Boys' Basketball Season Successful Despite Record

By Kevin Agostinelli, staff reporter

Losing an entire basketball starting 5 from a high school basketball team can be tough, but unexpectedly losing the starting 5 and three probable starters for the following year’s team is even tougher. Such is the story of the 2012 Sturgis East Boys Basketball team, who managed to find success and hope for years to come despite a frustrating record of 5 wins and 15 losses.

The positive aspect of the Storm’s rebuilding year is summed up in the words of head coach Mike Kennedy, “Losing all of those players allowed this year’s team to truly start fresh and to build their legacy from scratch as a very young team.” With a starting 5 composed of four promising underclassmen - Luke Chevalier, Mitchell Starr, Ian Brothers, and Jacob Tobey - and junior veteran Kyle Garvey, the potential of this squad in 2013 and beyond is enormous.

In addition, the establishment of team chemistry was and will be crucial to the boys basketball team’s future success. The squad’s “desire and ability to help each other out in our man to man defense was a direct result of improving chemistry between the players,” affirmed Coach Kennedy, “They really came together as a team towards the end of the season and that reflects on all the players on the varsity team.”

Special honors go out to the only senior basketball player, Zachary Fayne, who demonstrated valuable leadership and enthusiasm to the Storm both on and off the court. Sturgis freshman and 2012 Player of the Year Jacob Tobey expressed his gratitude: “When I was mad at myself for not playing the way I was capable of playing, Zach Fayne told me to keep my head up, forget about the mistakes I made, keep playing, and do the best I can.” In addition, Kyle Garvey was given the Most Valuable Player Award for his great leadership, work rate, and determination. In essence, whenever Kyle Garvey was on the court, the Storm won the game or came close to winning the game.

Now comes the negative side. Kyle Garvey, clearly the focal point of the Storm, missed a handful of games due to illness, exposing the young team’s inexperience in every game without their veteran. The Storm suffered many close and devastating losses, two of which were against rivals Pope John Paul II. In both games, the PJP Lions came back late in the 4th quarter to defeat the Storm. “I know for a fact that [our record] does not reflect our effort and skill,” stated Jacob Tobey, “We lost a lot of close games that we should have won, but we didn't execute in the first half or down the stretch in the 4th quarter.”

Coach Kennedy shared a similar view on the team’s hard work and inexperience: “The work ethic of this team is one of their many strong suits... “I truly believe these guys could've beaten any team that we played this year, but too many times our youth caught up with us and we'd end up giving games away that we should have won.”

Thankfully, the boys basketball team finished off their season with an ecstatic victory at home over Southbridge. With Sturgis down by five with just a minute left in the fourth quarter, Jacob Tobey drew two fouls to cut the deficit to one. After Luke Chevalier stole the ball with five seconds left on the clock, he quickly fed Jacob Tobey, who crashed the rim and scored just as the buzzer marked the end of the game. Tobey was mobbed by his fellow teammates just as two hundred students, teachers, and families, roared with triumph.

As for next season, Coach Kennedy has already set his main goal: “I certainly think we can go to the [2013 state] tournament next year...Getting better, bigger, faster and stronger in the offseason combined with the refined operation of our offenses and defenses should bode well for the program next year.”

Lastly, “Coach K” gave credit to the improved Sturgis Storm fanbase:  I think the support of our team has been great.  Can there be more support?  Sure, I'd like to see the whole school at every game!”

Come Cheer on the Storm!

After a successful winter sports season, Sturgis spring athletes have begun preparation for the upcoming season. Come cheer on your favorite Storm team at their first home game!

