Another World Behind The Wall
By Peyton
My name is Sara. I live in Mesopotamia inside a big wall and I live right next to the wall surrounding us. I have always wanted to go outside of the walls, but my mother will not allow me.
My mother says that I am curious, which I am. So I was going to steal some of my father's tools, mostly rope, and climb over the big wall surrounding me. So I did, but I wasn't that sneaky and my parents caught me and put a big rock on the outside of the door so I couldn’t get out. I had to be with my parents.
Then I figured out how to slip a piece of steel under the door and push the heavy rock out of the way. So I go out every night to look at the stars, but I have never had the nerve to go over the wall. Then, I had a fight with my parents and I am sure that I am going to climb the wall tonight.
So, I go under my pillow where I hid some rope, and got the piece of steel and went to the roof. There was no light except for the stars. I tie the rope to a smaller rock than the one covering the door and throw the rock just over the wall. I climb down the ladder with the rope still in my hand, and when my feet touch the ground I start climbing up the rope.
Then I see the other side.
Then I see the other side.
I see what people have talked about, but what my eyes have never seen, and now I see more of the world. The water flowing, the farmers farming, and some people sleeping. I see all of it! I stand on the wall and let the rope drape over the other side of the wall, and I climb down.
I feel the dirt and grass beneath my feet and it feels strange, but I feel happy.
Then the terrible time has come when I have to go back up to my room. I climb up the rope and slide down, and I take the rope down from the wall. I climb back up the ladder to my house, place the rock near the door so that I can still get in, slip through the door, tip-toe back to my room, and hide the rope under my pillow.
Then I go to sleep, like nothing ever happened.
My name is Samar and this is the story of how I accidentally created the wheel.
It was a regular day and I was doing my regular chore of cutting fruit. I glanced at an orange that was stationary just moments before. It had started rolling away. That orange was gone, out the door and then over the roof. I went back to finish my work.
I kept thinking about this rolling orange, especially when I had to help dig the irrigation canals and move the dirt.
Then I go to sleep, like nothing ever happened.
----------------------------
Wheelmaker
By Sami
My name is Samar and this is the story of how I accidentally created the wheel.
It was a regular day and I was doing my regular chore of cutting fruit. I glanced at an orange that was stationary just moments before. It had started rolling away. That orange was gone, out the door and then over the roof. I went back to finish my work.
I didn’t think anything of it until 3 days later.
That day started out just like any other day, until it hit me, well if anything, it hit my foot and bounced off harmlessly and continued on its way.
It was an orange! That made me think about 3 days before, when that orange had rolled away from me.
People should start putting their fruit into bowls.
I kept thinking about this rolling orange, especially when I had to help dig the irrigation canals and move the dirt.
I thought, "Why don’t I try and add logs instead of oranges to the crate that houses the dirt, and maybe it could move it with less effort."
It worked. And that's the story of how I invented the wheel.
Our city is starving. Just thinking of food was torture. We fought over the little grain and meat that was left. My father is always out trying to make wheat grow, but he always came back with a sad look of disappointment on his face.
You would be dumb to try to steal from Ur. But just thinking about it made me want to walk right up to Ur and yell “This is not fair!” That would not happen anytime soon, for Ur would destroy our city with a flick of a finger.
I wandered for two fingers of sun and I finally found something, it looked like one of our mud huts' walls, but flat and huge. It was an amazing sight. But then I heard voices shouting and I ran behind a tree. I turned to my side and saw a fantastic sight, golden wheat swaying softly and crunching together. I would have walked over and touched it if common sense hadn’t knocked on the door of my trance.
Then I noticed something weird. There were ditches throughout the fields. Why would they take up space to add ditches? Then I realized that they were flowing with water. That was brilliant, digging ditches to help water flow. I have to tell my father.
I began to sprint back home to tell my dad. Once I got there I explained how the ditches worked. At first my dad was mad because I had gone to Ur but after hearing about them he smiled, gave me a hug, and ran to the fields to start work.
A year later we had lush and bountiful crops.
Kirashi awoke with a start.
