“I’m back,” Jim told Reece, his mouth full with donut. “Looks like you’ve been working hard! Good thing I bought us a little snack!”

Reece put down the weights he was lifting. “Snack?” He said, glancing at the pink plastic bag that Jim was holding.

“Donut holes!” Jim said cheerfully.

“No way! I thought they only sold these in America!”

“I thought so too, but I saw these in the store and knew I had to buy them!”

Jim and Reece sat on the grey mat, chomping down on the donut holes while everyone else in the gym continued exercising. Jim took a loud sip of juice while Reece stared at him.

“Can you pass me my juice?” Reece asked.

“Sorry, I didn’t get you one, I thought you didn’t like juice,” Jim replied, shrugging.

“Who doesn’t like juice?”

Reece stood up. “I’ll be right back.” And he set off.

Reece walked inside the nearest coffee shop. “Ok, so I will have a…” He paused while looking up at the board listing all of the options for drinks. “I think I’ll just have an orange juice, thanks.”

“Right away,” said the woman taking his order. “So, where’re you coming from?” She asked, trying to make conversation.

“Why? Don’t I look like an English lad?” Reece asked, putting on a terrible accent. The woman laughed, shaking her head.

“Ok, you got me. I’m here from the United States with my friend Jim, we met in University.”

“America… I’ve been there, once, I went to Vancouver a few years ago.”

Reece started laughing. “Canada isn’t a part of America”

The woman chuckled. Americans hated that. “Ok, here’s your juice, what’s your name?” She asked, with a pen over the plastic juice cup.

“Reece.” The woman got halfway through writing the name before Reece said, “With a C, not an S. I was named after Reece’s Pieces. My dad loves them.”

“So do I.” The woman handed Reece the juice.

“Have a good day,” Reece squinted at the woman’s name tag, “Amanda.”

“Thanks, you too.” Amanda replied.

Reece walked out of the store. He looked down at the juice, and right below his name with the crossed-out S, he saw a phone number written on it.

Jim had eaten most of the donut holes when Reece got back to the gym. He was combing back his chocolate brown coloured hair. Jim had the same haircut for as long as Reece had known him; a mullet, although his hair was shorter when Reece had met him, and he hadn’t grown his moustache then.

Reece on the other hand, had short blonde hair, and was quite muscular, he looked like what you’d think of when you thought of a fit young American.

“You took a while.”

“Sorry, I was making small talk.”

Reece and Jim came home quite late that night, they were laughing all the way up the staircase of their apartment while telling each other funny stories about themselves when they were younger. Jim put a box of pizza into the microwave. “I’m just going to get changed, I’ve stayed in these sweaty clothes the whole day!” Reece shouted. He put on his green pyjamas but noticed something smudged onto his hand. Reece had written down Amanda’s phone number on his hand to make sure he didn’t forget.

He dialled the number into his phone and waited.

“Hello? This is Amanda,” came Amanda’s voice.

“Hey, this is Reece. You gave me an orange juice, and we made small talk. Maybe you don’t remember me.”

“Oh… the Reece’s Pieces guy! I’ve been waiting hours!”

“Haha, sorry, sorry. So… How are you?”

Amanda and Reece talked for a long time, leaving Jim alone to eat his microwaved pizza.

“I think I’ve got go now, but do you want to meet some time?”

“Sure, I work at the coffee shop Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Weekends or anytime between that’s fine.”

“Ok, meet me at the park right outside of your coffee shop on…  Saturday, three pm.”

“Sounds good.” She hung up. Reece sighed.

When he came back out to the living room, Jim was deep asleep, snoring on the couch with the now empty pizza box on the carpeted floor. Reece put a blanket over Jim, then walked into the bedroom and also fell asleep.

The next morning Jim was still asleep when Reece woke up. ‘Off to buy breakfast -Reece.’ He scribbled down on a torn piece of paper.

When he came back to the apartment, Reece toasted the bread and cooked the eggs that he had bought from the supermarket. He heard a yawn behind him and looked back.

“Ahhhh, you’re awake! Only took you forever!”

“What’re you making?”

“Eggs on toast.”

Jim yawned again. He still looked a bit tired. “Where’d you go last night?”

“Oh, yeah… Listen, I’m really sorry, I was making a phone call, but I didn’t know it’d take that long.”

“I was out there, waiting, for like, half an hour.”

“Jim, I’m sorry, really.”

Jim sighed. “It’s fine, you know how I get cranky when I just wake up…”

Three PM rolled around quicker than Reece expected. Jim was busy watching some TV show about a murderer. “Hey Jim, I’m just going to go out for a little while… That ok with you?”

“No way! The sister did it!? His own sister killed him!? I liked her! Sorry, what was that Reece?”

Reece waited in the park where they planned to meet, when suddenly, Amanda jumped up behind him.

“Hi!” She said cheerfully.

“Hi,” he said, less enthusiastically but still with a smile.

“Where would you like to go first?”

“Well… There’s a nice cafe around here…”

They walked awkwardly without saying anything until they found the cafe.

“Table for two, please,” Amanda said to someone who worked there. Reece skimmed over the menu.

“Is the hot chocolate good?”

“Terrible. It tastes like…” She paused, thinking what to compare it to. “Vegetarian meat. Yeah, that’s a perfect example.”

Reece chuckled. “I once considered becoming a vegetarian… Didn’t work out, though, I only lasted a few hours.” Amanda smiled.

“I think you should grow a moustache.”

At first, Reece didn’t say anything, then he started laughing. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“Yeah, you’d look good with one.”

Reece started touching his upper lip. “A moustache…” He muttered to himself.

“May I take your orders?” the waiter asked.

“I will have a… lemon meringue pie, please,” Amanda told the waiter. She quickly wrote it down on a notepad.

“Very good, and you sir?” She asked, now addressing Reece.

“A blueberry muffin will do, thanks.” The waiter walked away.

