A Vampy, Sleepy Beauty

A few weeks ago I had the experience and privilege of hanging with a most awesome group of fifth graders. We talked about working in your PJs and what it takes to create a story and "why haven't you made your books into movies?" (Good question. Hollywood...? Anything... ?)

We also wrote our own story together, just to show how fun the process of creating can be. There were two classes and two stories. The first is a Zompire Love Story, which you can read here. This is the second:

BTW-our future authors have some crazy, awesome imaginations!

I had SO MUCH FUN with you guys!

A Vampy, Sleepy Beauty

Once there was a girl named Kate who, through a paranormal curse from an evil vampire, became trapped in permanent sleep. Doctors came and went. Her mom even hired healers, shamans, and medicine men but no one could figure out how to wake her up. One day, her boyfriend Shawn came over. He was a vampire but he still had a good heart. Shawn loved Kate and would do anything to save her. Someone had told him the only way to heal Kate was to bite her. He didn't want to. He was scared to hurt her. But nothing else had worked.

Shawn waited until Kate's mom had left the room and then he bit her.

There was a lot of blood. It ran onto Kate's bed and the floor, staining Shawn's sneakers. 

Kate's mom came in and screamed and Shawn ran out just as Kate woke up. 

Kate opened her eyes and when she saw her mom standing there, Kate's fangs came out and her stomach growled.
She jumped out of bed and tried to bite her mom. Kate's mom ran into the basement and called the police. 

Kate was captured and locked away in a mental hospital. She insisted she wasn't crazy--she was a vampire. But humans didn't believe in vampires. So they kept her locked up in a padded room.

One day, Kate's childhood friend, Kody Bahnks, came to visit her.

Kody was a werewolf. He'd moved away because he couldn't let anyone find out, but when he heard Kate was a vampire, he wanted to help. and he wanted a friend again. 

Kody promised Kate he would help her get free.

One night, when the moon was hidden in the clouds, Kody broke into the hospital  and freed Kate. 

Prison Cell by Chapboy, DeviantArt

They decided to run away together but first they had to stop at Shawn's one last time so Kate could say goodbye. He was the one that saved her from the sleeping curse, after all. 

When Shawn saw that Kody was a werewolf he became very angry. 

"You can't leave with him," Shawn yelled. "He's our enemy!"

"He is my friend. He helped me escape," Kate yelled back. She tried not to cry. She was already sad because she had missed Shawn. She didn't want to fight with him on their last night together. 

Kody growled at Shawn. Shawn bared his fangs. Before Kate could say anything, the two boys leaped on each other, fighting and biting and wrestling the other to the ground. 

"Stop!" Kate screamed but neither boy listened. 

Kate jumped in between them and wedged herself in front of Shawn's raised fist. "Stop," she repeated. "You can't find about this. Or about me."

Shawn stepped back. "Fine," said Shawn. "But I love you, so you have to choose one of us."

Kate looked at Kody. "He's right," Kody said. "Choose one. You can't have both."

Kate was sad. She loved Shawn but Kody had been her friend since she was a kid. And both had saved her. She couldn't give up either one.
She hesitated and a noise came from the darkness behind her. 

"Look out," Shawn yelled, his eyes wide. 

But Kate didn't move in time. 

Something grabbed her wrist in a tight grip and lifted her clear off the ground.
She screamed as her feet scraped the grass and then lifted higher before carrying her up into the clouds.
The boys yelled and stared after her, trying to see which direction she'd gone, but the darkness swallowed her up. 

The only thing they could see was a white trail of whatever ghostly kidnapper had taken the girl they loved.

To be continued.... (maybe.)

--Story by Mrs. Strohecker's Fifth Grade Class.

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A Zompire Love Story

About three weeks ago, I had the privilege of hanging with my daughter's fifth grade class. I talked to them about what it is I do (sit around in my PJs all day and make money for telling lies--they think that sounds awesome) and how exactly I go about plotting a new story. 

I decided to show them and so we used the white board and our imaginations and we plotted a story of our own. Everyone contributed and when we were finished forty minutes later, we had the coolest concept and even a brand new paranormal species! 

