Folyosó Winter 2020–2021

Letter from the Editor


Folyosó began in the spring of 2020, when school in Hungary had gone online in response to COVID-19. After a brief interlude of in-person classes in the fall, we have been back online since mid-November, with ongoing hopes of returning to school. During this time, students have written essays, stories, short scenes, contest entries, and more; this issue features some of these winter fruits, along with Lilla Kassai’s art.

We proudly present our first international contest, for which students wrote pieces about imaginary inventions. The jury (Judit Kéri, Anikó Bánhegyesi, Nándor Szűcs, Edit Göröcs, and I) had a difficult time ranking the ten finalists; while we eventually chose winners, we are delighted to publish all ten pieces here. It was an honor to receive entries from the Lycée Sainte-Pulchérie in Istanbul, as well as from many Varga students; we hope to bring the two schools and others together for an online Folyosó event this spring.

For the scenes based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, students were supposed to start with something in the play and take it in a surprising direction. The scenes published here—Áron Antal’s “Something Even Stranger,” Gréta Tóth’s “A Midsummer Night’s Gestalt,” Gergely Sülye’s “As from a Voyage,” Dorottya Turza’s “The Surprise of the Century,” Dávid Csáki’s “Let Him Roar Again,” Bertalan Szegi’s “Act 1, Scene 1,” and Zsófia Szabina Gávris’s “A Nice Article”—abound with wit, emotion, and surprise.

This is also the first time that we feature writers from Class 9.B (which I teach once a week); I have been impressed with this class’s imagination and look forward to publishing more of their work.

The winter issue does not include any writings from the Orwell project, but we may publish a few of them in the spring. For this project, Varga students joined with a class of tenth-graders at Columbia Secondary School to read and discuss Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. It was a great experience; you can read much more about it on the project website.

Some of the pieces in this issue grapple with difficult problems: isolation, introspection, death and grief, political vanity, and disillusionment; others delight in books, friendship, everyday mishaps and mistakes, and visions of the future. The issue’s overall spirit brings to mind William Blake’s “Auguries of Innocence“: not just the famous lines

It is right it should be so 
Man was made for Joy & Woe 
And when this we rightly know 
Thro the World we safely go 

but much more. In this issue you will find a procession of experience, thoughts, questions: from Szabina Tamara Da Cunha Carvalho’s essay “The Problem with BLM Movements in Hungary” to Hunor Gangel’s “From Late to Early”; from Gergely Sülye’s “Transformation” to Lili Forgács’s “The Truth”; from Sándor Tor’s “Is This the Future?” to Zsófia Vona’s “A Dream Come True”; from Sándor Szakács’s “Challenging Times” to Adél Mihályi’s “Personalities”; from Bettina Czékus’s “Arbya” to Eszter Aletta Hevesi’s “The Story of Gen E”; from Tamás Takács’s “Michael the Caterpillar” to Botond Vass’s “The Shelter.”

We wish you good health, happy winter reading, and many returns! As ever, we welcome your submissions and comments.

Sincerely,

Diana Senechal
English and Civilization Teacher
Editor of Folyosó

About the Contributors


Áron Antal likes to spend his time in nature and in the bordering land around his town; interested in old machinery, cars and motorcycles especially, and things from the mid-nineteenth century to the 90s, as well as the lifestyle of that era, he is trying to include these in his stories and build them a plot, an important role. 

Szabina Carvalho wanted to vent about social justice warriors.

Dávid Csáki is no playwright, but a little flexibility never hurt anyone.

Bettina Czékus is a girl who will ignore you while she’s reading.

Lili Forgács is a sixteen-year-old girl with an enormous heart and even larger dreams.

My name is Hunor Gangel and I am just a normal high school student.

Zsófia Gávris is a sixteen-year-old girl who sees the positive side of everything and tries to find the beautiful things in her everydays.

Eszter Aletta Hevesi is a girl from Törökszentmiklós who is really interested in controversies and how to have a better lifestyle. She is always working on to be her best self and help everybody.

Kázmér Kaposvári: I would say I am rather creative and have ideas, but most important of all, I create something out of those ideas.

My name is Lilla Kassai, and my favourite pastime is drawing, painting, reading and listening to music. That’s where I gain my inspiration for my paintings and writings. I am looking for a type of future where I stay in connection with arts.

Viktória Kiss is a soon-to-be sixteen year old girl who advocates for a great balance between fitness and studying.

Defne Lal Koçer knows to get the joy out of life even when it’s wicked.

Ilona Králik is just a girl at the beginning of her life, but she already has big goals for her future.

I am Adél Mihályi, and I am not good at speaking, so I write.

Deniz Pala needs to invest more time in the real world than in fictional ones.

My name is Bernadett Sági and I am so excited, because this is the first time that my work has been published on the internet.

According to Gergely Sülye, the quarantine of 2020 is something you can conveniently use for some serious self-improvement at home.

Alexandra Süveges suggests: ‘be a curse, not cursed.’

Katalin Szabó is a girl who turned her can’ts into cans and her dreams into plans.

Lídia Szabó never knows what is going on but still manages to talk herself out of things.

