Walt Whitman Junior High School - Pioneer Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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THE MYSTERY OF GRAND NATIONAL PARK NEverybody keep back! I know that all the wild animals have been disappearing and that it's my job as head ranger to find out what's been happening. Now I'1l do my best and I'm sure that there's a rational answer to all this. Everybody relaxlu But in my mind I wondered if there was an easy answer to what was happening to the ani- mals. However, a week later, I saw a young deer walking straight to the cliff and jump to a ledge below. Ujump off the cliff! Jump off the cliffln boomed a com- manding voice. A shrunken mouse only a half inch tall standing two feet from the deer gave the order. And to my amazement, the deer fol- lowed his instructions. Then the mouse followed. Down, down, down they fell until they both disappeared. Before I could catch my breath, an avalanche of rock gave me no choice and I, too, plummeted over the cliff to what I believed was certain death. But the crash didn't come. I found myself instead heading straight toward the river at the bottom of the canyon. I tensed myself for the im- pact of hitting the water, but miraculously I plunged through the water, through the riverbed, through the rock base to the center of the earth, There I was in a gigantic cavern that was brilliantly lighted. I had hit the cavern floor hard and I was in terrible pain. The half on a mission broken back, with a magic inch mouse this time of mercy sprayed my legs, and arms, fluid. I had blacked out. When I came to, I found myself in a plastic cast. I waited patiently day after day. No one came to see me. No one brought me either food or water. One night I was determined to find out what kept me alive-- ----some night nourishment per- haps. I saw no one. The followinggmorning I was hungry and thirsty for the first time since my fall. I wanted food. I found, instead, hundreds of shrunken mice in a life and death battle. The mouse I had met on the surface was the lone survivor. He motioned for me to follow as he climbed up a steep slope. I soon found myself on the sur- face again safe and sound. What had happened to the animals and why I shall never know. Deep down in the center a little mouse is still saying, UI'm glad I survived. Too bad I cannot tell the forest ranger the whole storyln Larry Manevitz 35

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HOWLING PUP Our next-door neighbor's puppy was a Hhowlingn success. His howl- ing and yelping was a source of end- less headaches. Whenever he was left alone, he would whimper, and scratch at the window facing our apartment. Since our windows adjoin,the commo- tion was unbearable. No matter how often we complained about the noise, our neighbors, who were always away when the dog howled, accused us of exaggerating. Of course, whenever they were home, the dog no longer lonesome, had no reason to howl. One day my father decided once and for all to do something about it. Since the dog was alone and howl- ing more than ever, he set up his tape recorder and accurately record- ed the howling and scratching. Bright and early the next morning, he played the recording at the neigh- bor's window loud and clear so that everyone could hear. Within ten minutes, our bell rang. Our neigh- bor's son had come to beg us to stop playing the recording. He remarked that his mother could not listen to the whimpering any longer. Now she thoroughly understood how we felt about the dog's being left alone. From that time on, they always took their dog with them when they went out. Kenneth Gilstein

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THE MYSTERY HORSE Hjoan Blake, you just can't pop in out of nowhere in the mid- dle of the night and claim you've seen a ghost. It's absurd and impossible and.......and just plain ridiculousgn sputtered Lori Blake angrily. nBut I didn't pop in from no- where. I came in from the win- dow,N objected Joan, a fiery red- headed girl of fourteen. nwhat were you doing out on the window?n questioned Lori. HYou'1l never believe it. You see I was lying in bed and I saw a horse appear out of the tog and instantly disappear. Naturally I climbed over the window sill to investigate. The thing odd about this affair is the fact that there weren't any hoofprints around. If it had been a real horse, there would have been impressions on the ground.N Lori, being older by two years and the more practical of the two sisters, said patiently, HLook Joan, you're letting your imagin- ation run away with you. There certainly is no such thing as ghosts. Now why don't you just go back to bed and forget all about itat! nBut Lori I saw it as plain as life. I know I did. It was big and pitch-black with one white patch on his forehead.U Lori, who by this time was tired and disgusted said, Ulf you recall, ghosts are supposed to be white. Although if it will make you any happier in the morning, I'1l look around with you for any so-called ghostJ' With that she pulled the cover over her head and bid her sister good-night. 36 Joan went to bed, too, but de- termined not to let her sister have the last word added, HI did see a ghost. I know I didiu The next morning found Lori and Joan looking around the area where joan thought she had seen the ghost After an hour of fruitless search, Joan suddenly cried out, nLori, Lori, I've found hoofprints.U Lori ran over and said, nMaybe if we follow them, we'll see the ghost.......I mean the horse. I'l1 go get Prince.n Prince was the horse they had been sharing although he really belonged to Lori. A tew minutes later, the girls both mounted on Prince, were fol- lowing the hoofprints of their mystery horse. The trail led through a lush, dense, green for- est. Suddenly a clearing came to view and the tracks ended,abruptly. As large and as real as life, there stood a huge horse. The girls could do nothing but sit and stare until joan dismounted. nHere fella, nice fella,U she called. Hesitantly the horse ap- proached, and she soon had him eating sugar out of her hand. Joan said enthusiastically, Hwell, we've found him and he de- finitely is not a ghost. I'm naming him Patch because fo the white patch on his forehead. Do you think we could keep him? I think that maybe ---------- .H UWhoa,U interrupted Lori, none thing at a time. First I agree on the nameg secondly, he is hm. Jamison's horse. Don't you re- member when he bought him at the livestock show last month? We've got to return Patch to him.n