I was back. Everything was normal. Jack was acting like mummy and Anna was admiring the statue of God. We were at the museum of Middle Aged icons. See this was the “wow” thing.

 

So do you thing is “wow”

Do you thing that history is still boring?

 

Nah, now I don’t thing so.

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Megi Prifti, Korça

8th Grade

2nd Place 

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This year my classmates and our teacher decided to go to the ant museum in the end of school. At the beginning I didn’t really want to go there but my history teacher told me that I would learn more than I thought in there. She looked really mysterious to me so I prepared my life. I expected to be very confusing or boring, but I found it exciting and gorgeous. Just to describe it with a few words…It was like a dream for me! As we went through the gallery we saw too many pictures. I was looking at them very carefully and my classmates went away … it seemed like they were disappeared. So here does my adventure starts … The most strange thing I saw there was a really old box. I went there and opened it. It was a painting inside of it … I took it on my hands but unfortunately it stated to move. I was so scared and the picture fell down. I went closer to see it, but when it talked to me I ran and I head to the door so I could leave. But the museum looked that big so it hadn’t even an ending. I went back in the place where the painting was and instead it how could I get out or find my friends. Then I realised I was crazy. I was talking to a picture. But the painting talked to me too. It judged me saying that I hated history and I’d never looked forward ot the history class…but this was the truth. I just hate it. The painting asked me if I wanted to learn the history faster and never find it boring. I was thinking myself ‘do u even ask for this?!’ but I gave just a short answer ‘Yes’. The picture told me to close my eyes and just think of what I had learned in history class. It couldn’t leave anything in my mind. Bur when I opened my eyes I wasn’t even in a museum or ‘art gallery’. I was back in home and all the pictures I saw in the art gallery were humans. It was just amazing and I had no words to say. I saw everything in the middle aged, castels, persons, the solders and the most important, the queen and the king too. They looked pretty nice together. But life wasn’t that easy that I thought. Some strangers came into the country and went into the kingdom, they wanted to kill the king and take the crown. But then I reminded … that lesson about that attak in there … I had read it somewhere. I wasn’t even knowing myself and my personality. I took a knife and went through the castle to save the princess life. It was really like an adventure … then I closed my eyes again. When I opened them I was in another place. The ‘characters’ in that art gallery were showing me all the easy, happy, sad and hard moments of their lifes. They took me into a forest and than I learned them a lot about our technology so their life could be easier. Ofe they didn’t believe me first but then they liked it. They used my smartphones and everything I had in my bag. In that trip I didn’t just saw the paintings in the art gallery, but I fighted with bad people, I learned all their names and the dates where they’d happened. I met the history worst figures and the heroes of that time. I met princesses, witches, queens, servants who changed them, etc. So in understood…the paintings couldn’t only taled to me and just be boring…it was much better.

 

It was amazing. But then it looked like the dream had stopped. My friends came and asked me if I was alright. I couldn’t answer. I know that it should be a secret so I kept it for myself. The next day when I went to school, the history teacher smiled at me. I was wondering…did she make me anything or what?! That day she asked me about what I learned on the trip to the art museum. I didn’t know where to start telling it…but then I just told her a few things and got out of the class. I was really proud of myself. It was just a little help but that was a very important action…I changed the past. But I won’t forget, the past changed me too. My personality was just ‘wow’ I can’t know myself. So that day I realised I would always help the others, because they would even help me too in any mysterious way! I want to visit that place again and it will always be in my mind but at all in my heart.

 

Thaklia Verria, Moro

8th Grade

3rd Place 

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This is the weirdest thing that happened to me. As I was walking by on the art museum, I had so many questions in mind about the pictures history and how the created. So, as I was saying, I was walking by and then, suddenly, the pictures were starting to talk. They were so happy to talk with someone after that many years of staying silent. I was a lot taken back and firstly didn’t know what to but then an idea popped in my head. I was going to ask all the pictures about the most interesting things that I didn’t understand about them.

So, off I went, and then I found myself in front of “Mona Lisa”. When I was younger, I used to think about Mona Lisa’s secretive smile. Then, when I was in front of her, I introduced myself. “hell dear” – she told me, “what are you doing here?” she asked! So I trying to be as bold as I could be, I asked her about her relationship with Leonardo Da Vinci. I tried to be really persuative with her, and she told me that the idea of Leonardo Da Vinci creating her had nothing to do with his relationship with a girl named Mona Lisa, and all the other conspiracies were wrong. She told me that Mona Lisa was the portrait of the most beautiful and perfect girl he could ever imagine and he poured all his talent to create the Mona Lisa.

