I jumped; the sound of air filled my ears. Suddenly I began to get scared, very scared.

Photo by Rick Geary

FIRST AWARD WINNER

• Morgan Rutberg
• Age 11
• Fuerte Elementary School
• El Cajon

I don’t know why, but for some strange reason I walked through the empty streets of downtown San Diego, my destiny not chosen. Everything seemed so hazy and all the stores and shops were closed. And no one threw frizbees to their dogs in Balboa Park.

I walked and walked and walked until I got to a large hotel with tinted glass all around it. It looked like something from the year 2500 A.D. It seemed to be the only thing opened. I looked up and a sign appeared that read, “Come in, Mr.' Rutberg.” I looked at if in amazement and then the words slowly took transformation to say, “Yes, you.”

Jason Nobiensky, Sean Crandall, Mike Valadez

Photo by Jim Coit

I walked into the building through two tinted double doors. The inside was quite pleasant. It was just the right temperature and the atmosphere was filled with tan and red. I walked through a hall and came to a huge lobby of the same colors. It was about 100 square feet by 100 square feet. In the middle there was a huge fountain and about 100 feet above that showed the bottom of a glass floored pool.

Kendra Brown, Morgan Rutberg, Daniel Grodner, Sarah Hendricks

Photo by Jim Coit

On the other side of the lobby were the elevators. I slowly made my way across the large room, when I reached my destination, I pressed for both up and down elevators. A down elevator came. I didn’t want to go down, but since no one was with me I could make the elevator do whatever I wanted. But wait! Someone was behind me. I didn’t pay any attention to whoever it was. But as I turned around in the elevator, I saw it was an old woman with a black handbag, mourning over somebody obviously by the way she dressed. She was short and skinny.

I pushed the roof button and as I did she exclaimed, “Boy, this is a down elevator, not an up! How impolite, selfish and inconsiderate!’’

Just as she finished her protest, I pushed the ‘Door Open’ button, and the door sure enough opened to reveal the same tan and red lobby.

The old woman stood right in front of the doors. I was behind her. I then said back to her, “Shut up, old granny, and Bon Voyage.” I kicked her in the behind. She went flying out the door. I’d say she went about fifty yards, finally to land in a bowl of chocolate mousse. I then called out to her, “Say goodbye to your diet!”

Suddenly a person in a red uniform stood up from his table, made a sign with his hands and shouted, “It’s good!” All the people in the lobby quickly came rushing for the elevator, shouting victorious cries, “We won. We won!” I closed the elevator door before they could get to me.

As I went up the elevator came to a halt on floor 66. An old couple came in and pressed floor 71. The lady had reddish hair and was dressed like most old ladies. The older man was also very plain. The woman turned to me after looking at the buttons and said, “What in the world are you planning to do on the roof?” “Commit suicide,” I said smiling. “It’s my first time.”

“Oh, my lord!” she exclaimed. “It’s so fun committing suicide! I did it in my fourth life, but now I’m on my ninth life and I have only a few more until I’m gone from the world of mortality.”

“That’s too bad,” I said. “I’m only on my second life.”

“You lucky little devil,” she said, grinning in admiration.

Then a ‘Ding’ cut through the air and then the old couple got off

I finally reached the top of the building after what seemed like millions of years. I walked over to the edge and looked over the side It came quickly. I jumped; the sound of air filled my ears. Suddenly I began to get scared, very scared. I thought of what a good life I had had. It seemed like hours I fell and in between those hours, the firemen came.

After the firemen came, I started to go normal speed again. I was about 100 feet away from the ground when I could see and hear clearly the firemen. Five of them were holding nets while one of them read an Archie comic to the rest of them. They were bursting out laughing and I was 90 feet away from the ground. Some of them had tears pouring down their faces. 70 feet away.

Before I knew it, I was going faster and faster, 60, 50,40, 30. My life flashed before me, 20 feet. I was proud of myself. My second life turned out pretty successfully, 10. The firemen laughed and laughed.

I splattered all over the ground, five feet away from the net, and the firemen were still laughing.

One said, “That Archie’s really something. Why don’t we go get lunch. The treat’s on me.”

Suddenly I woke up! I felt my heart. It was pounding a mile a minute. I was breathing hard and sweating. Then I realized where I was. I was on the floor next to my bed. I had fallen off my bed, not a skyscraper. I got up, my heart still pounding and looked at the clock, 5:40.

What did I have to lose. I could get up and read, or even get the hot water in the shower. So I got up, glad to be alive to continue another day of my first life.

SECOND AWARD WINNER

• Kendra Brown
• Age 10
• Valley Elementary School
• Poway

Wednsday and Thursday of April, on spring vacation, Jason James Cavin and Kendra Mechille Brown caught 357 pollywogs, Jason and I both raised the pollywogs. But of 357, 300 of the pollywogs turned into frogs. One of the ones that died was Oggy. One day Jason was over and we were checking on the pollywogs, and Oggy got hurt and a lung must have collapsed. So Jason had to, just had to do surgery. Jason used his sharpest nail and cut open the pollywog, moved the lung in its place with his finger. My mother would not let us use a thread and a needle to sew up the pollywog. So Jason took some tape and tried to tape the pollywog together. But the tape did not hold underwater. So 20 minutes later poor Oggy died. (By the way, we did not name all the pollywogs, only our favorites.) One of our favorites was Albert, who died of being too fat. Well at about summer all the frogs turned in to handsome frogs smashed all over the street. That is about the end of the pollywogs.

HONORABLE MENTION

• Daniel Grodner
• Age 10
• Silver Gate Elementary School
• Point Loma

My worst experience would be trying to think up a topic for this contest, and that is all I could think of when faced with this assignment. I could write about the time that I went to the tidepools, no. I could write about the time that I went to the beach, no. I could write about the time that I went to Sea World, no. I could write about my experience at the San Diego Zoo, no. There are so many things to write about in America’s finest city, that it seems like an impossible feat for me to decide upon one and only one situation. Decision-making is exhausting for me and most probably one of my worst experiences.

Basically, I consider myself a person who can not stay with one idea, and goes from one topic to another. Frankly, I feel incredible stress when I am pinned down to a single idea when there are so many more to be written about. At this very moment I can feel my heart pounding and my hands getting sweaty as I sit here deciding which road to take. I suppose the sensible way to tackle this problem would be to do eni-mini-myni-moe, no.

Maybe I should flip a coin, no. Perhaps I should draw a high card, no. Maybe I should throw dice, no. What about drawing ideas from papers put inside a hat, no. This is becoming ridiculously overwhelming. It feels as though I am drowning in a puddle, no, sea, no, pool of ideas. This is so boring, I just can not stand it anymore. It rates as one of my most tiresome entries. I just can not stand this experience anymore and so I must quit. So long, no, signing off, no, goodbye, no, farewell, no, that’s all, YES . . .!!!!