“How long have you lived in London for?” Amanda asked Reece.

“Six months now. How about you?”

“I was born in Italy, but I’ve lived in London my whole life.”

“Ever thought of going on an adventure? Some place you’ve never been before?”

“Yeah… London’s a beautiful city, but I’d like to go on an adventure around Europe, maybe even the world, but I can’t get that type of money working part time at a coffee shop…”

“Then why don’t you quit? Get a better job, save up some money, and then do what you want to do?” Amanda sighed.

“It’s not that simple. If I could, I would. Just quit. Become an artist. That’s what I really want to do…” Amanda shook her head.

“Here you are, a lemon meringue pie for you.” The waiter put the pie in front of Amanda. “And a blueberry muffin for you.” She put the muffin in front of Reece.

The muffin was much crumblier than Reece had expected it to be.

“This place is the best! Except for their hot chocolate,” Amanda said.

“Yeah, this is good,” Reece replied.

Reece glanced up at a clock on the wall. He had been gone for about an hour. Jim was probably still watching the TV show, but Reece still didn’t want to leave him too long like he had done the day before.

“I think I should start heading home…” Reece told Amanda.

“Alright.”

“We should meet up for dinner together. There’s an Italian restaurant that me and Jim go to all the time.”

“Great. See you at… Seven?”

“Sure.”

But before Reece left, Amanda gave him a little kiss on the cheek.

When Reece came back to the apartment, Jim still had his eyes glued to the television. “Oh hey Reece,” Jim said, finally turning off the TV.

“Hi Jim. Did you finish watching that murder TV show?”

“Oh you mean Who & Why? No, I’m on the final episode. How was wherever you went?”

“Good, good. All good.”

“Did you miss me?”

Reece laughed but stopped. Jim had a strange look on his face. “What?” Reece asked. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know… Just, nothing. Well, we’ve known each other for a while now, and I…”

Reece spoke quickly. “We’re friends, Jim, and we’ll always be friends.”

“I’m just saying. I think there’s something, I don’t know…” Jim said. He looked in pain, but like he also wanted to say more.

“Hey, listen”. Reece paused. “Are you good with going to that great Italian place tonight? With a friend of mine and me? You know.. The- What was it called! Elipino’s! That’s the place!”

“Sure, yeah.” Jim said unsurely, looking at the ground.

Reece and Jim didn’t say anything to each other until seven o’clock rolled around.

“Time to go. Come on Jim,” Reece said quietly.

“Hi Amanda. This is my friend Jim.” Jim and Amanda shook hands. They found a table to sit at.

“I recommend the spaghetti bolognese,” Reece said looking down at the menu.

“No, the pesto pasta’s better,” Jim mumbled, locking eyes with Reece before quickly looking away.

“Gee, I don’t know what to pick. It all looks quite nice…” Amanda said hesitantly.

“You know what this place is famous for? Their splits, you can get a split of anything; lasagne and pizza, spaghetti bolognese and pesto pasta, you name it!” Reece said.

“That sounds a bit gross,” said Amanda. “I think I’ll just settle for pesto pasta.” Amanda started humming a song while taking a sip of water.

“You know Who & Why?” Asked Jim, unexpectedly.

“Jim, what…“ Reece began saying but was cut off.

“Oh, yeah. It’s the perfect TV show! What part are you up to?”

Jim and Amanda talked about the show for almost the entire time they were at the restaurant, leaving Reece to sit and eat his spaghetti quietly while no one was paying attention to him whatsoever.

“I didn’t believe it when I found out the sister killed him! She was always so nice, and when you learn that she did kill him, you look at the funeral speech a whole other way!” Amanda was saying.

“This sounds like a pretty good show…” Reece said, hoping that would help him into the conversation.

“Oh, it is,” Amanda said, taking a bite of her pesto pasta.

“Anyway… So your theory is that the dad killed him?”

“I mean yeah, new episodes are still coming out, and it would make more sense, he had the motive and everything.”

All three of them returned to the apartment that night (Amanda wanted to see it). “I’ve got to go to the bathroom…” Reece muttered. He quickly went, but when he walked out of the bathroom, Jim and Amanda had vanished.

“Hello?” He called out. He searched for a little while, but Reece and Amanda weren’t there. Reece opened the door leading to the hallway and walked out onto the unstained baby blue carpet. As he turned his head, Reece managed to see, but only barely, two figures running down the hall and quickly turning a corner.

Written by Lucy Martin. Ten-year-old student from Western Academy of Beijing.

What inspired the story: My motivation for writing this story is that I’d like to be an author when I grow up. I came up with the plot idea from an episode of a TV show called ‘Poker Face’. The episode was about a crime being committed in a gym, but I wanted to tell a story about two close friends and then expanded the idea from there. When I was about midway through writing, my Dad told me about this competition, so I had a good reason to finish the story.

Images: FreePik

Last night, I was in my room watching a super boring show that my mom picked for me. Suddenly, the whole house went quiet. It was really creepy! I walked out of my room to see what was going on – and I couldn’t believe my eyes. The Reaper was there, holding my mom in a bag and getting ready to throw her out the window!

I jumped into action right away. I summoned my magic sword and fought the Reaper with all my strength. I finally won and saved my mom! But it wasn’t over yet. The Reaper dropped a ripped-up piece of paper with a bloodstain on it. Just then, my mom fainted, so I dragged her to her bed and started putting the paper puzzle together.

By morning, I had finished the puzzle while Mom was sipping her coffee. The message said:
“GO BACK HOME. YOU ENTER YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!!!”

I had no idea what that meant. I was already home in Munich! Then I remembered – I’ve lived in other places before, like Beijing and California. Maybe “home” meant one of those! I decided it must be Beijing. The only problem was, I couldn’t go to China until summer break. Luckily, that was just two days away!

