Thanks, Colin by Liam Quinn

I have found my best friend. What happened that night was this, after I had come back from trick or treating I saw that my brother had a bunch of friends over. Now my brother is 3 years older than me and he was sixteen at this time and I was 12 or 13. I knew his friends because I had talked and seen them many times before before. Even though I knew them very well there was a big pack of them, so I was somewhat intimidated. What scared me about this too was that I hadn’t seen them all in a while and I did not want to embarrass Colin or get them mad at me. Also since there was a good 7 or 8 of them they could be very rambunctious and quite crazy and scary, so I took off my costume and timidly went to talk to them.

” Hi guys.”

“ Wats up lil Quinn.”

Then they were going out to play basketball and they needed another player.
“ Oh great, I thought to myself this is my time to shine.”

So they willingly said,“Yo lil Quinn you wana play.” Obviously I said “yes” when I looked at my brother he gave an assuring look (the first clue) I was over whelmed with happiness; I was so excited to impress them and I really wanted to get on their good sides. We were all having fun but when the game ended I wondered what to do next. He and his friends were going to walk around the neighborhood and he said 4 words “ do you wana come?”

So I went and had a really fun time and noticed that I had a lot in common with my brother and we were best friends. Now if you had an older brother you know that they rarely ask you to hang out with them when they had FRIENDS over(you can tell how happy I was).I was filled with joy and the emptiness was filled with him being my best friend. We get along way better than just your average siblings. My best friend is different than yours, he will stay there for me my whole life and I’ll never have to worry about not being able to keep in touch with him. We are truly best friends

OUCH! by Jack Loughnane

        "Woah, what happened to your finger?".
        " It all stared when I was 6..."
       I was driving home from the beach on a hot summer day. It was my dad, my brother and I. We just had a great time at the beach and I was very happy.
         "It must be one of the hottest days of this year." my dad said. " would you like your windows down?"
          "Yes please." I replied
        So my dad put the windows down and I instantly put my hand right out. Before the window was down it was as hot as a desert, but now it was nice and cool. We were on the highway and I was just feeling the wind hit my hand. It felt great. I liked the feeling of not being trapped, I was not like a caged monkey anymore. We were just about to my house now; I still kept my hand out the window.
       We pulled into the driveway and came to a stop. My dad said "Windows are coming up."
        I didn't listen I kept my hand outside. I just didn't know it was coming up. Then I finally saw it at the last second and tried to rush my hand out. I got all my fingers out, except one. My right pointer finger was caught in it. I screamed "Ouch!!!"
        My dad ask "What happened?!?!"
        "You shut the window on my finger!" I answered. "Can you get it out?!"
        "Yes yes calm down you're gonna be fine." He told me.
        After we got it out I said,"It really hurts. What are we going to do?"
         "We should probably go to the hospital," my dad said.
          We went off the the hospital. We went and got me an X-ray. No bones broken in my finger. I was happy as a kid on Christmas. Another thing bothered me about this happening though; the window that my finger got stuck in broke. It could not go down anymore and it was all because of the 6 year old me.
       Just a few years ago I had a similar thing happen with my little brother slamming a car door on the same finger. As you can see I really do have a messed up right finger.

The Ride of My Life by Sean Brown

​‘Everyone get on’ came out the loud speakers on the Six Flags bus. When everyone was on the bus we headed for the gates of Six Flags. The gate were covered in vines like tangled Christmas lights strewn on the floor. We finally reached the long awaited destination of the Six Flags ticket lines. I looked at my phone; the time was 10:45 am, ‘fifteen minutes’ I say to my two friends who joined me on this adventure. After the longest fifteen minutes of my life we headed to the main entrance. We had to squeeze our way through the tightly packed crowd of people; it was like a department store at midnight on Black Friday.
​Once we got through the crowd of people we headed for the ‘Flash Pass’ office. These make it so you don’t have to wait in the dreaded amusement park lines. The first ride was called Scream, this tall building like structure launched us more than a hundred feet high then dropped all the riders and stopped them inches from the ground. This was only a taste for what was to come.
​My favorite ride of all was Batman. It was a high speed shiny black coaster. It had loops, twists and turns all going at a very high speed. The main coaster at Six Flags is the famous Superman. This roller coaster has a almost ninety degree drop from two-hundred feet. I went on this coaster three times just like every other ride, thanks to the Flash Pass. After we had a filling lunch of burgers we decide to go on some more rides. After three coasters we were feeling sick. By now it is 4:00 pm. We decide to go on Superman one last time. We were all in our seats and the ride attendant was going down the cars and making sure everyone was strapped in correctly. When he got to me he tightened the lap bar too tight. When we started moving I started to forget how uncomfortable I am. We started to go down the drop and I felt fine. When the ride was done I felt like I was going to throw up from the bar pressing against my stomach. After I got off the ride I did throw up.  That’s when I really felt fine. I started to run to my friends and left the throw up for the workers. This was my favorite memory from the summer.