After her explanation, I went to ask about other pictures, but there were so many and it looked like I couldn’t finish getting all of the answers.

Then I went to the portrait’s art gallery section. I would find all the answers about the past’s wars and ancient kings and powerful emperors. I went to the portrait of Napoleon Bonaparti because I couldn’t resist the French’s history. I have learnt a lot about he French monarchy and other things buy I just couldn’t keep my mind around it. The first thing I asked Napoleon Bonaparti was about his length. Its’ a bit ridiculous but still I was very curious to know because I have read in so many books that he was short. Anyway, after that I asked how he spend his las few years in the prison of Elba. I always very curious to know more and more about his life. You can’t blame me, his life was interesting. Back to my questions, I asked about his few remaining years of his life and he said that he missed his family but for the other things he didn’t say much. Guess he isn’t happy with the way France is being ruled.  Anyway, then I went to the painting of Van Ghoy. I was hoping that his spirit was in his paintings, and my wish came true. I asked him about how he was feeling that he became famous after he died. This response was quite peculiar I would say, but it was a great life lesson. He said that you should shout your opinions or your talent or whatever you’re proud of, and that’s the only way the others will like you and respect you for who you are. The talent of Van Ghoy was “secretive” let‘s say, but he at least had smth to be proud of, even that he spend the last remaining years of his life living like a poor.

As I was going out of the art gallery, that I didn’t want to leave, I couldn’t keep but wondering how it’s the |”painting spirits” life there in the gallery, always in the presence of curious people. I would easily get annoyed by how much questions people ask, but maybe the painting like that kind of thing maybe they like talking to people and having contact with the world. Maybe that’s why people say that the art lives forever. Maybe that’s because they know that the painting can talk and interact with the people and as long as they are curious about their’s history, the pains will live forever.

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9th Grade

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Freja Cini, Fier

9th Grade

1st Place

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Dark… Cold… Empty… Grimy walls… Dusty furniture. That’s what greeted my eyes when I woke up. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know who brought me here. Most importantly, I don’t know how to get out of here. Suddenly, flashbacks from last night come into my mind.

“Fire! Run!” – my mother screamed. We all got quickly outside. I honestly didn’t know how the fire had started. We all were very careful with electric appliances and stuff like that. Then it hit me… it was them… The people after my father… The ones who wanted his company. I couldn’t breathe. I had a really bad feelings about this whole situation. Then… then I heard a loud gunshot noises…. “NOOO! – I screamed – NO! Mommy Daddy! Jenny! They had been shot. They shot them. They reached their goal… Sick bastards… Then something hard hit my head and everything went black…”

So they must’ve brought me here – I though silently. Hot tears were now rolling down my cheeks. Within a few minutes my family was taken away from me forever and my whole life was destroyed in front of my eyes. I cried and cried for what seemed like hours. My hands reached for the necklace I always kept with me. Huh… At least I still had that… My parents had gifted my that necklace on my 5th birthday and I had never taken it off ever since. Now that precious silvery gift would be the only thing that held my memories with them… Unbelievable…

I must get out of this place – I said to myself. I couldn’t stay here any longer, or else I would explode. I felt vulnerable, but I still had the force to get up into my feet. My eyes were now red and puffy from crying, but I could still see everything clearly. I ealked into another room. It looked similar to the one I was in but this was bigger. It seemed like a bedroom but I wasn’t quite sure about it. I opened the doors of what looked like a closet and what I found inside terrified me… a breathtaking gown was inside the closet but it was full of blood strains. That poor bride… her dreams must’ve been take away from her, just like mine… I continued walking around the house. It was enormous and it definitely was just like a maze. Every room I stepped in was empty, dark and cold. I felt trapped and lost. I was starting to lose faith, but little did I know about the next room I’d enter. At first, it seemed just like every other room in the domned house. But, stupid me for thinking that. In one of the dark corners of the room, I noticed someone. A boy, around my age. He was well-built and had tanned, olive skin. He had piercing, deep blue eyes and he stood there, emotionless.  I was frozen in place and so was he. What should I do? Should I talk to him? Then he noticed me.