When vacation finally came, I raced to the airport, hopped on a plane and waited (kind of impatiently) until we landed in China. But when we got to the hotel … my mom disappeared again! My heart sank. Was this the nightmare the Reaper warned me about? I shuddered just thinking about it.

Then, something amazing happened – I ran into my old friend Maddie! I hadn’t seen her since second grade. I told her everything: the Reaper, the mystery message, the missing mom. Maddie said she wanted to help. I was so happy! Together, we went to the graveyard because, well, the Reaper is kind of dead, right?

We searched everywhere until we suddenly heard a scream! We ran as fast as we could and stopped in front of a spooky grave. We dug it up and – you won’t believe this – we found my mom!

My mom was shivering so much that I thought she was going to burst! Maddie quickly grabbed her and carried her to a bench so Mom could rest while I explored the spooky graveyard. Suddenly, two people came running toward us – and in the nick of time, I recognized them! It was my friends Calista and Hanna. They said they heard what happened and decided to ditch their plans to come and help. I was so relieved and happy they were there!

An hour passed, and I was starting to feel really tired. Just as I was about to sit down, Hanna shouted, “HEY! COME LOOK AT THIS!!!” I jumped up and ran over to see what she’d found. There was a shovel on the ground with another ripped-up paper next to it. The paper said, “LEAVE AT ONCE!!!”

We were so scared that we ran away as fast as we could. Suddenly, I understood what the message meant – the Reaper was chasing us! But then I remembered something terrible – my mom was still back at the graveyard! At the same moment, Maddie realized it too. She dodged the Reaper’s long arms, grabbed my mom, and carried her to safety.

We rushed back to the hotel with my terrified mom and tried to figure out what to do next. We decided to check out the city from up high, so we went to the rooftop of the hotel. When I looked down carefully at all the tall buildings, I noticed something strange. Together, the lights formed a message:
“FORGET ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU FOUND AND LIVE A NORMAL LIFE.”

But I didn’t want to forget any of it! So I ignored the message and followed my friends outside to a water park. It was really weird because nobody was swimming; everyone was completely still. Then, out of nowhere, my friends froze, too. Before I could move, I started to freeze myself … until, in less than a minute, I was frozen solid.

I looked at Calista and Hanna, and right away I could tell, they were faking it! I just knew they were hiding something. They saw that I found out their secret, so they stopped pretending and told Maddie and me what they had been doing the whole time.

Hanna said, “We were actually working for the Reaper.”
Then Calista added, “We were supposed to trap you and your mom and Maddie so the Reaper could take your souls.”

Before I could even say anything, a blueish glow started shining right in my chest! Hanna looked at me with wide eyes and said, “That’s your soul!” Then my soul started swirling around me like a tornado of light, and in a flash of blue, I was free! I used my powers to free Maddie too, and together we stood up to Hanna and Calista.

I told them, “If you stay on the Reaper’s side, you’ll only have misery. But if you stand with us, you’ll have friendship, happiness and joy!”

They thought about it, and after a moment, they decided they didn’t want misery anymore. They joined us for real this time! Hanna and Calista even told us where the Reaper’s hideout was, so we set off to find him.

When we got close, Maddie whined, “I’m hungry! I want roasted beef!”

I shouted, “NO! You can’t have roasted beef right now! You can wait nine hours! Once, I had to go a whole week eating only ice cream and I survived! You’ll be fine for nine hours without beef!”

Finally, we arrived at the Reaper’s hideout. He was waiting for us, grinning in the shadows. “I see my lackeys have brought you to me so I can take your souls,” he sneered.

But Hanna and Calista stepped forward and said, “We’re not on your side anymore! We’ve joined them!” and pointed at us.

The Reaper was furious. He jumped up, grabbed his sword and lunged! I summoned my sword just in time to block his attack. The clash echoed through the dark room. Then, out of nowhere, Maddie summoned her silver daggers and fought beside me! Together, we battled the Reaper for hours, sparks and magic flying everywhere.

At last, the Reaper fell into a pool of his own shadowy power. We had won. I turned to Maddie and asked with a grin, “Do you still want that roasted beef?” Then I handed her a coupon for a roasted beef restaurant. Maddie burst out laughing and started dancing around with joy.

That’s when my mom showed up out of nowhere holding bottles of sparkling cider, (okay, not champagne this time!), and poured everyone glasses to celebrate. Hanna and Calista thanked us for giving them another chance, and we all toasted to our victory.

We did it. The Reaper was gone. Friendship had really saved the day.

THE END

P.S. This story is dedicated to my pals in Beijing. Friends forever. Story inspired by Munich’s ghost tour with my buddy Hannah, who came to Munich to visit me.

Have a story buzzing in your brain, waiting to burst onto the page? Have you created characters on a grand adventure, or perhaps written a poem about a moment that took your breath away? If you’re a middle or high school student with a passion for creative writing, we want to hear from you!

Images: Freepik, Nola 

Meet Todd Shroom.  Todd is adorable. He is undeniably adorable. But you must know that Todd was created not like this version of himself; instead, he was born as a small, ordinary, natural mushroom in the mystic Mushroom Land.Mushroom Land is green with long pastures of flowers and grass, and among these pastures are loads of mushrooms. Mushrooms are scattered everywhere in small patches, and every variety of mushrooms can be found in these lands. However, though the land is grassy and green, the clouds in the sky never part. Not a single ray of sunshine is visible, just rows of grey, grey, gloomy clouds. Why? Because mushrooms cannot be exposed to light, or else they cannot grow. So, the wizard of the land cast a spell to cover the sky in clouds. But our story does not begin here in Mushroom Land, but rather in the magical bubble of the Fey. The Fey are magical creatures that have dove wings and only dress in white … except for the Dark Fey.