A Crazy Day at Sea by Basem Metri

​One day my father came to me and told me, “son we’re going to look at a boat, and if we both like it we will buy it.” I replied to my father in great excitement, I said, “finally, that just made me so happy! Then my dad and I went up to bed as it was very late almost 12 on a Friday. We went up to bed and all I could do is imagine what will happen the day we go look for the boat. Finally I closed my eyes and counted down from a hundred 100…99…98… then I was a sleep. I woke up the next day looked out of my bedside window and saw the beautiful sunrise gazing upon the horizon, I heard my dad’s voice, “Basem it is time to have some breakfast and get on our way to Hyannis, Cape Cod.” I went down very fast ate, then showered and before you knew it I was in the car, seat belt strapped and ready to go! I was so thrilled to see what lied in front of me this day. So my dad came out with a big smile on his face. I can still remember going on that huge bridge seeing huge ships in the water and other boats just skipping across the water. Then we got off the bridge and after a couple more minutes could see the water, we were not quite sure where he was as he told us to come to the central docking area, but we still had some trouble. My dad saw a man walking on a dock to his boat; it was a little awkward because it turned out to be the man selling us the boat. The boat though was in the water and we had to take a row boat from the dock to it.
 
​My dad got on first and it sort of tilted back and forth due to his weight of 300 pounds then. I got on and then the man following us named Rob got on also, he said “are you two ready for an exciting day on the water? I hope you like the boat; I am also giving you a free brand new water tube.” My dad was intrigued by this because we were going to buy one if we were going to get a boat anyways. So we got to the boat, as I got on it I realized that it was as bright as the sun. The boat was so clean I guess the man spent a lot of time on it like I did on this special narrative. So anyways we then left for the water, I really liked the captains seat it made me feel as good as I would feel if I got 100% on an assignment. I sat in it on the way out then went up to the top of the boat which had a seating area; this was because my dad and the man were going over the payment and how to control it all. I came down after that and my dad said we are buying it, we went back to the docks, then the man was going to take the boat up for us and we were going to take the row boat back so it would not be left in the water, so we did I got on then my dad looked very hesitant and shaky like an old women with no cane. Let us get to it though he got on and boom! We fell off the row boat it flipped, then my father and I got to the big boat and my dad said we are not buying it, I have a vision this will not work out to well. Now till this day he tells me one day we will by that boat. So maybe some years from now I will right one day… with another story about my adventure to buy a boat.

Sox Fanatic by Peter Keough

​I am really glad that I bought that Red Sox hat.  I inhaled a deep breath, and the smell of hamburgers and french fries filled my nose.  I was four years old.  My dad and I were at the Silver City Galleria Mall in Taunton. We had to make a lot of stops, and none of the stores were really entertaining to me.  “Dad,” I asked at one point, my head craned at a ninety-degree angle to see his face, “why do we have to go to all of these grown-up stores?”  The only real fun part was when we got to go to the Food Court to have lunch.  With greasy food and loud, annoying kids on the indoor playground, even this was not pleasant.  This day at the mall was not the best day for me.  
Now, around this time, I was just starting my fascination with baseball.  I was as fascinated with baseball as a scientist is with a new species.  I was beginning to understand the game by watching the Red Sox with my dad, and could not wait to play T-ball.  When my dad came up to me one day and asked “Would you want to play T-ball?” I just about shot through the roof with excitement.  Of course, my favorite team was the Red Sox, and I instantly became attached to anything that had their logo on it.  I was a starfish, stuck to this team.  I wanted a jersey, a bat, a glove-but what I wanted most was a hat.  I have loved hats since my dad got me one when I was only two weeks old, and a Red Sox one would mean the world to me.
After I chowed down on as much Burger King as my four-year-old stomach could hold, my dad and I started our way out to the car through J.C. Penney.  Feeling tired and not satisfied with the mall excursion, I could not wait to get home.  When we got about halfway through the store, I stopped dead in my tracks.  My dad noticed my feet were glued to that spot and questioned, “What are you looking at, buddy?”  Then, he followed my intense gaze and discovered what was mesmerizing me.  A rack of brand new Red Sox hats was smack in front of my round little face, and I could not look away.  “Ah, I see,” he said “you want a hat.  Go ahead, take one, we’ll buy it on the way out.”  I could not believe what he had just said, and I felt as if I had been hit with an 800-volt electric shock.  After searching frantically for the best one, I grabbed the brightest, bluest hat that I could reach and practically ran to the checkout counter.  My dad also got the same hat, and I thought that it was so cool.  When the man at the counter saw me clutching my new hat, it was as if he was reading my mind.  “First Red Sox hat, huh?”  he asked.  I nodded eagerly as he rang up the hats and asked if we wanted it in a bag.  I said no (being so excited and all), and we both wore our new hats out of the store with big smiles on our faces.
​Since then, that navy blue hat has turned gray and sweat-stained, ripped at the seams.  But no matter what happens to it, it will always be my favorite hat.