“What are you doing here?” – he asked me, his voice dull and thick.

I was locked up here, - I murmured, unsure of what to say.

Huh, so was I, but I don’t guess I’ll make it out alive

What are you saying?

What I’m saying is that there is only one way to get out and that’s impossible.

And that is?

A door on the first floor, but two bodyguards secure the door and won’t let anyone out. Believe me I’ve tried.

I see… - My voice came out weak but now that I found another human was locked up here I was determined to get out of here.

What’s your name? – I asked the boy – by the way I’m Alicia.

I’m Jason.

 Jason… will you help me get out?

I already told you it’s impossible.

Please, Jason… They killed my family. I still believe I can get out…

He was silent for a moment but then he spoke again.

They killed my parents too. I want revenge Alicia. But I can’t…

Revenge it’s best served by two.

Okay… - he said and I was surprised. – I have been studying this house for weeks. The bodyguards change their turns late at night. We may get out by then but it’s quite dangerous.

We can try though… - I  said quietly.

Yeah, yeah we can. – he said – so here’s a plan. We wait ‘till midnight and then escape. Okay?

Okay – I said, this time more determined.

We waited patiently until it got dark outside. We could clearly hear footsteps near the front door…

Now it’s our chance. – Jason said determindedily –

Run Alicia!

We both ran. Fast. We got through the door without being noticed and I couldn’t believe it.

We did it! – Jason and I said in unison.

I don’t know what will happen next but right now it’s important that we are alive.

 

Kristjana Emini, Korça

9th Grade 

2nd Place 

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It was just a normal day of my life … like all days. I never knew what I was going to go through that day. I remember every single detail… I mean…. Of course I would. I opened my eyes under the bright light of the sun which come from my window, with the idea that nothing special would happen that day.

I did everything I do every day… my routine and went out of my house. Step by step, thoughts by thoughts that crossed my mind by the way to school…no thing special. An unknown voice was calling my name… once, twice! I turned my head to see the face of this “unknown voice”… but… no one.

Step by step, thoughts by thoughts, thinking about that “voice”. Was it only a creation of my imagination or someone did really call my name “Kristjana” two times in a row? Continuing my steps, then, again! I heared it! And this time I was sure that my mind hadn’t created that voice… it was real. A misterious one. I decided to turn my head again, to meet the “misterious voice,” but as I was turning my head back … oh my God … I felt a strong hit up on my neck, and then, I don’t remember anything. My head was so heavy and so weak to be able to control my body, to keep my eyes open. The place where I found my weak self after two, three hours or maybe more, was familiar to me. I knew I had seen that place before…dark…cold…scary…but when?

I felt like no oxygen was coming inside my lungs… like my brain stopped to work. I felt weakness in my hands like they were broken, not able to raise… to hold anything.

“What should I do?” “Where am I?” “Where have I seen this place before?” the questions that were crossing my mind but the most importand one was “How can I get out of here?” The danger was so close, I could feel it coming closer and closer, step by step … slowly. I was “officially kiddnaped. But why exactly me? What have I done to someone? What can a 15 years old girl do to anyone? Nothing.

Two eyes were following me in every single move I was doing … I could feel them like arrows going through my body. But … nothing. Watching in silence, then coming closer covered with the darkness of that old building.

It was a male. The voice was the same. He came closer and closer and said: “So, do you remember me?” just shocked. “It’s been 10 years…”. Just shocked. “…from our last meeting.”

Ten years? What was he saying? Was he real? Where had I meet him before? Who was he? What was that place?

And then a touch….up on my shoulder. I was froze like a cube of ice, but with my fear burning my soul like fire.

I remembered…I started to remember what had happened to me ten years ago. I was at the same place with the same person. I was feeling the same fear. I was kidnaped again. But why no one had tell me that story? Why I had forget that terrible experience of a five years old kid?

All of these thoughts had crossed my mind just in one second. Fast?

Immediately, the sun came from a door I didn’t even know that was there. “Hands up!” someone shouted. It was the police. They came to save me…like angles who save a poor soul.

A gun was fired! His band was no longer up on my shoulder. His dead body layed down on the floor. I saw his face. I knew him. I had seen his face ten years ago. But I didn’t knew who he was. Why was he so angry with me? What had I done to him? It was just a mistery that no one could explain to me … why?

