Winner of the Year 2-4 Category
Erin Murphy, The Art Show (Year 4)
Claudia trudged through the doors of the school, wondering about the day ahead. She knew she had a test next week and that scared her, but she was not thinking about that right now. Her eyes suddenly flicked to the news board in front of her. She couldn't believe it, the school had finally accepted her idea, they had agreed to host the city-wide art show and entries were supposed to be in this week!
When Claudia had finished her first two classes, she quickly ran to her favourite lunch spot, under the big oak tree. Sophie, Claudia's best friend, was already running up to her. As soon as she sat down Claudia was talking about what she saw. "Did you see it?! They finally accepted my idea about the art show!" Claudia exclaimed breathlessly. Sophie was already talking about it. "You should totally enter!" she was saying. "I know," Claudia responded glumly. "Why the sad face?" Sophie questioned. "The show is the night before my school entry test for the high school,” said Claudia. Saying it out loud almost made it worse. Her parents didn’t understand that she wanted to go to an art school, not the one they had planned for her. She wished they would.
Of course, she hadn't known the events would clash when she suggested hosting the show, but that didn't change much. Her parents would never let her go out the night before any test. "Well, would it persuade you if I said there was a scholarship involved?" Sophie asked with a mischievous grin. "What in the world are you talking about!?" Claudia enquired. "You know my parents are both involved in art soo... I happen to know that there will be certain people there offering a scholarship to the one they are most impressed by. But you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone!" Sophie announced. "Ok," Claudia said. "But YOU can't tell my parents about the scholarship, either. Deal?" "Deal." They agreed.
That night Claudia started to paint her entry, the oak tree because that was the place she first met Sophie and heard about the scholarship. So many things had happened there, so many memories. This painting could change her entire future. By all means, she was nervous, but she was doing what she loved and that was all that mattered.
Claudia woke up. Had it been a dream? Was there really a scholarship involved in the art show she had suggested for the school to host? When she walked out the front door of her house, she realised it was not a dream because on the approaching school bus there was a massive poster of the art show and right beside it, in the bus, was Sophie smiling broadly. Since she wouldn’t be able to go to the show, she was going to hand her oak tree painting in today. Once the bus had reached school she and Sophie jumped out, ran into the school just as the bell started to ring.
When everyone had been through the five Friday classes, she and Sophie said goodbye at the park dividing their two houses, they then went back to their houses for the weekend.
At breakfast the next morning Claudia sat with her mum, she was saying something about the test tomorrow and studying but Claudia wasn't really paying attention. She was lost in clouds of thought. "Claudia, are you listening to me?" Claudia looked up. “I know this means a lot to you, but I have something I need to go to tonight." Claudia explained.
"What is it?" her mother questioned
"It's the art show," Claudia stated. "The one I suggested the school should host, and they said yes...it's tonight."
"But you have the test tomorrow," her mum said. "I know, I don’t really want to go to that school mum. There’s a scholarship in the show and I think I have a chance of getting it. This is really important to me. The show was my idea and I really want to be there." Her mum looked shocked. “I knew you loved art but not this much. Well, if it's really important to you, you need to do what you want to.” Claudia threw her arms around her mum. “And if you dowin the scholarship, we’ll talk about it,” her mum said.
Claudia reached the door. Beyond this door, a door she had walked through so many times, was the art show she had tried so hard to get to. As soon as she entered, she saw Sophie excitedly waving at her. Once she had made her way to Sophie she saw why. There on the wall was her oak tree. Underneath was her name Claudia Morgan, next to a note that said: "Scholarship Winner”.
Erin Murphy, The Art Show (Year 4)
Claudia trudged through the doors of the school, wondering about the day ahead. She knew she had a test next week and that scared her, but she was not thinking about that right now. Her eyes suddenly flicked to the news board in front of her. She couldn't believe it, the school had finally accepted her idea, they had agreed to host the city-wide art show and entries were supposed to be in this week!
When Claudia had finished her first two classes, she quickly ran to her favourite lunch spot, under the big oak tree. Sophie, Claudia's best friend, was already running up to her. As soon as she sat down Claudia was talking about what she saw. "Did you see it?! They finally accepted my idea about the art show!" Claudia exclaimed breathlessly. Sophie was already talking about it. "You should totally enter!" she was saying. "I know," Claudia responded glumly. "Why the sad face?" Sophie questioned. "The show is the night before my school entry test for the high school,” said Claudia. Saying it out loud almost made it worse. Her parents didn’t understand that she wanted to go to an art school, not the one they had planned for her. She wished they would.
Of course, she hadn't known the events would clash when she suggested hosting the show, but that didn't change much. Her parents would never let her go out the night before any test. "Well, would it persuade you if I said there was a scholarship involved?" Sophie asked with a mischievous grin. "What in the world are you talking about!?" Claudia enquired. "You know my parents are both involved in art soo... I happen to know that there will be certain people there offering a scholarship to the one they are most impressed by. But you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone!" Sophie announced. "Ok," Claudia said. "But YOU can't tell my parents about the scholarship, either. Deal?" "Deal." They agreed.
That night Claudia started to paint her entry, the oak tree because that was the place she first met Sophie and heard about the scholarship. So many things had happened there, so many memories. This painting could change her entire future. By all means, she was nervous, but she was doing what she loved and that was all that mattered.
Claudia woke up. Had it been a dream? Was there really a scholarship involved in the art show she had suggested for the school to host? When she walked out the front door of her house, she realised it was not a dream because on the approaching school bus there was a massive poster of the art show and right beside it, in the bus, was Sophie smiling broadly. Since she wouldn’t be able to go to the show, she was going to hand her oak tree painting in today. Once the bus had reached school she and Sophie jumped out, ran into the school just as the bell started to ring.
When everyone had been through the five Friday classes, she and Sophie said goodbye at the park dividing their two houses, they then went back to their houses for the weekend.
At breakfast the next morning Claudia sat with her mum, she was saying something about the test tomorrow and studying but Claudia wasn't really paying attention. She was lost in clouds of thought. "Claudia, are you listening to me?" Claudia looked up. “I know this means a lot to you, but I have something I need to go to tonight." Claudia explained.
