Indian Time/Akwesasne Winter Carnival Writing & Story Contest

The following stories were the winning entries for the 2011 Writing & Story Contest. In each age group winners were selected in two categories: Best Writing and Best Story. We received many submissions of hilarious and heartfelt winter stories, with adults and elders submitting the most entries. Although only two winners were chosen in each age group, several “honorable mention” submissions will be published in the coming weeks in Indian Time. Below are the contest’s official winners:

Martha George – BEST WRITING (Adults)

While staring out the window on this cold and blustery winter day, my mind begins to wander. I thought back to a time when these kind of days were fun.

The snow was coming down like heavy summer rain and the wind was howling. Snow was piling up almost to the eaves of our house. My father was moaning “look at all that shoveling we have to do”. I also was thinking about shoveling but not in the same way as my father. Rushing down to breakfast, I was hoping Chris and Theresa were up. They sure were. I could see the same gleam of excitement in their eyes as I felt. We all knew this was going to be a wonderful day. We ate our breakfast of oatmeal, toast and hot chocolate. This will keep us warm and bellies full I thought, as we scurried around getting dressed for our day out in the snow. With shovels in hand, we headed for the great outdoors. We were so happy. All this snow and no school to boot. We started digging, getting the area ready for our snow fort. It had to be done just right after all it was going to protect us from the enemy. We will build it real high, like maybe about three feet. Once we finished our fort we started digging our tunnels. We knew we had to have our get away planned in case the enemy broke through the lines and made it to our fort. Our ammo of snow balls were ready, all piled within our reach. Let the enemy come. I hear somebody coming, “get ready” I whispered. Ammo in hand we waited for the enemy to appear. “Fire!” I hollered “We won’t be taken without a fight!”.

“Chris, Theresa, Lee, Stop!” Boy, that sounds like Mom, I thought. “Naw, it’s the enemy trying to fool us. Keep firing. The enemy is standing outside the fort all covered with snow. “Get ready for the attack!” I hollered.

All of a sudden from behind all this snow a voice bellows, “Chris, Theresa, Lee stop right now”. “Mom, is that you?” as the enemy shakes off all that snow. Mom appears, “lunch is ready”. We rush inside for some hot soup and sandwiches.

A knock at the door brings me back to the present. My Grandchildren rush through the door. “What are you doing out on a day like today” I asked. We came to play in the snow, one hollers, we had our breakfast of oatmeal, toast and hot chocolate. There is no school and the snow is great for making snow forts and snowmen. I could see the excitement in their eyes. The same look my Mom must have seen that morning many years ago.

Ernestine Oakes – BEST STORY (Adults)

My most memorable winter story is a most hilarious one that took place back in the eighties.

      It was a most beautiful, picturesque day.  The snow was covered with sparkling diamonds, the trees wrapped with a white shawl, and the temperature was just right.

      I guess this is the perfect weather for skiing.....I wouldn’t know because I have never skied before. I had heard that it was fun and it sure looked like fun when I would watch some of the Skiing Olympics.....oh, and it sure looked easy!

      It was on this day that my husband’s Aunt Bertha called me and asked if I wanted to go to Mt. Titus with her and some friends.  But when I explained that I didn’t know how to ski, she said, “Oh, there’s nothing to it, I’ll teach you!”.  I thought this was the perfect opportunity.....skiing and a free instructor.

      I was picked up in a van full of people that looked like they were pro’s....all with their professional-looking ski duds on. I would have really felt uncomfortable with my chosen apparel if it weren’t for this one person in the van whose name was Lenny. He was huge, looked like an over-sized baby....a kind of guy that you like instantly.  He was from Idaho and he sat there with this too-small jacket that he had to borrow because he had no winter clothes...and it did NOT match his grey “jogging” pants (that looked too big on him). He was so excited.  First of all, he had never seen snow before he came here and had never, like me, been to a ski lodge.  He was so funny, making everyone laugh and I thought that I was in for a very fun evening!!

When I got to the resort, I first just wanted to watch everyone before I got my first lesson from Aunt Bertha...only thing was, I couldn’t find her...until someone pointed her out.  I looked up and there she was, off the “bunny hill course,” head first in a snow bank with her legs and skis sticking up in the air!!  I knew immediately that I was in trouble!

