Sunshine Notebook by Abigail Rater

A New View

When it all began I was sitting on the shore, feeling the same between my toes and letting my mind wander. I checked my watch: 7:47AM. The date was Sunday, December 7, 1941. It seemed so ordinary, little did I know that date would live on forever as the day so many lives changed.

I should have been getting ready, but I just couldn't go to church that day. Not after the previous afternoon's drama. I had been playing in the waves at the beach with my best friend, Mindy, when Lillian showed up. "Molly!" She called, "I didn't expect to see you here!" Before I could do much of anything, Mindy was pouncing.

"What is the Japanese scrum doing at our spot?" She asked me.

At first Lillian looked shocked. Then hurt. But she put on a smile and whispered, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to say hi to my friend." My heart might have ripped in half just then. I could tell she was holding back tears. Why? There was no reason besides the unchangeable fact that she was from Japan.

"Friend? Molly's your friend now? Molly?" Mindy asked scornfully.

My face became a furnace as my stomach dropped to my toes. "What? No! She just won't leave me alone! I thought she was too small to be a real threat, even if she is Japanese, so I didn't bother trying to get rid of her." I don't know why I said that. It wasn't true, I just hated Mindy's tone.

I was thinking all of this over when suddenly I heard the roar of an engine overhead. What the... I looked up to see a bomber with the Japanese symbol on it. I whipped my head around to cast an uneasy glance at the harbor to my right.

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Days later I looked out the window to find a completely different island. The beaches were guarded with barbed wire and most of the ship's were gone. Destroyed. 2,335 men were killed plus 68 civilians. 1,178 more were wounded, including 35 innocent people standing by. I was one of those 35.

I shuddered at the memory. The smoke had thickened the sky in an instant and the sharp fumes had made me dizzy. Debris from our ships were flying everywhere. I tried to run but suddenly I was slammed to the ground. I couldn't feel my legs. The whole world had begun to spin. I was sure that I was dead when I saw Lillian. She was running towards me in all of the mayhem. The world went black before anything else could happen.

The next thing I knew I was seated on the couch with my mom. The scent of tea sweetened the air. Lillian was gone. I never saw her again after that. I never got to thank her. Or to apologize.

Mom's are so perfect. They know when you need to talk and when all you want to do is curl up the legs you can't feel and cry because you're so confused by this point that you don't know what to say or even think. They know that sometimes you just have to let something out, so they let you scream like a madman as loud as you like. They also know when all you need is a good book.

Oh, it felt so wonderful to be on solid ground once more! We had really made it. Well... not all of us. I remembered my brother with a sharp pang of sadness. Taking a shaking breath, I reminded myself that he was in heaven now.

My legs wobbled beneath me, for they had grown accustomed to the tossing waves and the constant rocking. Unable to stand, I knelt down and have thanks to God instead. All around me other people knelt in prayer, too. It was like a Sunday's service right then and there. We hadn't even planned it out.

It was the dead of winter. I shivered through my worn cloak and work dress, but the view below made it all worth it. The wilderness of trees and bushes before us was laced in a delicate frost that made even the thorns beautiful. It was as if a great spider had woven her web all around the forest. I had seen plenty of snow before in England, but it had never lost it's beauty to me. Something about this land was different, though. I was meant to be here. Agitated grumbles swelled up around me after some time, but all I could hear was the singing of my heart.

Wild animals ran by, much surprised to find us at their doorstep, but they weren't what the leaders were worried about. I peeked between shivering shoulders and made my way through the growing crowd to see what the trouble was. I heard cold whispers of "Barbarians" and "Wild men" that sent ants up my spine. But when at last I got to the front of the crowd, I saw nothing of the sort. What I saw was a small group of men with flesh and bones not so different from mine. They all had two arms, two legs, and faces just like me. So what was everyone scared of? Their skin was strangely dark and their clothes so very different, but what did that matter?

I was lost in thought long after I finished the introduction. How could this girl be so cheerful against all odds? I guess she was just doing what she could to make the situation better. Why couldn't I do that? I could try a new view. Lillian was gone. There wasn't anything I could do about that. What I could do was change my friends' opinions on her. Maybe one day she would come back and find an island ready to accept her, to admit that we are all humans. Maybe we could all take on a new view.

To the Prairie

Megan walked home from school one day in a deep gloom. ‘So what if I would rather work hard to get my own money then steal it from other people, that doesn't mean Ellie has to hate me,’ she thought as she kicked a pebble into the middle of the road. Being dumped by her best friend was bad enough but Megan had more problems than that. She knew that upon arriving home she would not receive a gentle hug and, "What's wrong, sweetie?" from a loving Mother but instead a, "Get out of my way you my big klutz," from her Aunt who didn't have the decency to even tell Megan how her parents died. It had always been that way as long as Megan could remember and it seemed like it always would. Megan was trying to sort out all the problems in her brain when she tripped over a crack and twisted her ankle. “Ow!" Megan tried to stand up but she fell. ‘This is just what I need right now,' she thought. Luckily she saw one of her Aunt's friends coming out of a store across the street. "Mrs. Vanderwick! Help!" The crowded city street was too loud for Megan to be heard. She began to crawl across the street to her Aunt's friend in her panic when she saw a truck driving straight towards her! The driver did not see Megan, who was too scared to move. She just stared at the truck and then fainted.

