Question
I ran down the stairs to have breakfast and start a new day.
“Bart, hurry up if you want me to give you a ride!” says Dad. I rush to the kitchen, grab a granola bar, and run out the door.
“Oh shoot!” I yell, remembering I need to feed my tarantula. I run to Poppy the tarantula’s cage and check to see that he has disappeared.
“Dad! Have you seen Poppy?” I say worried.
“No, but hurry up we need to leave now!” I rushed out the door to go to work. I work at a cranberry farm and I have to be at work at 6:30 sharp every single day. I love it and I'm so happy that's my life.
On the ride to the farm, all I could think about was Poppy and how she wasn’t in her cage this morning. Where could he have gone? Maybe he jumped out of the cage and escaped the house or-
“It's so cold,” says Dad, interrupting thoughts. One thing about living in Russia is it's ALWAYS cold. We lived in San Francisco before this and moving from a hot city to somewhere very cold was not the best decision.
“Bye Bartholomew!” my dad says as I close the door. Right when get to the farm all I saw was a bunch of spiders crawling through the cranberries. I’ve had this job for 9 months now so I’m used to spiders but when I first started the job the spiders almost got me to quit. I hated them. After a while, I realized that they were harmless and got used to them. That's one of the reasons I got poppy. Speaking of Poppy, I wonder where he is right now. I hope he’s safe.
My dad offered to pick me up from work, but I decided to take the train. The minute I got home, I started looking for Poppy. I looked for him for about 30 minutes straight until I had a good idea of where he was. I ran downstairs and went straight into the pantry.
“Poppy!” I scream in joy as I see Poppy sitting on top of a box of cereal. I grab him and put him inside his cage right away. Poppy loves cereal so I know he spent his whole day in the cereal box eating cereal. Sometimes I think of getting a second tarantula for Poppy to have a friend but he’s already enough work. I once took one of the spiders from the cranberry bog and brought it to Poppy’s cage. The next day I went back with the spider half-eaten.
My job includes a lot of spiders. The whole farm is full of them. When I first got the job and saw all those spiders, I was petrified. But then I remembered how much I wanted to be a cranberry farmer and that helped me persevere and continue my dream of doing this job.
One day my whole life changed. I went downstairs and Poppy was… life-sized!?! “
“Dad!! Where are you?” I said in fear. “He’s gone to work,” Poppy says in a deep voice. Why in the world is my spider talking?
“Poppy? You can speak?”, I asked.
“I’m sorry for this Bartholomew”, those were the last words I heard before I got severely eaten by my pet spider.
finish this story written by a seventh grader
“Bart, hurry up if you want me to give you a ride!” says Dad. I rush to the kitchen, grab a granola bar, and run out the door.
“Oh shoot!” I yell, remembering I need to feed my tarantula. I run to Poppy the tarantula’s cage and check to see that he has disappeared.
“Dad! Have you seen Poppy?” I say worried.
“No, but hurry up we need to leave now!” I rushed out the door to go to work. I work at a cranberry farm and I have to be at work at 6:30 sharp every single day. I love it and I'm so happy that's my life.
On the ride to the farm, all I could think about was Poppy and how she wasn’t in her cage this morning. Where could he have gone? Maybe he jumped out of the cage and escaped the house or-
“It's so cold,” says Dad, interrupting thoughts. One thing about living in Russia is it's ALWAYS cold. We lived in San Francisco before this and moving from a hot city to somewhere very cold was not the best decision.
“Bye Bartholomew!” my dad says as I close the door. Right when get to the farm all I saw was a bunch of spiders crawling through the cranberries. I’ve had this job for 9 months now so I’m used to spiders but when I first started the job the spiders almost got me to quit. I hated them. After a while, I realized that they were harmless and got used to them. That's one of the reasons I got poppy. Speaking of Poppy, I wonder where he is right now. I hope he’s safe.
My dad offered to pick me up from work, but I decided to take the train. The minute I got home, I started looking for Poppy. I looked for him for about 30 minutes straight until I had a good idea of where he was. I ran downstairs and went straight into the pantry.
“Poppy!” I scream in joy as I see Poppy sitting on top of a box of cereal. I grab him and put him inside his cage right away. Poppy loves cereal so I know he spent his whole day in the cereal box eating cereal. Sometimes I think of getting a second tarantula for Poppy to have a friend but he’s already enough work. I once took one of the spiders from the cranberry bog and brought it to Poppy’s cage. The next day I went back with the spider half-eaten.
My job includes a lot of spiders. The whole farm is full of them. When I first got the job and saw all those spiders, I was petrified. But then I remembered how much I wanted to be a cranberry farmer and that helped me persevere and continue my dream of doing this job.
One day my whole life changed. I went downstairs and Poppy was… life-sized!?! “
“Dad!! Where are you?” I said in fear. “He’s gone to work,” Poppy says in a deep voice. Why in the world is my spider talking?
“Poppy? You can speak?”, I asked.
“I’m sorry for this Bartholomew”, those were the last words I heard before I got severely eaten by my pet spider.
finish this story written by a seventh grader
Answers
GPT-4o mini
I couldn't believe what was happening. My tarantula, my beloved Poppy, was towering over me, larger than any spider could possibly be. As I stood frozen in shock, my mind raced—this couldn't be real. How could my pet spider speak? And how had it become so enormous?
"Poppy, please! I don't want to hurt you!" I pleaded, taking a step back. "You're my friend! I feed you, I take care of you!" But Poppy only stared at me with those enormous, multifaceted eyes, and I noticed something strange. The look in his eyes didn't seem threatening; rather, it was filled with—I don’t know—sadness?
