Stolen and Recovered

By Darren Jespersen,

Grade 5 writing sample

*Assignment was to take a cartoon and write it out as a story using dialogue.

  The dark evening surrounded Shelldon and Dee as they strolled down the rough sidewalk and dragged their heavy garbage bags behind them.  Shelldon dug into his bag looking for his favourite caramel bar.  “I just can’t wait to eat my Halloween candy!” he exclaimed. 

From behind a thorn bush, a scaly hand snatched both bags causing the brothers to tumble onto the rocky pavement.  Crawling from the leafy pile, the bullies then stood and yelled, “Neither can we!”  Heavy mud-covered boots clomped down the road; the wretched bullies waved their trophies-- leaving Shelldon and Dee broken. 

“Bullies are so mean,” Shelldon whined looking at his feet. 

Suddenly Dee’s head shot up and his mouth opened.  He gasped, “I have an idea, Shelldon, and it might work!”  Dee giggled underneath his wizard hat! 

An hour later the bullies approached a house with a skull nailed to the right of a cob-webbed door!!  Fang pushed, “Hurry-up, this place is creepy!”  Sweat droplets dripped from his bristled mohawk. 

Slowly, Jack poked his shaking finger toward the rusty looking doorbell.  Just before his finger touched the button, the door swung open, and a mad pumpkin monster with a paper bag body and claw like hands roared at the stunned screaming bullies.  Candy was flying everywhere and two garbage bags hit the smooth steps, still spewing candy!  Fang and Jack stood frozen in their tracks then swirled like a tornado and ran home still screaming. The smell of burning rubber filled the air. 

The other children were surprised to see the meanest bullies scared out of their tree. 

In the silence that followed, Sheldon and Dee, laughing, stepped out of the pumpkin costume and let it fall to the ground.  Dee was still giggling. “Gee, Shelldon, looks like they don’t want the candy after all! Haa!”

The Snevil’s Wishes

       One early morning in medieval days, a Box-Snevil sat on his poison toad stool in the tree fortress.  He was sad that he couldn’t steal enough boxes for his king. 

     He thought out loud and mumbled, “I hope I get better at this box stealing because I really want to be a Snevil Arca.” 

All of a sudden the snevil heard a giant “GONG...GONG!” and a piano playing a ditty.  A fairy appeared on the table beside him and spoke in a squeaky voice.  “I am Vigmore, your fairy.  I will grant you two wishes.”  The tiny fairy looked like a miniature magician with a staff instead of a wand. 

The snevil’s mouth watered as he thought Vigmore looked scrumptious. 

Vigmore gasped, “Uh-oh!”  He quickly stuttered in a frightened voice, “Wish whenever you want to.”  Following his instincts, he disappeared in a cloud of sneezing powder. 

That same day after the traditional snevil naptime, the snevil was ordered to pick some mushrooms for the king.  Having to walk through the forest many miles, he grumbled, “I wish that the king could do his own work!” 

As soon as the words drifted away from the snevil’s mouth, Vigmore popped up in front of the king who was on his throne thinking about box taxes and informed the king about all he had previously spoke to the snevil.  With a tap of his staff on the king’s head, he granted the wish.

Immediately, the king appeared beside the snevil picking maggot-filled mushrooms.  The king exploded, “Look at my filthy hands!  Oh no! I’m getting dirt under my nails!  Eeep!  There are worms in these things!  Look! Look!  My crown!  It has mud on it!  What is that stench?!  My nostrils are burning!  AAAhh!”

Suddenly the king remembered what Vigmore had revealed.  The king began nagging the snevil to use his last wish to release him from this spell. 

After a long day of the king whining in his ear, the snevil finally wished that he had never met Vigmore.  As soon as he spoke, the king was poofed back to the castle. 

Sitting on his seat and leaning back slightly, the box snevil thought how lucky he was to even be a snevil grunt.  He had learned a valuable lesson that would help him through the years.  

To Wyatt Benjamin George Fehler:  I wrote this book because I knew you had read all the stories in your home library.  Down with box taxes!