"What is it?" her mother questioned
"It's the art show," Claudia stated. "The one I suggested the school should host, and they said yes...it's tonight."
"But you have the test tomorrow," her mum said. "I know, I don’t really want to go to that school mum. There’s a scholarship in the show and I think I have a chance of getting it. This is really important to me. The show was my idea and I really want to be there." Her mum looked shocked. “I knew you loved art but not this much. Well, if it's really important to you, you need to do what you want to.” Claudia threw her arms around her mum. “And if you dowin the scholarship, we’ll talk about it,” her mum said.
Claudia reached the door. Beyond this door, a door she had walked through so many times, was the art show she had tried so hard to get to. As soon as she entered, she saw Sophie excitedly waving at her. Once she had made her way to Sophie she saw why. There on the wall was her oak tree. Underneath was her name Claudia Morgan, next to a note that said: "Scholarship Winner”.
Runner-Up in the Year 2-4 Category
Danny Reid, Covid Crows (Year 3)
Sally yawned, stretched, and rolled out onto the pavement from the boxes that she lived in. She didn’t know her parents; she had been orphaned nearly twelve years ago when her parents were killed by laser sabres in an attack that nobody could piece together. She didn’t have much education and had been expelled from school after school because of unexplainable accidents.
Setting off down the rotting, dilapidated alley, Sally caught a glint of silver. Now here was something! A working analog watch was rare in Maelo. Inspecting it closely, she saw that it had unfamiliar markings resembling dragons. She felt elated at such a keepsake, and put it on, relishing her new possession.
As Sally turned the corner, she got the feeling that she was being watched. By the time she entered the first intersection, she was sure of it. She glanced nervously behind her. It was only a jet-black crow. It whistled. Wait...were those red eyes!? A whole flock of birds just like it appeared. They turned on her aggressively, squawking, and she fled.
As an orphan, she had learned many things, and MonsterCrows were not something to be crossed. They were dangerous, and Sally had bad memories of victims. She sprinted through the intersection, turned, and flipped over a wall. Landing in a garden, she looked around for somewhere to hide but there was nowhere safe. Her finger suddenly bumped against one of the two buttons on the watch. A bright green light shot out of the watch’s band. It became a handgrip, which sprouted a glowing blue blade.
“Ok, pretty cool,” Sally muttered. “Useful!”
She spun around, slicing the beak neatly off the first bird. It screamed in agony, and, after the second slice, stopped. The other birds screeched; the bundle of feathers was apparently their leader. Sally jumped cautiously back over the fence and pressed the button again. The sabre retracted.
As she walked back home, she examined the watch in more detail. It felt strange, as though it were made of hot ice. She debated whether or not to press the second button, frightened about what had happened with the sabre - - but also curious. She inched her finger towards it. A voice inside was screaming “don’t!” but her defiant curiosity was still there... she hit the button. A burst of white light shot from the axle connected to the hands. It formed a dark, purple sphere that quickly elongated into a tunnel. The tunnel started spinning and disgorged a live dragon. The girl and the dragon regarded each other with interest and shock. The dragon dusted itself off, folded up its wings, and asked, “Who are you? I am Crag, species Rock. Very few of us still live.”
“I’m Sally,” replied Sally. “I’m an orphan.”
“An Orphan, eh?” asked Crag. “I’ve never heard of thattribe. I thought I knew all of them.”
“We’re not a tribe,” explained Sally. “ It’s a human word for people who don’t have parents.”
“I don’t think you’re an ordinary human Orphan, whatever they are,” continued Crag. “ You’ve got an aura, so you’re definitely not completely human.”
“Aura?”
“A band of light that follows you, visible to all beasts, including monsters, but not to humans. Auras make it easy for monsters to track their victims.”
“There were MonsterCrows just now. Do you think they were hunting me?”
“Yes,” answered Crag. “I see, too, that you used to have an aura shield of some sort,” he continued.
“Can you also see my aura?” Sally stepped forward, suddenly compelled to feel the dragon’s rocky skin and rasping breath.
“No! You must keep your distance!” snapped Crag, snorting pebbles.
“Why?”
“Because...” He was cut off in mid-sentence by a loud, harsh, screech. They both whipped around and saw a dark cloud of MonsterCrows circling.
“How...?” she gasped.
“Monsters can’t die,” Crag guessed. “They can be killed, but for a short period only.”
He lifted his wings, and then his tail shot out, wrapped around Sally, and deposited her gently on his back. With a powerful flap, he jumped up on a trajectory to meet the moon, banked sharply, and soared. The black mass of MonsterCrows followed. “What were you going to tell me?” Sally asked.
“You’ve got a choice,” Crag answered. “If you never touch me again, and we only meet at a distance, I can help you regain your aura shield. Or... you can stay close with me but risk being hunted down by the MonsterCrows and many other beasts.”
Sally replied,“I choose... this” and wrapping her arms around his neck, she laid her cheek against his rocky scales. Then she turned to face the oncoming birds as she and the dragon sped towards the sunset, with the MonsterCrows trailing behind them.
Danny Reid, Covid Crows (Year 3)
Sally yawned, stretched, and rolled out onto the pavement from the boxes that she lived in. She didn’t know her parents; she had been orphaned nearly twelve years ago when her parents were killed by laser sabres in an attack that nobody could piece together. She didn’t have much education and had been expelled from school after school because of unexplainable accidents.
Setting off down the rotting, dilapidated alley, Sally caught a glint of silver. Now here was something! A working analog watch was rare in Maelo. Inspecting it closely, she saw that it had unfamiliar markings resembling dragons. She felt elated at such a keepsake, and put it on, relishing her new possession.
As Sally turned the corner, she got the feeling that she was being watched. By the time she entered the first intersection, she was sure of it. She glanced nervously behind her. It was only a jet-black crow. It whistled. Wait...were those red eyes!? A whole flock of birds just like it appeared. They turned on her aggressively, squawking, and she fled.
