Back to Articles News Back to Sections A Frightening Welcome to the 117th Congress: Impeachment 2.0 By Craig Papajohn-Shaw Volume 1 Issue 4 January 20, 2021 No Image available at this time January 6, 2021, 2:07 PM: a moment that history will never forget, when domestic terrorists ransacked the Capitol while congressional leaders were meeting to certify the election for Joseph R. Biden (D-DE). High ranking officials on the floor feared for their lives. The office of Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (D-NY), who represents the students and parents within the Valley Stream Central High School District, responded to my request for a statement; the Congresswoman expressed “For those of us who were in the Capitol that day, this attack will haunt us and our families for the rest of our lives. For every American, it will leave a permanent stain on the great history of our democracy.” The Congresswoman’s statement emphasizes the heinous acts that were committed on the Capitol that horrid day. The 117th Congress was sworn in on January 3rd, having a new perspective on what can happen when democracy is threatened. They would start their term by voting for the Speaker of the House. In the House of Representatives, a slim 222 majority for the Democrats still allowed the party to re-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for Speaker of the House. The leader of the most diverse and dynamically female-led House in history, Pelosi was still blamed by some Democrats for the loss of 10 seats in her party and Republicans gaining 15. Many progressives were dubious about voting for the Speaker but did not want to further voice the divide within the Democratic Party. Speaker Pelosi urged representatives to come together stating, “our promise to [our constituents] will [be to] continue to work in a bipartisan way to build a future worthy of their sacrifice.” Even with Pelosi’s promising speech, problems arose on the first day of order in the 117th House of Representatives. A screaming match, as Business Insider described it, occurred within the chamber because of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) refusal to wear a mask properly. A freshman politician, Representative Greene is seen in many pictures throughout the historic day without a mask. Furthermore, she was one of 121 GOP lawmakers who supported the objection to the presidential election on January 6th. A staunch supporter of President Trump, wearing a mask reading “Trump Won,” Greene has been in strong opposition to the Democratic caucus’ impeachment of the President for a second time, and many of her Republican colleagues also voiced their disapproval of the Democrats’ impeachment efforts. Pelosi brought impeachment papers to the floor on January 11th, citing that Trump encouraged the mob of his supporters to attack the Capitol. The charge, incitement of insurrection (inciting violence against the government against the United States) , was agreed upon in the House by a vote of 232-197 on January 13th, with 10 Republicans breaking party lines. Led by the 3rd highest ranking Republican in the house, Liz Cheney (R-WY) voted for the impeachment of Donald Trump stating, “[he]summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack.” Cheney and her nine Republican colleagues who voted for impeachment have been called on to resign by constituents and other GOP representatives alike. However, a spokesperson for Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), rejected the idea stating, “[The Minority Leader] does not support efforts to remove her as conference chair. The agreed resolution will now go to Senate where an impeachment trial will take place.” The 117th United States Senate will be under new leadership. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-KY) will now be titled as Senate Minority Leader. The two Senate runoffs in Georgia which occurred on January 5th decided the fate of the Senate. For the Democrats to obtain the majority, both Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) needed to win their elections. Both defeated their opponents by over a 0.5% margin, so no automatic recount will occur per Georgia’s state election rules. A concession speech from GOP incumbent David Perdue (R-GA) read, “Although we won the general election, we came up just short of Georgia’s 50% rule, and now I want to congratulate the Democratic Party and my opponent for this runoff win.” In defiance of President Trump’s claim of voter fraud once again, both GOP senators from Georgia gracefully accepted defeat. With 50 Democratic senators and 50 Republican senators, the president of the senate, who is the vice president, breaks the tie to hold the majority. