'Lockdown from a Tiger's Point Of View - Ranked among TOP10 Essays in InterSchool International Tiger's Day Competition

Hey, I am Nova the tiger. I was born in a deep, green forest in South Africa. I was living a spectacular and enjoyable life with my parents, feeling like a prince. All animals there befriended me, not out of fear, but because I was loyal and loved to make friends and play. My mates were Snorky the elephant, Snowball the rabbit, and Charlie the green parrot. We used to play all day long, I used to sit on Snorky’s back, and have magnanimous rides!

It was a dark and clear night, I was gushing around in the dancing grass, living the moment, but it was all until they came. They blew screechy and irritating horns, freaked out the animals, caged the rare, including me, locked us in a purplish van with zebra stripes, which read Zoonimal, and went away at the speed of a cheetah. 

I was already in misery and pain when I noticed my parents weren’t there! I hoped they came in another van, or this all was a dream, but unfortunately, none of that happened. I cried out, and all the others did too! Unfortunately, I didn’t spot any of my friends.

Since then, I had been living inside these bars. The people here were giving me food. But for a reason. Many passersby strolled, former got scared of me, latter realizing I was caged and laughed at me. I felt humiliated. Humans did so many crimes against our kinds, who can’t speak for themselves. And they paid a lot for seeing the uncommon animals.

They took us for various shows, tamed us, and then started treating us like slaves, and experimenting on us, seeing if they could get more money out of it, not giving it a thought that what trauma we will be in.

They hunted for us. They chased us like anything in Jeeps, having different violent weapons. Even if they killed a tiger, for instance, they would traumatize its family.

Now, none of this is happening, so it’s an advantage for us.

But there are also disadvantages. There are no visitors to zoos and wildlife parks, so there are really fewer funds. Due to this, my kind, a lot of them are starving and even dying. This is the biggest reason I hope this ends fast.

Now the humans are caged. They can’t go out except for really important reasons. Many of them are separated from their family. Most poor people are starving. So many people are dying due to the disease itself. This is like mother nature is taking our revenge, restoring its power. 

But all of them weren’t against us. There were various save animal drives. So why do they need to suffer his pain? But now that the lockdown has ended, most of the humans are realizing their faults, somewhat improving.

This is another reason I hope this disease goes away fast so that we can all be together with our family once again, live an enjoyable and peaceful life. I hope they will free us from this cage also. I immensely miss my family and want to return back to them as soon as possible.

A discovery of priceless inheritance.

Peter looked at the pencil curiously. It was interesting to look at- colorful, with unique designs on it. He picked it up and examined it. He looked upon the thing from every single direction, silently admiring the gorgeous patterns. It was a pencil from the past, from his great-grandparents. They had left it to him in their will, the reason for which he didn't know. Maybe because it was of historical significance, maybe something else..? That's when it happened. Just as he was running his hands down one of the patterns, it started to slowly, come off. Curious as he was, excitement oozed through his veins. Before he realized it, he had subconsciously removed all of the patterns.

What was left now was a normal brown pencil, but - but - but.. The pencil had something written on it! As Peter peered at it, he made out an address, and a code - 0194. At first he was scared, but of course, not for long. But anyone who knew him would be certain that he wont give up a mystery - not even in his worst dreams. So, the next early morning, after making sure his parents were fast asleep and the coast was clear, he changed into his tracks and an off white t-shirt, along with his sneakers. He tiptoed towards the door, quietly opened it, and slid out under the blueish sky.

After around half an hour of walking he finally arrived at the address.  But all he saw was a deserted house at the end of a deserted street. He was looking around when a green light flashed through what seemed to be a mailbox. As he curiously and cautiously walked towards it, he concluded that it was some sort of password machine. "The code", the quick on his feet boy wondered. He entered the digits-0194. For a few endless seconds nothing happened. But just as he was turning away, the sound of turning gears, to his pleasure, entered his ears. He quickly spun around on his feet, to see the doors slide open. 

Now he was more excited than ever. He went in, to see nothing but an ordinary house. A living room, two bedrooms, a washroom and a kitchen. He was dismayed. "All of this cant have been for nothing" he thought, going to sit on the comfortable looking sofa. Only that it wasn't so comfortable when he sat down on it. It tripped. Peter fell with a thud but got up. And that was when he
saw it. A brown trapdoor where the sofa had been! A very-very secret trapdoor.

"Yay! for once luck is on my side!" Peter exclaimed as he advanced towards the trapdoor and pulled it open post a small feeling of being scared. His hopes were high again. After thinking for a brief second, he went down the trapdoor. Presented before his eyes was an astonishing sight, a room, full of nothing but-riches! The shine of the riches almost acted as a light. There was gold, diamond, ruby, sapphire, pearls, you name it and it was there. They seemed dusty, as if from the past, but were pure.

