Tisbury School third-graders tell a tale of two otters
By Janet Hefler
Published: February 18, 2010
A photo of a pair of frolicking otters recently published in The Times inspired some creative tales by 20 third-graders in a reading class at Tisbury School.
Click on photo to enlarge. Photo by Julian K. RobinsonAfter teacher Jill Waxweiler showed her students the photo by Julian K. Robinson that appeared with his poem, "To the ice-breakers," in his January 28 Vineyard Verses column, she instructed them to make up a story using the otters as characters.
The students were required to write at least one paragraph, begin at least one sentence per paragraph with an adverb, and use many adjectives. Excerpts from the collection of otter tales shared by Ms. Waxweiler with The Times provide for some entertaining reading:
"Have you ever wondered what otters do when you are not looking? Oddly enough they do exactly what you don't think they would do. They don't walk, but they talk and ride speedy sea-horses." Sam C.
"Once upon a time there were two totally cool but some sort of lactose intolerant otters named Dot and Spot. They lived in a crazy but cozy home in Alabama. Dot was the most gorgeous otter in the universe. She used to go out with her friends to the Ottersauce Casino, a place 3 billion miles from her house. Imagine trying to swim there." Jade
"The little otters' favorite place to go is Ottey Eek. It is just like Chuckie Cheese..." Megan
"A long time ago two strong otters cruised along the icy seas in Antarctica. Their names were Stan and Marshall. Stan met Marshall by sending a letter in a bottle across the ocean." Layla
"In the deepest most dangerous part of the sea swam two otters named Hairball and Wiggle. Being an otter is very dangerous and tiring or at least that's what Hairball and Wiggle thought." Owen
"Dangerously, one sunny day two otters named Count Otter and Count Sam swam across the world. When they got home their house was robbed. Quickly they swam away. They traveled far and wide, but mostly wide." Kenny
"Jojo and Mike were two happy otters. Jojo was more gorgeous than any otter you've ever seen. Unfortunately Mike had one wart on his chin. They have been best friends since preschool." Lily
Ms. Waxweilter is in her 11th year teaching third grade at Tisbury School. When asked what led to the assignment, she replied in an email, "We write so much nonfiction writing that I thought it would be fun to do creative fiction for a change."
Judging from the results, she was right. The 13 boys and 7 girls in her class "otter" be proud.
Otter Boy
By Sam C.
Have you ever wondered what otters do when you are not looking? Oddly enough they do exactly what you don't think they would do. They don't walk, but they talk and ride speedy sea-horses. Only one human has ever seen them doing these weird things, and as you might have guessed, that's where our story begins.
It was an ordinary day in Otter Land when from the high lookout tower Johnny Otter yelled, "HUMAN ALERT! RUN!!!!" Everyone started yelling. The Otter Army ran out to see what was going on, and just as Johnny had said, there was a woman carrying an oddly dressed baby in her arms. The lady dropped the baby into the water! "Oh, my baby!" she said. But it was no use, her baby had vanished.
A few weeks later the otters were swimming around the place where the lady had dropped some of her belongings, and there, happily chewing on a clamshell was the woman's baby! "How could he have survived?" asked the Lead Otter whose name was Owen.
"He must have been raised by the seal people and then the lady found him," said Johnny Otter.
"Must have," said Owen. "Well, we can't just leave him here. Let's take him back to the city, surely someone will raise him," said the wisest and oldest otter in the group.
The next morning Timmy Otter was sitting in his easy chair when he heard a knock on the door. Timmy was pretty weird. He and his wife never went ot college and they had no experience raising children. "Hello?" he said.
"Hi, I am Owen Otter and I would like you to raise this child," said Owen.
"But I have no experience with raising children," said Timmy.
"Please!" pleaded Owen. "No one would take him."
"Fine," said Timmy. "I shall name him Otter Boy!"
Otter boy was a fast learner of the otter rules even though Timmy was not very good at teaching him. Then came the fateful day when Otter Boy had to say goodbye to his loving otter parents. You see, Otter Boy's human parents thought that there was a chance that he could have survived so they sent a police helicopter to find him.
On this particular day Otter Boy was in a great mood, throwing a ball up in the air and catching it, then a dark shadow passed over head. Timmy yelled to his son, "Son, see that shadow?"
"Yes," said Otter Boy.
"That shadow is coming for you. Now grab on that rope and let it pull you up," said Timmy.
"Bye!" cried Otter Boy to Timmy as the rope pulled him up.
"Bye," called Timmy as Otter Boy disappeared above the waves.
"I'll miss that kid," thought Timmy.
The Great Race of Wacky and Zingo!