Play Ball by David Balcom

“Dad, can we please go now? I’m ready.” “No the game starts in four hours.” “But…please.” “Fine.” My seven year old body twitched in anticipation and I dashed to the car in a blur. My dad and I had stayed up all night waiting to bid on tickets online. I fell asleep long before the outcome, but woke to my dad telling me we got five tickets and I would attend my first Red Sox game that day. I got to bring my two friends, Austin and Evan, and their dad came to. So that morning I put on my Red Sox; shirt, shorts, hat, and wristband. I nagged to leave like a hungry baby for hours until my dad gave the okay. I jumped in the car and we drove to my friend’s house. We picked them up ten minutes later and started the long trip to Boston from Rhode Island. The ride seemed to take days because my excitement was building. I bounced in my seat, and chattered with my friends. I finally saw the giant multi-colored tank, with the Asian man’s face staring back at me from the blue. I knew we were close. As we approached I could smell popcorn, sausage, and hot sweaty men. The old men were like children waiting for a theme park to open. They were waiting in line, agitated by the slow turnstile. My dad found a parking spot and slid the car in with ease. We all hopped out and let the hot sun beat down on us. We walked down Lansdowne Street to buy peanuts and sausages. With my lunch in my hand, I got in the line for the turnstile right away. The line was moving, but I was backed up pretty far. I ate my sausage as the mustard was slipping down my Red Sox shirt. I listened to the people chirping around and you could sense the excitement throughout. I finally got up to the turnstile and handed the man my ticket. The turnstile grudgingly opened the park to me. As I walked in, blinded by the sights and smells, I waited for the others. I stood there waiting and an old man grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the side. My dad ran over and snatched me back from the man. My dad asked, “What are you doing?” The man was wearing a yellow shirt and my dad relaxed as he understood the man clearly worked for the park. “There isn’t anyone to say play ball before the game… Does your kid wanna do it?” I was hesitant and overwhelmed, but my dad answered without even looking at me and said “Yes.” An hour later, I met the man at a special gate and he led us onto the field. My dad and I scooped up some dirt into a bottle while waiting. I don’t know if it was allowed, but we did it anyway! The pregame rituals carried on as I stood there wiggling my fingers and kicking the perfect dirt. Then a man with a headset directed me over to a microphone at home plate. It was my chance. I shouted with my little voice into the echoing microphone, “Play Ball!” and the crowd cheered.

The Red Buoy by Anthony Salvucci

“Follow the blue markers down to the beach” the guide announced to the entire group, as we descended down towards the water. We came out of the tress and walked onto a warm, sunny, Caribbean beach. At the end of the trial there was another man from the group handing out snorkels, fins, goggles, and floating vest. My dad was helping my little sister put here vest on. My older sister had taken out her camera and was taking as much pictures as possible. My older sister was coming down the path just now. My mom was listening to the instructor “In case of any emergency…” explaining safety stuff. I wasn’t really listening but looking out at the ocean. It looks like a perfect picture, almost unreal, with crystal clear water, bright sun, and seeing small fish swimming thorough the water. “… And the red buoy is where the coral reef ends so don’t go farther than that”, the guide said as he finished his talk. Finally dyeing of the heat we ran into the water, what is in no way like Massachusetts water. When I first went underwater it was like an entire different. With so many fish, coral, and different colors everywhere. There was thousands of these little two inch fish that you could go into their school and they would just move a little from you and not even care. There was also a ton of different varieties of fish, like clownfish to purple and yellow fish, to sea enemies. We spent awhile having fun as an entire family not worrying about any schedule and finding time when we all can get together. We were swimming everywhere about and begun to go deeper out as we went along, hurrying now because big, dark clouds seem to be coming. We were coming to the red buoy and then “Ahhh was that a shark!” my sister yelled. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a giant fish. It was a slivery color that looked like foot feet long. But just as we saw it saw us and swam away. I spent a little more while looking for it but I couldn’t find it then “BOOM!” the clouds had come closer and there was thunder now. “Everyone out of the water!” the lifeguard than yelled through his loudspeaker, a second later. Our fun may have ended but the amount of time we spent as a family was the best part, and one of the best vacation I ever had happened there in the Caribbean.