Peter was over the moon He phoned his parents, (who had woken up by now) determined not to leave. First his parents were a bait angry because he sneaked out, but they came eventually. As it turned out, they also phoned the cops on their way. Officer Walsh after a short examination by his team, confirmed that the riches were very old, like his great grandparents. The cops took most of the riches for research, but a quarter was awarded to the Peter Swiftson and his family. 

The family too was delighted. They bought a nice, big house with a swimming pool and a luxurious car as they always wanted. Peter continued his school and his detective work side by side. He had truly made a priceless discovery.

How COVID has changed the World!

                

                     No one can believe, 

How much everything has changed indeed, 

In the challenging times of the monster evil, 

The disease caused by Coronavirus also known as COVID. 

No more handshakes, high fives, hugs are accepted, 

If you do so, they may later by you, be regretted, 

Instead, namaste has to be used, 

In these times, perfect it has proved. 

Physical schools have been forgotten, 

They have been replaced by classes online. 

Video calls are the new way of connecting, 

By which our esteemed teachers teach us lessons. 

There is no longer school whiteboard notes taking, 

Which is heart-breaking. 

There are no practical in school labs, 

No playing with friends during school breaks. 

There is no longer playing outside, 

All that can be done is remain inside, 

And play online games, 

Which later our damaged eyes will blame. 

Most offices no longer open, 

With the work from home introduction. 

Glued are eyes to screens, 

Everyone will soon need specs it seems. 

Beware handwash haters! 

We now need to wash our hands multiple times every hour, 

And use sanitizers if outside, 

Both of which previously some people didn’t bother to think of. 

Physical meetings are not advised,

Because safety must not be compromised. 

Meeting friends, family, colleagues is rare, 

Zoom/Skype/Google Meet calls instead have taken over. 

Masks are mandatory, 

So is social distancing, 

These are the magic wands in our hands, 

To ensure we evade the viral disease. 

Many wise people have given paid vacations to maids, Due to which, with house chores they themselves are weighed. Most people also still avoid outside food, 

And have embraced to eat nutritious delicacies homemade. 

No public places are opened, 

Due to which some people are disheartened. 

We hardly go shopping in our all-time favourite malls, Due to which the times before Corona we often recall. 

The threat of the deadly Corona however, 

Has taught us skills that we will remember forever, Like never before, it has taught us independence, And Mother Nature’s significance. 

All of us have evolved into our better selves, 

Rediscovering our long lost passions once again, 

It’s a pleasure having more time in hands with our loved ones, Reinforcing with our family a stronger bond. 

Deep in hearts we not regret, how we have devastated mother nature’s equilibrium and various habitats. We seek an apology from all our fellow living beings, Promising them to cooperate with them in peaceful coexistence. 

This pandemic seems to be a curse from them for our mistakes, I hope they forgive us our sins. 

May the darkness of COVID soon start to fade, 

And we continue to be the better version of ourselves.

A memorable day from the life of a Soldier

“Yes, I agree. I can do this for my country”, I, Levis Anderson, had replied to the professor asking for officers who could lead a mission to blast away Chinese camps, in the new A-560 fighter jets. 

I had joined the army three years ago, and I am in the Air Force of India. Before that day, I had only got chances to accompany soldiers for patrolling missions. But that destined day, I got a chance to lead this mission. Due to a sudden attack from the Chinese side, this secret air attack mission had been planned.

I was filled with determination as I entered the cockpit with two of my brave allies, Steve Johnson and Mark Phlegethon. I had accompanied them in about all of my missions, and they were really helpful and determined to protect the country, like me. 

As we left the runway, we had discussed the strategy the last time. All of us had checked our ammunition and confirmed to the control center that everything was alright. 

The part of the mission where I became most anxious was when the people at the Chinese camps spotted us and started firing crazily in every possible way. I did not want to abandon our secret mission. 

They launched D-45 rockets, which we nearly dodged. Some of their gun bullets had hit us, but this special plane was made to endure it. 

It was time to execute our plan of action. We attacked our targets with really powerful F-564 missiles and the enemy camps had turned to ashes in just a few minutes. It indeed was mission accomplished.

But then a huge problem had shown up. One of the most powerful Chinese fighter jets was right behind us. If it managed to hit us, we couldn’t have returned. The only advantage we had was speed. We aimed downwards and fell really fast. Their huge plane couldn’t turn that fast, and we got a chance to escape. We had fired all our boosters, and we HAD Survived!

That time, bubbles of happiness burst in my stomach. I and my partners walked proudly to our main area, and there everyone congratulated us. I still remember those wonderful, and thrilling moments, and will remember them lifelong. How was the Josh? The Josh was and is still very strong.