By Eamon
One time not long ago, (well, it was yesterday actually) there were two otters. They were dodging icebergs and ice blocks. Happily the otters lived in the Pacific Ocean. They were going to have a race. The two otters were named Wacky and Zingo. "I'm going to the Sea Store to get some faster fins," said Zingo.
"I hope you get back soon," said Wacky. "The race is going to start in a few hours." Then Zingo left to go to the Sea Store by the sea floor. While Zingo was gone something extraordinary happened! Wacky built a swim race track. A few hours later Zingo came back with some fins. When he found Wacky at the beach by the Pacific, Zingo's eyes widened. He saw the huge ocean turned into a race track!
"Now then. Let's get started," said Wacky. They got their fins on and raced until dusk.
The Otters
By Tati
Some time ago there were two beautiful otters. There was a small otter who loved here sister more than anything. Then there was an older otter that was just as pretty but she was very selfish and self-centered. She never was nice to anyone, including her sister, and ordered the otters to do everything for her. So she got kicked out of otter world, and because her younger sister loved her so much, she went too.
Unknowingly as they went on their journey a shark appeared from the ruffling waves. The otters had spotted him so they began swimming faster and faster but he was catching up quickly. Both the otters went very close to the rocks. Right when they would have crashed they did a 360 jump in the air leaving the shark crashing against the stiff, slippery rock.
After that shock they both synchronized until they found themselves in warm water next to a mysterious island. They didn't know what it was called or where it was or anything about it, so they had to use caution when they ate or touched something. Miraculously since a long time had past, the otters found out that the island had a tribe.
The older otter learned to be nice so both of them were welcome in the tribe. They lived happily ever after.
Champion Ice-breakers
By Gedeon
Once upon a time there were two not that smart otters who were champion ice-breakers. Their names were John and Johnny.
They loved boasting that they were the best ice-breaking team in the Pacific Ocean. Well, that got the attention of the real best ice breaker in the Pacific. He was a lot more famous. He challenged them to an ice breaking contest. Now John and Johnson had no idea who he was, so they just grinned and accepted his challenge.
They both got mallets and started hammering away. In the end though they lost 9-5, they were so ashamed that they jumped in the ocean and were never seen again and the real champion lived happily ever after.
The Otters
By Jade
Once upon a time there were two totally cool but some sort of lactose intolerant otters named Dot and Spot. They lived in a crazy but cozy home in Alabama. Dot was the most gorgeous otter in the universe. She used to go out with her friends to the Ottersauce Casino, a place 3 billion miles from her house. Imagine trying to swim there.
Spot liked tacos with no cheese. He used to go to Timmy Turtle's Taco Palace and have tacos all day (secretly with cheese). One day he met a very cute and familiar otter named Delilah. She gave him her number and left. Spot was love struck! He went straight home to tell Dot, his sister. They had a great dinner of pickles and cram with French toast. (Not to mention Dot is a great cook!)
Later Spot and Delilah got married and had child, Taco.
The Day At the Carnival
by Lily
One day two otters named Jojo and Mike went swimming. Jojo and Mike were two happy otters. Jojo was more gorgeous than any otter you've ever seen. Unfortunately Mike had one wart on his chin. They have been best friends since preschool.
Today was the Undersea Carnival. Everyone loves the carnival because it has games to play, rides to ride and delicious food to eat. There is one game run by a fish. All the fish loved that game because it is the game where you take a dart and throw it at a human stuffed animal. If you hit it right on the spot where the heart is, you get $100.00. Naturally everyone wants $100.00.
Jojo's favorite thing to do at the carnival is go through the coral maze. The coral maze changes every year because of the boat's motors. Mike's favorite thing to do is eat. Guess what he loves to eat there? Fish on a stick, no other undersea animal likes it. It was time for Jojo's mom, Sara, to come pick them up. You see Jojo's mom gave her her phone to call her when they had no money left. Jojo was wearning a sweatshirt that has one big pocket in the front. In the giant crowd she lost her mom's phone and they couldn't do anything. They were broke so they couldn't use a pay phone. What are they going to do? Mike found one of his friends that let him use his phone if they would pay him $1.00. Jojo and Mike begged and begged. Finally Bob said yes. Jojo was so happy she almost forgot her mom's phone number.
Sara came and picked them up and they went home. Sara was very, very mad because they had lost her phone. They promised not to do it again.