As I watched people coming down the bunny hill with ease, I thought, “it can’t be that hard”.  So I started up, holding onto the rope, got to the top, and looked down...amazing how huge that hill looked... Well, here  I go, it’s now or never.  I started out okay but half way down this mouse ran in front of me and I freaked! Not to mention  screaming  about that darn mouse!  I ended up on my back with my skis up in the air!! I’m like, “Help, someone help!!”.  Have you ever tried to get up with ten footlong skiis??  Lo and behold, Lenny came to my rescue, yelling...” I’ll help you! As soon as I can get there!!”. So here comes Lenny trudging directly up the hill with his grey jogging pants on and just as he got to me someone yelled, “Erni, that mouse just ran into your collar!! (they were just kidding but I didn’t know that). It was at that time that I panicked, and I’m like grabbing onto anything I can to get the heck up and out of there! Little did I know I was grabbing those grey jogging pants and there stood big Lenny with his pants down around his ankles.!!     Yep, if you ever heard that story.........that was me!!!!  The rumour in Akwesasne was that I was the only one that ever pantsed someone on a bunny hill!! Oh, and I killed the mouse!!

Denita Ireland – BEST WRITING (Teens)

Short days, long nights, and the smell of woodstove- its winter in Akwesasne. Read any children’s book about Native American culture and note how years are measured: snowfall. It is in this time of year that we are able to reflect on the growth of our families, our communities, and most importantly, the growth we experience individually.

Ten years ago this winter, my family was awaiting the birth of my little sister. Seven years old, I was the youngest in my family. My older sisters would roll their eyes at the thought of helping me bundle up and drag our sleds to the bridge. Because we lived on the island, we’d meet cousins and friends to race up and down the hill. Convinced that I had superpowers, my days consisted of chatting up my auntie’s dog and ‘controlling’ snowfall. Needless to say, the birth of my new sister that spring changed my life forever.

This winter brings the coming of yet another immeasurable change in my life. Because it is my senior year in high school, I barely have time to daydream about sleds, let alone spend hours giggling in the snow. Exams, essays, and applications fill my days. My conversations are no longer about mindreading with dogs, but internships with classmates. The focus I had on trying to control the weather has transformed into trying to control my GPA.

As the weekend finally approaches, I bundle up, grab Rakeni’s stick out of the garage, and head to the outdoor rink for boot hockey with my friends. With the sound of crunching snow, the taste of hot chocolate, and the smile across my frozen pink cheeks, I am taken back to that winter an entire decade ago. My sisters and I have all grown so much, and as I realize that there are only four months left of my entire high school career, it hits me. After everything these ten winters have challenged me with, I must have superpowers. I have no idea the kind of situations I’ll be looking back on next winter, but I know that I will be a year older, stronger, and still ready to grow.

Carlee King – BEST STORY (Teens) (NOTE: Teens had the option to submit fiction entries)