It's so good, I had to share it with you. These kids rock and I had such a blast. Definitely worth putting real pants on! 

This is our story:

A Zompire Love Story

by Mrs. Strohecker's fifth grade class, Birdneck Elementary School

Once there was a very pretty human girl named Britney Spears. She was a cheerleader and was very happy and cheerful all the time. In the same town lived a boy named Jeff Dixon, who had some time ago, been turned into a zombie. How much time, he couldn’t remember exactly. Zombies’ brains were sort of mushy and forgetful. Jeff Dixon played football because, in their town, if you were good at sports, even zombies were accepted on the team—as long as they kept all of their limbs intact. Jeff worked really hard at keeping his arms and legs attached, even when the bigger guys tackled him.

Jeff also played football for another reason. For as far back as his mushy, guts-for-dinner-craving brain could remember, he was in love with Britney Spears. At practice, he would stare at her across the field. Her pleated skirt and sunny smile always made his dead emotions flicker to life. Sometimes she would pass by him on the way to the locker room. He would time it just right and pretend to bump her, but every time, he would only manage a stuttered, “Sorry,” before she’d skip off to her waiting friends.

Jeff wished his legs wouldn’t fall off if he tried to keep up as she ran away.

One day, Britney didn’t run off. In fact, it looked like it was she who slowed down and waited for him. She slowed down and matched her slow pace to his as they headed to the locker rooms. When she said hello and smiled, it felt like his heart had dropped into his stomach—maybe it had. He’d heard of that happening to other zombies.

Britney started waiting for Jeff every day after practice. Soon, they began hanging out on the weekends. Britney was so happy and cheerful, it made Jeff feel better. Britney loved how Jeff’s jokes made her laugh.

One night, after Jeff walked Britney to her door, he leaned in and kissed her. He waited for her to yell or complain but she didn’t. She kissed him back. From that day on, Jeff kissed Britney whenever he could. He liked kissing her more than he liked football. It made Britney nervous but she liked Jeff a lot and so she kissed him anyway.

One day, Jeff kissed Britney so hard that he lost control. His zombie senses took over and he accidentally bit down on her face. Britney screamed and ran home but it was too late. The next morning, Britney woke up a zombie. She tried to forgive Jeff and so she kissed him again the next day, but this time her jaw fell off. Britney cried and began running home. Jeff got so upset, he tried to run after her, but his leg fell off and he couldn’t reach her.

Britney was devastated. She broke up with Jeff and told him she never wanted to speak again.

A few weeks later, a new boy came to school. His name was Trevor Smith and he was a vampire. He was really cute and nice to Britney. He didn’t even care that she was a zombie with a re-attached jaw. Soon, Britney became Trevor’s girlfriend.

Jeff watched the two of them and even watched Trevor when Britney wasn’t around. He knew Trevor was evil and that he only pretended to be good for Britney. Jeff tried warning Britney but she wouldn’t listen. One day, Trevor caught Jeff spying on him and got angry. Trevor walked up to Jeff and threatened him saying, “If you don’t leave right now, I’ll make you leave.”

Jeff looked at Britney and knew he couldn’t back down. He said, “No.”

Trevor lunged at Jeff and they began to fight. Britney yelled for them to stop but they didn’t listen. Soon, Jeff’s arm fell off and Trevor pinned him on the ground. Britney yelled again, begging him not to hurt Jeff any more. Trevor looked at her and said, “I don’t care about him—or anyone else.” And Britney knew Jeff was right; Trevor was evil.

Britney shoved Trevor and Jeff crawled free and did the only thing he could do to win: he bit Trevor. Trevor screamed and bit down on Jeff’s arm, but it was too late. Zombie bites were like poison to vampires and Trevor shook and fell down and died.

Jeff shivered in the corner and when Britney went to help, she could see something different about him. His eyes were red like a vampire but his skin and organs were still dead like a zombie.

“Jeff, what’s happening?” Britney asked.

“I think I’m both now,” he said.

“So, like, a … zompire?”

“Yes. A Zompire,” Jeff said.

“I don’t care. I love you anyway,” said Britney.

Britney kissed Jeff and helped him reattach his arm and they lived happily ever after, a zombie and a zompire.

The End