Boys' Varsity Tennis: Monday 4/2 vs. Pope John Paul II HS

Girls' Varsity Tennis: Tuesday 4/3 vs. Pope John Paul II HS

Boys' Varsity Baseball: Tuesday 4/10 vs. Pope John Paul II HS

Girls' Varsity Softball: Wednesday 4/4 vs. Nantucket HS

Boys' Varsity Lacrosse: no home games
Girls' Varsity Lacrosse: Monday 5/14 vs. Abington HS

MUN 2012: Where the Geeky Get Freaky

By Anna Campbell, staff reporter

My second year at the National High School Model United Nations conference, NHSMUN, was a highly anticipated event. We had waited for the day to come for almost a year, and shopped furiously for the requisite biz-cas clothes. Finally the day had come, and two modes of transport had arrived at the school; the bus, for the regular old plebeians, and the limo.

Clearly I was in the limo! We entertained ourselves by screaming at people outside who couldn’t see through the tinted windows, and finding drinks in the hidden compartments. It was, surprisingly, more cramped than the bus, although equipped with (empty) champagne buckets and disco lighting. The proximity to certain teachers was a little stifling, but we bore it surprisingly well.

  I had a few goals I wanted to accomplish, namely to yolo to the fullest extent, to not lose my wallet, and to debate and fully commit to the conference. And, loosely and generally, I did accomplish those goals.

  The Sturgis MUN crew, looking fly, cruised into the Sheraton by four o’clock, and our hotel rooms were exactly as I recalled. I made the mistake of breaking into a six-dollar bar of Toblerone planted in my way, but as a whole we managed not to succumb to the temptations of the room refrigerator, which was wired with a complicated bomb apparatus to stop possible thieves from stealing excess Pringles and Grey Goose.

  The Hilton was better. The conferences, held in enormous conference rooms within the upper levels of the hotel, were filled with young, highly attractive and international businessmen, which was essentially what we had come for- excuse me, I meant international issues. The country I represented along with Renee Orcione, Ketryn Kotchka and Rachael Bardfield, Uzbekistan, was debating child labor in my conference room, SOCHUM (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural issues) and regrettably, I had to debate for the benefits of child labor, since Uzbekistan’s child labor is a major sect of their economy. My colleagues and I signed paper after working paper arguing for the benefits of child labor, and played hangman during caucuses. I realized I had to kick my addiction to Starbucks, but told myself today was not the day. Multiple cups of coffee were necessary to suffer through Spain’s rambling.

  Although I did accomplish my second goal, not losing my wallet, somehow all my money bled through my willing fingers. Where did the money go?! I kept asking myself. Somehow I spent 100$ on the second day of our journey, and although I allotted 8$ for the final day, I spent 40$ instead. Well, you only live once, I told myself.

  Obviously, the highlight of the trip was the infamous MUN dance. For those who haven’t been, it’s a fact that the geeky DO get freaky. A former ballroom had been transformed overnight into a hallucinogenic nightclub crammed with five hundred sweating, dancing teenagers. We pregamed hard in preparation for the event, but, as always, the dance itself was something of a disappointment. The method of courting in the dance was for strange boys to creep up behind innocent ravers, hiss in their ears, “Wanna dance?” and forcibly dance the night away. We didn’t wear the customary MUN stilettos because of the sheer amount of sprinting necessary to flee from odious males.

  The next morning was agony. Dozens of MUN students made the walk of shame to the United Nations building, and we all dutifully voted in the United Nations building after the long-winded security check. I made it back to Sturgis feeling like a new woman, and can’t wait for next year.

Head of the Dragon: Part III

by Cooper Heilmann, staff writer


Link to Part II: http://sturgisstormwatch.blogspot.com/2012/03/head-of-dragon-part-ii.html