I was chained to a wall, the manacles biting into my wrists and rubbing them raw, and itching from the dried blood that clung to my skin. They were starting to scab slightly and it didn’t look all that bad. I was sitting on the floor, dirty and cold, playing ‘scare the rats away’, and just wishing they would either let me go or just kill me. No one likes to sit and wait to see if they were going to die or not. It was rude…while trying to not think about the life or death situation, I was trying hard not to let the rats crawl all over me and try to eat me alive, when the chamber door opened on its squeaky hinges sending a horrible shiver down my spine. Maybe this was the verdict…”Hey Lancelot!” I called before the ugly torture guard came into view, “Can I get out of my manacles now? I think they’re stating to...” My sentence just dropped as soon as I seen who he kicked in front of him. I couldn’t exactly see who it was with the stained burlap sack over his head and tattered clothes clinging to this walking skeleton of a body, but something about him made me shut up. But I had to talk again, say something...”Aww, come on Lancelot. I just got used to the other guy on the stretcher crying bloody murder. Another room mate?” ‘Lancelot’ just laughed an ugly, throaty, ‘beat the crap out of you’ kind of laugh, went to the wall adjacent from me, hooked the guy up. He was just a heap of rags lying on the floor, groaning to some pain that was probably going to get worse laying here in this chamber of death. Luckily the chains were kind of long so you were able to move around a bit. ‘Lancelot’ bent and practically ripped the bag from his head causing it to come up and smack down. He cried out with new pain as a foot connected with his ribs. “Was that really necessary?” I asked. Lancelot just chuckled “Do you want one too?” I shook my head, “Nah, I’m fine.” I got hit across the face with a stick that I hadn’t realized the guard was holding. He chuckled and went out the door, locking it behind him. “Bastard” I muttered and rubbed my cheek. A stinging sensation flared up. “S**t,” I hissed, “He cut me. That’s low even for you, Lancelot!” My voice rose until the last part where I practically bellowed. In answer, I got some screams from the guy laying on the stretcher. The heap on the floor groaned. I took a deep breath, “Are you okay?” I asked softly. “Y-yeah” came a strained reply. He sat up and I saw myself looking into a pair of green eyes. I think it was the guy from the cave. I was positive. His hair was a red-brown, came to his shoulders; his skin was an olive complexion, at least I thought it was under the circumstances that his face was dirty and had blood smears across half of his face. But his eyes kept catching my attention. They were a vibrant green, yet clouded. Well, I think anybody’s eyes would be clouded over by these situations. I couldn’t help think, ‘How could such innocents be exposed to such a cruel fate?’ He stared unblinkingly at me, trying to solve me like I was him. “So, uh, what’d you end up in here for anyway?” I asked, not quite sure what else I was supposed to say. He shrugged, “thieving, arson, killing a guard or ten,” he shrugged again like it was not big deal, which it wasn’t from my point, but to some one else’s on the other hand… “Interesting,” I said. That sounded fairly close to what I had done, but what actually had gotten me in here was that I had openly went up against the king and had almost assassinated him… until several armed guards rushed me and I was forced to jump out of the window. Then I ended up an outlaw for about five months. Plus I had killed about half of the guard, along with my brothers. We weren’t really brothers, just a group of young men who had come together is all. Well, you could say we did a little more than our fair share of hating the king and trying to exploit him for who he really was. Oh, well. The kid’s self rights were just as interesting. After that we had talked about nothing and everything, anything. He talked about his family, whatever he had remembered of them. He talked about his life along with hardly anyone to talk to, except for this little old lady who he had called Lady Granny. Apparently, she had a sickness in her head that couldn’t be helped and there was no cure, so she wasn’t quite all there, but he liked her a lot. And, of course, his ‘adventures’ as he like to call them. I talked about whatever life I had, then I talked about my brothers. How we had all met, how our lifestyle was both dangerous and fun. I also told him who my favorite brother was, Blare, and what we had all gotten into and our ’adventures’. They were all probably out and about, being the outlaws they practically wore on their sleeves. I loved those guys and missed them like I missed food right about now. We slept a lot to try and keep our minds off of food, and we talked about whatever we had dreamt. After a bit, we had told each other our names. “My name’s Lairn,” I said. He smiled, “I’m Ash.” That was a week after we had been talking, at least I thought it was a week. I felt connected to Ash, like he was a brother I have never had. He would have been great with the others. A couple of days later, we were sleeping, sound a sleep when we heard the lock in the door. I remember we had both sprung up from the sound, we were groggy but that soon cleared up as soon as we seen Lancelot. Okay, this is. He’s coming for me, I just know it… ‘Nope,’ said the voice. I looked around quickly. No one around to say it… Lancelot strode over toward us, braced, Ash scared and pale as I have ever seen him. Lancelot stopped between us, stared down and grinned wickedly. Okay… He turned to Ash and stated to take his manacles off. “No!” I yelled. I knew that look. It was his death look, and he was going to enjoy it. I jerked against the chains, trying to get some to them, “No! Don’t take him!” I yelled some more. Ash’s eyes watered, and he tried to cringe away, but Lancelot jerked him up by the collar of his ragged shirt. “Don’t! Leave him! Take me instead! Just leave him alone!” Lancelot dragged Ash across the floor “Lairn,” he whispered, jerking this way and kicking that way. “He’s just a boy! Leave him alone, you bastard!” Ash was staring at me, knowing it was too late. “Be strong, Ash! I know you are!” I called, still trying to rip the chains out of the wall, pulling and rubbing my wrists even more raw. “Ash!” I couldn’t help scream before the door closed, then shut with a bang. “Ash!” I yelled again. I’ll never forget those green eyes. Ash’s green eyes…

Brendan Lazore-McDonald – BEST WRITING (Gr. 5-7)

My favorite activity is outdoor ice hockey. I go to the recreation center in Snye with my dad or my grandma. I play whoever is there. My dad and grandma work in the kitchen. My mom lives close to the rink but my dad doesn’t. He drives me there.

To go skating you need to have your ski pants, jacket, skates, gloves, hat, and a stick. Other kids show up around 2:30p.m. and have a hockey game. If you go there before 2:30 p.m. you can just shoot on the net. It is better to go skating on a day when it is not windy so you don’t have to skate against the wind. Some people don’t bring skates. They play in their boots but sometime the ice is way too slippery for boots and you have to wear skates. It’s fun getting pushed into the snow banks and pushing people in the snow bank.

