Page 50 - The Muse 2019-20 Issue

ɐᴉdoʇn
by Sara Gelrud 8th Grade
Blue Ribbon
“It’s beautiful!” Gianna exclaimed, admiring the mini model of the Twin Towers she had found in the thrift store. Identical in shape, size, and color, the model fit perfectly in her hands. The simplicity of the towers shocked her. All of the buildings in her neighborhood were all so complex and bland to her. They all had the same solar panels lined up in perfect symmetry, the same perfect gardens that grew the same perfect fruits and vegetables, and the same windmills at the end of every perfect street.
“How come there are no buildings in our area that look like this?” she asked Mitch. “Where are all the solar panels?”
“I just work here, kid. I don't know all the answers to your weird questions.”
“We learned about these towers in school today. 17,000 people worked here all at once! Isn’t that amazing?”
“Yeah, kid. It really is,” he answered. “Do you want it? Just take it. I doubt anyone will notice,” he said winking at her.
“Thanks, Mitch!”
The thrift store was Gianna’s favorite place in
town. There was no other store like it. Not many people
went there, and she always wondered why. It had crazy
unimaginable things hidden in it. From bizarre comic
books to old musty jackets that could tell you everything
about someone by just looking in the pockets; this store
had it all. She loved every item she’s ever found in the
store. One of her favorite books she ever found was one
about farm animals. She always wondered why there were
no cows, pigs, chickens, or fish where she lived and why
she never learned about them in class. Gianna admired the store and went there every week to find new treasures.
“Mom, why are there no pigs, cows or chickens where we live? Where are all the animals?” she asked her mom when she got home.
“We don’t talk about those things, G, you know that. Especially not about livestock.”
“But why?” Gianna whined.
“Because they said so,” her mother replied sternly.
Gianna always wondered who ‘they’ were, but she always forgot about it quickly. There were
more exciting things to worry about, she always thought after her mother had replied to her with the same dull answer.
“How was school today, G?” her mom asked as they sat down at the dinner table.
Gianna ignored her answer and asked, “How come all of the houses in this city are all white?”
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Micaela Navarro-Grau, Grade 7