Dear Grandma,            Monday, February 16, 2009

Today I got my pet penguin in the mail!  It is so fun to watch it walk about the house!  He sort of reminds me of my aunt Linda who likes to be called Mistress Snort-an-Sneeze.  He is just as pudgy as she is!  The only difference between them is that he has a waddle and she has a jiggle!  The bad thing about my penguin is that he is clumsy.  He accidentally broke the vase on the kitchen table and so I’ll have to switch all my breakable things with other items that can’t break.  Uh oh!  That sounded like the fish bowl!  Hopefully I can replace faster than he can break!  (*whimper*)  I’d better go see what he is up to!

                                  Bye!

                                  Darren J.    

“Captain, a tsunami is coming from the port bow!” alarmed the crewman, hanging from the crows nest. 

These Two Foxes

By:  Darren Curt Jespersen

Even though the Swift Fox and the Red Fox are both carnivores, a closer look will show many differences.  Unlike the Swift Fox which is sixty to eighty centimetres in length, the Red Fox measures ninety to one hundred and thirteen centimetres in length.  The Swift Fox grows to a height that may vary from twenty-eight to thirty-one centimetres whereas the Red Fox’s shoulder height may vary from thirty-eight to forty-one centimetres.  The Swift Fox weights three to six pounds; however, the Red Fox’s mass can be up to eight to thirteen pounds.  Although the female Swift Fox has a litter number of three to six young, the female red Fox gives birth to one to ten kits.  It is now evident that these two carnivores are very different.  

The Ultimate Predator

Darren Curt Jespersen

October 29, 2008

It is a distinguished monster that is unimaginable in the greatest extent!  It would leave a full grown man quaking with terror.  This massive creature of horror is a SIBERIAN TIGER!

One can easily identify this feline from other tigers due to its physical characteristics.  Standing at one meter from the ground to its shoulder and measuring two to three meters from head to rear, the Siberian Tiger is known to be the largest tiger in the world.  The Siberian Tiger has lighter colour and thicker fur than other tigers because it lives in colder climates.  It has two full layers of fur which make up its white chest and belly, with the thicker fur on its neck.  Their gold or amber eyes have good sight.  In addition, this tiger has a pink nose and nostrils. 

On top of its mouth there exists a Jacobson’s organ that helps the tiger to smell another tiger and to know its gender or if the female is pregnant or not and to sense its mood.  These physical attributes help this massive creature survive in its territory.

 Survival of the Siberian Tiger in its natural habitat is critical as its numbers decrease.  This giant mainly lives in the woodlands in eastern Russia.  Due to poachers, only four hundred live in the wild and five hundred in zoos. 

          It is difficult for zoo keepers to duplicate the Siberian Tiger’s natural hunting diet and behaviour.  These monsters, like all cats, are carnivores and predators.  They will kill deer, moose, elk, oxen, goats and wild boar; in times of need, a tiger will even eat insects to survive.  The Siberian Tiger has sharp teeth to tear meat off its prey.  They are able to swallow large quantities of meat whole.  Since their rough tongue it can lick bones clean.  When the tiger sees its prey, its first reaction is to crouch.  As soon as this cat crouches, it starts to crawl on its belly towards the prey. When the hunter thinks it’s the right time, it charges! 

When it closes in on its prey the carnivore swipes or knocks it down!  At this point, it hides its prey, and feeds on it later.  The female will bring her cubs to the carcass. 

          It is important that the Siberian Tiger has a chance to reproduce.  The male will mate at any time in the year but usually looks for a mate in the months of November and April.  At the end of her gestation which lasts about one hundred days, the female Siberian Tiger will give birth to one to six cubs which weigh two pounds each.  The mother tiger will have babies in the safest place it can find like in a cave or the grassy forest floor.  In a zoo it may have them on a rock.  The tiger cubs open their eyes when they are about a week old and will leave their mother at two years of age.