The White Fey are one of the most powerful creatures in the world, driving back evil demons and spirits, along with the help of Mother Earth. And the Chief Fey had been whipping up something magical. The Federal Magic Inspectors (aka FMI) visit each land in the world every fifty years to inspect the magic and life of the land. The Chief Fey created something to help recreate life in every land. But there was a catch to it: Before he gave the potion to the FMI, he told them to use the potion carefully. One drop, he told them, simply has the power to heal any wilting plants. Two drops can restore the plant to become more beautiful than ever, and three drops have the powerful effect of making the plant immortal. But a warning: Pour the entire potion onto a plant, and who knows what would happen. Then the FMI took the potion and flew off on their wings.

The operation was smooth, sprinkling the potion on all the plants, until the FMI reached Mushroom Land. As always, the sky was cloudy and grey, and the FMI gagged at the ugly sky. As they were flying through the sky, a sudden thunderstorm arose. They one FMI screamed as a lightning bolt hit the ground right next to them. Quickly, the FMI took to the sky and tried to escape. The Fey who had been told to hold the potion of life, who was the eldest one in the FMI, swiftly gave the potion to the clumsiest of the FMI, Clumsina, so she could create a forcefield.

Big mistake.

Within five seconds, Clumsina dropped the potion, and it tumbled down and down. Luckily, another Fey flew to grab it, but unfortunately, the strong wind knocked it out of her hands. Now there was nothing the FMI could do but watch in terror as the powerful gales tossed the potion around. At last, when the potion drew near again, one of the Fey took out her whip and tried to lasso the potion. Nope. That did not work. Instead, the whip hit the bottle, and it shattered into a million pieces, and the potion fell down to the ground.

Luckily, the liquid did not hit one of the mushrooms. Then th- oh, right. You must be wondering how Todd was born. Okay, I will tell you this: the potion did not move. But Todd did. The strong winds were still going, so strong that finally one of the mushrooms was ripped from the ground and went flying around in the sky. The one tiny mushroom was so light that it might have never landed!!! But thanks to the storm, one bolt of lightning hit the flying mushroom, and it was pinned down by the bolt, and the mushroom fell into the puddle from the potion of life. At first, nothing happened. The Fey sighed, thank goodness. But then, the purple potion began to bubble and pop around the mushroom, and then the mushroom bounced around the puddle like it was alive. Legs and arms popped from the places where they should be, and a mouth and eyes were suddenly visible. The strong winds now seemed to be coming from the mushroom; the Fey were pushed backwards, and the grass began to ripple. And then, KRRRR-BOOOOMMM!!!!!!!

Bright colors glittered in the sky, like a box of rainbows had just exploded. And then everything went white. Then the fog cleared, and a small mushroom was standing right where the puddle used to be. The little remarkable mushroom was adorable. Todd was adorable. Todd Shroom is adorable. Todd decided that what he wanted to do with his life was to become an herbalist, who makes concoctions with herbs and plants. He is now still alive, and still collecting seeds, plants and liquids of every sort. And so from this serendipitous mistake, the first-ever Mushroom herbalist in the world was born.

Have a story buzzing in your brain, waiting to burst onto the page? Have you created characters on a grand adventure, or perhaps written a poem about a moment that took your breath away? If you’re a middle or high school student with a passion for creative writing, we want to hear from you!

Images: Freepik, Clark Yap

Once upon a time, there was a girl. She wasn’t some great fairytale princess or anything. She was just a normal girl, like you and me. This girl grew up, got a career, had children, lived life the way life was supposed to be lived, and then she died.

That’s it.

That’s the end.

Gone. Kaput. Just like that.

Nothing could ever bring her back.

Cinderella’s fairy godmother wasn’t there to magic her back to life. Prince Charming wasn’t there to give her true love’s kiss. There wasn’t a curse to be lifted, or a quest to be completed. She wasn’t trapped in an enchanted sleep or poisoned by a evil witch.

It was simple, really.

Annabel Mary Brown died at age 34 in a car crash. She left behind a thirteen-year-old daughter, a grieving husband and a lifetime of buried hopes and dreams.

That is her story.

That was her life.

THE END

Now, it’s time to begin another story. This one is about a girl named Elle. A girl whose life flipped upside down at age 13 when her mother got into a horrific car crash. Elle still remembered the exact moment she and her father had received the call. Tuesday night, as they were eating lasagna and takeout from the nearby Chinese resteraunt and waiting for her mother to return from work, her father’s phone began to ring. Elle only remembered snatches and flashes of the conversation that had ensued, but what she would never forget was the way her father had turned ashy white, and the single, disbelieving word he had uttered:

“No.”

The later details were just a blur, moments lost in time, with only the bold, hard facts remaining: Annabel’s body was recovered from the wreck. It was cremated, and the ashes were thrown into the sea, just the way she would have wanted it, Elle’s father said.

Want.

It was a strange word. Definition: a desire, wish or need for something you didn’t have. What Elle wanted was to turn back time, talk to her mother and find some way to stop her from dying. If she was in a fairy tale, Elle thought, at this point some genie or fairy would descend from the heavens and answer her wishes. But this wasn’t a fairy tale. This was real life, and people didn’t always get what they wanted.

Day after day, month after month. Time passed on. Eventually, the memory began to hurt less. Elle recovered. Slowly. Then, something worse happened.

As she was cycling home from school one day, there was a shriek, a thump and then the furious sound of a car trying to brake. Elle barely had time to look up before a giant white minivan slammed straight into her. The world spun upside down, colors shifting into nothing. Distantly, Elle could hear people’s voices. A man, sounding panicked, saying: “Oh no. We better call the ambulance.” Then, the sensation that she was slowly being lifted. Though Elle fought to stay conscious, gradually all the noises grew softer and more detached and she began to feel herself fading away. Just as Elle felt certain that this was the end, a sharp, spidery little voice sounded in her head.

Ironic, isn’t it. Dying of a car crash just like your mother.

What? Elle felt certain that she was hallucinating.