Eric walked down the path to the smithy, where he worked with Asvald, the village blacksmith.  It was a dark day, and the clouds hung low in the sky.  Smoke rose from the chimneys of the huts.  It was an unusually cold day, so Eric wore furs and leather to keep warm.  Odin’s totem stood in the center of the village square.  It was a carved pole of wood that depicted Odin wearing a deer skull mask and two ravens on his shoulders.  In times of need, the village would gather around it and ask Odin for the wisdom to fix their problem.
The steady ringing of steel resonated from the blacksmith’s shop as always.  The past few days seemed to have gone by very slowly.  Eric couldn’t wait for his sixteenth birthday.  It was then that he would receive his first weapon.  Eric had practiced with many swords before, and he was a fine sword fighter.  However, he wasn’t as skilled as he would have liked—not as good as his father.  He loved nothing more than to listen to all the tales of heroes that slew frost giants in the north, or blessed by Thor, the god of thunder and war.  One of his favorite stories was Beowulf and Grendel.  When he was little, he always wanted to be Beowulf.  He would spend hours pretending to be strong heroes that would vanquish monsters with their bare hands.
 Eric knocked on the door of the blacksmith once, but there was no answer.  He just stepped in.
Asvald was hammering an axe into shape when Eric came in.  He looked up from his work and greeted him.
“Eric, how good of you to come.  Are you ready to get started?” Asvald asked.
“Sure,” Eric replied.
“That’s my boy!” Asvald said.  “Get those young muscles of yours pumping!”  He went about his daily job of pumping the bellows and refueling the fire.
Eric finished his work late.  The moon was shrouded by the clouds, and the lights were out inside the houses.  He was about to head back home when he heard something behind him.  He froze in his tracks and slowly turned around.  There, crouching behind him was the dark shape of a wolf.  It’s ragged silver fur glistened in the moonlight and its amber yellow eyes glared at him.  Eric looked around for something to fend it off with.  He had dealt with wolves before and he knew how dangerous they were.  They used to kill the village’s sheep and chickens.  However, this one seemed angry.  Its eyes were hungry for him.
The door of the smithy was only a few paces away.  If he moved, the wolf could pounce.  He was about to wait it out when the wolf suddenly dashed towards him.  He only just had time to doge the beast as it leaped at him.  He stumbled and backed up to the smithy door.  The wolf rolled over and charged him again.  Eric grabbed the torch by the door and threw it at the wolf.  He hit his target, but the wolf shrugged it off.  It leaped straight at him.  He rolled out of the way and picked up the nearest object: a hammer.
    Eric brandished the hammer and waved it in the air, trying to scare the wolf away.  Just then, another wolf appeared behind him.  The first wolf leaped at him.  Eric’s hammer struck the wolf and the the beast hit the wall of the smithy.  The second one tackled him to the ground, and he kicked it off him.  It charged him again, and he spun around and hit it in the shoulder.  The wolf collapsed on the ground with a whimper.  Eric ran for his house, the hammer still in his hand.  He could hear the howls of more wolves coming for him.  He knew he was in trouble.
Three wolves were behind him, sprinting after him at an incredible speed.  Eric ran as fast as his powerful legs could carry him.  He started yelling, trying to spread the alarm.  The wolves were almost upon him, and he knew no one would help him now.  A sudden surge of bravery hit him.  He stopped in his tracks and swerved around.  Just as a wolf leaped at him, he swiped it out of the air with the hammer.  It flew sideways into the wall of a hut and rolled on the ground, whimpering.  The other two wolves kept coming.
Eric ran to the nearest hut and ran up the wall.  He grabbed the thatch roof and hoisted himself up just before the wolf’s jaws snapped shut by his heel.  The wolves jumped and snapped at him while he regained his breath.  He looked around him.  He could see more wolves running into the village from the forest.  All of a sudden, they stopped and backed up.  They ran at the wall as if trying to scale it.  Eric panicked for a second, but his battle instincts took over.
He ran and jumped off the roof of the hut, his hammer raised above his head.  He yelled a war cry and smashed down on a running wolf.  He stood up to face the other wolf, but it backed away in fear.  Behind him, he could see half a dozen warriors from the village emerge from the huts with torches and swords.  A dead wolf lay at his uncle Bjorn’s foot.  The last wolf retreated, and was joined by three more.  Eric stood, breathing heavily, and watched them dash back into the darkness of the forest.

Underdogs Triumph in the Sturgis Dodgeball Tournament

by Kevin Agostinelli, staff reporter


The annual Sturgis Dodge ball Tournament just experienced a major “déjà vu.” Yes, a freshman team once again beat the odds to win the coveted dodge ball champion bragging rights for 365 days.