          These two year old tigers will continue to mature until they reach the size and strength of their parents before them.  They will find their own territory.  One by one they will find their own mates and the life story of the distinguished Siberian Tiger will continue.

With his elbow on his knee Curt stared at the still fishing line that was dangling into the clear blue water.  Sighing he searched the water for signs of fish but found none.  Suddenly, his eye caught a quivering light that attracted him right away; his brain was confused.  At first he thought the light was a reflection but the sparkle shifted to a shady spot.  Thinking the light might be a flashlight, Curt grabbed his net and waited for the light to shiver closer to him and then he jumped for it with the square net.  He surrounded the glimmering shape.  As he brought it up out of the water, a huge mouth with one inch long teeth jumped out of the liquid shadows, grabbed Curt by the leg and dragged him down the stream.  Curt screamed out to no one in particular “It’s an angler!”  In and out of the water his head bobbed, his lungs burned and his leg ached.  Sharp teeth clenched deeper into his flesh as the fish dragged him on.  His entire back was stretched to its limits because of the speed.  If the fish went any faster his back would break!  Ahead of him he heard rushing water, seconds later a rock bashed him in the side.  Grunting, he held his arm around his sides as he was slammed back and forth by the numerous boulders.  Finally, his back slid on rough sand.  Curt knew that he water was too shallow for this monster.  The fish loosened its grip on Curt’s leg as he desperately gulped in air by opening and closing his mouth and gills.  Sighing, Curt heaved the huge fish to shore.  The world swirled around him and suddenly went black. 

“Curt! Curt! Time for supper!” called a tiny voice beside him.  In a flash Curt was up. 

“Wa..What..Who? what? Where? When? how?  Oh, it’s you, now help me up.” 

“But you’re not hurt.”  Complained his little sister Maybelle.  Curt was astonished as he looked down at his leg.  Next he looked for the fish but couldn’t find it. 

“Hmm, it must have been a dream.”  Curt muttered. 

“What?” Maybelle asked. 

“Nothing.”  Curt answered back.  He had hoped to catch a fish today, but all he caught was a dream. 

Critter-Free

Farmers, have you ever wondered how to rid your fields of those nasty, crop-eating moles?  If you follow my easy steps to catching moles, you will soon be free of them.  Before heading out to trap, you will need to gather gopher traps, flag markers, a shovel and several pieces of cardboard measuring one foot square.  Mole hills can vary greatly in both size and height.  Therefore, the simplest identifying factor is the shape of the hill.  All mole hills have a horse shoe shape.  Since you now know what to look for, the only question is where to look.  Mole hills can be found pretty much anywhere.  I usually find them in the middle of the field, but you may even be able to find them in the city.  Once you find a hill, use the shovel to dig carefully and not too deep. 

Your goal is to just barely expose the opening of the hole.  Firstly, set your trap and slowly put it at the bottom of your hole watching that you don’t set it off.  The chain should hang outside beside the hill.  Secondly, place the cardboard over the hole and trap, covering it all gently with dirt so that no light can enter the hole.  If light enters the hole the mole will try to fill it in and most likely the trap will be set off from his flying dirt.  Finally, take your flag marker and stake it through the trap ring into the ground.  This will ensure that you can find your mole hill again when you go to check your traps.  This method is successful if followed carefully and will make your field critter-free.

Darren Jespersen

Expository Paragraph—final draft

Feb.-20-08

BY DARREN CURT JESPERSEN

MEXICO CITY*  Early Christmas Eve just above Mexico City Santa scared his reindeer with his fiery mouth. 

          According to Rudolph, the lead reindeer, Santa stopped in Mexico City and ordered lots of hot sauce on his tacos.  The lead elf who sat beside Santa claimed that he heard Santa’s stomach growl and the old man directed the reindeer to land in the parking lot of a Taco Time just below.  As soon as Santa returned to the sleigh, he started to recite his reindeer’s names.  Donner and Blitzen indicated that there was an immediate burning sensation on their hind legs. 