Wait a minute I just realized something. I have written on this topic all this time, talking of my frustration and that is the topic for this entry. Now I am very relaxed and calm, now I am finished!!!!

Bye,

Daniel Grodner, no Danny Grodner, no Dan Grodner, yes

HONORABLE MENTION

• Jason Nobiensky
• Age 10
• Murray Manor Elementary School
• La Mesa

I was three years old and I was outside playing, then my brother came out with his bigwheel so he went riding then he went by me then he went by me again, then again then finally he ran over my finger and it broke then I went to the doctor's and then they put a cast on it and it went up to my elbow then when I got home I hit my brother on the head with my cast then every time after that I’d hit him on the head with it until the doctor took it off.

HONORABLE MENTION

• Mike Valadez
• Age 11
• Pacific View Elementary School
• Encinitas

I’m a ten year old boy from Oklahoma. One hobby I have is looking through trash. This has given me many unforgetable moments in San Diego County.

For instance, I found a brand new typewriter, in its case, never used. I can see throwing away an ink-pen but not a typewriter!

This last summer, I found two surfboards. One was in pretty good shape the other I used to slide down ice plant by Moonlight beach.

A couple of would-be rock stars decided to work elsewhere, because I found two electric guitars in the trash.

I have found toys, jewelry, books, golf clubs, and a television.

I found a pair of black suede gloves, I loved them, but under a lot of presure I surrendered them for a hat and a pair of shoes.

I think San Diego County is a gold mine. I have moments I will remember the rest of my life.

Thank you San Diego County.

HONORABLE MENTION

• Sarah Hendricks
• Age 11
• All Hallows Academy,
• La Jolla

Two years ago we had a German Shephard named Gretal and a Pug dog named Zelda.

One night we had barbequed spare ribs and at about 6:30 we gave the dogs all the bones. At about 7:00 p.m., Gretal was chewing on a bone when Zelda playfully came up and ran away with the bone. Gretal took this seriously and fought for her bone. She bit Zelda on the neck and her eyes popped out! She yelped and I looked outside, started screaming, and ran to the bathroom to throw up. Zelda was still outside running around wimpering. The eyes were hanging by cords. My father had to put her to sleep. She was my favorite dog. I was the only one who really cared for her.

And this is the story of the saddest day of my life.

By the way, one week later we gave away Gretal.

HONORABLE MENTION

• Sean Crandell
• Age 12
• Wangenheim Junior High School
• Mira Mesa

A moment which I will never forget involves my best friend. I will never forget him, even though he currently lives in Perth, Austrailia. Andrew Hagen, my best friend, came to the United States for one year while his father worked for a company called Solar Edwards. His family rented a house down the street from mine, and Andrew and I became good friends shortly after they moved in.

Sometime in August, 1981, Andrew and I were playing in his swimming pool with a couple of other friends. We began to play tag in the water but did a very foolish thing. We left the pool cover across the middle of the pool, instead of fully removing it from the water. I dove under the cover to avoid being tagged. While under the cover I lost my breath and tried to come up for air. I hit the cover and could not breathe. I pushed on the cover but just sank because the water was over my head.

I was under the cover for what seemed to be forever but was probably about forty-five seconds. During that time thoughts went whizzing through my mind about my mother, father, sister, and how they would react if I died. I even saw a newspaper article that read “Boy Drowns in Pool.” I started to panic and knew that in five or ten more seconds I would gulp water into my lungs and be dead.

Suddenly the plastic cover was torn from the pool and I had room to get my head out of the water.

Andrew dragged me out of the pool while I gulped air into my burning lungs. I collapsed on the edge of the pool for a long time while I recovered and realized how lucky I was to be alive. It was Andrew who had seen me struggling, ripped the cover away, and saved me.

I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life, and thanks to Andrew, I am able to write about it today.

NOTEWORTHY

• Kristine Farrell
• Age 10
• All Hallows Academy,
• La Jolla

I always remember a day in December, when my mother took my brother (Eddie) and myself, to tell Santa Claus what we wanted for Christmas. Eddie had no problem sitting on Santa’s lap or telling him what Eddie wanted. Then, it was my turn, my mom picked me up and just about put me on his lap, When I screamed “I’m not sitting on THAT MAN’S lap.”

As soon as my mom heard this, she grabbed me off his lap and took me aside and asked me “Why don’t you want to sit on THAT MAN’S lap”? I told her “THAT MAN smells FUNNY.” My mom started looking around for my brother. We finally found him hiding around the corner because he was so embarrassed being with me. My mom grabbed both of our hands and ran out the back way. We headed for Farrell’s ice cream shop and ordered three hot fudge sundies to forget about me insulting Santa Claus. What an experience for a five year old and a six year old and we musn’t forget my mom, but I can’t tell you her age.

NOTEWORTHY

• Todd Steward
• Age 12
• Montgomery Middle School
• El Cajon

One summer day in the month of July, my friend Tony and I went to spend the night at my aunt’s house. We rode bikes, went swimming, and had tons of fun. At about seven o’clock, Tony said, “Let’s watch T.V.” When we were watching Night Rider the newsman interrupted the program. Tony and I were mad, but we started to listen anyway. The newsman said that a man had gone into a McDonald’s restaurant and started shooting everybody and everything. The newsman also said that almost all of the San Diego police officers were there. It just so happens that my dad is a San Diego police officer. As soon as I heard that I called my house! The line was busy. I tried and tried but I still got the busy signal. I changed the T.V. channel to the news. I didn’t see my dad, and I started to wonder if he was dead. Finally I saw him! Then I knew he was still alive. About five minutes later they said that the gunman was shot and killed.

Right after that I saw my dad going into McDonalds to save as many people as he could.

The next day our family hung around the house together. I feel that after that happened my dad and I became closer. I still have the fear of my dad being killed at work, and never coming home again. I just hope it never happens. I love my dad.

NOTEWORTHY

• Stefanie Giess
• Age 11
• Rancho Santa Fe Elementary School,
• Rancho Santa Fe

One of the most exciting things which ever happened to me in San Diego County occurred one spring day when we went to visit the Circus Vargas which was performing in Carlsbad.

We sat down to a good show. The performance was great, but in the middle of the show the horses which had been running around a ring in a circle got loose. One of my friends and classmates was sitting in the front row with his family. He almost got trampled by the horses.

The elephants got loose next and ran into one of the main supporting poles holding up the huge circus tent. As the tent was beginning to sag where the support pole was missing, a man sitting in our row fell over and suffered a heart attack. The paramedics rushed in and carried him off in an ambulance.

When my family came out of the tent we were all so scared that we had to sit in the car a little bit to recover. I have to admit that I’m still a little bit scared of sitting anywhere near the front row at a circus performance.

NOTEWORTHY

• Christopher Warren Taber Johnson
• Age 6
• Home Schooling

My most unforgettable experience is about my dog. My dog’s name is Ezekiel but we call him Zekie. Sometimes I call him Zekieboy. He is jumping around and plays. Sometimes my poodle plays tricks. He loves me he loves my mom and loves my dad and we Love him and he is apricot on his back and on his ears but the rest of him is white.