Ice Breakers
By Megan
Once upon a time there were two otters swimming happily out in the ocean. Their parent otters had a birthday party for them. Kindly the parent otters would do what ever the guests wanted them to do. After the party they went to a movie. The otters went back to their gorgeous mansion and met their beautiful mother and handsome dad there. Their mom gave them a bubble bath and when they were dry, they looked all fluffy and cute. Know what's odd? Having a movie theatre next to the ocean. The little otters favorite place to go is Ottey Eek. It is just like Chucky Cheese but it is Otty Eek. The little otters were adorable twins both named Gary. It was too hard to tell them apart so they called them Gary 1 and Gary 2. Every week day they would go to school just like us but only for 2 hours. They were in daycare school. When the party was over they went to bed. Night all!
Fuzzy Otters
By Ivan
Quietly two little fuzzy otters swam in a huge pond looking for food. Suddenly a tiny brown fish swam past the two gorgeous otters. They started swimming after the small fish. Finally they caught the fish and ate him. After their meal they swam to deeper water to look for some fresh water clams. When they finished eating they swam back to the dark burrow for the night.
The Day of Fun
By Michael
One day in the ocean two happy otters named Mike and Joe went out for a day of fun. Happily they went fishing and counted a lot of fish. First they went and broke some ice. Second, they went to the diner and talked.
After that Joe said they should go extreme surfing. They did awesome tricks. Then they played catch in the water. Also Mike suggested they should go to his house and have a snack. After the snack they took a nap on a rock. They went to fly their beautiful homemade kites. Last, they watched the sunset together and said goodbye and went home.
Silk Brown Otters
By Silas
One day two silk brown otters named Lan and Dan challenged each other to a relay race to the Pacific Ocean and back. Ready, set, go! The race was on! Lan smashed the ice. Dan was in the lead. Lan went under the water. It was an extreme relay race! They made it to the Pacific Ocean. Dan said, "Let's take a break on the ice." Then the ice break was over. Ready set go! The race was on!
A shark was getting close. Dan said, "Should we throw a fish at him?" Lan said yes. Dan found a fish. He threw it at the shark and the shark ate it in mid-air. Dan found a block of ice. He threw it at the shark and the shark ate it. Dan had an ice paddle and went behind the shark and smacked it. Dan says, "A boat!" He pokes Lan. Dan pointed at the boat. Lan and Dan jumped in the speed boat, Dan and Lan tried to start the speed boat, but it didn't work. Lan spotted a jet ski. They sped away from the shark and back to the finish line.
After that, Dan and Lan became best friends.
The Adventures of Sally and James
By Isabelle
Once upon a time there were two amazing otters who were looking out at the sights to see on the beach near their home. Their names were Sally and James. Unexpectedly Sally said, "Look at that humongous wave coming toward us!" Then James said "Quick, let's get out of here!"
After they got away from the ginormous wave, they found something amazing in the depths of the sea. It was treasure chest with gold and jewels oozing out of t he opened lid. Sally was enthusiastic. "Wow!" she said. Excitedly, she swam over to the chest. "Wow!" she said again. "James, come over here!" So James swam over. And James, being the reader, found out that the chest was more than 100 years old.
After that, with old treasure chest she had insisted on taking, Sally and James swiftly swam back to their home, a home made out of seaweed, a strange place for two otters to live. When they got there, they gathered up some bags made out of scraps of fabric that were accidentally dropped form a boat. They went to buy some things with some, not all, of their treasures.
On Coral Lane, they came to their favorite store, "Decorations For the Sea". You see, they both loved to have the outside of their home covered in decorations. There they bought some Scallop Shell Hang-Ups and a Door Knocker made out of coral. Then they went back home and hung up their new decorations. They went to sleep and lived happily ever after.
Oh, and as for the rest of the treasure, they spent all the rest of it on decorations too, except for one piece of gold and one jewel.
The Race
By David
One day two fast otters challenged each other to a swimming race. The otters each thought they were the fastest. Their names were Bob and Ben. Bob said, "I'm the fastest otter ever!" Ben said, "But I have won every race I have been in." Then they both said, "I challenge you to a race!"
The next day they lined up at the starting line. The starter fish said, "On your marks, get set, GO!" Happily the otters jumped in the water. Bob saw something in the distance.
"Shark!" yelled Bob. "What?" said Ben. "You heard me! I saw a shark!", said Bob. "Then speed up!" shouted Ben. "Wait, it's not a shark," said Bob. "It's worse!" Ben said, "Then what is it?"
"It's two runaway jet skies!" said Bob. "Let's ride them". "Good idea" said Ben. Slowly the jet skies neared. The two otters jumped out of the water and on the jet skies. Happily Bob sped up on his jet ski and so did Ben. They neared the finish line and then jumped off the jet skies.
They had made a bad move. They should have known that they could not fly. Hopelessly Ben and Bob belly-flopped across the finish line. It was a tie. The shook hands and said, "Good race."