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris (D-CA) would hold this position, therefore presumptively making current minority leader, Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the majority leader. With regards to an impeachment trial, Mitch McConnell, who will still be majority leader until the election for the Georgia runoff is certified in mid-January, has stated that due to scheduling, a trial can occur no earlier than January 19th. As a majority leader, an emergency session can be called prior to this date under his leadership; however, he will refuse to do so. A president may be impeached after they have left office. President Trump being impeached in the House would make him the only president in American History to be impeached twice. In the Senate, a two-thirds majority is necessary to find the President guilty, and while some GOP Senators, such as Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Pat Toomey (R-PA), have vowed to charge the president as guilty, it is unlikely that 17 Republican senators will follow suit with their Republican colleagues. The 117th Congress will have to make complex decisions within the first few weeks of office. With both the legislative and executive branch controlled by the Democrats, an ambitious agenda by the Biden administration will be easier to accomplish with a majority in both chambers of Congress. The new leadership will make a priority of overcoming the coronavirus pandemic and helping their constituents, some of whom are in dire need of financial and public health support. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections VSN Future Teacher Club By Alisson Andrea Alas Bonilla Volume 2 Issue 7 June 13, 2022 Image provided by District 230 Valley Stream North High School offers many clubs/activities available for students to enjoy and learn from after school. For example, the Future Teacher Club, organized by two English teachers, Ms. Coleman and Mrs. Modzelewski, is a new club this school year. The club, like the name, is about being a teacher, a future teacher. If you are interested in teaching, this is the club for you. During past meetings, we’ve had guest speakers, for example, Ms. Mulkeen, from the English as a New Language Department, Mr. Jara, assistant principal, former dean, and Spanish teacher, also Dr. Small, North’s principal, Dr. Seinfeld, a dean from Long Island University Post, and Fabayo McIntosh, the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in District 13. We've had speakers with dual certification (not one but two fields or subjects), which is great to have because you can hear from someone who knows about teaching and can give you any tips, warnings, and encouragement. I interviewed Ms. Coleman and Mrs. Modzelewski about the club, and their answers are very easy to understand and give a thorough description of the club. 1. What is the purpose of the club? “ Future Teacher Club is to offer an opportunity for students possibly interested in pursuing a career in education.” 2. Why should students consider joining? “Students will have access to presentations and question and answer sessions with education professionals at different levels - teachers of all disciplines, building administrators, superintendents, and college professors and deans. These contacts will provide invaluable resources for interested students.” 3. Can all grades gain from this club? “The club is currently available to students in grades 9-12.” 4. What do the students learn about the educational field once joining? “The students will learn information about the certification process, necessary classes, approaches to student teaching, dual enrollment programs, and more.” I've always wanted to teach, and before joining the Future Teacher Club, I didn't think too much of it. Instead, I thought the feeling would pass and tried not to think about it. After the first few meetings, I decided that teaching is something that I would most definitely do. I've learned so much from this club and met wonderful people who advised and provided us with their knowledge, which has definitely encouraged me to not only want to teach English or History, but to go further because there's more than just teaching a single subject, or two. I would advise anyone who wants to teach to join because it's a perfect opportunity to learn from someone who is willing to guide you, meet wonderful people, learn about our teachers’ careers and how they got to where they are now, and how much effort they’ve put into studying and teaching. Not only that, but some meetings provide snacks! Even if you are in 7th or 8th grade, think of this as a club to look forward to. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Shifts Navrosedip Kundlas Volume 4 Issue 2 January 16, 2024 Image provided by Elaine Ching Our lives have many stages. A book to fill with many pages. Each chapter is a threshold to cross. Bringing new excitement and depressing loss. Chapter one begins our journey. Blooming taste buds with our first taste of turkey. Curiosity peeks at an early age. Ready to explore outside our house-like cage. Life moves quickly through early chapters. From running wild to learning manners. Learning happens at every stage. A new lesson in every pilgrimage. At first the school seemed to be amaze. Creating new friendships that set our hearts ablaze. As we get older, we make new connections. Enabling us to see the world in different perceptions. Twists and turns arrive at every corner. From meaningless banter to harmful chaunter. Elementary to middle to high school. A whole new set of fish in a bigger pool. Leaving high school seems like a dream. However, when reality sits in, it's hard not to scream. Adult life isn't easy, it isn't what we think. We start to miss the days when we couldn't drink. Soon enough, we have our own family. It's hard to keep track, it's happening so rapidly. Our children go from a baby to a teen. Things change so fast; we can't believe what we've seen. The time comes to let them go. That's when our mind wanders to long ago. When the moment arrives, we'll look back, one last time. At all the shifts that lead to this one last prime. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News, Feature Back to Sections Snowball Dance Max Ching Volume 4 Issue 3 March 13, 2024 Image Provided by Christmas for the City The second-ever Snowball Dance took place at North High School on January 19th, and many students ranging from 7-9 graders arrived at this event. This dance had the theme of, “A Night in Paris,” and the cafetorium was decorated with Paris-themed decorations that made it feel like you really were in France. So, because this event was incredibly magical, I’ve decided to go over this event, such as the music, food and refreshments, decorations, along with student opinions, and what they thought about this event. One particularly important detail for dances is music, right? Well, what songs were played you ask? Well, the DJ made sure that the songs he played were good, and they sure were. Songs like “Flashing Lights,” and “Runaway” by Kanye West were played. Some other songs that played were “Shut Up and Dance,” “Macarena,” “Call Me Maybe,” and many, many more. The DJ made sure that everyone had a fun and wondrous time. Another especially important detail for a dance is food and refreshments, and the district made sure that students had plenty to eat. The Crave Shack provided many delicious foods that students enjoyed. Some of the foods served were burgers, chicken tenders, French fries, and more. Along with the Crave Shack, pizzas were also served in the latter half of the dance. There were also many snacks, like pretzels, and chips, along with many desserts like cookies and brownies near the end of the wonderful event. Foods were all served by staff members and PTA members. Since the theme for this dance was “A Night in Paris,” there were sure a lot of Paris-themed decorations at this event. There were dark-colored Paris-themed decorations on the walls, there were decorations on the stage, decorations on the tables, and there were multiple Paris-themed decorations all over the cafetorium. Another big hit for decorations was the photo booth, right near the stage, where students could take photos, along with accessories that matched the theme of this occasion. Like I previously mentioned at the beginning of this article, I promised that I would state what multiple students thought of this occasion, like what they enjoyed, and what they wanted to be improved, because what is the point of covering something, without people’s opinions? Anyway, the first opinion I have is from a student named Kyle Cooper. Kyle says “It was a crazy but fun experience. I have no complaints.” Another student named Rachael Marto says, “The music was good, the activities were fun, and it was fun, but the downside was that we had to wait a while for the food.” A third student named Anthony Disalvio says, “I wanted more food, and more details like lights.” The fourth student is someone who didn’t want their name in the article. This anonymous person states, “I think the dance was fun; it was very good but also, I think there was a bit of a crowd in my opinion. Overall, it was very fun and had a lot of music, food, and everything in general was well done so the dance in my opinion was good.” So, it appears that while those students enjoyed the dance, they wanted the food to be served a little bit sooner and that they also wanted more details, like lights and decorations, and more food. Overall, that was the Snowball Dance. That was my report on the songs, food, decorations, and student opinions. Overall, the Snowball Dance was a very, very wondrous occasion, and I hope that there are more events like this in the future. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Glicked: Which Movie is Better? Mya Hans Volume 5 Issue 3 January 14, 2025 Image Provided by Max Ching “Glicked” is a portmanteau fans are using to describe the coincidence of the movies Gladiator II and Wicked, debuting on the same day in theaters, on November 22, 2024. This unique term brings attention to both movies, increasing viewership. “Glicked” is doing exceptionally well in box office, both movies receiving multiple Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, but which movie is better? Gladiator II is a continuation of the classic 2000’s movie Gladiator with an audience rating of 3.1/5 stars. People were at first hesitant to see it, considering the universal opinion that sequels are usually nowhere near as good as the original movie. There are mixed reviews about this movie, some claiming the acting is great, but not accurate to the time period, or that it was an unnecessary sequel, or even that the characters in Gladiator II don’t live up to the iconic characters in the first movie. Erik Kain, a writer for Forbes magazine states that, “ Gladiator II is a truly terrible film in almost every way imaginable, making even its wildly bombastic combat dull and trite.” Inversely, Kristy Puchko, a top critic on the Rotten Tomatoes website says, “For all its faults, Gladiator II is an extraordinary film, the kind that demands to be seen in theaters.” Overall, the feedback from Gladiator II has been a mix of positive and negative. Wicked on the other hand, has been receiving a lot of love and positive reviews, with an audience rating of 4.1/5 stars. Wicked is an on-screen adaptation of the well-known Broadway hit. It is the first part of the story, representing Act 1 of the musical. The second movie will come out next year, to finish the story, representing Act 2 of the musical. The two main characters are one of the most influential pop stars of the century, Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda and talented Oscar-winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo who plays Elphaba. Top Critics on the Rotten Tomatoes website called it “Wickedly magical” and “a thrill, at times wildly funny, heart-soaring, and ultimately inspirational.” I agree with all the positive reviews of Wicked . Although I did not see the original show on Broadway, this movie convinced me to. The singing, choreography, costume designs, and all the actors in the movie are incredible. The movie was very long (2 hours and 40 minutes); however, it certainly did not feel that long. I may be biased because I have not seen Gladiator II but based on reviews, clearly the consensus would agree. If I had to recommend a movie, I would recommend Wicked . You don’t have to be a musical theater lover, or even a fan of the story to enjoy a 10/10 movie! BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Jensen McRae: An Unsung Lyricist Noa Cordova Volume 5 Issue 4 April 8, 2025 “I read your fortune… I saw the mother-wound.” I happened to scroll to Jensen McRae singing about her third date with someone: my introduction to her profound lyricism and my favorite artist.  Instantly impressed, I turned to Spotify to find her only official album, Are You Happy Now? released in 2022. Naturally, I deemed it my favorite album. I would consider the album a sung story about maturing and personal discovery through her perspective as a woman of color. One House Down From the Girl Next Door Following her across media platforms, I’ve learned about her journey as a musician and as a person as she openly shares her experiences through social media and most notably, her music. Born in Los Angeles, she cherishes her Californian roots and currently uses her platform to bring awareness to the wildfires through song. She shared that although accepted to Harvard University, she chose to pursue music at the University of Southern California’s Thorton School of Music. The twenty-seven-year-old songwriter nicknames herself the girl one house down from the girl next door, highlighting her disconnection to the American female archetype. This Love Letter Begins: Are You Happy Now? Top 5 Tracks Are You Happy Now? rightfully earns the title of a “no-skip” album, with each track telling a compelling story independently of the others. Her two debut singles included in the album, “Wolves” and “White Boy” powerfully showcase her experiences as a woman of color. “Wolves” metaphorically describes losing your innocent worldview and keeping your guard up as a woman after threatening experiences with seemingly friendly men. “Wolves” precisely details an experience that women too frequently face and can fully appreciate through her song without McRae explicitly stating it. “White Boy” encapsulates her self-given nickname and her tacit competition with “white” girls in romantic relationships as a woman of color as she writes, “white girl arrives, I turn invisible.”   