As an orphan, she had learned many things, and MonsterCrows were not something to be crossed. They were dangerous, and Sally had bad memories of victims. She sprinted through the intersection, turned, and flipped over a wall. Landing in a garden, she looked around for somewhere to hide but there was nowhere safe. Her finger suddenly bumped against one of the two buttons on the watch. A bright green light shot out of the watch’s band. It became a handgrip, which sprouted a glowing blue blade.
“Ok, pretty cool,” Sally muttered. “Useful!”
She spun around, slicing the beak neatly off the first bird. It screamed in agony, and, after the second slice, stopped. The other birds screeched; the bundle of feathers was apparently their leader. Sally jumped cautiously back over the fence and pressed the button again. The sabre retracted.
As she walked back home, she examined the watch in more detail. It felt strange, as though it were made of hot ice. She debated whether or not to press the second button, frightened about what had happened with the sabre - - but also curious. She inched her finger towards it. A voice inside was screaming “don’t!” but her defiant curiosity was still there... she hit the button. A burst of white light shot from the axle connected to the hands. It formed a dark, purple sphere that quickly elongated into a tunnel. The tunnel started spinning and disgorged a live dragon. The girl and the dragon regarded each other with interest and shock. The dragon dusted itself off, folded up its wings, and asked, “Who are you? I am Crag, species Rock. Very few of us still live.”
“I’m Sally,” replied Sally. “I’m an orphan.”
“An Orphan, eh?” asked Crag. “I’ve never heard of thattribe. I thought I knew all of them.”
“We’re not a tribe,” explained Sally. “ It’s a human word for people who don’t have parents.”
“I don’t think you’re an ordinary human Orphan, whatever they are,” continued Crag. “ You’ve got an aura, so you’re definitely not completely human.”
“Aura?”
“A band of light that follows you, visible to all beasts, including monsters, but not to humans. Auras make it easy for monsters to track their victims.”
“There were MonsterCrows just now. Do you think they were hunting me?”
“Yes,” answered Crag. “I see, too, that you used to have an aura shield of some sort,” he continued.
“Can you also see my aura?” Sally stepped forward, suddenly compelled to feel the dragon’s rocky skin and rasping breath.
“No! You must keep your distance!” snapped Crag, snorting pebbles.
“Why?”
“Because...” He was cut off in mid-sentence by a loud, harsh, screech. They both whipped around and saw a dark cloud of MonsterCrows circling.
“How...?” she gasped.
“Monsters can’t die,” Crag guessed. “They can be killed, but for a short period only.”
He lifted his wings, and then his tail shot out, wrapped around Sally, and deposited her gently on his back. With a powerful flap, he jumped up on a trajectory to meet the moon, banked sharply, and soared. The black mass of MonsterCrows followed. “What were you going to tell me?” Sally asked.
“You’ve got a choice,” Crag answered. “If you never touch me again, and we only meet at a distance, I can help you regain your aura shield. Or... you can stay close with me but risk being hunted down by the MonsterCrows and many other beasts.”
Sally replied,“I choose... this” and wrapping her arms around his neck, she laid her cheek against his rocky scales. Then she turned to face the oncoming birds as she and the dragon sped towards the sunset, with the MonsterCrows trailing behind them.
Runner-Up in the Year 2-4 Category
Eve Howie, What A Wish Can Do (Year 4)
Chapter 1 loss
Fallow walked out along the moon washed bay. She sighed thinking about the problems that were going on at her home. She felt that sickening jolt that tomorrow would be her last day with her beloved mother. Her mother was moving away of her own accord. But Fallow still wished that her mum hadn’t fallen in love with a rich Scottish man.
As she curled up in her bed, Fallow wished she had stayed out on the baylonger, she wasn’t ready to face the truth. The next morning, she wanted tojust lie in bed and cry, but she knew she couldn’t, there was too much to bedone. After her mum moved away, their pretty seaside cottage would have to be sold. She would miss it deeply. Tears formed in her eyes thinking how it would just be her, her father and her brother, Tim.
Chapter 2 saying goodbye
That morning Fallow awoke to find that her dad was waiting for her on the threshold of her bedroom.
Fallow felt hollow on the inside as her family dropped her mum at the airport, like she would never feel the same again. After what seemed like hours of driving, it was time to say goodbye. Fallow tried to fight back the emotion thatwas inside her, but she couldn’t. Hot, wet tears rolled down her cheeks as shehugged her mum for the last time.
This time, when Fallow got home even a hug was no longer enough to soothe her pain. It felt like her heart was broken and that it would never be fixed.
Chapter 3 the ramshackle house
Fallow felt disgusted when she was looking at the house. Her brother and father had moved with her to an old rundown shack that looked like it was there before time. The walls were bare and the carpetless floors revealed the wood was rotting away. That night, as Fallow lay in bed, she could hear the windowpanes rattling and the only comfort was knowing that her brother was on the other side of the room.
Finally, she drifted off to sleep while the storm raged on outside.
Chapter 4 school
As Fallow slowly walked down the corridor, she was wishing that she could justdisappear and that wasn’t the only time she had felt that way this week, either.
For the first time in her life, Fallow felt herself begging for a friend, her grief raw in her heart. Even though only 2 days had passed since her mum moved away, she missed her so much already. Today wasn’t any different. She wasn’tlooking forward to walking home alone. Her brother usually came with her but today he was hanging out with his friends. She glumly walked down the street. She felt oddly alone, even though there was a crowd jostling around her. She still wished she could find the familiar face of her mum in amongst them.
Chapter 5 the power of a wish
That night, Fallow walked out to the edge of the cliff their house was perched on, wishing for her old life back.
“I want my old life back. It’s my strongest desire... please let it happen,” she prayed.
“BANG!” a flash of bright light.
Fallow felt like she was spinning down an endless tunnel. Suddenly, the feeling stopped.
Fallow looked up and realises where she is. She’s back in her old house, standing in the hallway. But something’s wrong; the hall is filled with boxes. Then she sees her mum carrying a big black suitcase.
The truth dawned on Fallow; she had gone back in time just like she had wished and was going to have to watch her mum leave again.
“No...” she thinks. “Please take me back to the present”. “Please, please, please.”