​

Iris Hoxhai, Fier

9th Grade

3rd Place 

​

It was Friday night and I couldn’t sleep. All I could think about was what if I was the ruler of a planet, my own planet. It would be fun. I though and after some minutes I fell asleep. I woke up the next day and when I looked up I saw the moon that was like 12 kilometres away from me. Oh dear god, come out of my mouth and I started shouting. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I pinched myself buy no, nothing happened. I got up and I stared walking slow. I saw a rose it was so beautiful. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. The rose started walking and I followed it. After some minutes of walking I saw some people. Actually they weren’t people I had never seen anything like that in my whole life. They were covered with glitter and they had purple hair. They were all so happy to see me and some minutes a castle came out of the floor.  The castle was made of chocolate so yeah you can imagine what happened next. After I ate the door of the castle I went inside. I was amazed, you could see the sparkles in my eyes and my hands that were moving out of my control. There was a crown with my name on it, so I took the crown and when I put it on my head the people that I called “Insiders” started shoving and dancing. They told me that I was the ruler of Planet Acid. I went to the top of the castle and I could see Venus and I could feel the stars they were shining like never before and they started moving and formed a heart.

My favorite insider was called Luna. Luna and I went out of the castle and started painting the roses. After we played some games and explored the planet we saw that sonnet thigs were falling from the sky. It was like ice cream with peanuts on top of it. I was feeling like Alice from the Disney movie. My favorite thing from the planet was that I could eat all of the chocolates in the world and nobody was going to shout at me “What on earth are you doing you are going to destroy your teethy. Even the air in this planet smelled like caramel. I was having a lot of fun playing with Luna and creating machines that we could go from a planet to another out all the fun ended when I heard a bell end I felt like I was feeling from somewhere. I started feeling dizzy and id didn’t know what was happening. I opened my eyes and when I looked up I saw my Arts teacher looking at and the whole class started laughing. I felt embreces at first but after some time I didn’t care that much because I realized that my mind was a great “time travelers” ad I could go anywhere with it even tho I was a bit sad because I couldn’t eat chocolate anymore.

​

10th Grade

Kutall, 10th Grade

Kevin Pilua

1st Place

Prompt A

 

The soft summer breeze was playing with my hair and John was setting the tent. We decided to go camping since it was the last day I was going to spend at my hometown. John is my oldest and best friend. Everything we did we did it together. While setting the tent near the black frame of the forest he said:

“Did you hear that?”

“What?!” I replied.

“That voice.”

“What voice? My friend it looks like your ears aren’t as young as they were.”

“Very funny, but I’m serious… Again did you heard it?” But I wasn’t hearing anything then he ran inside the forest. I chased him inside the forest. He was calling my name for help. His voice led me to him. He was on the ground.

“My leg, It’s broken!” He said. I helped him get up and said to him with a very angry voice “What were you thinking you idiot!” I looked him in the eyes. Something was wrong. “What happened?” I said.

“I ran and then I tripped and then I saw him. That old man we meet when we were kids.”

Those words pierced my heart and made it stop. That old man was the reason I moved years ago. I remember that day very well. It was the last day of January and the snow was covering everything. Me and John were walking to school. We were kids and as kids the snow made us happy. We were singing and playing but then an old man called us from his house. We ran there because you know, kids. The old man invited us to sit down and then he said:

“My dear kids tell me who’s the oldest between you two?”

John replied “Me.”

“Then I am sorry but you are going to be the one who is going to loose everyone close and dear to your heart.”

At the time we didn’t think about those words but the next day Johns grandpa died and the next week his little sister. When we told our parents about this story, they forbided me to see John, my parents, and by next month we moved house.

“No way!” I said to John after this quick rewind of history.

“You know what that means? Someone else is going to die.”

“I thought that was just a weird coincidence.” I said to him, but I didn’t believe it myself.

“There’s something you should know. Last night I had a dream. The old man he was there… he told me… that… I…

“What?”

“I will die today.”

I didn’t believe him at the beginning but the coldness of his eyes convinced me within a second. Lost in the dialogue we noticed something. We were lost.

“What are we going to do now! I knew it. I am going to die!”

“Calm down! You are going to live.” I said.

“Anyway we are lost what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know. But I promise you aren’t gonna die tonight there’s no such thing like fate.” Those words were soon to be proven wrong. Out of the trees the old man showed up.