Megan suddenly sat up and looked around. She was sitting on the ground next to a stack of hay bales that was taller than she is. As Megan took in her surroundings she thought it looked like something out of her favorite book, Little House on the Prairie. Suddenly Megan saw a girl with brown braids come flying out of a nearby log cabin. A taller girl with blonde curls followed at a much more ladylike pace. Her blue dress was the exact same shade as the midsummer sky, which was not tainted by city smoke and smog. Before Megan could gather her wits the blond girl spotted her. "Laura look! There is a girl by our hay pile, she looks sad and confused. Let's see what's wrong!”

Laura rolled her eyes. "But Pa said I could help him chop wood if I finished my chores on time. She is probably just taking a walk from one of the other homesteads," she said.

“You get the water then, I want to meet this girl," the blonde girl said. So Laura walked off and the blonde girl walked over to Megan. “Hello, my name is Mary, are you alright?” she asked.

“Everything is wrong!" Megan cried, “Of course I'm not alright!"

Mary was startled but didn't show it. "Tell me what happened," she said kindly.

"Do you promise not to tell anybody?" Megan asked.

"Cross my heart." Mary said. Something made Megan pour out her entire story to Mary. Mary was a good listener and she helped Megan to get her thoughts straight.

“Wait a minute, you're Mary and your sister is Laura... Do you by chance have a sister named Carrie?" Megan asked in an excited voice.

“Ye-e-esss,” Mary said slowly, wondering how Megan knew this.

“Is your last name Ingalls?" Megan asked, her voice getting high with excitement.

"Ye-e-e-essss," Mary said nervously.

“Oh my gosh you are my favorite character in my favorite book series and your sister Laura is my favorite author!" Megan exclaimed.

"What are you talking, about!?" Mary asked, thinking Megan was insane. So Megan told Mary about the famous Series. "How do I know you're not making this up?" Mary asked.

“Um." Megan had read the books 100 times each, there had to be some proof that they were real. “Your Ma's name is Caroline Quinner and before she married your Pa she was a school teacher. That is what you want to be too when you grow up," Megan said.

Mary just stared at her and then slowly nodded. "Ok, I believe you," she said.

"Good because I need to tell you that γου are going to…”

Mary interrupted Megan before she could finish. "Please don't tell me!" Mary pleaded, "I want to accept troubles and learn from them as they come the way God designed it instead of trying to prevent what he makes happen."

"So you're saying we should just let bad things happen when we could stop them?” Megan asked.

"Sometimes," Mary said, “If God wants something to happen He will make it happen even if we try to stop it, and even if it seems bad at the time I know that whatever happens to me, it will work out for good because I love Him.” Megan was shocked at how much trust Mary had in God. She seemed very happy and content.

“Does that mean being parentless and having my best friend dump me can be a good thing?” Megan finally asked.

Mary nodded. “That Ellen girl does not seem like a very good friend, since you're already here and don't seem to have a way to get home, could I be your new best friend?" she asked.

In response Megan gave Mary a big hug. "But where do I stay, your cabin is already crowded, maybe I could stay in the barn?" Megan asked.

"I have a better idea," said Laura who had been eavesdropping for a good 10 minutes.

"Laura Ingalls!" Mary scolded.

"Sorry but listen, I saw an Indian man and woman walk by our cabin early this morning. In their eyes was the type of sadness that doesn't fade even after the many years have passed. The woman held an empty baby carrier. I think their child died, maybe you could comfort them by staying with them and letting them care for you,” Laura said.

"Maybe that is why God caused you to come here,” Mary said.

"Alright,” Megan said, "Let's go but Laura, promise not to put any of this in your books.” Laura promised and they set out for the Indian camp.

Ally's New Friends

Monday: I am Ally and I am not ready for middle school. My problems all started today when I bumped into a girl named Jasmin who immediately decided to be my worst enemy. “Watch it green hair,” she said. I am not brave so instead of standing up to her I ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror. It was true, I swam in the lake so much my blond hair is tinted green. I didn't have time to wash it or do anything about it so I just put my hood up and hoped nobody else would notice. Another problem I have is my math teacher doesn't like kids. I need to fix my hair but what I really need is a friend.

Tuesday: Another bad day. I say a poster for a swim club. I was about to sign up but Jasmin and her friends came, shoved me against a locker and filled in the rest of the sheet. “It wasn't your kind of group anyway, Cabbage," she said. Now everyone calls me Cabbage.

Wednesday: You wouldn't believe what Jasmin did today. We had our first math test today and Jasmin said I was cheating on her. The grumpy math teacher sent us to the principal when I denied it. Guess what, he's grumpy too. Jasmin and I started arguing and we both got detention for today,

Jasmin seemed happy and later I found out why. She is detention queen and makes anyone in it do whatever she wants while she does nothing.

Thursday: Today I actually paid attention in some classes. I was actually happy because I made a friend. Her name is Malary and she is as short as a five-year-old. Because of that Jasmin used to tease her, But she learned to stand up to her and now she is helping me. We became friends in art class, when Jasmin was about to say something about my painting. Malary told her to leave me alone and then we got to talking and now we're friends.

Friday: Another good day! I sat with Malary at lunch and met her twin sister Melody and friends Angalina and Vicky. They invited me to a sleepover tomorrow! I finally have not ons, not two, but four new friends. And they have an art club I can join.

The weekend: What a great sleepover! We swam, we watched a movie, we had popcorn and cake, we talked, we became besties, and we had fun!!