Zekie is 11 years old and has been my pet all my life because I am 6 and 7 months old. My mommy told me that he was under the bed when I was born in our house. Zekie went one day down the street. Zekie was lost but I found him. Zekie was happy I took him home.

We went out to dinner with my grandparents and when we came home we walked my grandparents to the car and our dog was crossing the street and our dog didn’t see the car that was coming so he got hit by a car. Mommy and daddy and I took him to the vet and stayed all night and the next day mommy went to pick him up and they told us that we had to take him for stomach surgery 3 times and my name is Chris and now he eats standing. I feel very happy because he is learning how to walk again and he stays in a box all day and night and he is learning to scratch his ears except when he goes outside. He walks all the way back. One day my dog got well and he can stand on his hind legs and we got him a pool for exercise.

NOTEWORTHY

• Eileen Francis
• Age 12
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help
• Lakeside

One dark night while I was sound asleep in my upstairs bedroom my mom ran in franticly and shook me until I woke up. She grabbed my arm whispering some jumbled words.

She pulled me down the old creeking stairs and into the antique dining room. Then she pushed me into the hall closet. My great grandmother was standing there with her big heavy cane over her head.

“What’s going on?’’ I asked tiredly.

“We heard footsteps on the roof’ she explained. I suddenly got the chills. Then she told me, “Go into the basement.’’ (The entrance to the basement was in the closet) “The police should be here soon’’ she continued.

I opened the door to the misty old basement. While I was down there I was wondering why my dad wasn’t there and what would happen to us.

It was cold down there and I was thinking about all my friends at school. As I heard a car pull up, my grandma said in a low whisper “The policemen are here. Come on up.” I carefully and slowly walked up the old steps and into the closet, p! p! p! yuk! I walked right into a jacket. I moved the jacket and my grandma was sitting there. She had a relieved look on her face. She took my hand and we walked out onto the front porch. Our next door neighbor was there with the police. They were looking at the roof. They looked at us briefly and then looked back at the roof. My mom was there and she started walking towards me.

“They found out it was only one of Mrs. Kings cats,’’ she explained.

After talking a little while longer my grandma took me back to my upstairs bedroom and I fell asleep right away knowing nothing else could happen.

A few years later I found out that it wasn’t one of Mrs. Kings cats: it really was a robber because one of the tiles on the roof was broken and a cat couldn’t do that. Thankfully he didn’t come back.

NOTEWORTHY

• Milo Peinemann
• Age 12
• Fuerte Elementary School
• El Cajon

“Try to memorize the location of the bathroom before you sleepwalk. It could save you from having to scrub the rug. Of course, if you already sleepwalk, it should be no problem. However, never, ever, rearrange your furniture — it could have serious effects.”

I stopped telling Inspector Winters these precautions I had learned. He was a fat, intelligent man who reminds you of Aunt Jemima.

“Now, young man, let us review what you’ve told us: it was a Saturday night. You had stayed up to 9:16 p.m. It had been a long day, all filled with homework. Am I right so far?”

I came out of half-sleep and looked at Inspector Winters. “Yes — I think.”

The inspector look quizzingly at sleep filled eyes and bedraggled clothes. “Very good, Now, let’s check my notes. . . Ah, hah! So, it seems, you got up sleepwalking at approximately 4:00 a.m. in the morning. You walked down the hallway towards the kitchen, when you stepped on a black cat named Eartha Kitt. Correct?”

“Correct.” I managed to blurt before I fell asleep again.

“Eartha Kitt, alias innocent cat, then scratched your foot, causing you to fall and awaken.”

“What?” I rose from my restful sleep to look into Aunt Jemima’s — no, Inspector Winter’s — eyes. “Okay, I. . . I think so. . . Can I go home? It’s 6:00 a.m. in the morning and this isn’t even important enough for a second thought!!” This release of my emptied resources caused me to fall asleep a third time.

“Now,” the old, senile and talkative Inspector Winters continued. “You kicked the cat and went to your bedroom and slept. At approximately 4:20 a.m. you again sleptwalk and travelled to the kitchen. Then you opened the cereal and ate it without any milk. How’s that?”

“Pardon? Oh, right. Left? Sure . . . What?” I had trouble staying awake. “Uh, Inspector Jemima — um. Winters, could I leave?”

“No! We must clear you.”

I began to worry about this man’s sanity. “Okay, then, I’m guilty!” “What a plea! Innocent until proven guilty.”

“Mmmm. . .” I fell asleep again. “So you then went into your bedroom and to sleep. Any other incident?”

“Nope. . .” I woke up just in time to fall asleep again. “Witnesses?”

“Yes. One, parent” I held myself up in the chair.

“Innocent. You have a good alibi. You couldn’t have assasinated Lincoln!”

I stumbled out of the lunatic’s office and ran to the front office.

“Sergeant, do I have a story for you!”

Luckily, I’ve stopped sleepwalking and have had peaceful (almost!) nights since. □

NOTEWORTHY

• Sunny Nguyen
• Age 11
• Lincoln Middle School,
• Vista

It was a rather quiet day in Vista. The year was 1980. I was in second grade then. My parents, grandma, and brothers had gone some place. That left my sister, Sandy, and me home alone. We called our cousins to come over and play. Only one came. Even though she was in her teens, playing games was one of her favorite hobbies.

We all decided to play Scrabble III. For fun, I took my hamster named Bubbles out of his cage and sat him quietly in my lap.

When we were about to start the game, I cried out, pointing toward the cage, “Where’d Bubbles go?!”

Sandy and my cousin were alarmed. Bubbles, GONE? I took my hamster out from my lap laughing foolishly. Now they were mad. They took Bubbles and hid him in their laps for fun, too. Feeling mischievous I hid Bubbles in a drawer. Then I said, pretending to be frightened. “Uh, oh, Bubbles is gone again and this time he's not in my lap!”

I stood up to show them that I wasn’t lying. They asked me where I hid him this time. I walked over to the drawer and opened it. But when I found that Bubbles wasn’t there and that the drawer would only open half way, I panicked and started to jerk the drawer in a helpless effort to open it.

Unfortunately, the drawer was broken and Bubbles had crawled under it. Sandy told me that I probably broke his back while trying to get the drawer to open all the way. The more I jerked it, the more Bubbles got squished.

I was scared. I felt so helpless. I couldn’t stop worrying about him. My own hamster, I had killed my very own hamster.

I didn’t know for sure if I did kill him, but then I had a tendency to look at the darker side of things. My cousin thought there was hope that Bubbles was still alive so she called her father to come over and get him out. When he came, he asked us for a hammer and a screw driver and began to work at the drawer. I was over in a corner of our living room crying.

“It’s alright, you didn’t know.”

My cousin said in a sympathetic voice. I cried even louder, and my uncle worked faster. But by the time he has gotten Bubbles out, my hamster was dead.