I immediately smelled something burning. That is odd, I thought. It is the wet season, there should be no wildfires. Then I saw them. More than 20 men stood atop a hill, firing flaming arrows into the farming village, just outside Kish, a Sumerian city. I suddenly realized we were being attacked by Sargon’s archer infantry. My dad, Ah-Kalla, burst into my room, holding my baby brother, Ashi, trailed by my sister, Ali.
“We need to leave, now!” he exclaimed. I quickly grabbed my dirk, a short sword I had gotten for my 11th birthday. My mother, Kummani, was in the main room, grabbing anything we would need. We knew Sargon was coming. We knew days beforehand, and we had everything ready. A scout burst in, blood seeping from a wound on his right temple.
“Hurry, Balli, we need to hurry. They are coming,” father announced.
----------------------------
Mesopotamia Story
By Celia
My mom would tell us stories of the wonderful city of Ur with its bountiful food and weapons.
You would be dumb to try to steal from Ur. But just thinking about it made me want to walk right up to Ur and yell “This is not fair!” That would not happen anytime soon, for Ur would destroy our city with a flick of a finger. Today was especially bad. A fight broke out and two men lost some of their teeth. Being a young man, I am expected to help our city in whatever way I can. They pick me to find resources, give me a spear and a basket and throw me into the wild.
I wandered for two fingers of sun and I finally found something, it looked like one of our mud huts' walls, but flat and huge. It was an amazing sight. But then I heard voices shouting and I ran behind a tree. I turned to my side and saw a fantastic sight, golden wheat swaying softly and crunching together. I would have walked over and touched it if common sense hadn’t knocked on the door of my trance.Then I noticed something weird. There were ditches throughout the fields. Why would they take up space to add ditches? Then I realized that they were flowing with water. That was brilliant, digging ditches to help water flow. I have to tell my father.
I began to sprint back home to tell my dad. Once I got there I explained how the ditches worked. At first my dad was mad because I had gone to Ur but after hearing about them he smiled, gave me a hug, and ran to the fields to start work.
A year later we had lush and bountiful crops.
----------------------------
The War to End all Wars
Part 1: The Siege
By Peter
Part 1: The Siege
By Peter
I immediately smelled something burning. That is odd, I thought. It is the wet season, there should be no wildfires. Then I saw them. More than 20 men stood atop a hill, firing flaming arrows into the farming village, just outside Kish, a Sumerian city. I suddenly realized we were being attacked by Sargon’s archer infantry. My dad, Ah-Kalla, burst into my room, holding my baby brother, Ashi, trailed by my sister, Ali.
“We need to leave, now!” he exclaimed. I quickly grabbed my dirk, a short sword I had gotten for my 11th birthday. My mother, Kummani, was in the main room, grabbing anything we would need. We knew Sargon was coming. We knew days beforehand, and we had everything ready. A scout burst in, blood seeping from a wound on his right temple.
“Hurry, Balli, we need to hurry. They are coming,” father announced.
Balli replied, “Yes, sir, I am hurrying.” Father worked for the king, and so Balli was with us all the time. He was 23, just enrolled into the city’s infantry. And my friend.
As we were leaving, an Akkadian broke down the door, screaming with fire in his eyes. How ironic. My dad then shanked him in the gut.
“Ugh!” he choked, and then he lay still in our doorway.
We bolted out of the house, a mud hut surrounded by wheat. Of course, most of it was now burnt, and, trust me, in Sumer, this was not good. As we escaped, a chariot drawn by two bone-white horses appeared.
“Ugh!” he choked, and then he lay still in our doorway.
We bolted out of the house, a mud hut surrounded by wheat. Of course, most of it was now burnt, and, trust me, in Sumer, this was not good. As we escaped, a chariot drawn by two bone-white horses appeared.
In a flash, I realized who it was. Sargon.
“Uhhhhh!”
I’ve been grounded for too long when I was just trying to peek over the village walls. My parents are way too overprotective. It’s been three long weeks, and I’m still grounded for another three.
Well, since you’re here I’ll tell you about myself. I’m Namkuzu, and I live in the city-state of Ur. Ur is a place in Mesopotamia. I am a girl, and I’m 11. I like to have fun, but I DON’T like school. At All!! I have one baby brother (his name is Shanghai). I think he cries way too much.
