Roaring Voices Review
November 2020
Welcome Back Tamanend!
Enjoy!
~RVR Leaders
A Somewhat Gory Banquet - Short Story by Mya Weiskopf
Bianca was supposed to spend Thanksgiving alone. Her parents were going on a special date night and they had told her to order in some pizza or Chinese food. She had asked if some of her friends would come to eat with her, but each of them had plans for a large family dinner, like Thanksgiving should be.
Usually, Bianca spent Thanksgiving over in London, where her grandparents lived, but this year, her parents decided that they wanted to have their anniversary date night dinner at some posh, fancy buffet on Thanksgiving night.
So, she set the table for two, with a fall table liner and a candle in the center wrapped in a little leaf decoration that was originally on the kitchen island. She had set the table for two, one for herself, and one for her imaginary date whom she would be spending the night with. She had only ever been on one date in her fifteen years, and it was an absolute disaster.
Finish the story by clicking the link below!!!
Halloween is the Worst Day of the Year - Short Story by Lauren Magliaro
Halloween. The best day of the year. We get free candy, what can be better than that? Or so I thought.
You're probably like, "Oh, come on, Jamie, how on Earth could Halloween not be the best day of the year?"
Well.
I'll tell you.
A couple years ago on Halloween, my friends and I were being stupid and decided to go into the woods. How every horror movie starts. All we need is a haunted house and some ghosts, right? Well guess what.
A sketchy-looking shack was just-- sitting there. I could've sworn I hadn't seen it when we had first gone into the forest. There was one little window, with a dim light flickering inside. The shack was extremely run down, the wooden-shingle roof looked like it was about to cave in. The shack was entirely made of wood, moss, fungus, and mold growing on the sides there was a door blocked with planks & nails.
Finish the story by clicking the link below!!!
The Forbidden Bracelet - Short Story by Deanna Salerno and Angelina Iskander
Ajax was the son of Poseidon, the sea god. He wasn’t a very good kid. Constantly throwing trash wherever he wanted, being inappropriate in public, and was known as the mischief child. They called him Wacky Jax. And by they, I mean the school kids. Every kid in the middle grades knew him. The children couldn’t help but gawk at the boy’s unruly behavior toward the teachers at East Shore Middle School. His father, however, was not pleased in the slightest. As the sea-god, you would imagine he would do something. Well, he tried, and tried, and tried. But Ajax just wouldn’t listen. What a troublemaker he was.
Sharlott seemed to be his only true friend since she was immune to the charms of Mr. Ajax Olympios. Unlike her, the other girls in school enjoyed being around Wacky Jax as much as they could, as if he was interested in staying to talk. Sharlott met Ajax on the first day of school. And since the boy could tell she wasn’t annoying and didn’t try to impress him, he befriended her. Quite a few girls didn’t understand why he was friends with Sharlott over themselves, though. Everyone thought she was strange, looking into the world of spirituals, myths, and anything of the sort.
Today was the 22nd of December. Two days before winter break started. Children were restless in their seats. Every year in every East Shore school, there was a gift exchange. You would purchase a present for a special someone and place it in their locker. (Make sure it’s empty beforehand, though. You never know who may just steal all of your gifts) Ajax always received the most. It was usually either love letters from a “Secret Admirer” or a teddy bear. Sharlott had gotten him a card that said, Merry Xmas Loser with her name signed at the bottom.
“Thanks, Shar’,” he replied.
“Hey, what’s that?” She asked curiously, pointing to a nicely sized white box, wrapped beautifully with a glitter golden ribbon on it.
Finish the story by clicking the link below!!!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oMMDth0jUnk7CHTh7Js6ZlpIzQzKd-evnrJS8-Izv68/edit?usp=sharing
Victoria's Preschool - Short Story by Shae Gruber
“Where is it?” I mutter as I see the same tree for the fifth time. There is no way I’m making it to the party. It’s already a half hour past 8 and getting dark fast.
Are you almost here? my friend, Ansley texts. I see an empty parking lot and pull in.