With a strong identity crisis theme, “My Ego Dies At The End” remains her top song on Spotify. Singing about a dream, she illustrates the surreal feeling of losing soul-searching and desperately trying to define yourself; we can all relate to thinking we’ve lost ourselves, explaining the nineteen million Spotify streams. “Machines” flows like a poem with a simple but pivotal moment in each stanza working together to tell a coming-of-age narrative. Her lyricism sticks with you as she opens her poetic mind and shares that she outgrew superpowers, met God, drank for the first time, and learned the cost of growing up. Lastly, inspiring the subheading, I consider “Adam’s Ribs” a masterpiece. Written as a biblical allusion, “Adam’s Ribs” McRae sings from Eve’s perspective, “to Adam, from your ribs.” While it speaks keenly to Christians as a novel, religious take on a love song, anyone familiar with Genesis can appreciate her artistic approach to highlighting her experience as a female in relationships. Beyond the Album: Are You Happy Now? While McRae only released one album in 2022, she continues posting her songwriting across social media platforms for her followers and recently announced her sophomore album I Don’t Know How but They Found Me coming out in April. Unsurprisingly, her unreleased songs astound me as much as her released album tracks. I would consider Jensen McRae a growing, but critically underrated artist worthy of recognition. Her masterful songwriting, pure voice, and fitting background instrumentals make her songs wise additions to a playlist. I encourage you to listen to the tracks I nominated top five, but know you have another ten album tracks to add to the ranking or you could pick from her entire discography. I hope you’re happy now. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles News Back to Sections Turkey and Syria’s Earthquakes By Sahar Ali Volume 3 Issue 4 May 18, 2023 Image provided by Al Jazeera TURKEY & SYRIA – On February 6th, 2023, a tragedy occurred that changed the lives of millions. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeast Turkey and the border of Syria, causing more than 48,000 deaths. Days later on February 20th, 2023, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes the Hatay province in southern Turkey. As people slept, the earthquakes caused apartment buildings to collapse, resulting in many to be stuck underneath rubble for hours or even days. Rescuers were sent in to help and seek out those trapped underneath collapsed buildings. The earthquakes caused more than 45,000 deaths and millions of people were left displaced or homeless in Turkey. The damage caused in Turkey is estimated to cost around $34 billion. Across 11 provinces in Turkey, at least 230,000 buildings were either damaged or destroyed. In northwest Syria, about 10,600 buildings were partially or completely destroyed. The mental toll these earthquakes have caused on Turks and Syrians are unimaginable. Hundreds of people lost their loved ones in less than a few minutes, people lost their homes and their prized possessions, and their dreams have been crushed. All of this happened in a period of just a few hours. BACK TO TOP

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR WELCOME TO VOLUME 4 January 3rd, 2024 For the 2023-2024 school year, we are pleased to introduce Volume 4 to our readers. I am sure that on par with the previous North Star volumes, this edition will demonstrate the hard work and creativity my peers and I have to offer. Although I am a recent addition to North Star’s leadership team, I have genuinely enjoyed working with the talented writers and artists who make having a publications club here at North possible. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our advisor, Mrs. Mansfield, who dedicates her time to guiding us all in our writing endeavors. Without her leadership and the cooperation of our writers, we would miss the valuable experience of running a publications club. As a publications club, we strive to uphold the standards of modern-day journalism and ensure our readers a diverse selection of articles. From the poetry of POLARIS to the reporting of student news, there is something for everyone. As I see it, journalism holds significance in a school community as it allows us all to share our ideas, passions, and opinions in our ever-changing world. As the Editor-in-Chief, I get to read about numerous events, cultures, people, history, visual arts, and various perspectives; I hope our readers enjoy the reading and learning experience as much as I do. I find that I have become increasingly open-minded as I learn about others' experiences through writing, and I think that is the power of journalism; we get to see a little bit of everyone. We are incredibly fortunate to have the freedom to express ourselves through writing, whether through poetry, film reviews, or a lengthy article. I believe I write on behalf of all our members when I say that part of the reason, we write for North Star is to foster an appreciation for journalism here at Valley Stream North in both the students and the staff. The names “North Star,” and “POLARIS,” and the star names we give each issue, all enhance our prominent astronomy-themed student newspaper. It is a perfectly suitable theme in my opinion. Much like space, the world around us is so vast and impossible to discover entirely; however, sharing our ideas through written works may be our best shot