Then she thought of something. “I wish...” she murmured. Another flash. She was back on the cliff panting.
She was home.
Chapter 6 thoughts
That night at dinner, Fallow felt like she had a new appreciation for the future. She finally felt at home.
As Fallow lay in bed, she felt something that she hadn’t felt for a long time. She felt peaceful. For now, she knew that the future would hold good and bad. But she knew how to face it. For now, Fallow knew that deep down inside her she could find hope, strength and determination.
But most of all, she could find bravery and they would all be useful in the past, present or future. “And...” Fallow thought “even though mum isn’t here, I can still press on and keep going”.
Eve Howie, What A Wish Can Do (Year 4)
Chapter 1 loss
Fallow walked out along the moon washed bay. She sighed thinking about the problems that were going on at her home. She felt that sickening jolt that tomorrow would be her last day with her beloved mother. Her mother was moving away of her own accord. But Fallow still wished that her mum hadn’t fallen in love with a rich Scottish man.
As she curled up in her bed, Fallow wished she had stayed out on the baylonger, she wasn’t ready to face the truth. The next morning, she wanted tojust lie in bed and cry, but she knew she couldn’t, there was too much to bedone. After her mum moved away, their pretty seaside cottage would have to be sold. She would miss it deeply. Tears formed in her eyes thinking how it would just be her, her father and her brother, Tim.
Chapter 2 saying goodbye
That morning Fallow awoke to find that her dad was waiting for her on the threshold of her bedroom.
Fallow felt hollow on the inside as her family dropped her mum at the airport, like she would never feel the same again. After what seemed like hours of driving, it was time to say goodbye. Fallow tried to fight back the emotion thatwas inside her, but she couldn’t. Hot, wet tears rolled down her cheeks as shehugged her mum for the last time.
This time, when Fallow got home even a hug was no longer enough to soothe her pain. It felt like her heart was broken and that it would never be fixed.
Chapter 3 the ramshackle house
Fallow felt disgusted when she was looking at the house. Her brother and father had moved with her to an old rundown shack that looked like it was there before time. The walls were bare and the carpetless floors revealed the wood was rotting away. That night, as Fallow lay in bed, she could hear the windowpanes rattling and the only comfort was knowing that her brother was on the other side of the room.
Finally, she drifted off to sleep while the storm raged on outside.
Chapter 4 school
As Fallow slowly walked down the corridor, she was wishing that she could justdisappear and that wasn’t the only time she had felt that way this week, either.
For the first time in her life, Fallow felt herself begging for a friend, her grief raw in her heart. Even though only 2 days had passed since her mum moved away, she missed her so much already. Today wasn’t any different. She wasn’tlooking forward to walking home alone. Her brother usually came with her but today he was hanging out with his friends. She glumly walked down the street. She felt oddly alone, even though there was a crowd jostling around her. She still wished she could find the familiar face of her mum in amongst them.
Chapter 5 the power of a wish
That night, Fallow walked out to the edge of the cliff their house was perched on, wishing for her old life back.
“I want my old life back. It’s my strongest desire... please let it happen,” she prayed.
“BANG!” a flash of bright light.
Fallow felt like she was spinning down an endless tunnel. Suddenly, the feeling stopped.
Fallow looked up and realises where she is. She’s back in her old house, standing in the hallway. But something’s wrong; the hall is filled with boxes. Then she sees her mum carrying a big black suitcase.
The truth dawned on Fallow; she had gone back in time just like she had wished and was going to have to watch her mum leave again.
“No...” she thinks. “Please take me back to the present”. “Please, please, please.”
Then she thought of something. “I wish...” she murmured. Another flash. She was back on the cliff panting.
She was home.
Chapter 6 thoughts
That night at dinner, Fallow felt like she had a new appreciation for the future. She finally felt at home.
As Fallow lay in bed, she felt something that she hadn’t felt for a long time. She felt peaceful. For now, she knew that the future would hold good and bad. But she knew how to face it. For now, Fallow knew that deep down inside her she could find hope, strength and determination.
But most of all, she could find bravery and they would all be useful in the past, present or future. “And...” Fallow thought “even though mum isn’t here, I can still press on and keep going”.
Runner-Up in the Year 2-4 Category
Kitty Smith, Puzzling (Year 4)
‘Alex! Help!’ Rose whined as she looked for the last bit of the puzzle.
‘What?’ said Alex, when he came through the door.
‘I can’t find the last bit of the puzzle’ she answered.
Alex looked around for a couple of minutes, but she was right, it was gone.
‘It has totally, utterly, disappeared from the face of the earth!’ said Rose as she looked through the hole where the last puzzle piece would fit.
Then all of a sudden, everything went dark, and Rose felt herself falling into the forest puzzle she had nearly completed. When she opened her eyes she could not believe it, Rose had fallen through the puzzle. Courageously, without a backwards glance Alex, who was watching his sister disappear into a forest picture, jumped in after her.
Alex found himself in a huge wood, as he got to his feet, his mind raced to Rose, and there he saw her, picking leaves out of her hair. “Thank God you are here…Where are we?” Rose said bewilderingly.
There was a long pause.
‘Oh’ stumbled Alex, ‘I know where we are. We are in a forest’
‘What?’ Rose said
‘Well’ started Alex, ‘We have fallen through the puzzle and landed in the puzzle picture…..A forest. We need to find the last puzzle piece hole to get back out of here and get home.’
They looked around. They were in a forest, full of thick oak trees. It was hard to see sunlight through the trees. They heard the scurry of woodland creatures but they could not see anything beyond the oaks. Suddenly they heard a roar.
‘What’s that?’ said Alex
‘I don’t know,’ said Rose ‘but let’s run.’
They ran until the roaring sound faded into the trees.
‘We have a problem. We are stuck in a puzzle and surrounded by invisible creatures’ said Rose.
‘Can you remember what creatures were in the puzzle?’
‘Bears, foxes, squirrels and … Snakes’ they both looked at the ground and then at each other. They both screamed ‘RUN!’ as they leapt through the forest at a rapid pace.
When they could not run anymore, they stopped and panted.