No. I’m lost. I reply.
Put the address into your GPS.
I’ll try.
I thought I knew where the party was supposed to be, I’ve even been to the house before, but I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
I open the GPS and type in the address.
“Party, here I come,” I whisper, pressing the ‘go’ button.
“You are here,” a female monotone voice says. It didn’t sound like the normal voice that should come from the GPS.
“That’s not right,” I mutter, looking at the app. I retype the address but keep getting “You are here.”
Getting out of the car, I continue to try the address.
“Are you sure that’s the right address?”
“Positive.”
Finish the story by clicking the link below!!!
The Witch and the Werewolf - A Short Story by Olivia Cao
The wind rushed past, whistling through the branches that Aria couldn’t help but compare to crooked fingers clawing at the skies. She shivered as a particularly strong gust snatched at her hair and bit at her skin. Scrambling her way through the front door of her family’s house, the door slammed behind her with one final wisp of freezing air. “Ria? Is that you?” called a voice from upstairs. “I’m home, mom.” she yelled back. Her mother’s face popped around the corner of the upstairs room. “Is Jackie back yet?” She slowly began to unwind her scarf and hung up her coat, savoring the warm air inside her home. “No, did he go out?” Her mom shrugged. “He said he had to do some things. Something about Halloween tonight.” Aria felt her whole-body freeze. Halloween. She swallowed down a flood of memories and stayed with her back turned, hoping her mother didn’t notice.
Finish the story by clicking the link below!!!
https://cbsd.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/TamanendLiteraryMagazine/EStkjvWce8xKlXZlT4p-bIwBeC7OE_5zgOO0eJvJ1k07_w?e=F4HG8M
Photography by Shrinithaa Elangovan
Photography - Remnants of Summer Collection by Kriti Malathker
Photography by Madeline Braverman
Artwork
Girl in Fall by Madison Oh
Song Lyrics by Kriti Malathker
Pumpkin Voxel Art by Josh Harper
Get to Know Your Teachers - Seasonal Interview by Kriti Malathker
#1. What fall activities do you and your family enjoy doing together?
Mrs. Wilhelm: I love watching my little guys play football and we love to go apple and pumpkin picking. Also, we check out haunted hayrides and sit around the firepit roasting marshmallows and making s’mores.
Ms. Vitacco: One of my absolute favorite fall activities is apple picking at Riamede Farms in Morrisville, NJ, with my nieces and nephews. We pick enough apples for an apple pie and an apple crisp to be made later in the evening. A few weeks later, we pumpkin carve and toast the pumpkin seeds to eat later in the night as a snack. I’ve been apple picking and pumpkin carving since my oldest nephew was 1 year old; he is now 14.
Mrs. Higgins: Bike rides and hiking to see the colorful leaves, carving pumpkins, and decorating for Halloween.
Mrs. Gamble: Hanging at the firepit, and now we invested in a patio heater, so we can also enjoy the comfort of our patio now too.
#2. What is your favorite fall tradition?
Mrs. Higgins: Celebrating my birthday!
Mrs. Gamble: Although we did not go this year, we love to go apple picking at Solebury Orchards and enjoying a refreshing Honey Crisp slushy and apple cider donut afterwards.
#3. Your favorite drink in the fall?
Mrs. Wilhelm: I can’t say that I am one of those pumpkin spiced latte lovers…
Ms. Vitacco: My favorite fall drink is a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks! DELISH!
Mrs. Higgins: When it gets chilly in the evenings, I love dunking Tim Tams in hot chocolate!
Mrs. Gamble: Dunkin’ Donuts Hot Chocolate when sitting at our fire pit
#4. Your favorite memory of the fall from when you were younger?
Mrs. Wilhelm: Pumpkin carving and trick or treating are some of my favorite memories from when I was younger, and I still love doing those things with my kids now.
Ms. Vitacco: My favorite fall memory is when my brothers would pile up the leaves and we would jump in them. They were supposed to be raking them and putting them into the big leaf bags, but instead, we would play in the piles for hours. 😊
Mrs. Higgins: I remember my parents raking up the leaves in our backyard, and then my brother and I (and our dog) would jump in all the piles of leaves.