Sturgis East freshman Grant Dauwaulder was the founder of Team Ryan Braun - named after the Milwaukee Brewers All-Star baseball player - who donned red shirts for the highly-anticipated event. Team Ryan Braun was handed a lucky first round bye, lining them up in the quarterfinals against the Red Hot Balls of Fury, arguably the dodgeball tournament favorites. The Red Hot Balls of Fury had already lived up to their name in the first round, dominating their opponent with their impressive veteran roster.

In the quarterfinals, the Red Hot Balls of Fury first bent but did not break, gradually knocking out Team Ryan Braun’s squad until Grant Dauwaulder was the lone survivor, up against five Red Hot Balls of Fury players. However, hundreds of members of the Sturgis community watched in amazement as Dauwaulder coolly fought and evaded his opponents, knocking them out until he was one-on-one with the last Red hot Balls of Fury member. After the game stretched into overtime, Grant knocked out his final opponent, sending his teammates and the school into a frenzy of excitement. The underdogs had won, but the title was not yet theirs.

Fortunately for Team Ryan Braun, the team of teachers did not present much of a problem in the semifinals, and the young squad once again celebrated as they advanced to the championship game. Their opponent would be none other than “Dirty Mike and the Boys,” with the title being a reference to Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s hit movie The Other Guys.

The match was completely even, as both teams continued to knock out one another until Sturgis West’s Haleigh Linehan of Team Ryan Braun was faced with a 1-on-1 duel with the last member on Team “Dirty Mike and the Boys.” Luckily for Team Ryan Braun, Haleigh finished off the game just as Grant Dauwalder had done, knocking out her opponent and putting an end to a fantastic dodge ball tournament.

Congratulations to all those who participated in the dodgeball tournament and in the festivities that followed, and special accolades go out to the young but victorious Team Ryan Braun!

A Thai Treat

By Rachael Bardfield, staff reporter

With an open mind and an empty stomach, I recently ventured to the Thai House on 304 Main Street, Hyannis, to soothe my craving for oriental cuisine. I have always been biased towards oriental food: the salty, rich and indulgent dishes that leave you in a food coma even after digestion. To my surprise, the menu at the Thai House was quite vast, ranging from sea foods to meats with my choice of a variety of sauces. Curries are an aspect different from Chinese food, light and flavored with curry powder and spices, with Thai House hosting 5 different types. What truly caught my eye was the deal of a century- the Combo meals that came with a choice of two appetizers and a main dish for $8.95. It was hard to choose from the variety of pad thai and curries to fried rice. When my meal arrived, I feasted my eyes upon a stacking plate of colorful vegetables, chicken, and a tasty red curry sauce- Combo Number 4. And it tasted just as good as it looked! I felt full and satisfied but not groggy after my meal reassuring me that Thai House uses fresh ingredients. The meal came fast and my bill left an accomplished smile on my face. I would strongly suggest Thai House for the perfect spot for Thai at the right price.

Watership Down a Rare Treasure

by Alicia Pollard, staff reporter

Watership Down is one of those rare treasures that hide behind a humble appearance seemingly dull premise: a book about rabbits sounds dry at best, but is a poor description of Richard Adams’ incredible story. Watership Down is a window into a captivating world where men are one of a thousand enemies, survival is paramount but precarious, and the veil between natural and supernatural unravels. The language, characters and storyline are so vivid as to make them as real as the reader’s armchair: the tension of escaping an unknown doom, one rabbit’s tenuous, frightened possession of the second sight, and the peril of escaping an evil, prison-like warren. Adams masterfully blends the portrayal of a rabbit’s life with the humor, courage and friendship of humans.

            Adams’ rich language is vibrant in its description yet clear in its expression. Without dragging down the story with boring digressions, he lets portraits of wildlife’s beauty steal into the action so that both the peace of quiet moments and the tension of dangerous ones come alive. Though avoiding elaborate, clumsy wording, phrases such as “sunset…red in clouds” (12) and “far land of wild mountains”(356) catch the reader’s imagination yet disappear into the intertwinement of setting and atmosphere.  He describes but the characters’ feelings with a gentle, meditative tone and descriptions such as “delightful sense of security” (89) that keeps the omniscience of a narrator and the temperament of the character.