“My son, fate is the most true thing in this world and definitely the strongest.” Said the old man.

“Don’t call me my son. Go away!” I shouted.

“Please I need you to follow me.” Said the old man.

“Why should we?” I replied.

“Because I am the only one who knows the way out of here.” I looked him in the eyes like a big question but it was pointless his eyes were empty.

At the time I decided to follow him and if he would try to do something funny I would stop him. We started to follow him but a great pain was making me worried. What if the old man was right and John was going to die? What if by following him I had signed a death contract for my friend. And if I was enduring this great responsibility what about him. What about John he had put his trust in me, his life on my shoulders. The old man stopped.

“This is where your trip ends my son.” Said the old man.

I decided to take action and escape the old man, but no I had to ask him: “What kind of god are you to decide our own fate!”

“You fate is decided I am just the messenger.” Said he.

“Who decided that for us? Who has the right of a god?” No way was I gonna let my friend die. I couldn’t give up not now.”

“It’s pointless. Submit now!” Said the old man.

“You could at least give us a chance.” I said.

“Very well my son here is a chance to you. Who decides everything? Who has all the weapons? Who has all the powers to change and stay the same? Who is the real god?”

I wasn’t understanding anything. What was this question. IS there any answer to this. But the answer just came up.

“Me.” Said John

“What?” I asked.

“It’s me who has the power to change and make my fate. Its me the god of myself.”

“And this is how your change your fate my son, by knowing that you can.”-by saying that he disappeared in the void between the trees but before he did that he said to me: “Fate.”

​

Sibora Dervishaj

Vlorë, 10th Grade

2nd Place

Prompt B

 

It was Monday, 1st January 2018. The first day of the year. A new day, a new week, a new month, a new year. All in all, a fresh start. Since the last year wasn’t going that good for me, I thought this could be the chance to start it all over. It was going great that morning until the postman came.

It had been years since we received a letter for the last time. It was kinda strange but it didn’t bother me that much. I opened the door, I saw the postman who had a frightening face. I asked if he was okay but didn’t get an answer. He handed in a newspaper and left without saying anything.

I opened it and started reading it. I didn’t like newspapers at all, but this one was really interesting. The headlines really caught my attention. Since I was late for school, I brought it with myself. On my way, something unexpected happened. It wasn’t exactly like an accident, because I noticed a dark shadow causing all this trouble on the road. But more surprisingly it felt like I had read about this accident before it happened. Then I remembered. The newspaper. I thought this was my imagination, but no. I opened it again and started reading it. In it was written that day’s date. “What the hell” I wondered myself. But there was no time for things like that. I headed to school. Nothing new, we listened to the lesson, did our homework. The usual things. Until the dark shade I had seen that morning appeared again.  I don’t know but it looked like it was going to cause some problems around there. Immediately, I opened the newspaper. The next news showed our school being set on fire. Our school! I didn’t hesitate but followed that shadow without giving any explanation to the ones who were asking where I was going. It was headed to the ground floor of our school where the electric power was. I couldn’t let that happened. I immediately set on the fire alarm system. Everybody got out of the school and that meant that we were out of trouble. I turned my head and the shadow was gone. “What if the newspaper shows what will happened during the day” I though. “But why me.” “Maybe it’s something destined to be for me.” When I opened the newspaper the next page was blank. That meant that everything was safe for the next hours, or for the day. The situation continued the next day, the following week, month, etc.

I became like a predictor of the future. I warned and saved everybody. I was their hero. But still the same question wandered my mind. “Why me”? Until one of the headlines talked about me. It was an accident. I was going to die. But there was no other information. Just that. After everything I’ve done, I’m destined to die?  I thought about it during the day when I finally decided that whatever was going to happen, I would let it, one hour left. I was preparing a letter for my parents explaining everything. I went out the house and waited. When suddenly a white light approached.

Something lifted me up and I was flying towards that light. A figure showed up. A woman, dressed in a white, sparkling dress with a pair of wings behind her back and halo on her head. “Where am I?” “Have I died” I wondered.

“That’s not true at all” the woman started talking. “I’m Serenity” – she continued. “I’ve been watching you for the past few year” You haven’t been a good girl, have you?

I nodded my head.