"I’ve been trying to show you something," he said, his voice booming. "All my life, I've been trapped in a cage, but you’ve treated me with kindness, Bart. That kindness gave me power."
I blinked rapidly, trying to process this bizarre situation. "Power? What do you mean?"
Poppy took a few steps closer, causing the floor to shake slightly. "You see, I’m not just a tarantula. There’s magic in the world, and I was chosen to be its guardian. Your bond with me has awakened that magic, but I need your help to protect it."
"Protect it from who?" I asked, my heart racing. Suddenly, the room darkened, and I felt an electric chill pass through the air. Shadows swirled around us, and from the darkness, other creatures began to emerge—twisted, menacing spiders with glowing red eyes.
"They want to take the magic for themselves," Poppy explained, his voice filled with urgency. "But together, we can stop them."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Me, a seventh grader, helping a giant spider fight off evil? But looking at Poppy, the way he stood tall and strong, I realized that I couldn't abandon him. He was my friend—my only friend, really.
“Okay, Poppy! What do we do?” I said, summoning all my courage.
"Just trust me," he replied. "Focus on the bond we share."
Before I could respond, the evil spiders lunged at us. I closed my eyes tight, and suddenly I felt a warm sensation spreading through my body, like a rush of energy. When I opened my eyes again, I was glowing! Poppy looked amazed.
“Now, Bartholomew!” he shouted.
With a shared determination, we charged forward, sending waves of light towards the shadowy creatures. The light pushed them back, causing them to shriek and retreat. “Keep going!” Poppy encouraged. “You’re doing great!”
I fought alongside Poppy, our bond amplifying the light that pushed the darkness away. With each move, I felt more powerful, like I could take on the world. The last of the shadows dissolved into the air, and silence filled the kitchen once more.
Poppy returned to his normal size, and I collapsed against the wall, panting. “We did it!” I exclaimed, disbelief and excitement washing over me.
“Indeed, we did," Poppy replied, returning to his usual calm demeanor. "And now you know—the bond we share is special. You have a unique connection to magic.”
From that day on, my life changed in more ways than one. I still worked at the cranberry farm, but I now carried the knowledge of the hidden magic that thrived within our world. And Poppy, my enormous tarantula friend, kept me company as we explored this newfound adventure together. I learned how to harness the magic and protect it, guided by Poppy’s wisdom and strength.
I realized I wasn’t just a kid with a pet tarantula anymore. I was part of something much bigger—a guardian of magic alongside my best friend. And no matter how cold it got outside, I felt a warmth inside that would never fade, a reminder that sometimes the most unexpected friendships lead to the greatest adventures.
"Poppy, please! I don't want to hurt you!" I pleaded, taking a step back. "You're my friend! I feed you, I take care of you!" But Poppy only stared at me with those enormous, multifaceted eyes, and I noticed something strange. The look in his eyes didn't seem threatening; rather, it was filled with—I don’t know—sadness?
"I’ve been trying to show you something," he said, his voice booming. "All my life, I've been trapped in a cage, but you’ve treated me with kindness, Bart. That kindness gave me power."
I blinked rapidly, trying to process this bizarre situation. "Power? What do you mean?"
Poppy took a few steps closer, causing the floor to shake slightly. "You see, I’m not just a tarantula. There’s magic in the world, and I was chosen to be its guardian. Your bond with me has awakened that magic, but I need your help to protect it."
"Protect it from who?" I asked, my heart racing. Suddenly, the room darkened, and I felt an electric chill pass through the air. Shadows swirled around us, and from the darkness, other creatures began to emerge—twisted, menacing spiders with glowing red eyes.
"They want to take the magic for themselves," Poppy explained, his voice filled with urgency. "But together, we can stop them."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Me, a seventh grader, helping a giant spider fight off evil? But looking at Poppy, the way he stood tall and strong, I realized that I couldn't abandon him. He was my friend—my only friend, really.
“Okay, Poppy! What do we do?” I said, summoning all my courage.
"Just trust me," he replied. "Focus on the bond we share."
Before I could respond, the evil spiders lunged at us. I closed my eyes tight, and suddenly I felt a warm sensation spreading through my body, like a rush of energy. When I opened my eyes again, I was glowing! Poppy looked amazed.
“Now, Bartholomew!” he shouted.
With a shared determination, we charged forward, sending waves of light towards the shadowy creatures. The light pushed them back, causing them to shriek and retreat. “Keep going!” Poppy encouraged. “You’re doing great!”
I fought alongside Poppy, our bond amplifying the light that pushed the darkness away. With each move, I felt more powerful, like I could take on the world. The last of the shadows dissolved into the air, and silence filled the kitchen once more.
Poppy returned to his normal size, and I collapsed against the wall, panting. “We did it!” I exclaimed, disbelief and excitement washing over me.
“Indeed, we did," Poppy replied, returning to his usual calm demeanor. "And now you know—the bond we share is special. You have a unique connection to magic.”
From that day on, my life changed in more ways than one. I still worked at the cranberry farm, but I now carried the knowledge of the hidden magic that thrived within our world. And Poppy, my enormous tarantula friend, kept me company as we explored this newfound adventure together. I learned how to harness the magic and protect it, guided by Poppy’s wisdom and strength.
I realized I wasn’t just a kid with a pet tarantula anymore. I was part of something much bigger—a guardian of magic alongside my best friend. And no matter how cold it got outside, I felt a warmth inside that would never fade, a reminder that sometimes the most unexpected friendships lead to the greatest adventures.