"PSA: The Dangers of Spring Fever" by Lavender Li

This is an announcement from your local doctor. This year, Spring Fever (Morbus Fons) is a particularly strong strain. Due to the prolonged winter, Spring Fever has developed to be particularly nasty. It is important to know the symptoms and treatments of Spring Fever to protect you and others around you.

First of all, Spring Fever is caused by the changing of the seasons. Winter has just ended and your body is getting used to the new weather, including temperatures and hours of light. The changing of temperature confuses your internal thermometer, which affects how well your immune system fights off other types of illnesses. It is not uncommon for a person with Spring Fever to develop a cold or a stomach bug. The new and longer hours of sunlight disorients your biological clock, making it difficult for your body to fall asleep and wake up. This can lead to sleep deprivation and drowsiness.

Mixed with the natural allergies of pollen, the sufferers of Spring Fever suffer intense symptoms. Symptoms of Spring Fever include:

·         Drowsiness

·         Confusion

·         Runny noses

·         Weaken immune system

·         Desire to be outside

·         Desire to place flowers inside

·         Increase procrastination (often due to prolonged hours outside)

Spring Fever is easily treated. Treatment options include keeping a strict schedule or easing into the spring season. Keeping a strict schedule will help with procrastination and desire to be outside. With a strict schedule of times to be inside working and outside enjoying the weather, the symptoms of Spring Fever tend to decrease. Easing into the spring season also aid the symptoms of Spring Fever. Ways to ease into spring include, going to bed at normal times, gradually switching winter clothes to spring clothes, and keeping the thermostat colder to simulate winter. These gradual changes decrease some of the symptoms.  However, these methods of treatment might not be enough. If the case of Spring Fever is severe enough, your doctor may prescribe Flors Absente Febre or FeverbGone for short. This medicine reduces the symptoms without changing  your personal life. Talk to your doctor about the possibility of this in your life.

Spring Fever is a dangerous disease, especially this year. Knowing the symptoms of this disease is the first step in protecting yourself and others. Go to www.springfevergeneralinfo.gov for more details and information. Stay safe and enjoy your spring. 

"Long-Winded" by Lavender Li

Note: This piece is based on Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style. Writers were given a very basic plot and then asked to tell a story in a certain style. Lavender Lee has chosen to write a "long-winded" story.

Today started out the same as most days in that I got up, got dressed, and walked about a half a mile to my school, but on this particular day, I had completely forgotten to do my homework for History, which happens from time to time, but is not that big of a deal because I can just go over to the school library and complete it there, either on the tables or at one of the many computers sitting against up against a wall along the back of the room instead of reading quietly like I normally do everyday during my lunch time.  

When I got into the library, the nice librarians asked me to check in, which I, of course, completed because it is protocol whenever someone enters the library before they are able to pick out a book and  I was no exception to this rigid rule. Walking over to the first computer in the row to get started on the review chart, which is due next period, I notice a very particular sight located in the back corner of the library, where the various fiction books are normally are stored on the many rows of shelves. Every single one of the fiction books have been removed and stored elsewhere; in a location I did not know, even though I am practically a librarian myself with the amount of time I spend in the library day after day. The absence of the books worried me because libraries are typically full of books, but today, which is turing out to be a very unusual day indeed, it is not, therefore defeating the very idea behind a library, concerning both me and others around me, I determine as I watch the bustling activity of staff and students around me trying to figure out where the books have mysteriously disappeared off too. This situation worried me because fiction is normally popular, but not popular for all the books to be checked out at the same time, so the only possibility to the disappearance has to be a theft. Behind the checkout desk, the librarian and an administer are conversing about the outrageous situation, trying desperately to figure out who could have done the task and where the books went, as they are no where to be found, not even in boxes or anything, adding to the mystery and leaving everyone in disbelief. After asking one of the staff members, who also has little idea of the book mystery as well, I leave the library with my History homework in hand and a head full of questions left unanswered and the book mystery remained unsolved. 