at understanding our dynamic world. For our readers who may be interested in journalism, I encourage you to share your ideas because, like all our current writers, you also have something to contribute. With the right amount of dedication, willingness, and support, we can all find a way to make our voices shine. This year, I hope to work effectively with the other editors and writers to provide plenty of content for our readers, and much like the actual North Star, or Polaris, our student newspaper can always be found in the same place, at any time. Thank you to all our readers and staff for the support they have demonstrated this school year, and I look forward to seeing all this year’s thoughtfully crafted art and editing the thoughtfully written pieces. Stellar regards, Noa Cordova Editor-in-Chief

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections A Dive into the Pop Music of 2024 Mya Hans Volume 5 Issue 4 April 8, 2025 This year has been big for the music industry, with many songs and artists breaking records and receiving nominations for Grammys. Artists released new albums and started viral trends that will leave an effect on the years to come. Let’s look at some of the most memorable albums and events that took place in the music industry this year. Guts Tour: Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts Tour started in February and will end in July of next year. Her tour brought a lot of excitement to Gen Z, with many clips of her concert being posted on TikTok and YouTube. She sang popular songs from her discography like “Driver’s License” and “Vampire.” Her songs include slow songs, rock, and pop, with heartfelt, relatable lyrics to people in this generation. Her show in Los Angeles was filmed and released on Netflix, which was titled: GUTS World Tour , and takes fans into the exciting experience of being in the concert. The Eras Tour: Taylor Swift The Eras Tour was a highly successful tour that started last year in March and just ended this December. Taylor Swift, one of the most successful singers of this generation, has managed to have the highest-grossing tour of all time, surpassing musical legends like Michael Jackson and Beyonce. According to Business Insider, “The tour stretched for 149 dates, visited 21 countries, and grossed over $2 billion in ticket sales.” Eternal Sunshine: Ariana Grande Eternal Sunshine by Ariana Grande was released on March 28 and includes beautifully written songs ranging from hip-hop, pop, and ballads. Her album was highly anticipated by the public, considering she hasn’t released one since 2020. This album gave Grande three Grammy nominations and debuted number 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Hit me Hard and Soft: Billie Eilish Hit me Hard and Soft was Billie’s Eilish’s third studio album and released on May 17th. This album release was popular, and trending on TikTok. Her songs “Birds of a Feather,” went viral on all platforms, especially TikTok. “Birds of a Feather” was number 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart, reflecting its huge success. Brat: Charli XCX The hit album Brat went extremely viral, starting many trends, becoming a cultural phenomenon. It came out on June 7th and immediately started gaining popularity. The song “Apple” became a TikTok dance. And Gen Z, started using the term “Brat Summer” to describe the summer of 2024 and trends. Brat was also used for Kamala Harris’s campaign during the election. Kamala HQ, the official X page for Kamala Harris’ campaign, made her banner Brat themed. Moreover, on TikTok many edits of Kamala have went viral with songs from the Brat Album, and Charli XCX called Kamala Harris “brat” which many seem like an insult, but in Gen Z terms, it’s an extreme compliment, meaning she’s iconic and confident. Short N’ Sweet: Sabrina Carpenter The album Short N’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter was released on August 23rd including hit songs like “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Her tour was also trending on TikTok for its catchy songs and her cute outfits, which changed colors every show. The tune of her song “Espresso” was also used in a very popular SNL skit called “Domingo.” This album also hit number one the Billboard 200 and solidified her name in the music industry and in the world, giving her many opportunities like her own Christmas special on Netflix, her own drink at Dunkin, and more. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris, Fiction Back to Sections The Orb Part 3 By Alanna Tieschmaker Volume 3 Issue 4 May 18, 2023 Image Provided by Elaine Ching Editor’s note: This piece goes along with the previous two pieces I have written. All three are part of the same series. Despite the task at hand, Richard could not help but gawk at the room before him. His hatred for the king flared as he took in the grandeur before him. It was grander than anything he had seen in his life, and it was only one room. Yet despite this, most of the people of the kingdom lived as peasants, with only the top 10% living in comfort. A huge statue of Jerry Movius, the famous merchant, was centered in the room. Jerry was a huge part of developing the kingdom’s economy. The legends say that with his cloak, named the Cloak of Tharion, he was able to travel through time and space allowing him to know what and when to buy and sell. One day he never showed up to his stall and he was never heard from again. The kingdom, however, continued to prosper from the information left behind by Jerry. Richard shook his head, clearing his thoughts of ancient legends. He had a job to do, and no time to look at all the things he couldn’t have. The bandits did not give him a list of what he needed to take. All they had said was ‘something expensive’. Knowing that it was his brother’s life on the line, Richard endeavored to take the most expensive seeming items he could. Heading through the door to the right, Richard entered a display room. There were exhibits lining the wall, minor artifacts in everyone. The main piece of the room, however, was the circular display case that displayed a rather unassuming shield. It was red and circular, with a metal rim and obvious signs of wear. The description read “The Shield of Ragnor - An artifact from XXXX. It is said to protect its owner from fire and harm.” Richard eyed it warily. It seemed that it wouldn’t be used, but it seemed risky to take something in a central display case. Taking a last glance around the room, he moved on to the next room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He had been through multiple exhibits now, and he still had not found something he could steal. The amount of time was dwindling, the longer he stayed the higher his chance of being caught. The current exhibit displayed a beautiful sword. There were intricate designs along the pommel and grip, yet they were burdened by rust. The improper care was obvious, despite the beauty of it. Once he looked at the display case, he understood why. “The Sword of Elora - A sword reclaimed by the king after stopping riots caused by a rogue princess.” Richard scoffed at the description. The lack of date and the poor quality of the sword made it obvious the king had nothing to do with ‘reclaiming’ the sword or stopping riots. The sword was not even used in recent years but in history. The whispered tales told from village to village did not talk about a ‘rogue princess’. The legends told of a princess who was beloved by her subjects but the daughter of a cruel tyrant. Elora sided with her people and personally led the rebellion and overthrew the cruel ruler. Once they reached the castle, she took on her father but was dealt a fatal blow by him before he died. The people buried her body under her favorite willow tree, which had withstood the fires that burned throughout the day, and her sword was hung above the throne, as a reminder of their princess and what she did for them. The story of Princess Elora was his favorite legend. He aspired to have the courage and bravery she did. Some courage he was showing now… As tempting as it was to take the sword and hold a part of his favorite child story, the security wouldn’t allow an easy escape. Additionally, he wouldn’t want to give the sword to the thugs. They did not deserve to hold it. The king didn’t deserve to hold it either, but at least here it was safe. Uncared for, but safe. Richard was about to move on to the next exhibit when something caught his eye. Turning back towards the corner of the room, he saw a door that he had previously missed, hidden from view. Richard crept closer, taking note of the faded label on the door. ‘Staff only?’ he pondered, weighing his options. ‘Maybe I can find something here that won’t be missed.’ He pushed the door open and entered the room. The room itself was rather unassuming, with grayish-beige walls and a ceiling of a similar color. A dingy window let in just enough light to see the room, but not enough to be considered proper lighting. The light displayed the main focus of the room, boxes stacked on top of each other. Most were covered in layers of dust, indicating the length of time they had remained untouched in the room. The floor was also coated in a light coat of dust except for a long trail of the floor, where something must have been dragged over recently. Richard began his search for an object of value he could steal. With the amount of dust, nothing would be reported missing for weeks. He couldn’t explain why, but he felt drawn to the back of the room. He followed the clearer floor and found another box. Unlike the others, there was barely any dust covering the box. Despite this, Richard felt compelled to open the box. He looked around and found a crowbar hanging on the wall. He grabbed it and put the end underneath the top of the box. He pushed down with all his strength, managing to pry the top off. Peering inside, Richard found an orb. BACK TO TOP