The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (1984) is a collection of 15 black and white images intended to inspire readers to explore their imaginations as authors, creating a narrative journey using figurative language and sensory details. Designed by Chris Van Allsburg, student authors decided which illustration spoke to them and then through the writing process of drafting, editing, revising, conferencing and publishing, created original narratives. Enjoy the wide range of perspectives and narrative discoveries presented here by Hannan's finest fifth grade authors.
Under The Rug
By Ky’Reana
November 2017
Two weeks passed and it happened again. The rat came back up under the rug and now it finally knocked over the lamp that was on top of the table. I grabbed the chair and then I was about to hit the rat. The squeaky purring repeated. When I lifted up the rug, I saw a really hairy hamster with red eyes and black fur. The way she purred, I could tell she was hungry. I fed her some cheese and gave her some water.
“No please I’m nice,” she said as I thought about why this hamster was talking to me. “Can you be my owner?”
I agreed and then I took her to the vet. She was healthy and she became my pet. I named her Perry because she whispered so soft and sweet.
One night I heard her scream my name. “Ky’Reana!”
“Perry!” I ran into the room and something flew through the window. All I saw was a rock on the floor. I asked Perry what happened. She said a rock crashed through the window. When I peeked my head through the window, all I saw outside was a black van pulling away. The logo on the side said, “TO” which stands for The Organization. This is a secret spy agency that Perry used to work for she said. Perry quit her job as a secret spy agent. The Organization was looking for her because the Organization thinks she might leak the secret pin code that gets past the security scanner to The World’s Most Powerful Weapons. Then everyone would have all the secret information in the world.
Then she told me why The Organization was looking for her and I told her I was a part of the Other Side. She said, “Why don’t we start an agency together and share all our information?”
Then we both stole all the information from the Other Side and The Organization. We mixed them together and came up with our own agency called the Best Agency In Town Corporation. Now The Other Side and The Organization teamed up. Now they are trying to get us but our workers put a strong force shield around our secret agency.
When we got The Agency all figured out I took over the world. No not in a bad way but in a good way. But my brother told me to take over the world and make everyone bow down to him and buy him taco’s for free. But I said no cause I’m not just going to make everyone hate me like that. I did the right thing and gave everyone clothes and a haircut or hairstyle. Then I paid everyone’s bills for 2 years.
A Strange Day in July
By Camiyah
November 2017
One day my brother and I went to the lake to play skip rock. When we got there we started to play, Jimmy wasn’t throwing hard enough for the rock to go far the first time. The second time he threw even harder but it still didn’t go far. He threw with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back. It was a spine chilling moment.
I whispered to Jimmy, “I’m scared I want to go home.” He whispered back, “Don’t be a scared cat.”
Then all of a sudden a large scaly green monster with a purple tail appeared. It started to chase us. I tripped over a stomp.
Jimmy said, “See, ya. Wouldn’t want to be ya.” Then the scaly monster grabbed me by the leg. I noticed a pacifier in its mouth. I said to myself it must be a baby and thinks I’m a toy. At this point Jimmy was out of sight. I knew I had to protect myself, but I’m only 8. I twisted and turned until it unhanded me. Before I could even get up a bigger monster appeared. It was the baby monster’s mom.
“Hello there,” The big monster said. “I am Isabella. What is your name?”
“I am Lilly,” I answered. “I got chased by your son.”
“If you promise to never tell anyone that you saw me, I will give you a ride,” the momma monster said.
I promised the mom but Jimmy promised to kill the vicious baby monster because it chased us. That is why I never told him that I visited the mom and baby monster every day. Sometimes I wished I was a part of their family. They might teat me better.
On my 18th birthday I snuck 23 fish for Isabella and her son to eat. Little did I know Jimmy followed me to the lake with a gun. He shot the baby monster to get his revenge for that day by the pond. That night I ran away from home. I found the momma monster and we became a family. We met a witch who learned of my situation with Isabella the monster. The witch turned me into a monster like Isabella. But I was still able to turn human again to go to school. I studied to become a witch myself. I turned my mother monster into a human. We bought a small cottage in the forest. Soon after that she got married to the king of England and I became a princess. We became rich, famous, and I have 3 other siblings now. Plus I never saw my old family again, but they sure did see me in the newspapers.