‘We are doomed’ Alex said as he sat down on a mossy log. He kicked a stick in despair.
‘Hang on said Rose, I can see a hole above the trees, could it be the missing piece?’
Alex jumped up and started climbing the oak tree that continued through an open space in the sky.
'We can get home. This is our passage out of the forest.’
He looked down and saw that Rose was already starting to climb. A minute later, they were climbing out of the thick forest and into Rose’s blue bedroom.
Just as they both climbed out, their mum walked into the room.
‘What have you kids been up to?’
They looked at each other puzzled.
‘Puzzles’ they said in unison.
Kitty Smith, Puzzling (Year 4)
‘Alex! Help!’ Rose whined as she looked for the last bit of the puzzle.
‘What?’ said Alex, when he came through the door.
‘I can’t find the last bit of the puzzle’ she answered.
Alex looked around for a couple of minutes, but she was right, it was gone.
‘It has totally, utterly, disappeared from the face of the earth!’ said Rose as she looked through the hole where the last puzzle piece would fit.
Then all of a sudden, everything went dark, and Rose felt herself falling into the forest puzzle she had nearly completed. When she opened her eyes she could not believe it, Rose had fallen through the puzzle. Courageously, without a backwards glance Alex, who was watching his sister disappear into a forest picture, jumped in after her.
Alex found himself in a huge wood, as he got to his feet, his mind raced to Rose, and there he saw her, picking leaves out of her hair. “Thank God you are here…Where are we?” Rose said bewilderingly.
There was a long pause.
‘Oh’ stumbled Alex, ‘I know where we are. We are in a forest’
‘What?’ Rose said
‘Well’ started Alex, ‘We have fallen through the puzzle and landed in the puzzle picture…..A forest. We need to find the last puzzle piece hole to get back out of here and get home.’
They looked around. They were in a forest, full of thick oak trees. It was hard to see sunlight through the trees. They heard the scurry of woodland creatures but they could not see anything beyond the oaks. Suddenly they heard a roar.
‘What’s that?’ said Alex
‘I don’t know,’ said Rose ‘but let’s run.’
They ran until the roaring sound faded into the trees.
‘We have a problem. We are stuck in a puzzle and surrounded by invisible creatures’ said Rose.
‘Can you remember what creatures were in the puzzle?’
‘Bears, foxes, squirrels and … Snakes’ they both looked at the ground and then at each other. They both screamed ‘RUN!’ as they leapt through the forest at a rapid pace.
When they could not run anymore, they stopped and panted.
‘We are doomed’ Alex said as he sat down on a mossy log. He kicked a stick in despair.
‘Hang on said Rose, I can see a hole above the trees, could it be the missing piece?’
Alex jumped up and started climbing the oak tree that continued through an open space in the sky.
'We can get home. This is our passage out of the forest.’
He looked down and saw that Rose was already starting to climb. A minute later, they were climbing out of the thick forest and into Rose’s blue bedroom.
Just as they both climbed out, their mum walked into the room.
‘What have you kids been up to?’
They looked at each other puzzled.
‘Puzzles’ they said in unison.
Winner in the Year 5-7 Category
Mani Fraillon, The Curse of Bloody Mary (Year 5)
It was a sunny day at Saint Millers Primary School. It was the day of the school festival, and Mary, who was five years old, and Sandra, Mary’s sister, and eleven years old, had just arrived at the fortune teller’s tent. They ran in and together they shouted, “Stellar Stellar the fortune teller, please tell me my fortune!” This was what they did every school festival. They loved the fortune teller’s funny fortunes. But they did not know that this fortune, would not be as funny as they expected.
A bony old lady wearing a green shawl emerged. She took a crystal ball from her pocket and sat down on an itchy old rug. She gazed into the ball with hollow, snake like eyes. After a solid minute of staring at the crystal ball, she finally said, in a crackly, old voice, “The tale you’ve heard, shall at last come true, the one about mirror souls, the one with bloody hands, pulling you through, down to the other world, soon will come, the fate of one, beloved and young, so beware my dears, Bloody Mary shall arise.”
Sandra took her sisters hand, and hastily left the tent.
“What’s Bloody Mary?” asked Mary.
“It’s just a fake story people tell you so you get scared. It’s not true, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“OK” said Mary, who wasn’t really listening.
Sandra couldn’t get to sleep for hours that night. When finally she was drifting off, she was woken by Mary shaking her vigorously. “Sandra! Sandra! I remember the story of Bloody Mary! A big six grader told me it on my first day of school! It goes like this, ready? If you’re in a dark bathroom, lit by candles only, then if you turn around three times, saying Bloody Mary, then Bloody Mary will come out of the mirror and gobble you up for morning tea! Don’t you think it’s kinda funny that Bloody Mary has the same name as I do?”
“Um, yeah” replied Sandra, now shivering uncontrollably, worrying if Stellar really was a real fortune teller, like the oracle in Greek mythology.
Sandra woke up early in the morning, but Mary wasn’t in bed. She wasn’t in the kitchen. She wasn’t in the living room. Mary was nowhere to be seen. Sandra began to panic, her breath, solid in her lungs. “Mary?!” She shouted. But there was no reply. There was only one room left for Sandra to look. The bathroom…
Sandra opened the bathroom door. There, on the ground, was her sister’s bloodied night gown. Out of the corner of her eye, Sandra could see just a flicker of a young face, staring back at her from the mirror. Waiting...
An old crackled voice whispered in Sandra’s mind. “One will go, to retrieve something lost, they will venture into the mirror world, but only one will return, back into the real world….”
Sandra thought of a plan. A dangerous one, but a good one. She found some old candles, took them into the bathroom, and lit them. She spun round three times chanting “Bloody Mary.” A bloody face appeared in the mirror, Mary’s. Then suddenly, gashed and torn arms shot out through the mirror, grabbing hold of Sandra, pulling her deeper, and deeper into the other world.
Sandra woke in the middle of a strange street, huge buildings, towering over her. “You are looking for Queen Mary, eh?” Said a stranger, staring down at Sandra with empty, black eyes.
“Umm, yes, w-where is she?”