            The characters in Watership Down are charming and realistic, with the instincts and aims of rabbits but the flaws and strengths of humans. Hazel’s wise yet humble leadership, Bigwig’s proud but frank toughness, and Blackberry’s quiet ingenuity are endearing and entertaining. Adams has also made his villains as real as his heroes: heartless and ignorant as Cowslip and Strawberry, or cruel and calculating as General Woundwort and his Council – all as terrifying as complex, realistic villains should be. The characters are engaging from the first page and continue to captivate the reader as they grow and develop.

            One of the most fascinating elements of Watership Down is how Adams has woven culture into the rabbit’s lives. From explanations about the world’s beginning to why some litters miscarriage, the rabbit folktales sprinkled throughout the story are entertaining and enhance the main plot. The glimpses into the mystery of the folktale’s truthfulness also bind them to the central storyline: Fiver’s truthful prophecies, the storm which helped Bigwig and his fugitives escape from General Woundwort, and Vilthuril’s retelling of one of Hazel’s adventures as a folktale all speak of a society shaped by love of trickery and desire to survive. This colorful description of an animal culture so akin to human culture enriches each character.

            Watership Down is simple enough for young and older readers to enjoy, yet rich with imagery, language and characters that become three-dimensional from the first page. Adam’s work lets readers experience the thrill of an adventure and the deeper meaning of a quest.

2012 Olympic Logo Sparks Controversy

By Meghan Agostinelli, staff reporter 

            Every four years, the world unites to celebrate the Summer Olympics, and summer 2012 will be no exception. However, this year’s Summer Olympics will not arrive without controversy regarding its logo.

            When the logo for both the London Summer Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games was first unveiled in June 2007, there was immediate controversy. According to a BBC poll given shortly after the logo’s release, approximately eighty percent of voters strongly disliked the design. Some expressed dislike because they believed that it looked similar to the Nazi swastika. Others argued that the logo, which was designed by well-known brand consultancy Wolff Olins, was too universal and should contain a symbol that represents London such as the Tower of London or Big Ben.

            The largest recent controversy, however, was in early 2011 when Iran threatened to withdraw from the Summer 2012 Olympics because they claimed that the logo is racist. The Iranian government has contended that the logo spells Zion, a biblical reference to Jerusalem, and thus suggests pro-Israeli sentiments. As of yet though, Iran has not chosen to boycott the 2012 Olympic Games.

            I agree with the logo’s protestors that it is not aesthetically appealing in its blue, green, orange, and pink design. London 2012 Olympic Chairman Lord Sebastian Coe has stated that the color palette was chosen in hopes of appealing to younger generations, but, as a member of one of these generations, the colors do not pique my interest. I believe that a much more attractive design could have been created for the same price of 400,000 euros. Still, despite dislike for the physical appearance of the logo, I realize its significance, and I hope that others who dislike the appearance can also appreciate its importance.

            The purpose of the Olympic logo is to be a symbol which unites the world. Do we really need to make such a big deal out of what we see the logo as? So what if the London 2012 design does not show a London-unique feature? Isn’t the logo supposed to be universal? So what if you interpret the logo as this or that? Can you please just accept the fact that a logo is a logo and nothing more? The creators of the design wanted the figure to represent 2012, and citizens of various countries around the world need not interpret it in different ways.

            After all, the Summer Olympic Games only come every four years. We cannot let our discontent over the logo overshadow the importance of its purpose. 

Travel Blog: New York City for Model United Nations

by Meghan Agostinelli, staff reporter

Meredith Sullivan, sophomore, at the United Nations on March 10. Photo taken by Meghan Agostinelli.