The House on Maple Street
By Shalom
November 2017
Once upon a time there was a house on Maple Street. Everyone knew not to go there because last Halloween a man named Tom came outside with a chainsaw and a clown mask on. He said “Trick-or-treat smell my feet give me something to eat if you don’t I don’t care I will show my underwear.” Then he threw some candy at them and he put on the music and said let play basketball. It was pretty crazy and that is why nobody goes on Maple Street anymore.
I wasn’t worried about the crazy guy on Maple Street, because our mom bought us candy from the store. But the guy is alright now. Tom has a job and a high school diploma and college degree. The reason he was so mean is because when he was a little boy, his dad was cruel to his mother, sister and auntie and he ran away from home. He went to the RYDC, a boot camp for kids who have issues. When he came home he helped his Grandfather with his bills and he moved away with his Grandfather. But Tom never forgot his old house on Maple Street.
Tom and his grandfather decided to buy back the old house. His grandfather was a scientist and they put a wheel on the house that made it fly to Atlanta with them inside. They sold the device to a rich person and they got rich. They got new things for the house.
When the old man died, Tom built a new house. He sold the old house to a woman.
When Tom saw the woman, he said, “Do ya wanna to go out?”
She said, “Call me.” Tom called the lady and they talked for an hour. Three years passed, and they had a boy.
One day, Tom went to work and he stopped by store. He saw a ring. The man in the store said, “Do you need help?”
“Please. Yes can I buy that ring sir,” Tom said.
“Yes you can. It will be $23.42.”
“Ok,” said Tom, but he didn’t have his money on him. “Can you hold this for me please?”
The man in the store said, “Yes sir.”
Tom knew he was late for his job. He ran home and got his money. The lady said, “Hi, I thought you were at work.
“Yes but I have a surprise for you,” Tom said.
“I love surprises,” his girlfriend said.
Tom ran back to the store and he got the ring. He went to work and his boss said, “You were late. Get to work. ”
“Yes, sir,” five o’clock finally came and he went home.
His girlfriend had called her family and she said come to our new house. They came. That’s when Tom came home from work and she said, “Do you have my surprise?”
He said, “Yes” But he wasn’t ready. He got in the shower and put on a tuxedo. He took his girlfriend to the backyard and he put an old song call, Hit the Quan. Tom got on his knee and said, “Will you marry me?” She start crying.
Her ma said, “OMG, look at my baby! You are all grown up.”
Her daughter said, “Yes.”
They got married and bought a new house. They sold their other house to an old woman. The little boy they had went to school and got a private school education and got his college degree. Tom died on November 3, 2022.
The House on Maple Street
By Cheniecia
November 2017
Back on Maple Street, it was midnight. Mrs. Queen, the expert of science, was thinking about being the first scientist to go to outer space and discover all the planets. Suddenly she fell on the ground moaning in pain from her back. She got up aching. She sat in her chair and started searching for her chemicals for a rocket. Mrs. Queen wrote out her plan rapidly.
By 3:00 a.m. she checked her emergency chemicals to see if she had rocket functional ingredients. When she finally found a chemical and said loudly, “I found it! I’m the best!” So full of excitement, she went outside and poured a drop of the chemical on her house. Magically her house started to shake and then she ran into the house and she screamed loudly, “YESSS!” The alarm in her house loudly announced, “Ready, Set, and Lift off!”
Her house lifted off with might .and she went joyfully to her lab. She sat in her rocket chair so happily. She safely put on her seat belt on and pressed the red lift off button. Two minutes later, she finally made it in space. Fiercely, she studied all the planets in time on her biological map as if it was a map from google maps. It could take explorers to places.
Then by 6:00 a.m. she was back at home ready for her science fair. Happily she made sure to copyright the video. She got in her car and took off fast, so fast that she almost got in a car accident trying to rush to the science fair. Two minutes later she got there and she sat down her wireless TV and yelled’’COME SEE MY DISCOVERY OF OUTER SPACE!’’
Finally a judge named Lolo Carterson, a famous judge, watched the video and he said louldly’’COME SEE THIS VIDEO’’! The crowd of people came to look at Mrs. Queen’s discovery.
Later that afternoon it was time for the judges to announce the winner of the science fair. Nervously, Mrs. Queen shivered. They announced the winner and it was MRS.QUEEN! The crowd shouted with tears and she won the Grand Prize. She lived happily ever after discovering new planets in the rocket house.