“Up there.” Said the stranger, pointing to the top of the tallest building Sandra had ever seen. It had no windows, bricks were missing, and there was no sign of life apart from the occasional shrieks coming from inside. The stranger clicked his finger, and suddenly Sandra was kneeling in front of Bloody Mary herself.
“Mary! Listen to me! Please Mary! Please! I know you’re in there somewhere! Come back home Mary! Please!” Sandra searched for a flicker of life in Mary’s ghoul like eyes. Mary stared into nothingness. Then she whispered “Sandra. Help. The only way back is if we jump off the building. You need to push me off.” The wall disappeared. Sandra looked over the edge at a shimmering lake, the water like molten metal.
“I can’t just shove you off a building!” Cried Sandra.
“It’s the only way back,” said Mary
“Ok, if it’s the only way.” Sandra carried her sister, bloodied and wounded, to the edge of the building. She was about to jump with Mary when she remembered the words she had heard whispered: “But only one will return, back into the real world…”
Then, they jumped…
Mani Fraillon, The Curse of Bloody Mary (Year 5)
It was a sunny day at Saint Millers Primary School. It was the day of the school festival, and Mary, who was five years old, and Sandra, Mary’s sister, and eleven years old, had just arrived at the fortune teller’s tent. They ran in and together they shouted, “Stellar Stellar the fortune teller, please tell me my fortune!” This was what they did every school festival. They loved the fortune teller’s funny fortunes. But they did not know that this fortune, would not be as funny as they expected.
A bony old lady wearing a green shawl emerged. She took a crystal ball from her pocket and sat down on an itchy old rug. She gazed into the ball with hollow, snake like eyes. After a solid minute of staring at the crystal ball, she finally said, in a crackly, old voice, “The tale you’ve heard, shall at last come true, the one about mirror souls, the one with bloody hands, pulling you through, down to the other world, soon will come, the fate of one, beloved and young, so beware my dears, Bloody Mary shall arise.”
Sandra took her sisters hand, and hastily left the tent.
“What’s Bloody Mary?” asked Mary.
“It’s just a fake story people tell you so you get scared. It’s not true, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“OK” said Mary, who wasn’t really listening.
Sandra couldn’t get to sleep for hours that night. When finally she was drifting off, she was woken by Mary shaking her vigorously. “Sandra! Sandra! I remember the story of Bloody Mary! A big six grader told me it on my first day of school! It goes like this, ready? If you’re in a dark bathroom, lit by candles only, then if you turn around three times, saying Bloody Mary, then Bloody Mary will come out of the mirror and gobble you up for morning tea! Don’t you think it’s kinda funny that Bloody Mary has the same name as I do?”
“Um, yeah” replied Sandra, now shivering uncontrollably, worrying if Stellar really was a real fortune teller, like the oracle in Greek mythology.
Sandra woke up early in the morning, but Mary wasn’t in bed. She wasn’t in the kitchen. She wasn’t in the living room. Mary was nowhere to be seen. Sandra began to panic, her breath, solid in her lungs. “Mary?!” She shouted. But there was no reply. There was only one room left for Sandra to look. The bathroom…
Sandra opened the bathroom door. There, on the ground, was her sister’s bloodied night gown. Out of the corner of her eye, Sandra could see just a flicker of a young face, staring back at her from the mirror. Waiting...
An old crackled voice whispered in Sandra’s mind. “One will go, to retrieve something lost, they will venture into the mirror world, but only one will return, back into the real world….”
Sandra thought of a plan. A dangerous one, but a good one. She found some old candles, took them into the bathroom, and lit them. She spun round three times chanting “Bloody Mary.” A bloody face appeared in the mirror, Mary’s. Then suddenly, gashed and torn arms shot out through the mirror, grabbing hold of Sandra, pulling her deeper, and deeper into the other world.
Sandra woke in the middle of a strange street, huge buildings, towering over her. “You are looking for Queen Mary, eh?” Said a stranger, staring down at Sandra with empty, black eyes.
“Umm, yes, w-where is she?”
“Up there.” Said the stranger, pointing to the top of the tallest building Sandra had ever seen. It had no windows, bricks were missing, and there was no sign of life apart from the occasional shrieks coming from inside. The stranger clicked his finger, and suddenly Sandra was kneeling in front of Bloody Mary herself.
“Mary! Listen to me! Please Mary! Please! I know you’re in there somewhere! Come back home Mary! Please!” Sandra searched for a flicker of life in Mary’s ghoul like eyes. Mary stared into nothingness. Then she whispered “Sandra. Help. The only way back is if we jump off the building. You need to push me off.” The wall disappeared. Sandra looked over the edge at a shimmering lake, the water like molten metal.
“I can’t just shove you off a building!” Cried Sandra.
“It’s the only way back,” said Mary
“Ok, if it’s the only way.” Sandra carried her sister, bloodied and wounded, to the edge of the building. She was about to jump with Mary when she remembered the words she had heard whispered: “But only one will return, back into the real world…”
Then, they jumped…
Runner-Up in the Year 5-7 Category
Aiden Lowry, In Winter's Heart, Year 6
Wind, as cold as ice, whipped snow off the ground like clouds of swirling white ash. Black formations of granite rock pierced the clouds all around, with only glimpses of the snow-capped peaks visible in the distance. This location has a history of destruction, where thousands of refugees have come from this area. They were deep within winter's heart.
Waves of soldiers came together on the vast rolling plains, marching simultaneously. The world was clouded by thick curling plumes of mist. Threads of fog departed to make way for Vist Tarmon as he stalked forward in the night. The mass of steel followed. Vist wore a black coat embroidered with gold buttons and silver lining. He had stark black hair that extended to his shoulders and deep bluish grey eyes. A couple of soldiers near the front ranks slumped down, probably due to the heavy breastplates hidden under their coats. But that did not trouble Vist at all, he was a heavily built man.
Suddenly, light swift footsteps crunched against the snow, where a man materialised the mist. He was a scrawny fellow, Vist was twice the size of him.
“My Lord Captain Commander Vist” he said. Vist sighed. Who was this man talking about “Lord?”.