MUN 2012 was an experience I will definitely never forget and has made wish that March 2013 wasn't such a long time from now! After a day-along bus ride from the Cape to New York City, I arrived in New York City excited to partake in the conference and to meet a lot of new people. 


That night, the Disarmament & National Security Committee for  Israel (Meredith Sullivan, Devin Low & myself) along with the DISEC delegates representing more than 200 other countries entered the room ready to simulate the actions of United Nations delegates. DISEC's first  task was to choose a topic to debate: either the security implications of nuclear weapons in the DPRK or state-sponsored terrorism. Israel hoped to debate state-sponsored terrorism, and fortunately, since many other countries such as Costa Rica also hoped to debate this issue, state-sponsored terrorism became the topic of discussion for the following days. 


The next day, countries joined together to draft 'working papers' which are basically documents which outline these countries' plans to combat the issue of state-sponsored terrorism. We decided to sponsor Working Paper 1.1 since we felt that the paper sufficiently addressed methods to help Israel in her struggle against state-sponsored terrorist groups such as those in Iran. Other countries chose to support Working Paper 1.2, 1.3, and/or 1.4 as they felt these papers better addressed their countries' needs. After writing these papers, supporters of Working Papers 1.1 and 1.2 realized the papers were very similar and thus chose to merge together. Supporters of Working Papers 1.3 and 1.4 also merged. With the merge of Working Papers 1.1 and 1.2, this paper became known as Resolution 1.1, and the merger of Working Papers 1.3 and 1.4 became known as Resolution 1.2. Since resolutions had already been created, countries drafted amendments for their papers in hopes that these amendments would help their resolutions to pass. 


On the third day of the conference, DISEC voted on both resolutions and each amendment. Both resolutions passed, and the majority of the amendments passed also. The final day, when we went to the United Nations, each country voted each of the five GA (General Assembly)'s Resolutions, and for DISEC, Resolution 1.1 passed but Resolution 1.2 did not. I was excited that the resolution Israel supported passed, and I loved the experience as a whole.

There was also a significant social aspect to the conference. Meredith & I became friends with a girl named Lindsey from outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who was a co-representative for Colombia. Through our conversations, I learned that she loves languages like I do and that she taught herself Arabic. 


I also met a girl who represented Hungary at the conference but was from Venezuela, whose culture is obviously very different from ours: I learned that her family owns a bulletproof car as shootings are common there and that people will just come up to you somewhere like the supermarket and force you to give him something (her mom was forced to give a man her watch), or he will kill you. She also mentioned that several of her friends have been kidnapped through the "Kidnap Express", a process in which someone stalks you (finding out what time you leave your house in the morning, what time you arrive home in the afternoon, etc.) and then kidnaps you for an hour before letting you go. This made me appreciate the American way of life so much more.


I also met an Italian named Carlo, and I learned about Italian culture and his personal experiences (such as traveling to India!). From him, I learned about how Italian teens often take advantage of their cross proximity to other countries in Western Europe and travel to nearby countries such as Holland. Another interesting fact I learn was that Italian schooling is different from American schooling; Italians go to high school for five years while we only attend for four years. 


Through MUN I learned so much more about Venezuelan culture, Italian culture, and how someone lives in another part of America. What a great experience & I cannot wait until next year! 

Head of the Dragon: Part II

by Cooper Heilmann, staff writer

Link to Part I: http://sturgisstormwatch.blogspot.com/2012/03/head-of-dragon-part-i.html 