Mrs. Gamble: My dad would always make me the best homemade Halloween costumes and I loved walking the neighborhood on Halloween showing off his creativity
I hope you liked this interview and got to learn more about some of the Tamanend teachers!
Enjoy the pictures below!
~Pics from Interview~
Mrs. Vitacco & Family
Mrs. Wilhelm & Family
Mrs. Wilhelm's Jack o' Lanterns
Fall - A Poem by Talia Perlman
The atmosphere changes while the leaves dangle from the trees
They swing and dance in the wind as they fall
Their bright colors fading once they flutter to the ground
The atmosphere changes while the leaves dangle from the trees
The wind sweeps across your face
Giving you a light kiss
Letting you know it’s there
The atmosphere changes while the leaves dangle from the trees
The cold pinches your cheeks
Burning your skin
And chapping your lips
The atmosphere changes while the leaves dangle from the trees
The sky turns into a menacing gray
Fog lays over the land like a blanket
You feel sheltered and imitated by the world
The atmosphere changes while the leaves dangle from the trees
The Wind that Comes and Goes - A Free Verse Poem by Olivia Cao
The greenery drifts on a last summer drift
And the foxes emerge, and the night is swift
The last of the blooms at the corner of my eye
And the geese that lift in Vs to fly
The rustle of it sings within my ears
Its whisper shouts a call
And its laugh it echoes through the woods
With the richness of the fall
I hear the crunch beneath my feet
Of leaves of autumn in carpet sheet
My breath floats along a pumpkin breeze
And whistles back among orange trees
On the best of days, the sky is clear
And the north calls to the wings
The fireplace brings with it heated warmth
And the memory of springs
The nights go by in seconds passed
And the day is a mere wind blow
And this time its fall that waves goodbye
To await the drop of snow
The rustle still sings within my ears
Its whisper a murmured call
And swear its laugh echoes in the woods
With the remnants of fall
A Dance of Red and Gold - A Free Verse Poem by Olivia Cao
The trees are dancing with the skies
And the breezes with the ground
And the leaves have dressed in red and gold
And are fluttering up and down
The leaves have waited seasons past
For the waltz they play with wind
Their dancing steps carry them beyond
But leave their branches thinned
“Shhhh” go the trees
With too many limbs bare
And their whispers quieter than summer
“Ssss” hisses the frost
As it creeps over the doors
And their whistles lighter than air
And apple cider scents envelope the sun
The wooden trees do splinter
Each fireplace turns a page in the chapter
And calls for the coming of winter
The Lady Autumn - A Poem by Olivia Cao
Her hair sparkles in the sunlight dim
And waves its way through naked trees
Her hands are leaves, covered limb to limb
And wave their way along wind with ease
She tucks her head in buried caves
To kiss the bears goodnight
Whispering on in rushing waves
To hide from Ice’s bite
The moon shines bright on her auburn skin
Her black as bat wing eyes
In each whirl of color her dresses spin
And the geese flocks take the skies
The harvests grow, are reaped by her lands
To give thanks and nourishment to all
And sunlight sparks from the tips of her hands
The sound of her voice, its call
As night times cool with her breezing breath
The fires burn alight
And nature sighs in season’s death
And yields her fields to white
Autumn’s Light and Dark - A Shakespearean Sonnet by Olivia Cao
The sun beam rays weave their netting of light
Snatching at the hues of gold, brown, and red
The tips of birds’ wings skim past in their flight
And yet still lost amongst all autumn’s thread
But, in my eyes, fall is both found and lost
Each crumpled leaf descending like lost souls
The boreal winds ice each branch with frost
And every step seemingly on hot coals
The others see not life and death in one
Don’t glance at the ugly beauty in air
For time is for what happiness has spun
And the thanks that we all must lend to prayer
As long as we remain weighted by all
I think it enough to be thankful for fall