And you had so much promise too. Never mind. I have come to collect you, child.

Who are you?

Me? I am everything and I am nothing. I am the darkness of the shadows and I am the wind in the trees. I am the silence and I am the cacophony of noise. They hate me and they fear me and yet they need me. My child, I am Death himself. And I have come to you at long last.

No. No! You can’t have me! Besides you can’t be death, that’s not possible! Please please let this be a nightmare.. Please tell me this isn’t real, Elle thought, feeling panicky and breathless all of a sudden. But indeed, it seemed realer than ever as the world around her began to morph and all of a sudden she was … in the middle of nowhere. That seemed to be the best description for the vast expanse of darkness she was surrounded by. Crooked, leafless trees that looked like old crones rose up in scraggly bunches around her, plumes of dust and smoke filled the air and the only source of light was a lone star, twinkling brightly in the night sky.

Not real? Child, you insult me for Death is the realest thing in the world. It is everywhere and it is nowhere and it will surround you with its embrace. Come now, I have no time for idle conversation. Come, child. Let me lead you away from this world.

Elle shuddered all over, as a clear vision of Death appeared in her mind. A tall figure cloaked in shadows reached spindly fingers towards her as she flinched away.

Don’t fight it, child.

I don’t want to die. Elle thought fervently. Let me stay. I’m begging you, please let me stay. My father, he needs me. He can’t cope with yet another death in his family. Listen, I have my whole life ahead of me. What about university? What about a career? What about everything that is yet to come? This can’t be my end. Not when my story hasn’t even started yet.

Death sighed, and it was a long, chilling gust of air that somehow filled the world with its sound of loneliness and despair.

My child, if only you knew the amount of times I have heard humans plead and pray for a chance to stay. I have collected infants that were newly born, snatched them from the arms of begging mothers. I have stolen the souls of those that had so much promise, so much potential and yet it was their time. I am the one who pens the words “The End” on the story of their lives and nothing you say will convince me to let you live.

For a moment, Elle thought of just listening to Death. It would be so easy, after all, to just curl up into a ball and let him take her away, where she could suffocate in a realm of silence and darkness. Perhaps she could even see her mother there! But then she thought of her father, and her schoolfriends, and all the days that were yet to come and all at once the number of unfinished things in Elle’s life shocked her. If she died now, she would never know what score she got on her algebra quiz, never get to eat the fabulous salmon Dad had said he was cooking for dinner tonight, never know if her best friend Max really did end up getting married to that handsome neighbor she was always gushing about, never get to redesign her room in the spring. Never, never, never.

It was as if her entire life was a stream of water, flowing from a tap until Death arrived and forcefully twisted the tap shut. Trickles and droplets of water still tried to escape, but eventually there was no more water. Dry. Barren. Desolate. That was what Elle imagined life after Death to be.

Life after Death. What a curious phrase.

And all of a sudden, Elle had an idea.

Death grabbed for her again, but Elle shifted away.

Wait. You say that each person’s life is a story. Elle said desperately. You are the one in charge of penning “The End” on their tales. You told me that my story ends here. But why?

Because it is written.

Then rewrite it.

Silence. Elle fixed her gaze on that single star, that one bit of hope in this land of despair.

Rewrite it? Death repeated, as if the concept was foreign to him.

Elle’s heart pounded. She had found something, a thread in the fabric of her fate, and if she pulled hard enough, maybe – just maybe – she could unravel it.

“Stories don’t have to end just because someone writes them down,” she argued. “They can change. New chapters can be added. A single rewording can turn a tragedy into something else.“

Death studied her for a long moment, his gaze unwavering. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he reached into the air beside him. A book appeared, a book with a rich brown cover and twisting spirals of gold engravings. A thin book with only a few pages. When Death opened it, Elle saw lines of elegant, shifting ink forming words she somehow knew were her own.

She saw her birth. Her first steps. Her mother’s death. The accident. The words spilled forward like water, rushing toward the final moment:

“Elle Mary Brown. Age thirteen. Died in a car accident.”

The End.

So final. So absolute. Her breath caught in her throat.

Death traced a skeletal finger along the final line of words, lingering there.

You are bold child. He murmured. Few dare question the ink of fate.

“That’s because they don’t realize they can,” Elle said, seizing the moment. “You’re the one who writes ‘The End,’ right? But that also means that you have the power to erase it.”

More silence. And just when Elle began to think that this was futile, that she was going to end up in a casket somewhere, buried without a hope of ever seeing the sky again, Death raised his hand over the book. His long fingers hovered over the words. The ink flickered, darkening, shifting, then slowly … melting away.

“The End” vanished.

The book trembled. Pages flipped wildly, as if caught in a storm. And then, suddenly, new words bled onto the parchment:

“Elle Mary Brown. Age thirteen. Almost died in a car accident.”

Death snapped the book shut.

Elle gasped as the world around her exploded in color, as if someone had turned the lights back on. She was falling and falling, her body snapping back to the moment before everything faded.

Her eyes flew open.

Fluorescent hospital lights burned above her. A sharp beeping filled the air. Her father’s frantic voice rang in the distance – “Elle? Elle!” – before she was engulfed in a crushing hug. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she clung to her weeping father, rejoicing in the happiness of that moment.

Elle was alive.

She had turned the page.

And her story wasn’t over yet.

The End

Have a story buzzing in your brain, waiting to burst onto the page? Have you created characters on a grand adventure, or perhaps written a poem about a moment that took your breath away? If you’re a middle or high school student with a passion for creative writing, we want to hear from you!

Images: Freepik

Have a story buzzing in your brain, waiting to burst onto the page? Have you created characters on a grand adventure, or perhaps written a poem about a moment that took your breath away? If you’re a middle or high school student with a passion for creative writing, we want to hear from you!

We are launching a Creative Corner to showcase the incredible talent and imagination of young writers within our community. This is your chance to share your original stories, poems, and scripts with readers across Beijing and beyond.