Vist turned to one of his strongest companions behind him. “If anyonecalls me Lord again, kick me in the ankles.” He gave a sharp nod, his face impenetrable. Vist turned back and raised expectant eyebrows towards the man.
“My Lor... I mean Vist”, he said with a shaky voice, “there is another army north west, I think it is the target My Lord- I mean Vist.”. Vist replied“Tell Gareth to start moving” in what seemed a harsh tone to him. The man nodded vigorously. Vist turned and gazed towards the north. Soon his army would be reluctantly heading in that direction.
Hours of marching passed when they came across a large, imposing mountain. The mist suddenly cleared, as dawn was breaking, and the first glimpses of the enemy army stood before them in front of the mountain.
Vist suddenly raised his fist and the army halted marching behind him. The enemy army was seven hundred paces in front of them, stretching as far as the eye could see.
“Seventy thousand men...” Vist mused. He gave the order to prepare for battle. Men straitened, and shuffles of excitement echoed through the plains. Amid Vist’s men, a man on the shoulders of another pulled out a horn and blew. The cry of battle pierced the sky.
The ranks charged forward with a ferocity that shook the world. Six hundred paces from the army, five hundred, four, three, two. One. Then bang! Metal clashed on metal. Men swung in broad strokes and others fell to the ground. Sprays of fire erupted all around as Vist pulled out his two daggers. One was crystal blue and the other a vibrant purple colour. In the heat of battle, he skidded low under the arch of a half moon shaped axe and elbowed the back of the soldiers knee. The soldier gasped as he slumped downward and Vist plunged one of his daggers into his back. He pulled it out with a swivel of his heel just in time to prevent a shiny silver sword from sheathing his ribs. He used the momentum to swipe at his opponent's neck. Another group of men suddenly sprinted towards him. Vist gathered his power and focused. He held a bright blue and white ball tightly in his hands. He launched the ball, hitting one of the men which erupted into light. Silver coloured lightning forked the ground around Vist, which then exploded into swelling fire bursts. The battle continued. More fire balls were thrown, flashing across the sky.
Vist was brought a horse, where he jumped on and galloped full speed into the fight. Gripping his saddle tightly and swinging, his daggers darted into flesh at the speed of light. All around there was chaotic scenes, but suddenly the noise of battle fell silent.
Beads of sweat ran down Vists head as he slumped down from his stallion to examine the blanket of corpses surrounding him.
Well, it looks like they were all dead. ”Another day in paradise...′′ he muttered to himself.
Aiden Lowry, In Winter's Heart, Year 6
Wind, as cold as ice, whipped snow off the ground like clouds of swirling white ash. Black formations of granite rock pierced the clouds all around, with only glimpses of the snow-capped peaks visible in the distance. This location has a history of destruction, where thousands of refugees have come from this area. They were deep within winter's heart.
Waves of soldiers came together on the vast rolling plains, marching simultaneously. The world was clouded by thick curling plumes of mist. Threads of fog departed to make way for Vist Tarmon as he stalked forward in the night. The mass of steel followed. Vist wore a black coat embroidered with gold buttons and silver lining. He had stark black hair that extended to his shoulders and deep bluish grey eyes. A couple of soldiers near the front ranks slumped down, probably due to the heavy breastplates hidden under their coats. But that did not trouble Vist at all, he was a heavily built man.
Suddenly, light swift footsteps crunched against the snow, where a man materialised the mist. He was a scrawny fellow, Vist was twice the size of him.
“My Lord Captain Commander Vist” he said. Vist sighed. Who was this man talking about “Lord?”.
Vist turned to one of his strongest companions behind him. “If anyonecalls me Lord again, kick me in the ankles.” He gave a sharp nod, his face impenetrable. Vist turned back and raised expectant eyebrows towards the man.
“My Lor... I mean Vist”, he said with a shaky voice, “there is another army north west, I think it is the target My Lord- I mean Vist.”. Vist replied“Tell Gareth to start moving” in what seemed a harsh tone to him. The man nodded vigorously. Vist turned and gazed towards the north. Soon his army would be reluctantly heading in that direction.
Hours of marching passed when they came across a large, imposing mountain. The mist suddenly cleared, as dawn was breaking, and the first glimpses of the enemy army stood before them in front of the mountain.
Vist suddenly raised his fist and the army halted marching behind him. The enemy army was seven hundred paces in front of them, stretching as far as the eye could see.
“Seventy thousand men...” Vist mused. He gave the order to prepare for battle. Men straitened, and shuffles of excitement echoed through the plains. Amid Vist’s men, a man on the shoulders of another pulled out a horn and blew. The cry of battle pierced the sky.
The ranks charged forward with a ferocity that shook the world. Six hundred paces from the army, five hundred, four, three, two. One. Then bang! Metal clashed on metal. Men swung in broad strokes and others fell to the ground. Sprays of fire erupted all around as Vist pulled out his two daggers. One was crystal blue and the other a vibrant purple colour. In the heat of battle, he skidded low under the arch of a half moon shaped axe and elbowed the back of the soldiers knee. The soldier gasped as he slumped downward and Vist plunged one of his daggers into his back. He pulled it out with a swivel of his heel just in time to prevent a shiny silver sword from sheathing his ribs. He used the momentum to swipe at his opponent's neck. Another group of men suddenly sprinted towards him. Vist gathered his power and focused. He held a bright blue and white ball tightly in his hands. He launched the ball, hitting one of the men which erupted into light. Silver coloured lightning forked the ground around Vist, which then exploded into swelling fire bursts. The battle continued. More fire balls were thrown, flashing across the sky.
Vist was brought a horse, where he jumped on and galloped full speed into the fight. Gripping his saddle tightly and swinging, his daggers darted into flesh at the speed of light. All around there was chaotic scenes, but suddenly the noise of battle fell silent.
Beads of sweat ran down Vists head as he slumped down from his stallion to examine the blanket of corpses surrounding him.
Well, it looks like they were all dead. ”Another day in paradise...′′ he muttered to himself.