Later that day, in History class, after I turned in my freshly printed homework, the teacher stood before us and started lecturing, but, much to the teachers dismay, a frantic student bursted through the door exclaiming there is a fire the size of an elephant on the football field and begs for help with the problem in which my teacher quickly springs into action, calling people on her telephone as the rest of her students, including me, dart out of the classroom and straight to the field to see what was happening outside.

Once outside, the student that burst into my History room was right, there is a massive fire in the middle of the field, and a strong smell of smoke filled the air accompanied by a billowing pillar of smoke flying up to the sky from the flames. The students from my History class and I stand on the bleachers, carefully observing the fire, which continues to grow because there are people, who I assume started the fire, standing around the it, throwing something, that looked like blocks or bricks into the flames. It suddenly occurred to me that the fire was being fueled by the missing books from the library and the people throwing the books into the flames have something against the fiction section, maybe something along the lines of they do not like the plots or characters, though that is not a reason to destroy the books, especially when other people would like to be enjoying the literature. As I stare into the flames, my mind starts to wander on how the fire might be put out, the first of which is a firefighter coming to the rescue, but at the rate the fire is growing, it will engulf the entire school before they are able to get to the there, or another end to the fire could be by if it started to suddenly rain, or even the students could run on to the field with fire extinguishers, also stopping the fire. I hope the fire stops.

"A Bad Smell and Where it Came From" by Lavender Li

My goodness, that smell was horrendous. Even though most people like the smell of the ocean, I can’t stand it. Of course, my English teacher decided that “Ocean Breeze” was the perfect scent for the new air freshener. When I when I waltzed into class on that one dreadful Monday and smelled the salt and seaweed, I wanted to gag. How could anybody like this smell? I think the reason for the hatred of the saltwater odor goes back to my first grade summer vacation.

As normal, my family decided to go to our local beach for a week. It was the perfect weather, a deep blue sky and a sun that filled the beach with happiness and warmth. We have gone to the same beach every year, merely out of convenience. The drive up to the familiar setting only took about an hour, perfect for traveling with children. In the past, I have always enjoyed making sandcastles and digging holes in the sand. I loved the tide pools filled with critters vastly different from the ones in my backyard. The ocean was fun to splash around in, not daring to go any deeper than halfway up my claves. Last summer, I began to notice the older children at the beach go further into the ocean, especially with boogie boards. Always smiling and laughing, I thought it looked fun. I informed my mother of what I wanted to do; venture further into the abyss. Thinking I would forget, she shook her head and replied “next year”.

Now, one year and a remembered promise later, my younger brother and I decided that this was the day we learned how to boogie board. I dragged my mother over to the stand nearby selling the boards. She agreed to buy one for me and my brother to share. I thought this was fair, as we could always get another one later. Inspecting every board, I picked out one with a bright blue checkerboard pattern. Smiling with joy, I ran right into the ocean, not looking back for a moment. I took the blue board out to the open sea and tried to catch a wave, mimicking the older kids on the beach. Peering behind me, I saw a medium sized wave coming straight at me. Thinking this was the perfect wave, I kicked my feet as hard as I could to get momentum going. Next thing I knew, I was flying on the wave until I suddenly lost my balance, and was thrown violently into the ocean. Behind me, another wave was hurling toward me, tossing my under again, flipping head over heels like a gymnast. I gasped for air, breathing in the water instead. I felt my lungs fill up with the salty water, suffocating me. Fear engulfed me, causing me to panic. Somehow, I managed to find the soft sand beneath me and stand up. At this point, tears were streaming down my face as I waddled over to my mother, who was videotaping the entire experience. This was when I decided the ocean was the worst place to go. I was petrified of the sea ever since. The rest of the vacation was terrible as well. I refused to go anywhere near the water and sat silently on the beach, afraid the ocean will stand up and eat me, just like a bad horror movie. To this day, I still cannot stand the ocean, as it brings back memories. Even the smell causes me to panic. 

 It looks like English will be a long year.