Unleash Your Imagination

Your story can be anything you dream up!
Fiction: A sweeping fantasy epic, a gripping sci-fi mystery, a slice-of-life drama, or a spooky ghost story.
Poetry: Rhymed, free verse, haiku – any style that speaks to you.
Personal Narrative: A powerful true story from your own life, told with creative flair.
Plays/Scripts: A dramatic scene or a witty dialogue between unforgettable characters.

The only limits are the boundaries of your own creativity (and a few important rules to make sure it’s a positive experience for everyone).

The Rules to Follow

To make sure your submission can be considered, please keep these guidelines in mind:

1. It Must Be Your Own Original Work:
We want to read what you created. Please only submit stories and ideas that are entirely your own.
2. Mind the Word Count:
Keep your submission to a maximum of 2,000 words. This helps us read everyone’s work carefully.
3. Respect the Laws of the PRC:
All submissions must adhere to the laws of the People’s Republic of China. Please avoid any topics that are considered illegal or harmful – these include politics, satirical pieces about actual public figures, narcotics, violent crime, etc.

How to Submit Your Masterpiece

Ready to send us your work? Please include your creative writing piece and a short introduction about yourself.

Your introduction must include:
Your Name (or a pen name you’d like to be known by)
Your Age
Your School
Where you’re from
Why you wanted to write this story. What inspired you? What was the spark behind this idea? (2-3 sentences are perfect!)

Email everything to minayan@beijing-kids.com with the subject line: Creative Corner – Your Name

Our team will read every submission we receive but please note that while we will review all entries, not all will be selected for publication.

If your story is chosen, we will be in touch with you using the contact information you provided to let you know the great news and discuss the next steps!

This is more than just a writing contest; it’s a platform for your voice. It’s an opportunity to connect with other young writers in Beijing and to see your name in print.

So, open that notebook, fire up your laptop, and let those ideas flow. We can’t wait to read what you create.

Images: Freepik

In the social impact world, a common question is “What’s bugging you?” Entrepreneurs often start with a problem that bothers them, whether it’s a social issue or a market gap. For Daystar Academy tenth-grader Bayan Changizi, the answer was quite literal: bees. A longtime fascination with these vital pollinators led this student innovator to learn beekeeping for a school project – but he didn’t stop there. Bayan went on to build his own apiary, integrating beekeeping into his Beijing-based FROOT initiative, which grows organic produce and promotes sustainable farming. So what drives this young changemaker, and what’s it really like to keep a hive buzzing? We sat down with him to find out.

Bayan, your family has deep roots in Beijing. What’s your backstory?

My parents moved here more than 25 years ago from Canada. I was born in 2009 in Beijing. My mother is a math teacher at Daystar, and my father is a doctor at Beijing United Family Hospital. My older siblings are both studying in the medical field, one in Australia and one in the US.

So you’re a born-and-bred Beijinger! Are you fully fluent in Chinese? Is China “home” now?

Yes, I speak Chinese at the same level as English. In writing, my English is a bit better! I’ve attended the bilingual Daystar Academy since preschool. In primary, we studied a mix of the Chinese national curriculum and IB. My family spent every summer in Vancouver, and we have Persian ethnicity, so yeah, Canada and China are equally home, although mostly I identify as a global citizen.    

You’re in the IB MYP (International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program), which is known for its interdisciplinary approach. What is the goal of student projects during MYP?

In the last year of MYP, as we prepare to enter the DP (International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, grades 11-12), we complete a Personal Project on social innovation. We identify a social or environmental issue and come up with a solution to take action. We start defining our project in Grade 9 and continue throughout Grade 10. We do independent research, have an assigned supervisor who mentors us, and submit our final project to IB by February.

You chose a rather unique topic for your project – beekeeping! Why?

During the pandemic, there was severe isolation. My family wanted to reconnect with nature, and together with a Chinese family, we bought a farm in a village east of Beijing. I began helping out there on weekends, and eventually, I set up a venture called FROOT together with three friends. FROOT sells organic produce that’s pesticide-free and humanely farmed and free-range eggs from our own incubated chickens. We also host monthly events on sustainable farming practices, like composting, for families.

I’d love to buy humane produce from FROOT! So, where did bees enter the picture?

While working on the farm, I became more aware of the role of pollinators in sustainable farming. I’ve always been fascinated by bees – how they work together, how important bees are to human life as they pollinate up to 80 percent of all foods, and how their numbers are declining. Every summer in Vancouver, we’d see beekeepers on the road and stop to visit their apiaries. So, the MYP Personal Project was the perfect opportunity to take this interest to the next level. I reached out to a neighboring farmer, Mr Chen – we always bought his honey – and asked to do an apprenticeship. He taught me everything he knows! His experience helped me understand how to care for a hive and ensure its survival through the seasons. After a couple of months of learning, I moved the hive to our own farm and started beekeeping independently.

 What kinds of bees do you keep?

These are Italian honeybees. Native honeybees in Northern China are endangered; they are kept in protected areas where invasive European honeybees cannot threaten them.

What does beekeeping entail exactly? When do you harvest?

I go every weekend to tend the hive. It’s a yearlong process. Winter is the toughest period for bees, with low temperatures and no source of nectar or pollen. During winter, I fed my bees sugar as supplementary food and insulated the hive to help them conserve energy. Now that it’s spring, I’m planting flowers near the hive to increase food diversity for their foraging. Throughout the year, beekeepers will inspect their hives for things such as mites, disease, population size, and queen health. The honey harvest comes in autumn.

How does it feel to handle the hive?

Intense! You need to keep all movements smooth so as not to agitate the hive.

Did you get a chance to exhibit your project results?

We had an exhibition at school, and I presented it at the Future of Education Now (FOEN) conference at Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) in March, at a workshop session called Planting the Seeds for a Sustainable Future.