Everybody came home and we told them all about what had happened. My younger brother, Teddy, called me a murderer. This was the most unforgetable day of my life, ever!

A few hours later we held a funeral for Bubbles. He was buried near our lime tree. Several months after that incident, my family got more hamsters. I named one of them Bubbles II in memory of my former beloved pet, Bubbles. □

NOTEWORTHY

• Michael Paul Fomasero
• Age 9
• Bird Rock Elementary School
• La Jolla

One night I went to Catamaran Park. We spent the night there outside in our sleeping bags. We went with the YMCA. We had smores; they were so good, we had to fix our own smores. Then me and my friend went into the bathroom to clean are hands we took paper and got it wet and stuck it on the walls. Next we spit water at each other. We were all wet. No one found out. Later when we had to go to sleep I could not sleep. I went over to my friend Rich’s. He was not asleep so I said do you want to go look at the girls in the tent and we did. Rich said I had to go kiss them but I did not do it because I do not like them. Later my friend Jack was not asleep so we went over there to see what he wanted to know what we were doing so we said we were looking at the girls in the tent and I said Rich wanted me to kiss them but I did not want to so I didn't. Jack said let's go see them again, ok said Rich and me so we went to see them. Jack and Rich had a club and I wanted to be in it so Jack said do you want to be in our club and I said yes ok you have to go and kiss them but I still did not want to. Then they said that you will not be in the club and I said I did not want to if I had to do that so I was not in the club and I said but can we still be friends ok but they were still my friends. Then the girls had lots of flashlights on and I rolled out my sleeping bag and went to sleep all night long in the lights. And then it was daytime we had breakfast. I ask Jay the boss if we can do it again some time and he said yes I was so happy. We played around until we had to go back to the YMCA. When we got there I played in the sandbox I got sandy but I had fun. My mom came to get me and I told her all about it.

NOTEWORTHY

• Orisa Castro
• Age 10
• Kempton Elementary School
• Spring Valley

Hi, my name is Orisa Castro and I am 10 years old. I live in Spring Valley California. The most unforgetable happening in San Diego was my mother and my father's divorce. They separated in 1981 and a year later got a divorce. I have one older brother that is 12 years old. He was only 9 years old and I was only 7 when it all happened. They really didn’t want to tell us but I guess they had to sometime. It was a terrible experience for my brother and I. We managed through it at such a young age. We would always hate to see our mother and father fight. Sometimes my father would leave for several days and my mother would have to come up with some lie and she always hated it. They had to pull us out of our misery, and for their own sake as well, end it. And I’ll never forget it.

NOTEWORTHY

• Alejandro Leyva
• Age 11
• Logan Elementary School,
• Logan Heights

My most unforgetable experience was when my aunt died. She was a very beautiful woman. She died very young. Her two daughters were little when she died. She died of cancer. It was very sad when she died. Everyone who was there cried. When she was in the hospital something exploded in her chest and then she died. Her husband’s name was Alejandro Leyva who is my uncle. They got my name out of his.

I love my aunt even though she’s dead. I love her because she’s my aunt and I love all my relatives or ancestors. I cried when I heard she died. My aunt was a very nice and pretty, young woman. If my mother died I would act scared and sad at the same time and wish she didn’t die. I wonder how my uncle acted when they told him that my aunt had died of cancer. Do you have any dead relatives? Would you have liked her for your aunt?

NOTEWORTHY

• Wes Irwin
• Age 12
• Walker Elementary School
• Mira Mesa

The story I’m about to tell is unusual because it doesn’t happen to everybody. I was about seven when it happened.

Five years ago my mother put my cousin and me in the YMCA. I didn’t like the idea, but I had to go every week. As my cousin and I went more, we really liked it. After a few weeks we couldn’t wait to go.

One day I brought home a permission slip to go to Torrey Pines on a field trip. My mom signed it; the next week I was off.

On the morning of the field trip I packed a sack lunch. At the YMCA we took a bus to some kind of scientific observatory. There were a whole bunch of scientific projects that we could look at. Then the instructors split us up into groups.

So my cousin and I had to split up. The instructor said that our lunches were on the beaches below the cliffs. They said that we had to follow them down the cliffs.

We started down the cliff in a single file line. I was second from the end of the line. We took many turns on the trail. Up ahead it looked like a different trail that we could take and shorter to the beaches below. We were walking for a few minutes, then the trail came to the end of a cliff. Everybody went to the end of the cliff to see over. The last guy and I waited till everybody moved so we could see over. After everybody moved, we looked over.

All of a sudden I slipped. I went over the edge but I grabbed onto it before I fell. The guy behind me just stood there. I couldn’t hold on any longer and I fell. It seemed like I was falling forever. I hit the bottom with a thud. I gasped for air, but I couldn’t breathe. Everything looked fuzzy. I tried to take a deep breath but I couldn’t, so I took little gasps of air but it hurt. Oh, how much it hurt. I didn’t move because it hurt so much.

Off in the distance I heard a motor. It was coming closer. It was a jeep that stopped next to me. In the jeep there was a lifeguard. He jumped out and picked me up carefully. Then he said everything would be all right.

When I came to, things were still a little fuzzy. From what I could make out I was in a hospital bed. My mother had just arrived. She was calling my dad at work to tell him I was in the hospital. When she hung up the nurse said I was conscious. While my dad was coming to the hospital, the nurse ran a C.A.T. scan on my ribs to see if any were fractured. Since I had no broken bones, I was able to go home that night. My mom said that the news cameras were filming me being loaded into ambulance while I was out.

That night I was able to watch myself being loaded into the ambulance. The spokesperson said that I fell off a ten-foot cliff. I was on all the major networks’ news. It was pretty neat being on T. V.

I don't think I’ll forget that for the rest of my life.

NOTEWORTHY

• Robin Dawson
• Age 8
• Lindo Park Elementary School
• Lakeside

Once when I was six years old, a bee stung my tongue. See, I was eating chicken at my mom’s high school reunion. I was sitting on a bench eating chicken and when I wasn't looking a bee decided to have lunch with me. I took a bite of chicken. Luckily the bee stung me but I didn't swallow it. The stinger fell out. I started crying. The tears made mud with the dirt that was on my face. My dad put ice on my tongue. It felt a little bit better. Boy did it hurt me. This taught me a lesson to watch what I’m doing.

NOTEWORTHY

• Jeff Ford
• Age 12
• Montgomery Middle School
• El Cajon

One dark and foggy night. Jeff (my next door neighbor) Dorothy (Jeff's girlfriend) Dawn (my girlfriend), and I were in Jeff s front yard.

All of us were throwing rocks at cars as they came speeding down the hill. Every once in a while we would put catsup packets in the middle of the street and watch cars hit them. When the fog lifted it started to rain a little so we were throwing mud balls also. We took turns throwing rocks or mud balls. Jeff just threw a rock. Dorothy decided to make a mud ball. She took the super mud ball and threw it as hard as she could. Dorothy’s mud ball hit a motorcycle gang's leader in the head. They jumped off their bikes. They looked all over the yard for us. After an hour they finally left.