The frozen grass crunched under the feet of a young boy.  The early morning sun cast its waking gaze over the twinkling grass.  The boy plodded up the hill, enjoying the warmth of the sun from the east.  When he reached the top of the hill, he was standing on the edge of a sea cliff.  To his right was the fjord that led to the docks of his village.  To the left, the untamed coast stretched south for miles.
Eric always loved to come here.  He was fifteen years old, and he stood tall and proud.  He was rather muscular for his age.  He had matted blond hair and piercing blue eyes, like the half-melted ice in the later spring months.  His thick eyebrows rested on his low forehead.  Some people said that he didn’t look at all like his father.
Eric tried not to think about his father, Hrothgar.  He had been lost at sea when Eric was only eight years old.  Other ships had returned from his father’s expedition, but every time Eric asked them what had happened, they said his ship had been caught on an iceberg.  They seemed to shun the question whenever it was asked.  When they did talk about Hrothgar, they did so in hushed voices.  Ever since the day he had awaited Hrothgar’s return on the docks, Eric had come up to this point.  Every morning, he watched the sea, as if his father’s ship would appear.
Deep inside, Eric didn’t believe that his father had hit an iceburg.  Hrothgar was the finest warrior for miles around.  He had wrestled a bear naked, driven out an enemy Viking village, and swam from the pier to the docks in the middle of winter.  He was also an excellent sailor.  Hrothgar was appointed the leader of a raid on some villages far up the north coast.  He never returned.  Eric sighed and walked back to his village.  On the way there, he met his uncle Bjorn.
“Oh hello, Eric,” he said.  “Up early again, eh?”  Eric nodded.  “I see.  By the way, the blacksmith wants you there early today, so I suggest you get going,” Bjorn said.  
“Okay, goodbye uncle,” Eric said.  He headed down the slope.
Eric’s village was at the mouth of a fjord leading into the North Sea.  On land, it was surrounded on three sides by a dense forest that the villagers called “Wolfwood”.  To the south, the faint ghost of a road wound down a cliff and disappeared into the hills.  No one ever left Eric’s village except to hunt or cut wood.  They had set up a permanent, though small, residence.
Eric worked as the blacksmith’s assistant.  He enjoyed the job.  It was hard work, but it was worth it.  He pumped the furnace and watched the flames melt and twist the hot iron into weapons and other items.  Then the blacksmith would bend and hammer, bend and hammer until the iron changed shape into tools ranging from horseshoes to swords.
As always, smoke billowed in a thick black cloud from the small building ahead of him.  Eric walked in the door and began his work.  The forge rang with the sound of strong hammers on steel, like the song of the Valkyries when the Aurora Borealis lit up the sky.

Head of the Dragon: Part I

by Cooper Heilmann, staff writer


The little boy stood on the docks, waiting.  Waiting for the head of the dragon.  The waves splashed against the frozen shores and rocked the moored karfi and other boats.  Mist spread out across the fjord, reaching halfway up the steep, rocky cliffs.  Smoke from thatched roof houses rose into the air above one of the cliffs.  This was where young Eric’s village lay.
His mother stood next to him, holding his shoulder.  They waited and waited like all the others on that shore.  The longboats and karfi should have been coming by now.  The sun hung low in the gray sky.  Eric looked up to his mother.  She just stared blankly out into the open ocean, waiting as he was.  Eric’s uncle, Bjorn, walked over and stood next to them.  He towered up about six feet and three inches tall, and he was built like a bear.  He stood there, hand in his thick, blond beard, waiting.
Just then, a shape could be made out approaching the fjord.  It was a ship.  The sails were being rolled up.  People—tall, strong people were running about on the deck.  On the prow of the boat stood the figure of a mermaid.  The ship beached ashore, and the people cheered as the men jumped out of the ship.  Each held treasure of some kind.  It ranged from rice, salt, and meat to gold, jewels, and weapons.  Each man had an axe at his belt and a heavy wooden shield on his back.  They held horned helmets in their arms.  They walked victoriously onto the shore.  One walked right past Eric as if he wasn’t there.  Eric’s uncle ran up to the man.
“Sven!  Sven!  Do you know the tidings of my brother?”  The man shook his head.
“Thought ‘e was ‘ere,” he replied, and walked off.  Ship after ship came into the harbor, but none of them belonged to Eric’s father, Hrothgar. The sun soon set over the ocean, and Bjorn and Eric’s mother turned away and headed back to the village.  Eric stared out at the open ocean, and a small tear ran down his cheek.  He stood there for a while, before trudging through the snow back to the village. Eric was only eight years old.


To be continued...