Stan and Marshall
By Layla
Along time ago two strong otters cruised along the icy seas in Antarctica. Their names were Stan and Marshall. Stan met Marshall by sending a letter in a bottle across the ocean. Marshall was in a rush because he was a rapper. He had to get to his concert ASAP (as soon as possible). But he found a letter in the bottle while he was rushing to get to the concert. Fortunately Marshall wrote back and this time he told Stan where he was. And they met. Marshall stopped rapping so that they could spend time together and play. Stan had a sister named Indi like the skateboarding move. She played hockey just like Stan. They both went every Tuesday and Thursday. Marshall was on the same team as Indi. Stan was on a different team. But they were all happy about how they were and what they did together.
The Two Otters
By Jason
One day, two silly otters went to the bottom of the ocean. Now, these two otters had names, J.C. and Light. When the silly otters were at the bottom of the ocean, J.C. said, "What is that thing?"
"I, the intelligent, handsome and super smart otter, do not know." said Light.
"Oh, when I am done showing you a dictionary you'll be really smart!" yelled J.C.
While J.C. showed Light the book called The Guide in Only Eleven Words (The words were: "If you are reading this book you are not that smart"), something came out of the shadows. It was a shark! The fierce shark chased the silly otters back to the sandy surface. They wanted to get even with the shark. Quickly the silly otters went to Light's house. But then they found something that took their minds off the shark. They found thetreasure! They were rich and wealthy forever.
An Otter Story "A Novel"
By Jacob
Once upon a time there were these two curious otters. One's name was Chester and the other was named Fuzzball. So one day the two chocolaty brown otters were swimming up river fiercely fighting the extremely strong current of the river. They were swimming up river because they lived up river. Suddenly they saw some piranhas, which they liked to eat, so they stopped to have a snack. When they were done they had extremely full bellies. When Chester and Fuzzball had only one short mile left, a hungry bull shark came along and the two otters were very scared. They zoomed around at lightening speed! Wicked Cool! The shark was fast, too, but not as fast as the heroic Chester and Fuzzball. The shark's teeth were 5 inches long and sharper than knives. Finally, when they got to their hole just under the surface of the water they swam in. The shark was too big for their door. So Chester and Fuzzball never went far from home again.
The Freaky Otters
By Ian
A long, long, time ago in an ocean far away, two freaky otters called Wallace and Lennel sped fiercely through the water. Wallace and Lennel had been friends since they were born, but now they were in their biggest, harshest fight ever! It all started at Moon Bay when Lennel challenged Wallace to a race and Wallace accepted. Lennel won, but the only reason he did was because he had a hidden jetpack. Wallace found out and he was really angry. He went to Lennel and made him apologize and Lennel admitted Wallace had always been a better racer than he was. They were friends from there on. Silently, they went to bed.
The Squid
By Owen
In the deepest most dangerous part of the sea swam two otters named Hairball and Wiggle. Being an otter is very dangerous and tiring or at least that's what Hairball and Wiggle thought. Hairball and Wiggle were zipping happily through the water when a giant tentacle went flying through the water. "Giant Squid!" cried Wiggle.
"And he has his octopi servants with him" put in Hairball. The two frightened otters dashed away. They knew if the octopi caught them the giant squid would eat them for a living. The two otters darted into a coral reef which was too small for the octopi. But then the coral reef rumbled and it was floating upward like an airplane. Then the otters realized that the coral reef was being lifted up by the giant squid. Will this be the end of Hairball and Wiggle? Nervously Hairball and Wiggle went home and had a great dinner involving fish burgers with some Mr. Shark's amazing sea sauce on top. The next morning something terrible happened. On their way to Fred the Dolphin's Café, a crab pinched Wiggle. Wiggle screamed in terror. Hairball said "Go away!" and the crab scurried away. Then they had an enjoyable morning at the cafe'.
Count Otter and Count Sam
By Kenny
Dangerously, one sunny day two otters named Count Otter and Count Sam swam across the world. When they got home their house was robbed. Quickly they swam away. They traveled far and wide, but mostly wide. Finally they found their stuff in Mr. Jacob's office! Quickly Mr. Jacob ran up the roof and jumped off the roof onto a helicopter. Mr. Jacob lived happily in China and Tokyo, and the otter lived happily, too.
The Selfish Otters
By J.P.
Along time ago there lived two rich otters that were selfish. One of them was named Sime and the other selfish otter was named Rastick. They were in a big, different kind of competition. They long competition was to find the biggest pile of fresh, sparkly gold. Naturally, Sime and Rastick wanted to be the richest otters. The big day came and the long race began. The otters pushed each other to reach the sparkly gold. When they got there they figured out that the gold was fake! Then they decided gold really didn't matter.
