My mom was going through some boxes a while ago and found my creative writing journal from when I was in Grade 4. She saved it all this time! She sent it along with Eric to bring to me when he was visiting.
Well doesn’t this look like a party.
It’s pretty hilarious to read it now. Some of the things I wrote were just ridiculous. I seem to have had an obsession with spiders (nothing new), ghosts (haunted houses in particular), secret passageways (I blame the Babysitter’s Club and Mary-Anne’s secret passageway for that), and carnivals at that age, as that is what most of my stories are about.
Writing has always been my favourite, and some of my stories actually aren’t bad! Evan was dying laughing when he came across the speech that I wrote about my summer vacation, because it starts out “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! I went to British Columbia for my summer vacation.”
My entire “speech” is basically just a running commentary of exactly what I did while in British Columbia. Every single mundane detail. If I have learned anything over the years, hopefully it is to be more succinct. I am still extremely impressed with my spelling and grammar at that age though.
And listening to music, reading and looking out the window are still my favourite things to do on a plane, FYI.
Anyway, I would like to share one of my stories with you. Please note I am not changing any of my original spelling or grammar. But I am going to add paragraphs.
Professor Dino and his Greatest Discovery
Long ago in a desert in Italy (I am not sure why I chose Italy…) there was a dinosaur named Professor Dino. Professor Dino lived in a cave. As you might have guessed P.D. is a professor. He has a laboratory set up in his basement (because most caves have basements). All of P.D.’s friends call him P.D. for short.
One day when P.D. was taking a walk he found 2 dinosaur bones stuck together to make an X. X marks the spot thought P.D. He got down on his hands and knees and started digging. After a few hundred handfuls of sand and dirt Professor Dino felt something hard. He brushed away the sand and found that it was a chest. Luckily there was a rope tied to the chest. P.D. grasped the rope and pulled out the chest.
The chest was very heavy. P.D. had to open the chest right then and there.
Inside the chest was a very old golden book. P.D. brought the book home to read. When he got home he went downstairs (with the book). There was no title but he just turned the page anyway. The first page had nothing on it. The second page was the same as the first. 3rd page nothing 4th nothing 5th nothing. This went on until the 109th page (last page). Then it said P.D.
That was really strange because that was P.D’s initials!
WHAT A MISTERY!
Can I just say how much I love my eight-year-old self?
Here is a beautiful poem that I wrote about my cat, Princess Missy (Winnie’s predecessor) also found in my creative writing journal:
I have a cat named Missy,
Her fur is white as snow,
And now I gotta go!
I didn’t say it was a good poem. Here is Princess Missy:
And my nana!
Anyway, I’m so glad my mom saved this because it is just a gem. If I ever have children I am saving EVERYTHING! And it’s all going on the fridge!
Did your parents save any of your stuff?!
Why, I love that story! Very misterious!
The epitome of misterious!
omg yessss. My dad was cleaning out his whole house to renovate and we found all these old work books- including a creative writing project my brother did. He wrote a break up letter from Santa to Mrs. Claus. All I remember is it started with “Dr. Mrs Claus. Welcome to Dumpsville. Population: You. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahhahaha kids are awesome
Oh that is pure gold. Poor Mrs. Claus! Well, handwritten breakup letter > breakup text, I guess.
What a cliffhanger ending!! Did PD ever solve the mistery of the golden book?
No, this always happened to me. Something crazy would happen in my story and then I didn’t know how to end it. Always. All of my endings are abrupt and you’re all “Well WTF happened?!” I guess we shall never know. Tis a mistery.
Please finish the PD story via cartoon 🙂 I want to know the ending!
hmmmm…. this is quite a good idea 🙂 I want to know the ending too, I’ll take suggestions!
How mysterious! Love it! Also, I’m pretty sure “The Mummy” just stole your idea and tweaked it because you clearly were talking about the Golden Book they refer to in the movie. (Yeah, I watched this last night and am finding connections to it everywhere today…)
OMG you are right!!! Man, I knew it was a good idea.
And I can’t believe you watched the Mummy last night, haha.
What can I say, I am easily amused!
Ha! Oh, i remember us dotting our “i”s with hearts…..good times. And do they even teach cursive writing in school anymore? Good story, Spoon…very misterious
I am so glad I grew out of dotting my i’s with hearts. Laaaaame.
No I think they just skip right to texting now.
Mistery Detective!!!
I just found my 3rd and 6th grade journals. Such drama! Also, I had a cat that looks just like Princess Missy. (Paisley Peanut was white, therefore, she looks just like your cat.)
Well Erica, I think you need to have a cartoon comeback and use your old journals as inspiration.
Was Paisley Peanut deaf? Because Princess Missy sure was.
My parents saved very little…I’m the one who hung on to stuff. And because of that lack, I saved EVERYthing my girls (now 25 and 23) drew, wrote, or painted. I should edit the tonnage of boxes – full of their genius – currently packed in our overhead storage, so they don’t have to do it after I keel over at – oh, about 115 years of age or so. They will be pretty creaky themselves at that point.
Haha. That’s awesome that you are saving everything. I’m sure some of my stuff was pure crap. Like my gold spraypaint macaroni Christmas trees. No need to save those.
Love it!!! It’s like your very first blog! In a duotang.
It is! I was blogging way before blogging was even cool!
Love this Lindsey, I think you left you story wide open for a sequel!! What are on those Mysterious Pages. Will it take some form of something to see all the pages in the book?? Looking forward to #2 of Professor Dino, what is in store for him. Love you sweetie. I have a collection of poems that Chad wrote in Grade 7. I should share some day. xo
Hmm…very good questions. We shall have to see.
Oh I would love to read Chad’s poetry. I bet that is hilarious. Love you too, and miss you!
It wasn’t until I was a teenager that my family would joke about my dad’s head being a square shape. Then a few years later, he found a card that I made for him for Fathers Day that I had done when I was six or something. The card had a big picture of him and I drew a big, square head on his shoulders. I was years ahead of the curve!
Love the book though, that awesome!
Hahaha. Aw your poor square-headed dad. I drew a picture of my dad one time and I accidentally gave him six fingers and I can remember my mom asking me “What’s that, Daddy’s cigarette?”
Oh how the times have changed.
Haha. That’s awesome. And i was completely obsessed with The Babysitter’s Club. In fact, *i might* still have all of my books.
I was too, and I wish I still had mine!!! I loved it so much I started my own babysitter’s club! Sadly I gave all my books to the kids I used to babysit. I bet they didn’t appreciate them as much as I did.
That’s fantastic! I dreamed of starting my own but my parents told me i was too young and no one would hire me. I think i managed to get my next door neighbour to but that was it.
These are great! I know my mom has a bunch of my old stuff from grade 7 and 8. Some gems in there too.
Maybe that will give you some inspiration for a Modern House Dad post…