We are so proud of our Splendid Review writer, Charvin Burns, who was selected to read his Story, The German Secret, at the Young Writers Reading at Menil Fest last weekend! The Splendid Review is wonderful creative writing program collaboration between the Periwinkle Arts In Medicine Program at Texas Children’s Caner and Hematology Centers and Writers in the Schools.

Check out his amazing story here:

The German Secret

Hundreds of years ago in a village far away, there were multiple sightings of a creature. The villagers didn’t know what the creature was. One elderly person saw it and survived, but was traumatized and couldn’t describe it. A villager named Maria had a child named Geo who was very creative and wanted to be outside and explore all the time. His parents told Geo not to go into the forest because of the creature. But he went in the forest anyway. He packed his bags to go hiking.

After a long trek into the forest, Geo saw the creature. He was 20 feet tall, two legged, smelled foul and had wings, fangs, long claws and piercing red eyes. When the boy encountered this creature, he froze. The monster then used his power to take over Geo’s mind. The more minds the monster took over, the more powerful he got. Now that he had taken over the boy’s mind, he could shape shift into any thing he wanted to be.

Geo went home and no one knew the monster was inside him. The boy didn’t remember anything – just that he saw something in the forest. When the Geo entered the village he memorized everything so he would know where every child lived. That night he entered the village. The first child’s house was Andrew’s. It so happened that Andrew’s grandfather was the creator of this foul beast. The monster entered Andrew’s home, but Andrew was prepared to fight him until the end in an epic battle. In the beginning of the battle, the monster was destroying Andrew in every way.

Then Andrew remembered that the monster’s necklace held Geo’s soul and all his power. Without the necklace, the monster would have no power. So Andrew viciously lunged at the monster and destroyed the necklace. Andrew stood over the monster and watched him disintegrate. Now that the monster was gone, Andrew returned the soul to Geo. This monster’s name was Doom. Andrew hid the ashes of Doom deep in a cave in Germany.

Two hundred years later an explorer named Liam found the ashes and explored them not knowing that they contained an ancient evil beast. Liam didn’t realize that he unleashed its power into the world again.

Charvin Burns

Texas Children’s Hospital, West Campus

Grade: 9th