Dawn and Dorothy told us that they did not want to be our girlfriends anymore. And Jeff and I have never seen them since.

NOTEWORTHY

• Kim Tolner
• Age 9
• Hanson Lane Elementary School,
• Ramona

One day I was at my best freind's house and we were making prank calls. We were calling the same person over and over asking for E.T. (ExtraTerestrial).

The first time we called somebody put on a funny voice and said. . . Hi I’m E.T. well I have to go now Bye, Bye. Then tbe second time we called, a man answered and we asked is E.T. there? he said no he just left. Then the third time we called somebody answered the phone and said, You two girls better stop calling because we’ve already called the police.

We were so scared! We were even hugging each other every time we heard a noise outside; more tears ran down our faces. We were very scared; about 2 hours later her mom came home; we felt a little bit safer.

I never have forgotten that and we never have told anybody.

NOTEWORTHY

• Isaac Russell
• Age 9
• Maryland Avenue Elementary School,
• La Mesa

The most unforgettable thing in San Diego was when my brother died. He died because the left side of his heart was not working right. He was born on April 1, 1981 and died on August 13, 1981. When he died we were all sad. At the funeral his grave was covered with tons of flowers. He died when he was 4 months and 12 days old, his name was Adam. After the prayers were over, a butterfly flew down and landed on his grave and just kept on going up towards heaven. We still go back there from time to time, and I will never forget him.

NOTEWORTHY

• Jennifer Lyles
• Age 12
• Twin Peaks Intermediate School
• Poway

My best friend Chrissy and I were on our way home from school. Chrissy’s mother was driving and the car was very hot and stuffy. I rolled down the window to get some fresh air and got a breath full of smoke instead. I looked at the sky and noticed unusual streaks of brown and gray. I wondered if there was a fire somewhere.

As we drove to the corner of Deerfield and Hillindale, I noticed some smoke coming from the side of the mountain across the street. I turned to Chrissy and said, “Look!! There's a fire across Mission Gorge Rd.”

After Chrissy and her mom dropped me off, I burst through the front door of my house. I screamed, “Fire! There’s a fire down the street.” My mom already knew. In fact she was on the phone telling my dad how close it was. I looked outside to see my neighbors getting ready to hose down their roofs. I went outside to help Mrs. Sanfillipo with her ladder. She said, “The fire is getting closer and closer and the firemen are too busy trying to put it out down the street.”

By sunset everyone was walking around with paper cups around their mouths. There were ashes flying everywhere. We watched as it burned closer and closer.

When nightime fell, policemen were telling everyone to make preparations for evacuation. My mother started to cry. She imagined all of her possessions going up in flames.

I got so scared.

My dad told me to go to sleep. I told him he was crazy for thinking I could sleep when my house could burn down, with me in it too! He still insisted that I go to sleep because it was getting really late.

Instead, I stayed up and listened for any news. That's exactly what I got!! The fire jumped Mission Gorge Road and was burning on Hillindale!! The home at the corner of Deerfield and Hillindale was threatened to burn. That’s when my parents decided to figure out what to save.

I was nearly in a state of shock! I never dreamed this would happen to me. I ran downstairs. My mother had tears in her eyes. She was helping my dad load photo albums, important papers and a few precious pieces of jewelry into the car.

I asked if I should get in the car yet. Dad said we should wait until the firemen tell us to leave. He said we want to stay with the house as long as it’s still safe. He then turned on the hose as my mother held the ladder so he could climb up on the roof for one last effort to save our house.

I remember the heat, it was so hot and smokey outside it seemed as if we were already on fire. I watched a beautiful palm tree, close to our house, burn down. I saw the firemen spray it and the house it was near. Then I heard the sound of the police megaphone. I went closer to hear what it was saying. The neighbors were hugging and crying tears of joy. Then I heard the policeman say, “The fire is under control.”

NOTEWORTHY

• Maurice Leon Payne
• Age 10
• El Toyon Elementary School
• National City

When I was seven years old I remember having to ride the school bus to Hardy Elementary. Everyday, my mom would drop me off at my Uncle’s house on her way to work. My cousin Syretta and I, would walk to the school bus stop together along with other friends. The bus ride was a lot of fun. The instructor who rode the bus would tell the driver to turn his radio on and all the children would sing rock and roll songs on the way to school. The bus ride was kinda long, and sometimes it would make me very sleepy. A few times I almost nodded to sleep even though the other students were singing and laughing.

I even fall asleep in the car when my mom and I are going shopping.

One day after school, the bus picked us up at 2:30 promptly and for the first time it left the school yard first. Usually our bus left last because there was always some kid who hadn’t made it out of class yet.

As the bus began pulling out of the lot. Being tired from a hard day at school I began nodding out. I’m not sure how long it took me to fall into a deep sleep, but I didn’t remember the bus stopping anywhere along the way. Suddenly the bus jerked and began pulling off again and I fell off the back seat, where I had stretched out. I heard the bus driver say, “Who’s back there, is anyone back there.”

I jumped up still dazed, and realized there was no one on the bus but he and 1.1 looked around all the other children were gone, I started crying as I walked toward the front of the bus. The bus driver didn’t know that I was asleep in the back seat, and none of the children told him as they all got off the bus. He had already arrived at the bus yard, and was going to lock the bus up for the night. I was crying louder and getting more afraid. My mom wouldn’t know where to find me if he left me here overnight, I was thinking. Finally he parked the bus and began talking to me trying to comfort and assure me that he would get me home safely.

He took me to the bus yard office and I had memorized my mom's work phone number the secretary in the office called my mom at work, and told her what happened. Then she asked the bus driver if he would take me back to the school and my mom would meet him in the parking lot. My mom couldn’t leave work right away so she called my uncle’s house and my Aunt Karen came and picked me up. She was angry a little bit at her daughter, Syreeta because she was nine and she was supposed to make sure I got off the bus with her everyday. When I saw my Aunt Karen pull into the school parking lot in her orange car, I started crying all over again, because I was so happy to see someone come for me.

She told me not to cry and gave me a big hug. My mom finally got to leave work and she came to get me earlier that day, because of my scare. I told her what happened and she said that I handled myself very good, because I didn’t forget her work phone number that took her two years to help me remember it. And she treated me to McDonald’s for dinner and that night she let me sleep in her bed, so I wouldn’t be afraid to sleep.

Everytime I remember that day it almost makes me cry, because I thought I would be forever lost and my mom wouldn’t find me. But I know she would never give up looking because she told me so. And I know that she really loves me because the last two houses we lived in she made sure that the school was within a block or two, and now we live across the street from my school and she’s home everyday when I get out of class.

