Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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THE END OF WINTER I have existed here, in the core of the earth for an eternity. Still, there is no escape for me. I lived in perpetual darkness, searching for an escape - for better things. I had an endless supply of books left to me by my ancestors but I had read them all and they lay upon their dusty shelves crumbling with age. Stories of gnomes, elves, wood nymphs and fairies shone so brightly in my imagination that I became blinded to the comforts of reality. My mind reached for better adventures then those in books but none were available to my numbed body. My soul grew listless and my brow feverish with an endless quest for hope hidden deep in the walls of my cold, dark cell. The nights I sleeplessly endured had no day and soon my eager hopes gave way to bitter despair. My wearied fingers no longer pressed on the rock of my cell walls. With the disappearance of my last shred of eagerness, came the realization that reality was not unbearably harsh. Reason returned. Perhaps I could discover a reward for my persistence, but it was not likely to be found through panic. Methodically, I searched my dwelling once more and this time fortune was with me. I beheld a sliver of light silently flickering. With a throbbing heart I touched the stone and it rolled away with enough grinding to wake my ancestors from their well earned sleep. Beyond was a stairway - a stairway that shone silver and blinded my eyes. I blinked and stepped back. Though the dust crept into my throat and choked me, as fingers would silently steal across a neck, my vision was cleared and salvation found. Slowly, I began to ascend. Surely, this was an odyssey of my own! I grew dizzy and faint as I rose higher. My dwelling, far below, seemed heart- warming to me now and I looked longingly down- wards. How nice it would have been, sitting among my ancient treasures and dreaming of great white knights. The stairway spiralled endlessly upward as I clambered over each step. How long had it been since I stopped and rested? The echoes knew not, for time had stood still since I had entered the hidden stair- case. Yet, I heard a rushing and whispering above me which told me that life was not so far away. I struggled steadily to go on. Ah! I had reached my destiny! I need not live beneath the earth anymore! I need not perish, forsaken by all! Here lay the key to my future! It was a door. Cautiously, I touched the handle. Then, with a soaring of spirit, I flung it wide! Pain - a searing pain darted through my eyes! I cried out and covered them with my hands. Slowly, I peered out between my fingers, allowing my eyes to adjust. Before me stood the towering trunks of mighty oaks. They seemed sinister to me and I trembled as I crept through the bush. Here, in this forest was where I first saw the moon, evilly gleaming through the leaves. The night was clouded by a mist that seemed to pour from the trees themselves and as it thickened I lost sight of my only friend. Quickly walking through the frightening jungle I glimpsed a bright light in the distance. I was hungry and alone, lost and searching for company. I eagerly walked towards the light. Friendship was a com- forting thought as I stumbled in the darkness. Suddenly, I was in a glade of a most beautiful green. I praised my ancestors for allowing me the privilege of seeing a different world. As I tore through the remaining undergrowth I was startled by the quick absence of trees. I had reached my goal! Surrounded by darkness was the open window of a large cabin. Strange sounds came within and I hurriedly went towards it! I could explain my predicament and ask for food and shelter! Within the cabin were a thousand sights and smells; 1 just had to go in! Softly, I opened the doot and walked in, nervously grasping my sleeve in a trembling hand. The gust of warmth felt good on my long numbed face and I smiled. As I started to explain to these people who I was, they began to scream and run away! They threw things at me and hurt me with wooden frames! I was terrified! Then, in a nearby corner, I saw why these people were so violent. They were not angry with me! There was a hideous creature entering and they were frightened. Fascinated by its glaucous eyes glowing intensely, I moved towards it. It seemed to be pulling me closer. Oblivious now of the terrible screams, I reached out to it. Hesitatingly, it too held out a grey rotting tentacle and I touched it. It was cold! - colder 22

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A PERFECT JEWEL The raindrop, A perfect jewel soon to be lost. Leaves rustle, some fall. The wind whips through the fields; Tu „ there is silence. Last drops linger and fall from The velvety petals of roses. There is the scent of lost happiness And joy. Kari Taylor, Grade 7 THE SEAL So sweet. So soft. So lovely. So tender, But why so Extinct? Aldine Belsham, Grade 7 BALLET DANCERS Magnificently graceful dancers, Who balance beautifully on their toes. With rainbow ballet outfits That glisten and glimmer and sparkle Like a midnight star Twinkling in the sky. Janet Anthony, Grade 7 MOUNT PLEASANT Old Mount Pleasant is in repair. And everyone is in despair. It makes traffic very slow. Everyone gets mad you know. I come another way So I won ' t be late On a very special date. Wendy Tidy, Grade 3 THE ODD BEAST His coat is tattered, worn and old. His hair is all messed up. He watches his land with button eyes. And yet he never moves Except when he sways in the wind. His arms and legs are tied To keep his insides in. And yet he never complains. The weather beats him And the only shelter he has is a flimsy little hat And yet he stays outside. Stacey Hervey, Grade 7 DEWDROPS Dewdrops Glistening, clear Melting fast away Ephemeral beauty of morning Tears of happiness. Gigi Hull, Grade 7 GREEN The school uniform is dark green; It can easily be seen. When walking and talking the Branksome girls Sing and do some funny twirls. In our uniform we dance and scream. And we always eat ice cream. Samantha McLaren, Grade 3 As lazy as a hippo, but lively at night. Some people say I ha c bat man eyes. What am I? Heather Manley, Grade 7 21

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than the walls of my cell! Then a thought struck me with full force and I ran. I ran far away; I ran en- dlessly through the night back to my cell. I lay panting on the cold floor, shuddering and sobbing. That ugly beast had instilled such fear in me that I dared not venture out again. I knew. I knew why I had been released from my dungeon and I knew why I had returned to this dark world. My odyssey ended. My life ended with the one piece of knowledge that I had. I had touched a mirror. . . . The gryphon drifted through the forest as if enchanted. He was free from his prison now - free to haunt the darkness once more. A swallow gracefully climbed into the blue sky above. No one could walk through the Dead Forest any longer. The school children knew better than to come near. In fact, the whole village was superstitious to extremes during this time. The old legends had not yet died out and so the shadows were left to roam at will. The gryphon reached the Hidden Glade, ready to awaken the evils and stir up the mysteries of darkness. Deeply, it felt with its eyes into the globe resting on a silver perch. It glistened with early morning dew. The gryphon became entranced by the dark visions within the misted globe. Gently it rocked until the globe fell to the forest floor. It shattered like crystal into a million shimmering slivers. The gryphon did not worry. It was the end of winter and it could always conjure up a new one - now that it had regained its freedom. And the village knew more than the legends revealed. Shiona MacKenzie, Grade 1 1 Junior Prize Essay, 1980 23