Sándor Szakács is a guy from Martfű who tends to overcomplicate things.

Bertalán Szegi is just a 16-year-old boy who plays handball and tries to solve his homework.

Sándor Tor says, “I’m just a simple person who likes to try some new things.”

Gréta Tóth says, “Anything you say or do may be used in my story!”

Dorottya Turza: I’m like a book you have to read. A book can’t read itself to you. It doesn’t even know what it’s about.

Petra Varga: Dried roses, pictures, chansons, memories, poems. Rationalist….

Botond Vass is a guy who likes physical activities as well as reading books so he involves these in his everyday routines.

Zsófia Vona is a binge-watcher, who also likes to read amazing stories.

Máté Zupkó is a quiet and sarcastic guy, with low self-confidence, but who still achieved something.

Two Photographs

Lilla Kassai



Still Life with Fruit

Lilla Kassai


Secessional Guitar

Lilla Kassai


Secret Date in the Woods

Lilla Kassai


A Nice Article

Zsófia Szabina Gávris


Act 2, Scene 1

Enter DEMETRIUS, HELENA running after him.

HELENA
Oh my dear Demetrius, wait for me and listen to me!
I love you with all my heart and I’ll never give up on you.
Please choose me over beautiful Hermia, who never loved you.

DEMETRIUS
Leave me alone!
Why can’t you understand me, Helena?
I can’t manage to have feelings for you, because my feelings can’t be controlled;
You are asking me to do something I am not able to do.

HELENA
I understand you, but please let my try.
I will make you fall in love if you let me.
We could have a beautiful future and a lovely life together, don’t you think?

DEMETRIUS
No!! I don’t think the same way as you do.
The more you force me to be in love,
The more I am starting to hate you.

Enter a news REPORTER.

REPORTER
My people, my lovebirds, you seem to be playful lovers,
Just the ones I am searching for!
Would you be so kind as to tell me a few words about yourselves, your love life,
And everythiiiing about each other?
It could happen to be a nice article.

DEMETRIUS
First of all, don’t you dare call us either lovers or lovebirds.
There is nothing between us, and there will never be.
I am her platonic love and nothing more.
And if you excuse me,
I have better and more important things to do.

Demetrius exits.

HELENA
Oh, gentle reporter, excuse his reaction.
He is a bit upset and disorganised at the moment,
But on other days he is a lovely, smooth man,
As sweet as honey and shiny as the Sun.
Our relationship is very unique, because he is shy and hasn’t yet confessed his love.
We have our ups and downs, but it is worthwhile to put in the effort.
He is—

The reporter interrupts her.

REPORTER
I am sorry ma’am, maybe I misunderstood something.
Didn’t he say that he is not in love with you?
I mean, he seemed like he was telling the truth.
Have you ever thought about how he doesn’t reciprocate your feelings?
In my opinion, you should see clearly in this situation and think about these things.

HELENA
Noooo, this is absolutely impossible.
It can’t happen … or can it?
Oh my God … what … what if you are right?
No, no, no, no…. it can’t be real!
It can’t be….

Helena bursts into tears.

REPORTER
Dear lady, I didn’t mean to hurt you.
I just thought you deserved to know the whole truth.
I feel sorry for you, honestly.

HELENA
Thank you, but please leave me alone.
I need some time with myself.

Reporter leaves; Helena continues crying.

A Story That I Used to Tell My Grandkids

Máté Zupkó


It was a cold autumn when all things started to change back in 2042. Technology started to take over nature, and everything was done by robots. All the people become lazy and neglectful of each other, so they started to lose their personalities and their humanity. Everything become gray and boring; all the days were the same, monotonous and constant.

There were many people opposed to the system, and I was one of them. This is the part where the story gets more exciting. We planned many meetings and assemblies; of course it was very risky, since it was against the law to go to these meetings. We wanted a regime change and wanted more people to stand on our side. We knew that more people were against the system, but they were scared about the chance that they would be arrested. You probably wonder what our problem with the system was. I think the answer is easy: I wanted my old regular life back when I could work with my own hands and make my own money. Or I really wanted to see real animals and nature again; they had become extinct because of the huge population and the expansion of technology.

Our goal was to beat the current goverment and try to return to our regular old world. We used the system’s biggest strength, the media and propaganda; we started to stream videos all around the world about the old days, and we told the people how good it had been and how terrible the current system and our life was. Time passed, and we realized that there were more and more rebellious and determined folk around the world. I forgot to mention that the world was led by a unified government, and they seemed to lose control. After a few years, in 2058, the president and his deputy resigned and got exiled. All the people were very happy seeing that the time of change had come. We destroyed all the robots and every other electrical gadget, because everyone had had enough of them. So we can say that we went back to prehistoric times.

Basically that is my story in a few sentences, and I guess I can say that I was part of a revolution that changed the world forever. By the way, my grandkids really enjoy listening to my story; every time they come visit, they want me to tell it again and again. Let me tell you a little secret: each time I add a little something extra to my story, something that never happened, but the kids never recognize it.