What aspects of your upbringing do you feel particularly shaped your drive?

My family environment is a big part of who I am. My parents always encouraged hands-on work, whether it was fixing broken appliances or getting your hands dirty in the garden. I remember my brother reminding me to “be the best Bayan I can be.”

What three pieces of advice would you offer for other young people?

1: In a world increasingly immersed in technology, remember to maintain a connection with nature and the earth.
2: Once you find a passion, explore it and hang on to it.
3: Always find a way to give back what you have been given.

Looking ahead, do you see sustainable farming playing a role in your future studies or career?

Climate change is a problem that our generation will have to tackle. Sustainability isn’t just a choice – it’s a necessity. What I’ve learned from farming will shape how I see the world and the role I want to play in it.

Inspired? We know we are! If you’re a teen with an incredible achievement, let us know! Get in touch with Mina Yan via email at minayan@beijing-kids.com or WeChat (ID: Wilhelmina87).

Images: Bayan Changizi

The John Locke Institute Essay Competition, though only a decade old, has quickly become a highly sought-after academic credential for students worldwide. Last year alone, it received over 30,000 entries.

Students from Beijing, Shanghai, and other Chinese cities have consistently excelled in the competition. In 2023, a student from the Shanghai American School won the top prize, and past winners include students from Beijing New Talent Academy and Beijing Normal University’s Experimental High School.

This year’s competition opens on April 1. Tonight, you’ll have the unique opportunity to hear directly from the founder of the John Locke Institute, Martin Cox, in a special WeChat Channels live stream with Jingkids Founder Toni Ma. Tune in tonight (Monday, March 17) from 7:30 PM to 9 PM. The livestream will be conducted in English.

Whether you have questions about essay strategies or want to learn more about the competition and their global academic camps, this is your chance to get insider insights. Bring your questions and prepare to gain valuable advice on how the John Locke Institute can help you grow—not just as a student, but as a thinker.

Since its launch in 2015, the competition has attracted curious minds from around the world. Essays must be no longer than 2,000 words and can be submitted in seven categories: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law. Essays are evaluated by professors from Oxford and Princeton, with prizes awarded in each category. The Grand Prize is given to the best overall essay, and there’s a special prize for participants under 15.

If your child is eager for more intellectual challenges, the John Locke Institute offers global academic camps. This year, they’re introducing an Economics & Finance Summer School in Nanjing from July 1 to 8. Designed for students aged 13 to 18, the camp features lively debates, engaging lectures, and opportunities to connect with like-minded peers from around the world.

Images: John Locke Institute

Have you ever been curious about what it would be like to work in someone else’s shoes? We know we’ve been! Jingkids is thrilled to introduce an exciting new series where we send our teen interns on a journey to try out different jobs in the city for a day. Our adventurous young reporter will step into the shoes of various professionals, experiencing the highs and lows of their daily routines and report on their experiences, sharing insights and lessons learned along the way.

Join us as we uncover the fascinating world of work through the fresh perspective of a curious teen, discovering what it takes to thrive in different careers with this “A Day in the Life of…” series. 

This time, we sent our 12-year-old intern Margaret Yang, from Beijing City International School, to Roundabout for a day to get a taste of what Roundabout volunteers do to make the place run smoothly. 

For those who are unfamiliar with Roundabout, they’re essentially Beijing’s very own Salvation Army. Their gigantic warehouse takes in donations from families all over the city, and they sell these pre-loved (and sometimes brand-new) items. The proceeds from these donated items go toward funding charities and worthy causes to support kids in need.

Find out more about Roundabout by them on WeChat at Roundabout666

After placing a few pieces of clothing into the donation box set up by Roundabout and purchasing a couple of books that I enjoyed from a book fair they held at my school, I started to get interested in this charity organization. I got in touch with an alumna who volunteered at their book fairs and in their store, asking what she did and how the organization works. I then decided to sign myself up for a day volunteering in their main store.

I have always been involved in some type of charity work. However, Roundabout works much differently.

Roundabout welcomes most types of donations given to them, and after sorting them, some of the objects are sold in their store while others are donated directly to the causes Roundabout supports.

I was led to the second floor and assigned to check puzzle sets and label which sets were complete. Even though this may sound boring, especially when the rest of the day revolved around sorting and organizing different objects, it helped me concentrate and reduced unnecessary anxiety throughout the day. It also put into perspective the care that Roundabout puts into every item they sell. If you buy a box of puzzles from Roundabout and it says that it’s a complete set, you can be sure that it is, thanks to the excellent counting skills of volunteers like myself.

After meeting two other volunteers and chatting with them, I found out that all volunteers who choose to help out with Roundabout share a common interest in giving back and helping others, which aligns closely with Roundabout’s mission of helping more children with illnesses and special needs.

I had a chat with Ms. Wei, one of the team members who helps find children whom Roundabout focuses on helping. She shared how there are children with certain blood diseases in Heibei Yanda. “When selecting children to help, we prioritize more urgent needs,” she shared.

Roundabout is also working on creating a program that helps children from underprivileged families, who have received medical treatment, return home with some of the financial burdens on the family lifted. It’s often they hear stories of families who gave everything they have and then some in order to seek medical help for their children. The love these parents have for their children is incredibly admirable but returning home after treatment, to poverty and debt is the last thing they need. This program requires extensive communication with the families of these vulnerable children and more fundraising efforts, so if you can aid Roundabout on its journey, please do!

Roundabout started in 2008 when its founder, Leslie Simpson, discovered that orphanages and children in rural areas of China were receiving a lot of unnecessary objects and not receiving sufficient donations. She began to focus her actions on receiving donations from others and using donations to help children with diseases, and things took off from there. As an organization with volunteers helping out for thousands of hours every year, Roundabout is definitely achieving its goal of getting more people involved in donations and helping others through small, everyday actions.