          One reindeer not wanting to be named described the other reindeer’s responses.  He related they climbed almost twenty to thirty feet vertically and glancing back at the sleigh, he saw two presents tumbling to earth while Santa glued his hands to the sleigh’s sides.  The same reindeer added that he had yelled at all of the other reindeer to stop or else Santa would fall to his death. 

          To avoid further disaster, Santa asked the lead elf to direct the reindeer for him.  After the incident Santa told his reindeer that he would never order those tacos again! 

          Following his medical examination, the Doctor explained that Donner and Blitzen had only a superficial burn and it would leave no blisters.

Hey guys did you know that there are like 2000000000 frogs at our house literally?  In a puddle there are about 5 frogs and in that puddle there are about 1 to 5 egg sacks. That is so wierd.  So do you know what I did?  I grabbed one egg sack and I'm going to hatch the eggs out!!  The next day my sisters Robin and Ellie found were I got the eggs from and they got some too. That night I planned to go on a frog hunt and when I asked them the two of them said OK.  The next day we were off.   

On Saterday and Sunday Gramps came over.   He got us tickets to a calven-volrath (hopefuly spelled right) concert and he he also came it was the best concert untill................  Snap somethig snapad down on my thumb and went straight threw my finger-nail it hert so bad that I didn't even cry.         

            Darren (indan code name ko-ha-na)

Haven your baby sister is sooooooo cute!  I could stare at those pictures of Mimi forever she is so cute!!!!!!  Tell your mom that I said"congrats!"                                                                            

                  Darren indain code name(Ko-ha-na)

"A fox!" yelled Robin as she jumped up and down.   Me and dad were by her side in a few seconds with the gun loaded.  Dad was out the door and on the deck in no time.  I was so excited because dad was using my gun and also because foxes are very hard to shoot.  My dad had the gun up and was getting the iron sites in site.  All of a sudden we heard a "tktk!".  The fox was up and running.  Dad got the gun loaded again and shot at it.  The second time it also jumped.   A third time he shot at the fox, I thought that it dodged the shot.  Hopefully that is the last time we see him because he could have taken one of my chickens and then he would keep comming back for more.  See you!  --Darren.  (Indian code name Ko-ha-na)   

My goat had a plugged nose and it could of died!  Grampa thought it had amonya but it only had a plugged nose!  Hee hee!  Sometimes I like when my Grampa is rong. 

This was the second theater production I've been in so far.  The two funniest parts of it were when Jed said "Porcupine road kill is my favourite dish. When you can smell it you go to the road and you suck on the nose till the eyeballs collapse. Hee hee!!"  The other one is when you hear a cat sound and the the lady says. "John I need you." and John says "She's never said that before." and the rest of the show she had a broken leg.  Hee hee!! 

A couple days ago the Fehlers were over at our house.  On one of the three days we went outside to see the two huge hills called Big-Mac and Double Fun Hill(s).  It was sooooo hard to get to Big-Mac because it had snowed for two days before the Fehlers got there.  When we got there, after struggling to even walk through the gigantic drifts that were everywere, me and Silas decided to make a trail through the drifts to the house. It was hard but we did it without freezing into an ice cube because by the time we got there, it was -27!! 

Today the fethers are coming over for tonight and the next day!!  We might just might go skidoing,like I said before you never know whats going to happen when the fethers are here!

Yeterday the taubers,jeffery and jess came over to our house beacause mom thought we could have more people over since we have more space now that we have a bigger house.  We wanted to have jeffery and jess beacause they had a new baby that was born on my freinds birth-day!  They named the baby "ryder" beacause jeff is traning horses!

        DARREN (indian code name Ko-ha-na)

Today dad came home early and because it was (and still is) -46 outside, we decided to do a trick that we learned from the tv in hawii in a nature show. This guy was in Siberia looking for a siberian tiger and before that he would show us a simple trick, so he said "All you need is a little foul weather and some hot water.  The temperature has to drop at least to -30.  You take a cup of hot water and throw it into the air and it crystalizes before it hits the ground."  So we tried it two times and the second time was beter because you could actually hear it.  It turned into snow and ice.