A Dream Come True

Zsófia Vona


I woke up one beautiful morning in 2043. It was an important day to me, because it was the day of my first concert. I have always wanted to be a singer like my father, and I was finally able to prove that, with some practice, I could be as good as he. As I was thinking about this, he came into my room and brought me breakfast.

“How are you, darling? Are you worried?” he asked me.

“Of course, Dad, this is gonna be the first time that I sing in front of more than a thousand people,” I answered.

“Oh Carolina, you don’t have to worry about it, you are a great singer!” said my Dad.

“Thank you. I love you so much!”

After that, I ate my breakfast and got ready for our trip to the theater where the concert was to take place. When we arrived, everybody greeted us and we started setting up. I was singing when my friends came into the hall, so I quickly finished the song and came down from the stage and hugged them.

“Oh my god Carolina, this place is huge, I’m so happy that you can sing here,” said Olivia.

“Yeah, we are so excited,” said Rose.

“We are going to sit in the first row with our family and support you,” said Jennifer.

“You’re so sweet, girls. I have the best friends in the world.” I became sensitive.

Unfortunately I had to say goodbye to them and go backstage, because there was only an hour until the start. I found my dad there, so I asked him about his first performance.

“You know I used to be in a band, so I had ’two’ first-time experiences. But I will tell you about my first solo concert. I was twenty-three years old, and it was a whole new situation. I had to go through it alone without the boys, but it was an unforgettable day, the fans were so soulful and they gave so much power to me,” said Dad.

“You were so strong. I hope I can do it too. Will you sit in the front row?” I asked him.

“Sure! I wouldn’t miss it,” he reassured me.

I was just talking with my aunt when an organizer said that I had to start the concert, so I ran to the spot where I had to be and waited for the sign that said I could begin.

The Shelter

Botond Vass


The year was 2357, and it wasn’t the brightest year the world had ever seen. The sky was dark, almost black; it became harder and harder to breathe every second.  It was 15:46 when George managed to reach the door.

It all started three hours earlier. George was sitting on the couch watching a football match. His wife was upstairs with the children. He had two, an eight-year-old and a ten-year-old. Suddenly, the football match got interrupted. There was a lady on the screen with a text at the top saying “breaking news.” George got scared because this had never happened before. He lowered the sound on the TV to make sure his children wouldn’t hear it and get scared. As the lady started to speak, George saw that she broke a sweat. The lady started with “seek shelter immediately’’ and continued with an explanation. As he was listening to it, he felt his blood pressure rising. George blacked out when he heard what had happened and fell off the couch… about half an hour later, his wife came downstairs and found him on the ground. She successfully roused him, but George wasn’t sure if he wanted to wake up from the blackout. She asked him what had happened. He just told her to get the kids and go to the car, and he would follow. She didn’t want to disobey him, because she had known him for quite a time, and she knew that he wasn’t joking.

As she went upstairs for the kids, George went to the drawer and took out his handgun. No one knew about it except him. They got in the car, he tried to start it, but it didn’t want to work. He wanted to let his thoughts out, shout and swear, but he decided not to, because his kids were in the car. They had to walk, but at least their destination wasn’t that far. George told them that they mustn’t stop, and he went ahead, leading his family. He was followed by his two children and his wife at the rear. George was trying to be cautious, but he also wanted to be as fast as possible. They saw a group of houses. He didn’t remember exactly which house was the one they needed, just a couple of words: “windows… boarded… knock.’’ They still weren’t that close, but at least they saw the houses. They heard a monster-like shout. They turned around and saw three human-like creatures running towards them. George knew what they were; he took out his handgun and told his family to start running. He was shooting backwards without aiming, hoping he would hit the creatures. His first three shots missed, but the next one hit a creature’s; arm, it slowed down for a second, then started running at them even faster. George was the fastest; his family couldn’t keep up. He didn’t want to leave his family, so he turned around to help them. As he turned around, he saw that he couldn’t reach them before the monsters. He knew that if he tried to save them, he would end up dying too. He ran to the house, the door was open and there was a guy standing  on the doorstep… It was 15:46 when George managed to reach the door, but there was a creature  right behind him. The guy who was standing at the door slammed it in in front of him. He didn’t find it safe, because the creature was behind him. George kept beating on the door, but it never opened again. He turned around and saw his family getting eaten by two of the monsters. The third one was facing him. It was swinging its arm while opening its mouth… Its teeth were as sharp as a sword, and there were multiple layers behind the first row of teeth; on its hands the nails turned into claws. He closed his eyes.

The next thing he felt was a hit on his back. He was lying on the ground. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in his own house. He thought he had only dreamed it, but he felt something strange. It was pitch black and his neck hurt. He flipped the light switch and looked out the window. It was dark. He went around the house, but no one was home and he didn’t even find his gun in the drawer. He went into the bathroom to check up on himself. He thought he had turned into a creature and ended up in his house somehow. He hadn’t, but there was a scar on his neck and on his chest too. On his chest, it seemed as if it had been made by claws, maybe a tiger’s. On his neck, it was deep, more like a shark bite with those sharp sets of teeth. He couldn’t handle it. He went to the kitchen, took out a knife and ended it.

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