When you’re in a game to get the ball you have to chase the ball or slap your stick on the ice to get the ball carrier’s attention. If you score, your team pats you on your back.

Out door ice hockey is my favorite activity because it is an active sport. It is my favorite activity because it is a very, very, fun sport to play and if you sweat you just take your hat off. That’s why outdoor ice hockey is my favorite activity.

Nikaronhrosa Shilling – BEST STORY (Gr. 5-7)

My favorite winter activity is ice fishing with my Tota, my Uncle and my Cousin. I woke up at 9:00am. I threw water in my face and had cereal. My cousin called and asked if we wanted anything from Tim Horton’s. I said I wanted a bagel and a hot chocolate. We got our warm clothes, we put on our ski pants, jacket, hat, gloves and boots. My cousin ran in back in our house to get his sandwich and he put his warm winter jacket on and came running back out. The funny thing was he forgot the sandwich again inside and had to run back in again to get it. We went to get my uncle Earnest next to the longhouse.

When we got to Racquette Point it took a long time to cross the ice. I got the dugger and made a hole in the ice. I didn’t catch anything but I have funny stories. My Tota got the biggest fish and my uncle caught the most.

The funny part was my cousin caught a 1 ½ foot, 3 pound walleye. He asked if he had to keep it. My Tota said “Throw it back in then.” He was just being sarcastic. But my cousin threw it back in! It was his first walleye, the biggest walleye we ever caught (until 2 days later). Walleye is the second best fish to eat. The worst part was my cousin is 21 yrs. old and he should have known better.

Timmy Cook – BEST WRITING (Gr. 3-4)

My first hockey game was my best. I was center at the beginning of the game. The ref dropped the puck and the game started. I took the puck up the ice. I made a cheesy pass to Matthew and it flew over his stick! The other team (Potsdam) stole the puck and skated up the ice, and scored! Rrrr! The siren rang in my ears. I skated off the ice. My coach gave me a tip about skating faster. Before I knew it I was back on the ice with 2 minutes and 15 seconds left in the 1st period. The score was still 1 to 0. I went up the ice with the puck. I made a good pass and Zach caught it on his stick, padded back, I shot. It went in with 3 seconds left! Rrrr! The feeling of joy went through my body. We went to the face off dot. We did the face off. Rrrr! We were starting the 2nd period! They cleaned the ice for about 7 minutes then we went back on the ice.

I don’t know why but we had different refs. Once again I stated off taking the face off. I won it again. I carried the puck up the ice, did a wrap around, did a backhander, and scored! Rrrr! My teammates were proud. I looked up at the scoreboard and there was only 12 seconds left! You know what they say time flies! Once again I was on the bench. The siren rang Rrrrw! They cleaned the ice. We went back on the ice.

This time I was right wing on the third line. I took the puck up the ice; shot and the goalie saved it! Zach got the rebound and scored! Rrrr! We were now winning 3 to 1! Matthew took control of the puck, skated up the ice and shot it out of play! I was back on the ice for the last minute. Nobody scored. Rrrr! We had won 3 to 1!!! We celebrated for a little bit, shook hands and then got off the ice. I had a fun time that day.

Devon George – BEST STORY (Gr. 3-4)

My favorite activity is spending time with family and sledding. One time I stopped playing my Xbox and went outside with my older brother, Brad. We saw a humongous snowy, fluffy hill behind our house and decided to go sledding. We grabbed our blue, fast sled out of the shed.

Brad was the first one to go down. On my turn, I accidentally went down a different way and fell in the snow. My brother started laughing so, I threw a snowball at him and it turned into a snowball fight. This was my favorite winter activity because I had fun with my brother.

Kade Cook – BEST WRITING (Gr. 2 and under)

My favorite thing to do in the winter is hockey. I skate fast. I am on mini mites. Sometimes I am goalie, sometimes I am forward, sometimes, I am defense. My favorite is forward because you score a lot of goals. I like hockey. You mite not like hockey but I do. You mite not score any goals, it’s about fun. When your going home maybe you can play ministicks. You have to have a good time because you do fun things.

Kiyah Francis – BEST STORY (Gr. 2 and under)

My favorite is going ice skating. I wish I could go skating right now. And I also like going skiing, it’s so fun. I wish I could go today.