Even though the way Roundabout works sounds simple, the organization and sorting of the objects given to them is what requires so many volunteers, because counting every single piece of a puzzle and cleaning and taking every single piece of a LEGO set apart requires a lot of attention and concentration. But like how I experienced it, doing work like that allows me to concentrate and ensure what I have on hand is done responsibly and with quality.

To find out more about why other teens love volunteering at Roundabout, click here!

If spending your free time giving back to the community is something that appeals to you then Roundabout is a perfect place for you. To get more info on how you can volunteer with Roundabout, add the WeChat account below.

Find it:
Cathy View Plaza, No.2 Xiangjiang Bei Lu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 137 1805 3814

Images: Roundabout

Have you ever been curious about what it would be like to work in someone else’s shoes? We know we’ve been! jingkids is thrilled to introduce an exciting new series where we send our teen interns on a journey to try out different jobs in the city for a day. Our adventurous young reporter will step into the shoes of various professionals, experiencing the highs and lows of their daily routines and report on their experiences, sharing insights and lessons learned along the way.

Join us as we uncover the fascinating world of work through the fresh perspective of a curious teen, discovering what it takes to thrive in different careers with this “A Day in the Life of…” series. 

This time, we sent our 12-year-old intern Margaret Yang, from Beijing City International School, to scoop ice cream for a day with the Nice Cream team at the Beijing Ice Cream Festival that took place this past weekend. Nice Cream started in Beijing in 2019 with the mission of making delicious ice cream but with less fat and sugar. Find out more about them by scanning their QR code. 

As a sugar-allergic tween, going to an ice cream festival only means one thing: working at a stand for a day instead of enjoying all the ice cream that’s available on a hot summer day. And that is exactly what I did. I worked for Nice Cream for a day at their Beijing Ice Cream Festival stand (while also going up and down to get the mint chocolate chip milkshakes, as they were only made in Nice Cream’s shop below the fourth-floor festival). You may have heard about Nice Cream sometime before, but did you know about its creative process and future plans?

I went to the Ice Cream Festival on the first day of the three-day event, and it was already packed with liveliness and enthusiasm. There were also familiar ice cream brands like EIS Engelchen and MOVENPICK, but to my surprise, there were even quite a few pastry brands like Gontran Cherrier and even a kombucha stand that satisfied my interest with their product.

But at this festival, I was 100 percent on the Nice Cream team. They brought some of their super unique flavors to the festival, like pavlova (a fun bit of excitement on my day, the last customer I served for the day was actually an Aussie who probably knew more about pavlovas than I did), black sesame mochi, and purple rice wine. It was expected that mint chocolate chip would be the best seller, being a collaboration with MARVIS, the luxury toothpaste brand, but, surprisingly, the purple rice wine and coconut pineapple flavors got the most attention.

There were also ice cream brands that I had never heard of before. The stand next to us, fellow low-calorie and low-sugar brand Il Laboratorio de Gelato, got so much attention that my two colleagues couldn’t help but get two scoops of their most popular flavor and rave about them.

For those who’ve never worked in the stall of a food fest, it’s a whole different experience than attending a fest as a guest. Not only are you working and selling your own products, but you’re making friends with the teams from the other stalls as well. There’s something about an outdoor festival that brings out the cheerful side in us all. And one of the things that vendors always do at food fests is trade products with each other. It’s such a sweet way to make new friends and also try some tasty treats all at the same time. So, towards the end of the event on the first day, I traded two scoops of ice cream from the Nice Cream stand with the Gontran Cherrier team for two of my favorite matcha scones!

When interviewing Nice Cream’s founder, Michael W., he mentioned that even though a lot of current ice cream brands are being marketed as low-sugar or low-calorie, that bar is set in comparison to traditional American ice cream, which is extremely high in sugar and fat. However, Nice Cream started within rigid frameworks of low-calorie ice cream, thus allowing them to proudly put on the packaging of their products the exact amount of calories and sugar in every serving. This allows customers to make informed purchases of what they are going to be consuming.

Michael and his team work hard to create a balance between great taste and maintaining their ice cream’s low-calorie characteristics. Because of this, the award-winning brand is also focusing on fostering taste-oriented collaborations, like their recent collaboration with Chef Marino, culinary director of Giada Gardens, creating a “Cannoli from Sicily” ice cream flavor, which is available in Nice Cream’s shop in Baitasi. I didn’t get the chance to try this flavor since it wasn’t brought to the festival, so that’s exactly why I’m waiting for you guys to do that and comment below with your review!

Nice Cream aims to become the best healthy premium ice cream brand in China, and development of new, creative flavors is crucial to reaching this goal.

So, how does this process work? Inspiration comes from seasonal ingredients, special collaborations with other brands and companies and people, special holidays in China, etc. The brand develops new flavors every week, and these flavors will be taste-tested internally first and then brought to shops for customers to try for the second round of the trial. When Michael told me this, it was the exact moment I realized that there’s such a job as an ice cream taster. Can you imagine? Being paid to taste ice cream is actually a job!

“Ice cream or gelato can be super creative, so there are no limits to what we can come up with, and that’s one of the reasons we love what we do,” Michael states. Even though the French vanilla and chocolate flavors are always available for customers to choose as “safe” options, creative flavors such as mint chocolate chip and purple rice wine are what keep customers amazed by the brand and coming back for more time and time again.

After working at the Ice Cream Festival for a day, I can honestly say that I loved it. Perhaps it has something to do with how scooping ice cream and giving out samples is quite therapeutic and satisfying.

As an emerging brand with only around four years of history, Nice Cream is already going viral on numerous social media platforms and is being recognized by so many customers. I highly recommend trying Nice Cream for a healthy and satisfying ice cream experience.

Find it:
53 Palace Gate East Fork, Xicheng District
西城区宫门口东岔53号
Tel: 150 0127 3756

Images: Margaret Yang