My mother goes into the fields every day to plant crops or tend to the weeds. I hope I never have to do that. (It sounds so boring). My father goes out to hunt with the other men, so he can bring back food for our village.
I’ve never gone outside of the village walls, but I’ve always wanted to go and see the wilderness. “I can’t take it any longer,” I say to no one in particular.
“I just want to go out!”
And that’s when it hit me (literally). A rock just flew onto the top of my head, and I got an idea.
My father is going hunting today, and I can sneak into his large hunting bag.
I got a bag, filled it with lunch, and set off to hide in the bag. It occurred to me that maybe I was too heavy, but I couldn’t give up now.
Once I was secured and well-hidden in the hunting bag, I waited until I heard our two hunting dogs, Gruffo and Nino. Then, I heard the sound of footsteps and panting and knew it was time. My dad put the hunting bag on the side of his shoulder. He didn’t think twice that it was three times as heavy as it usually is.
He walked until I heard the sound of other men shouting, and he stopped and dropped the bag hard on the ground.
“Ow!!”, I mumbled, but he was too busy talking to the other men to hear me. He took out his hunting supplies and I hoped he would not need his blanket today (because that’s where I was hiding).
Suddenly, a giant bright light hurt my eyes. “Oh no,” I thought in my head. “He’s definitely going to find me now.”
“Hold on I still need my spear, and then I’ll be ready to go,” he shouted to another man. I started breathing like I wasn’t ever going to breathe again.
“Namkuzu why did you do this! If you get caught you’ll be grounded for life!” The other man yelled “No need for that, I have an extra right here.” And all of a sudden my breathing was back to normal.
Once I heard all of the men and dogs gone, I got out and looked around me. It all looked so new, like I was a baby and I was seeing the world for the first time. The trees looked so detailed, like a piece of art with all the different types. I ran for the first time in weeks, and I never looked back.
----------------------------
Adventure Into The Wilderness
By Abbey
I’ve been grounded for too long when I was just trying to peek over the village walls. My parents are way too overprotective. It’s been three long weeks, and I’m still grounded for another three.
Well, since you’re here I’ll tell you about myself. I’m Namkuzu, and I live in the city-state of Ur. Ur is a place in Mesopotamia. I am a girl, and I’m 11. I like to have fun, but I DON’T like school. At All!! I have one baby brother (his name is Shanghai). I think he cries way too much.
My mother goes into the fields every day to plant crops or tend to the weeds. I hope I never have to do that. (It sounds so boring). My father goes out to hunt with the other men, so he can bring back food for our village.
I’ve never gone outside of the village walls, but I’ve always wanted to go and see the wilderness. “I can’t take it any longer,” I say to no one in particular.
“I just want to go out!”
And that’s when it hit me (literally). A rock just flew onto the top of my head, and I got an idea.
My father is going hunting today, and I can sneak into his large hunting bag.
I got a bag, filled it with lunch, and set off to hide in the bag. It occurred to me that maybe I was too heavy, but I couldn’t give up now.
Once I was secured and well-hidden in the hunting bag, I waited until I heard our two hunting dogs, Gruffo and Nino. Then, I heard the sound of footsteps and panting and knew it was time. My dad put the hunting bag on the side of his shoulder. He didn’t think twice that it was three times as heavy as it usually is.
He walked until I heard the sound of other men shouting, and he stopped and dropped the bag hard on the ground.
“Ow!!”, I mumbled, but he was too busy talking to the other men to hear me. He took out his hunting supplies and I hoped he would not need his blanket today (because that’s where I was hiding).
Suddenly, a giant bright light hurt my eyes. “Oh no,” I thought in my head. “He’s definitely going to find me now.”
“Hold on I still need my spear, and then I’ll be ready to go,” he shouted to another man. I started breathing like I wasn’t ever going to breathe again.
“Namkuzu why did you do this! If you get caught you’ll be grounded for life!” The other man yelled “No need for that, I have an extra right here.” And all of a sudden my breathing was back to normal.
Once I heard all of the men and dogs gone, I got out and looked around me. It all looked so new, like I was a baby and I was seeing the world for the first time. The trees looked so detailed, like a piece of art with all the different types. I ran for the first time in weeks, and I never looked back.
No comments:
Post a Comment