NOTEWORTHY

• Stacy Nielsen
• Age 12
• Twin Peaks Intermediate School
• Poway

Ouch! He’s killing me! I’m dying! Help! The vulture is stabbing me in the mouth! Good, he’s stopped.

Wait a minute! What’s that loud shrill noise I hear? Here he comes with a sinister look on his face and his hammer and tools in his hand. I can’t get away! I’m trapped!

This torture has been going on for hours, but nobody seems to care.

After hours of hammering, drilling, the vulture stopped and gave me another one of his sinister looks.

He gave me a mirror. I opened my mouth and thought, “I may never smile again, not with this mouth of steel and wires.

NOTEWORTHY

Matt Yamashito

Age 8

Rancho Penasquitos Elementary School

Rancho Penasquitos

My name is Matt Yamashito. This is my most unforgetable thing that happen to me in San Diego. It was early morning. The fog sat over the high mountains in Rancho Penosqutos. My mom came upstairs into the bathroom where me and my sister were getting ready for a day of school. We had just moved to a new house from Mira Mesa. Just then I finished combing my wet hair. Where’s Sophie? (She's my dog.) Haa! I let her out ten minutes ago to go to the restroom, my mom said. We all ran out to find her if she was in our yard. Oh no, I said. We hopped into the car.

Slowly we went up and down the streets with the car window open, calling her. I began to cry and cry and cry, cry, cry, cry. My teeth chattered. We went to the bus stop and asked kids if they saw a black poodle. No came the answer. Then I went nuts. Waa! Waa. My face was cold and wet. My mom said “Wait, maybe she followed someone to the high school.”

But I was too crazy to listen. My mom took me to the house agian. We checked if maybe had come back there. No. She left me there and went to the high school. I sat down and sobbed. Then the phone rang. I slowly answered. My dad was there. He said, “Matt, We probably won’t find her.” I know. I didn’t know though how he knew.

But I didn’t ask. My mom came in, I was sure she didn’t have Sophie. Just then I heard Rof Rof. My dog, she was here! I ran down the stairs. I hugged my dog. I loved her! But what a morning!

NOTEWORTHY

• Julpha Jenina T. Maniquis
• Age 10
• Field Elementary School
• Clairemont

As I walked with my velvety-black cocker spaniel and my frosty, white poodle around the quiet neighborhood I thought about the things that happened in my life this year, my first year to live in San Diego. ‘This was a good year,’ I thought, ‘but who knows what’ll happen next? It’s only November.’ The sharp barking of my dog woke me from my thoughts and I looked up to see my very own tree, the one I planted four years ago when I spent my summer vacation with my aunt, (This January we moved from Indonesia to live near my aunt’s house because my father is in the service) standing so proud, showing it’s bright-colored leaves as if to say "look at me, everybody."

It was a beautiful, tree, standing against the pale-blue sky with dignity. Then memories came to me, memories of the little tree which I grew to love and care for. I was six then, when I planted ‘my baby’ as I called it. I remembered when one of the boy twins next door to my aunt’s house started throwing rocks at my baby, and I suffered six bruises and a black eye fighting for it.

And when I sacrificed going to Sea World just for nursing it the whole day because it had broken two of its delicate branches. Then there was the time when my best friend insulted the tree because it took so long to grow. I broke my friendship with her because of my devotion to my little baby. I nursed it daily, sprinkling fertilizer, watering it and protecting it from harm, especially from the twins next door. A day never would pass if I didn’t say good morning to it and I wouldn’t sleep unless I said good night to it.

Well, summer wore off, like most summers do, and there came the day when I had to leave my little baby. My aunt said she'll take care of it until next summer when I would come again. I asked to be left alone with my baby for a while, and when the street was bare I hugged it’s trunk and cried and cried until I couldn’t cry any longer. It seemed sad too, for its branches bent so low I could reach them without tiptoeing.

In all of San Diego, there seemed to be no event as touching as the departing of a child and her loved tree. A whimper from my dog warned me it was time for supper and with that, I said, “See you later my baby. I’m so proud of you.’’ I gave it a hug (here some people thought I was a maniac) and ran all the way home. With one last look at the proud silhouette against the dark-blue sky I said, “there is no better experience than the motherly one I had with my baby.”

NOTEWORTHY

• Alex Ficachi
• Age 11
• Valley Vista Elementary School
• Bonita

One scary Halloween night about two years ago, a couple of friends, Ryan and Matt, and I decided we would go “trick or treating” just like any other Halloween night; we would go out get candy, and have fun, and come home. But this Halloween night going to be different........

My friend came over to my house about six o’clock in the afternoon after my mom and dad got done with their annual “Halloween speech” about how not to talk to strangers and not to eat unwrapped candy, and to be home on time (9:00 p.m.). Then we left. We must have been “trick or treating” for about two hours, so I figured it was about 8:00 p.m.

We decided we would go to a neighborhood I have never been to, that was called “Death Ridges”. My mother had told me to stay away, from that neighborhood, because of a friend that been kidnapped, and never seen again at that neighborhood, so I was told to stay away from there, but I was going to be a bad boy and ignore what my mother told me.

We had only been in that neighborhood for about 8 minutes, when an old black car drove up, and two big men got out of the car and told us to get in the car for a ride.

My mother told me never to get in a car with strangers, but he told us he had candy for us, so we got in. and we drove away, he gave us a piece of candy, and then I said I wanted more candy, and he said: “Shut up you little brat" then I said I wanted to go home, and my two friends started to cry. Then the man got mad. and hit my friend Matt and said: “If hear a peep out of you. I’ll kill you” then we got very scared.

We drove for about 8 minutes to a town called “Hicker bug county.” I knew that town well, because my aunt lived there, then I realized we where geting kidnapped.

I don’t think I had been more scared in my life, I have a feeling, I was never going to see my parents again. Then one of the men told the other man that he was very hungry, and that there was no food at the hiding place, so the two men stopped at a super market, and got out and told us, if we move, we will never see our parents again, and I knew this was our only and probably last chance to escape, so I told my friends that at the count of three we would run all the way, down the street to my aunts house. “O.K. ready 1,2,3, Go”. We ran for about one block and when we got to my aunts house, we told her what happened and she called our parents, and we got picked up, and everything was ok.

This time my friends and I got lucky, but maybe another boy or girl might not got as lucky as we were. I really learned my lesson!

I am never going to talk to strangers or especially get in a car with them, not even eccept candy, because being kidnapped is not fun, and in the future I will listen to the advice of my parents or teachers, because I know they love me.

NOTEWORTHY

• Tommy Mutter
• Age 8
• Maryland Avenue Elementary School,
• La Mesa

I was on my wall and my sister Vicky was playing ball aginst the wall and then the wind came and blew me off the wall and I then took a nap. When I got up I could not walk. Then I went to the hospital for six days.