My Diwali 2020

Diwali 2020 was very different from Diwalis in the former years. Every year, I used to visit my grandparents' house and celebrate over there. Unfortunately, this year I couldn’t and was stuck at my house. Meeting my friends and family was just like a dream. 

The atmosphere outside was like a gas chamber, and it was as cold as ice. This Diwali, there were absolutely no firecrackers. Some people hadn’t put lights in their houses, and most of the streets were deserted. 

But if you look at it from a different point of view, it was not that bad. I tried to make the best out of this beautiful festival. I had ordered a lot of lights online, and spent time beautifully putting them both outside and inside my house. 

I and my family lit candles and diyas. Because of no firecrackers, there was way less pollution and less noise, which is good, both for us and animals. I munched on homemade sweets and snacks. The view from my terrace was spectacular. 

I video-called my friends and other family members which was a good substitution to physical meetings. I really hope this pandemic gets over soon and we all can celebrate together again, like the previous years.

Book review of 'Totally True Adventures Apollo 13' by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

The Plot of the Book

‘Totally true adventures Apollo 13’ by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld is a book telling the scintillating tale of the mission Apollo 13, in which things went very wrong due to a blast. It tells how bravely the astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise managed everything, and focused on their only goal, to reach home.

The book also tells about how they managed to eat and drink, entertain themselves etc. in the space shuttle. It tells about the three parts of the ship, command, service and lunar modules.

My Take on the Book

I really liked this book as I am a space enthusiast, and while reading this book I went on an imaginary space mission myself. I also found it really informative because I want to become an astronaut when I grow up, and this book told me good points about how they ate and drank in space etc.

What I learnt from this book

This book has many important lessons. From the incident where they had lost so much water that they could not take more than 6 ounces (1 glass) of water a day, I learnt that we should not at all be wasting water. Only they could understand how precious water was.

Also, I learnt to work hard from them, they were awake for more than 16 hours, and only slept when the doctor ordered them to. And they were constantly at work.

Another important lesson I learnt is that not to panic, because the way they handled things so calmly impresses me. If I would have been in their place, I cannot fathom how I would have reacted.

 All in all, I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to all.

A Spooky Haunting Midnight Adventure

Once, there lived a wonderful, adventurous child Freg who really loved having midnight adventures because he liked to discover new and haunted places.

It was a dark, quite, scary night, and he was getting really excited to go out and explore the places outside his society, Hoodwoods. So he quickly thought about the idea of exploring some place out of his society. He quickly pulled his pyjamas and ran down the dark staircase in a way to tell other people that he was just on for a night jog. But did he himself know where was he going? He only knew that he has to reach to bed before his parents were up, so he thought to explore something nearby only.

He quickly ran down the ramp, ignoring smirks, but at last the society guards on the night shift stopped him there and started to inquire as if he was a criminal. All of them asked him questions simultaneously, so he could barely understand anything out of it.

But he somehow sneaked out of his society and was able to see a massive castle covered in dark black light with a scary, haunted top. At that moment, he got scared but then he realised that he loves to have adventures and this might probably be the most scariest.

He reached the front of the door, still a bit scared but also confident about his scariest journey. Suddenly the door slammed open at the speed of wind which made Freg shiver slightly.When he entered inside, still thinking to quit, the door shut closed and got locked.Till then, he was already aware that something creepy is in there but he had no option except for going ahead. He tiptoed waiting for the next thing to come and terrify him.

Now, Freg was covered by a circle of green fire which looked like it was never going to end. He was thinking of a way by which he could escape but his mind was totally confused. Suddenly a sound started coming from the fire. It sounded like somebody was shouting from the fire and he told

"There is only one way to escape, and that is...HAHAHA!!"

Freg was really screaming loud, praying that somebody would come to help him.

Then, he saw something what looked like a small snake inside the fire. The snake was heading to him as though its going to finish him off. Its shiny blue eyes were gleaming and surely was staring him.He didn't have any empty chamber left in his mind, to think of something and he started feeling dizzy.

Suddenly, a bald scary man appeared and he started muttering words , constantly focussing something, he was dressed up in a different sort of clothes, Freg  was not at all able to get a clear look at him. Then a thin, high pitched voice started echoing the castle.The voice said ,

"A way to escape, if you get it you will be out."

He clutched the snake tightly with his fist and started observing him point to point.

That's when he saw that I tiny piece of parchment was tied on its tail which read, the key to victory.
He certainly knew that there was something related to the snake. Suddenly, the voice soar high and told , you are a smart boy.

The snake bit him, and he was teleported to a very dark room, but he realised he was just at home.
When he told his parents about it, they exchanged shocked looks. His mother said,

"It's just lack of sleep and nothing else, my child."

So, he also had starting believing that it was a dream he became normal again.