Why Am I In a Bag? By Mary Harris On one dark and stormy night a car slowly pulls up to the curb, stops,

and a large man steps out. Hi my name is Sierra, and this is the story how I came to be one of the

most feared girls in Japan… well, at first they didn’t know I was a girl. The man stepped out of the car with a sack able to fit a person about my

size. The man picked the lock, soundlessly tiptoed up the stairs to my yellow door that said “Sierras room keep out!” He carefully and slowly opened the door it creaked slightly causing me to wake. I sat up, rubbed my eyes trying to get used to the dim light , “Mom?”, no answer , “Dad?”, no answer I waited in case they said anything, I started to rub my eyes again and opened them and saw an outline of something, something human. Before I could make out the outline, IT GRABBED ME! I twisted and squirmed and tried to scream but before I could his hand was over my mouth, in an instant, but then I stopped. I just stopped screaming and I stopped squirming and then it hit me! I was dreaming! Then I remembered a trick my mom taught me to turn a bad dream in to a good dream, I remembered my greatest memory, me and my family, on the beach, the sand between our toes, the sun beating down on us the ocean water and I opened my eyes but I was still in the bag! I had realized now I was in a car, I could feel the bumpy road and the thrum of the engine. Screech! the car stopped abruptly and I tumbled out of the sack, I sat up and the man cleared his throat” Ahem, your very lucky you know” he mumbled “ Lucky?” I said “Why?” I asked curiously?“ “Your Ojisan or Granddaddy was the last the last Samurai in Japan” he said with no emotion. Suddenly I felt so tired and confused. My grandfather? Samurai? what did this have to do with me? I rolled over and wished I was back home.

The next day was training day, I found out. When the man woke me up

later in the night he told me where I was, where my tent was, and where he was sleeping . When I woke up I was in a camp in Japan, then I remembered something, haircut time. I got up and snuck into the mans tent and looked and I found a dull dagger, I cut my hair off quickly and fast before I lost my nerve, and when I was finished my

hair all in one pile and with a simple cut it was gone. The man started to wake so I opened the flap to the tent and I ran as fast as I could, I quickly got in bed and pretended to sleep. The man came in and threw some clothes and yawned “if you need me just come to my tent” he said and left. I put the clothes on, packed and was ready to go, I went to his tent and he lead me to training head quarters.

“Ugh’’ I grunted sitting down. I was sore. Every where. I put my pack

down beside me and laid down out of pure exhaustion. The blare of a trumpet echoed throughout the camp and the man stood up, I stopped “ What’s your name” I said panting between every word “ Kentaro, but you can call me Kent” he said “ we have to go now, that trumpet was the alarm for you to meet the Emperor, to see if he approves of you being the Samurai.” I could tell he was not exactly thrilled to be doing this but I went along with it anyway and we started to hike to the Emperors palace.

After the meeting with the emperor I was thrilled to know that he

approved and thought I would make a great samurai if I was anything like my grandfather I was trying not to smile, ‘Me’ I had just fooled the Emperor! I couldn’t believe it! The man said that there was a robbery in Tokyo and that we would hike there tomorrow… great… more walking.

The next morning I decided to tell Kent that I was a girl so I tried to walk

there confidently but I kept shaking so went in, ”Your up early,” Kent said surprised. ”Yes,” I answered back “I have to tell you something” I said “what get it over with” I hesitated ” Um…. I’m, I’m a girl” I said quietly but loud enough for him to hear. His eyes were wide open, his jaw drooped low and I started to talk to him in my normal girl voice “ now that the emperor approves I can still be the Samurai, right”? He slowly shook his head from side to side” only after you have done something good for the city” he mumbled still in astonishment “ Oh Kent please don’t tell” I pleaded he stopped” alright.” “I won’t he sais” “ Thank you”! I said gratefully and picked up a sword that Kent told me the first night was for me, from my granddad, I picked up the sword and slid it out of its case. Me, the only girl Samurai.