NOTEWORTHY

• Brandy Proppe
• Age 9
• Kempton Elementary School
• Spring Valley

I really remember the time my little brother, Richard, fell into the big fountain with a red triangle in the middle of it in downtown San Diego. Everybody who was there stared at him! He was running around it with his eyes closed, and he tripped over his shoe laces and fell in. He fell in face first and got his shirt wet and everything else down to his shoes. He really got mad. And then he got sick because he was so wet and the water was cold. I felt really mad at him then, when he said I tripped him.

NOTEWORTHY

• Jared Rafferty-Callendar
• Age 11
• Wilson Junior High School
• San Diego

It seems the sounds of sirens are always far off sounds. Tonight I was to see what triggers such sound.

I was walking out the door after dinner, when I heard the screech of brakes and what I thought was a car hitting a car. But then I heard an unfinished cry, a baby’s cry.

I saw a baby, motionless, forty feet from a car in the middle of the street. A woman was about twenty feet from the car. Her legs were twitching. Another woman was getting out of the car. She was yelling and crying hysterically. She ran to the mother and knelt over her, saying she didn’t mean to hit her.

Michele, my mom’s good friend, told me to get some blankets and call an ambulance. At first, I stood stone still, horrified at what I was seeing. At last I came to my senses. I ran inside and called an ambulance. Then I ran and got the blankets. I took them to Michele.

She had the woman that was driving the car in her arms. The driver was in shock. She was mumbling unintelligible words.

I stood there and looked at the baby in the street that was still motionless. I couldn’t move my eyes from the baby.

I heard sirens and saw red and blue lights projected on the houses. The ambulance drove up to the car and stopped. They jumped out and ran to the woman that was hit and cleared the blood from her legs. Then the paramedics came and put the baby in the ambulance. They called another ambulance. By this time there were police all over the place. The other ambulance soon arrived and the one with the baby left. They put the mother in the ambulance. The police took the driver away.

The police that were left told everyone to go home, but I couldn’t move. I kept staring at the blood stained street. Michele took me home. I couldn’t sleep that night.

The next morning I read the newspaper and saw that the baby was dead. They charged the driver with murder.

It wasn't the driver’s fault. It was the city’s fault. The corner the driver was turning had no stop sign. And pedestrians aren’t able to see or hear a car coming and the driver can’t see the pedestrian. The city should have had a stop sign there.

I wonder if it takes a person dying to get the city to react to our needs.

NOTEWORTHY

• Loretta Vila
• Age 10
• Emory Elementary School
• San Diego

My most unforgettable experience was in Spring Valley when I was about 8 yrs. old. I was wandering with my brother, Fernando (which my brother thinks I always kiss him; not true), and a few of his friends.

We went to Fernando’s house and played a few games. Then suddenly, my brother or Fernando spotted smoke from the little canyon not far away. All of us ran to the entrance of the canyon. There was a fire! I wondered how the fire started. There was a great and noisy riot around the neighborhood. We thought one of the helicopters was for Channel 10 news. All of us waved our hands as it passed by.

After the fire died down, a vast black mark of ashes was left. As all of us walked home, my brother made fun of me again (about Fernando). And at the end, Fernando almost kissed me.

NOTEWORTHY

• Teddy Borja
• Age 10
• Miller Elementary School
• Escondido

Two days after the 1984 Olympic Closing Ceremony, my dog Mariah was hit by a car and injured critically. I live out in the country on the border line of San Marcos and Escondido. We live by a busy street called Country Club Drive. My dog only lived two days after the accident.

Mariah wasn’t an ordinary dog, she was smart. My uncle Ned who had her before us, trained her to shake with both paws, fetch a ball or twig and to come on command.

Once I was swimming in our nextdoor neighbor’s pool and my dog thought that I was drowning.

She then ran through the gate and jumped in the pool to try to save me. She was part Newfoundland, part St. Bernard and part Labrador. She looked like she was wearing a tuxedo because she was black with a white stripe running down her chest. I would give anything in the world just to have her for one day.

I really had a rough time when the vet had to put her to sleep because she was in such bad pain. When my mom went to see Mariah she said, “It just didn’t look like the same dog that we had known and loved.”

Putting my dog to sleep was the best thing to do, but knowing it didn’t make it easier.

NOTEWORTHY

• Erik Pearson
• Age 12
• Twin Peaks Intermediate School
• Poway

It was 7:30 in the morning. While my alarm was buzzing in my ear, it made me feel jumpy. It was the most nerve-racking noise in the world! I felt like putting it in the trash compactor.

My brother wasn’t much help either. He was running around making strange noises, this gave me a splitting headache. He was worse than the alarm. Maybe I could put him in the trash compactor too!

I got up and turned the alarm off. I ran downstairs to get an asprin. My brother tripped me on the way and I stumbled down the stairs. I suddenly knew the truth, he was worse than the alarm clock. I usually took one asprin, but this was an emergency, so I took five.

My mom and dad had walked in and told me to get dressed. We were going to downtown San Diego. I knew this was going to be a very bad day. Because I hated shopping around from store to store. I didn’t see what is the purpose of doing such a tiring thing to do on a Saturday afternoon.

We all got into the car when my dad noticed he had forgotten the keys to the car. He went back in and turned off the alarm system, got the keys, and he went out the door. But dad tripped on a broom that was in the way. As we drove down the highway the road became very bumpy. It got so bumpy that everyone bounced up and down in the car. A half an hour later the car started making funny noises when boom! screeeeech! We skidded across the road hitting two other cars.

Strange things like these had been happening all that day. It was a day that I couldn’t ever forget. It was the worst day ever in San Diego.

NOTEWORTHY

• Allan Reyes
• Age 9
• Silver Gate Elementary School
• Point Loma

When I first came to San Diego, I was a bit scared. I heard there were thieves over here. But I was only 8 years old then.

I finally went to my house from Japan. I was nervous until my sofa came and I knew no one stole it.

The next day when I was playing with a snail, a boy came to me and said what are you doing? I said I was playing with a snail. I asked him what was his name. He said, his name was Reggie. I finally had a friend. I used to only play with my brother. I knew I could trust Reggie.

The day after, when I was walking home from school, a boy was following me. It was Reggie! I wasn’t expecting him to follow me. Reggie and I talked on the way home.

That afternoon, Reggie came over to my house. He asked me to play outside. My brother came and I introduced him to Reggie.

We had fun. We were playing basketball, when these mean guys came. They seemed nice at first, but later on, some became bullies. They started pushing me around and threatened to beat me up. I just went back inside my house.

I went inside because I was afraid to fight then. I was thinking my mom might get mad at me. I feel different because now I know why they threatened me. It was because I was new here. Today the whole neighborhood knows me. I am popular where I live. But, I’m still afraid to fight in school because I might get in trouble.

Now that I have been here for a while, I know there isn’t as much crime as I thought. Actually, I still like Japan better than San Diego because there is hardly a crime and everything is not that expensive!