“I chose you because I wanted to give you another chance.  It was true that you were destined to die, because the judges of heaven had decided that everyone causing problems and troubles would be punished. But you were given a second chance. I’m here to explain you everything. The newspaper was given to you by me, because I wanted to test you. A dark shadow wanders on Earth as you have seen because the gates of the hell have been opened and he managed to escape and came to Earth. Then I chose you to not let him do any wrong. Since you proved it, the heaven has decided to award you and after your death, you’ll be coming here so your soul will be resting on peace. From now on, you’ll continue living your life normally.”

And after that…she disappeared.

 

Dea Toska

Vlorë, 10th Grade

3rd Place

Prompt A

 

Lost in Transition

              Chirping. The water flows and gushes down over the nearby stream of river. I feel myself sweating. To myself the world lost as if all my ability to speak and think has been impaited by the sudden events. I feel a tap on my shoulder. I jump like a wild animal at the sudden intrusion, only to be greeted with the sight of my friend Sasha’s concerned face.

              “Are you alright? Did you calm down?” asks Sasha as she watches me rock back and forth. “Just breathe okay? We’re going to be alright, everything is going to be okay.”

              As a move from my crouched position I hug my friend and try to think. At the moment I cannot come up with any ideas to get out of this situation. Everything had gone fine until now. Staying for a week down to the local forest would be a breath of fresh air, a relief from the noisy, daily city life. Yet it had turned to be disastrous as our map and equipment fell into the river during nighttime. But I couldn’t control it and that was the worse part. Now we could only move and hope to find our way out from this nightmarish situation.

“We can’t stay here for too long. Our water and food supply will be gone in a metter of days so I suggest we start moving before it gets too dark/out of hand.” Sasha reaches a comforting hand down my shoulder and smiles. Everything is going to be alright. I don’t know what I would do without her especially at difficult times such as these.

“yeah” I could only respond in a half-voice.

              A bead of sweat rolls down my check as I climb up the slippery slope. My boots feel heavy on my feet and the situation heavier on my heart. I hear Sasha panting behind me, her face contorted into exhaustion. “We should probably rest.” I hear the strain in her voice and resign to the idea that the situation wouldn’t be fixed in a day. We plomp down to a nearby tree, cooking in the shadows. Suddenly we hear a crack of a branch. I turn my gaze towards the source of the sound only to be met with silence. “Strange” I thought. “Not many carnivorous animals habit in this area of the woods.” I say outloud to Sasha. “Maybe it’s just a bird” Sasha says in a dismissive voice. “Or maybe not.” A groff voice speaks behind us. Both of us screech and scramble to our feet ready to confront whoever spoke to them. “Relax I’m this woods firewatch. Are you perhaps lost? Young girls such as yourself shouldn’t be wandering around the woods without equipment” the man replied. What a strange looking man. He appeared more as a habitant of this place rather than a professional firewatch. His rouch appearance didn’t help his cause at all. “We got lost on our way” careful not to disclose too much information. “Well too bad but you have to come with me ladies” the man said in an authoritative voice. We contemplated for a while and decided that out best option was to follow this middle aged man. I glanced at Sasha and nodded my head. “Show us the way.” Sasha replied.

              As we were approaching nighttime our journey to nowhere was filled with small talk which was rather comforting. A father of two children, the firewatch worked two part time jobs so that explained his appearance. He was off the clock. We continued our wat down the road when suddenly I noticed a shine coming from the guards backpack. As I tried to inspect it more closely, I noticed that that was Sasha’s backpack keychain. Shocked, unable to form words, I realized that the path that we were taking extremely familiar. I had heard about it. Down the path a huge void of nothing, which townspeople were both terrified and amazed at. Due to an earthquake, the split in the earth became a dangerous popular attraction which was illegal to trespass. I grabbed the nearest piece of wood nearby. With all my power I strike the firewatch’s head. It must have been a hard blow since he went on the ground immediately. The ground began turning red. Tears streaming down my face. I grabbed his backpack and quickly opened it only to be greeted by the sight of ropes and knives. Amidst all the horrifying equipment there it was: our map.

              Quickly grabbing our source of distress we make our way back to the river. As soon as we got back into civilization we called the authorities. But nothing was ever found on those woods. Not a single trace of evidence. We never found out who the man was or what he had planned to do. All we knew was that we would never return back to those woods. Ever.