NOTEWORTHY

• Marla Hambly
• Age 11
• Lincoln Middle School
• Vista

Hello, my name is Marla and I’m in an embarrassed mood. I don’t have to many of these. So I will tell you about my day. On day I was down on a ranch. (With Colty and Blazes.) I named the horses. Anyways let’s get on. Well, my cousin came down and said “Let’s have a race. I said “Well, I’m on a bike and you walked.’’ She said “So!” O.K. I went so fast that that oh no I crashed into a tree, And everybody saw me. I swear I never showed my face for a month, and I was in !PAIN! Since then I was never right in my mind again.

NOTEWORTHY

• Heather Brien
• Age 7
• Dewey Elementary School
• Point Loma

When I turned four I was smarter than before and being smarter I could do things that I could not do when I was three like adding 20 plus 20 or the rest of my ABCs. But what I am really trying to say is you should be glad to be a year older then before not just to get presents but to do things you did not do before but now you could do it.

The reason I liked being four three years ago is that ever day I learned more different things like where water goes after it gose down the sink and where the sun sets and why it is hot. Some of you may laugh at me but that was a long time ago.

Now I know much more then before when I was three. I remember this unforgettable experience because I have it in my diary I think you should have a diary so you can remember your unforgettable experiences.

NOTEWORTHY

• Jacob Garcia
• Age 9
• Vista Grande Elementary School
• Tierrasanta

My most unforgettable experience was when my family went to Julian Community Park. When we were hiking my dad saw an enormous Mountain Lion. We were so scared that my dad started to run up the hill but he started to roll down the hill and he hit a tree but that did not stop him and he fell in to a lake.

NOTEWORTHY

• Kevin Meehan
• Age 12
• Washington Middle School
• Vista

While I was looking for the flashlight in my mom's dresser one night, I saw a piece of paper that had my name on it. I looked at it more carefully and it read, “Adoption Certificate.” I was wondering why it had my name on it. It couldn't be that I was adopted!

I was wondering why Mom had never told me that she wasn’t my real mother. I wondered who my real mom was. Next, I went to my mom and showed her the adoption papers. She asked, “Where did you find them?”

I replied, “You tell me. Why didn't you tell me I was adopted?”

“I thought you were too young to know.”

“Do you know my real parents?” “No, we didn’t find out ”

“How old was I when you adopted me?”

“You were about eight months old.”

My mom took me out to dinner because she didn’t tell me sooner, and we talked about why I was adopted. My mom said, “Because your mother was so poor, she put you up for adoption ”

My most unforgetable moment was when I found out my mom wasn’t really my mom.

NOTEWORTHY

• Erika Stoner
• Age 7
• Kinder-Care Learning Center
• San Diego

My most unforgettable experience in San Diego County . . . One night I was playing with my Barbie doll's hair, and a fire started. A person's house on our street started burning. My friend Seth stopped and looked at the fire. I didn't know he lived on Estrella Street. Estrella Street is close to my house. I know where Seth lives now. I looked at the fire on our street. We had a fun time.

NOTEWORTHY

• Mike Wulfman
• Age 9
• Murray Manor Elementary School,
• La Mesa

The most unforgetable story is about this girl. I was going to a new school. I didn't know where to go. After a while, I learned my way, and at this time she was exspecting me.

A while after that she sent notes to me. They said, I want to kiss and hug you. She kept wrting these notes. One day it said come over, so I went. She told me to sit down. I sat down and guess what she did, she sat on my lap. Then her mother came in. I blushed, she didn't care. I was watching TV Then I moved from my house closer to her neighborhood. Then I went to a new school, and never saw her again.

NOTEWORTHY

• Parwana Anwar
• Age 12
• Wangenheim Junior High School
• Mira Mesa

The thing that happened to me in San Diego that was most unforgettable was when I was 6 years old. My class decided to put on a little play. For the play I was to be a hula dancer. When I got on stage to do my act, I was very confident of myself and the dance I was about to do. The music started and so did my dance. At first everything went great, and I could tell the audience loved it. But as it progressed the flower in my hair fell out and I could feel my skirt begin to fall down my leg. I began to sweat and I was forgetting my dance steps. What else could go wrong?

My grass skirt was down to my knees now but thank God I had another skirt on under that.

The audience started to smicker and laugh. My face grew hot and I felt tears sting my eyes. I picked up my skirt and ran off stage. My teacher came up to me and comforted me by telling me how wonderfully I did. I cried all day and night.

I felt terrible then but as I look back now, I laugh about how foolish I looked. That was something I’ll never forget.

NOTEWORTHY

• Brian Dettweiler
• Age 11
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help
• Lakeside

My most unforgatable experience in San Deigo is when I got my first computer. It was a mess; all my brothers wanted to use it. It was kind of hard to learn all the stuff. Then it was easy. Now I'm typing my own programs. I have a C64 & a C Vic 20.1 have 2 disk drives & 2 printers & 1 monitor. I can do many things with all the stuff I have. I have many game disks. I get lots of magazines every week on computers. I’m glad I’m learning them now because the whole world will be computers in the future. I’m happy with what I have. Some kids never even heard the word computer. My whole life is computers.

NOTEWORTHY

• Guiliana Medina
• Age 7
• Rolando Elementary School
• La Mesa

Well, when my mom was at work coming out of her office something scary happened; my mom almost passed out than my mom ran back in the office and lay down. The nurse gave her a tube of some sort of alcohol and put it over her. And she almost fell on the rocks. Bye.

When my cousin had a headache, my aunt gave him some aspirin, this is one of the funniest thing I’v ever heard of. Instead of putting it in his mouth he put it on his head.

NOTEWORTHY

Michael Tyler

Age 6

Kinder-Care learning Center

San Diego

My most unforgettable experience in San Diego County was when I went to my house and a earthquake came to us and hit us too.

ABOUT THE CONTEST

Appearing in this issue are the winners in the pre-teen category of the 1984 Reader writing contest, our first competition for young people. (Winners in the teenage category appeared in last week’s issue.) Included here are the first- and second-award winners, five honorable mentions, and more stories that did not win awards but which we felt were nonetheless deserving of publication.

Young people were invited to submit stories of unspecified length about their “most unforgettable experience” in San Diego County. We received 1691 entries, 539 of which were written by preteens (twelve and under; the youngest entrant was five years old). Teenagers (thirteen through sixteen) submitted 881 stories, and for another 271 entries the author's age was unknown.

Most of these preteen contributors wrote about a memorable family outing, siblings or other relatives, family pets, or a traumatic moment when they found themselves separated from the family — that is to say, lost. The first day of school, first major illness, and first day in the neighborhood were also favorite topics, as were close encounters with snakes and spiders. Quite a few of the parents and teachers corrected grammar and spelling errors, but were careful to assure the judges that they had suggested no textual changes. We have edited none of the stories; they appear as we received them.

We extend special thanks to the many teachers in the San Diego County public and private schools who encouraged their students to participate in this competition. It was our pleasure to host the 1984 Young People’s Writing Contest, and we thank all who participated.