Runner-Up in the Year 5-7 Category
Francesca Jaeger, Untitled, Year 5
I feel shards of glass, I am lying on the ground surrounded by rubble. I lie there without thought. I feel tears against my face. I hear nothing, silence. I rest there for seconds, minutes, hours, I don’t know. I slowly open my eyes and it all comes back to me.
I am Alex White and I have done something terrible.
It all started last week. I was at school when my phone started to ring. It was my boss, Victoria. She needed me at work. By the way, I am 16, almost 17, and I am a spy.
I grabbed my bag and hopped in my car. When I arrived at Spy HQ, I ran to the computer room and met Vic there. “You won’t be on a computer,” she said. I looked at her, confused. “You’ll be out on the field.” I fell silent. I hadn’t been out on a mission before. “The enemy’s daughter April is your age and you must gain her trust,” she said. “That’s why we need you instead of an adult.”
I called my mum to tell her about my mission as I arrived at the apartment I was given for the mission. Spy HQ had enrolled me in April’s school –Westminster High, an elite private school, and I had to start the next day.
As I arrived at school I bumped into a girl. She asked me if I was new and offered to show me around. I agreed and said thanks. I asked for her name. She said she was April. I just stood there like an idiot. This was the enemy’s daughter? She asked me what my name was. “Alex. Alex Black,” I lied. We agreed to have lunch together.
At lunch we talked, I thought she was cool. Over the next few days we hung out more and actually became friends.
It was my fifth day of school. April’s dad is a suspected terrorist, so I’d been told to go into his house and, when I could, transfer the information from his computer onto my disc.
The opportunity came when April invited me to her house. After a while I saw my chance when she went to get drinks. I ran to the computer and inserted the disc. It beeped and started to load. Halfway, three-quarters, I could hear April coming back to the room! Three seconds, two, one. I ejected the disc, turned the computer off and jumped onto the couch just as April walked through the door. She smiled and we talked more. An hour later I called Spy HQ telling them I had the info. They told me that my mission was done. I was sad to think that I was leaving April – I really liked her.
The next morning, I had a message from Spy HQ. I heard Vic’s serious voice. When I hear that I know something is wrong.
“Hey Alex, bad news. According to info we’ve received April’s dad is about to bomb a market. We’ve decided that the only way to stop him is to send a missile into his house. It’s happening at 7.30 this morning. I know-” I stopped the message. I couldn’t let them hurt April. I checked the time and it was already 7.25. Without thinking I grabbed my phone and called April.
“GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW!!” I screamed, then hung up. I paced the room. Two hours later April called me. At first, I wasn’t sure what to do. I answered.
“Are you ok?” were the first words out of my mouth.
“What happened?” she said. “My house! I’m fine, but my dad’s behaving really strangely!” Her dad had escaped. What had I done? “Thank you for saving us. How’d you know?” I couldn’t speak so I hung up.
I was so worried about what I’d done – I had to talk to someone. I drove to Mum’s work at parliament. As I approached the building a huge explosion threw me to the ground.
I feel shards of glass, I am lying on the ground surrounded by rubble. I know immediately this is retaliation. My mistake has killed my mum. I close my eyes again and everything fades away. I wake to someone shaking me. I feel pain in my left arm. I open my eyes and see the ghost of my mum. I close my eyes again.
When I wake mum’s in my room. It seems impossible but she tells me she survived the explosion. After we hug, I tell her what I did. “I couldn’t help it – I had to protect April. I’m so sorry – I know I’ve let you down.”
Mum takes my hand. “You could never, ever disappoint me,” she says. “Your heart was in the right place.” I smile.
Francesca Jaeger, Untitled, Year 5
I feel shards of glass, I am lying on the ground surrounded by rubble. I lie there without thought. I feel tears against my face. I hear nothing, silence. I rest there for seconds, minutes, hours, I don’t know. I slowly open my eyes and it all comes back to me.
I am Alex White and I have done something terrible.
It all started last week. I was at school when my phone started to ring. It was my boss, Victoria. She needed me at work. By the way, I am 16, almost 17, and I am a spy.
I grabbed my bag and hopped in my car. When I arrived at Spy HQ, I ran to the computer room and met Vic there. “You won’t be on a computer,” she said. I looked at her, confused. “You’ll be out on the field.” I fell silent. I hadn’t been out on a mission before. “The enemy’s daughter April is your age and you must gain her trust,” she said. “That’s why we need you instead of an adult.”
I called my mum to tell her about my mission as I arrived at the apartment I was given for the mission. Spy HQ had enrolled me in April’s school –Westminster High, an elite private school, and I had to start the next day.
As I arrived at school I bumped into a girl. She asked me if I was new and offered to show me around. I agreed and said thanks. I asked for her name. She said she was April. I just stood there like an idiot. This was the enemy’s daughter? She asked me what my name was. “Alex. Alex Black,” I lied. We agreed to have lunch together.
At lunch we talked, I thought she was cool. Over the next few days we hung out more and actually became friends.
It was my fifth day of school. April’s dad is a suspected terrorist, so I’d been told to go into his house and, when I could, transfer the information from his computer onto my disc.
The opportunity came when April invited me to her house. After a while I saw my chance when she went to get drinks. I ran to the computer and inserted the disc. It beeped and started to load. Halfway, three-quarters, I could hear April coming back to the room! Three seconds, two, one. I ejected the disc, turned the computer off and jumped onto the couch just as April walked through the door. She smiled and we talked more. An hour later I called Spy HQ telling them I had the info. They told me that my mission was done. I was sad to think that I was leaving April – I really liked her.
The next morning, I had a message from Spy HQ. I heard Vic’s serious voice. When I hear that I know something is wrong.
“Hey Alex, bad news. According to info we’ve received April’s dad is about to bomb a market. We’ve decided that the only way to stop him is to send a missile into his house. It’s happening at 7.30 this morning. I know-” I stopped the message. I couldn’t let them hurt April. I checked the time and it was already 7.25. Without thinking I grabbed my phone and called April.
“GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW!!” I screamed, then hung up. I paced the room. Two hours later April called me. At first, I wasn’t sure what to do. I answered.
“Are you ok?” were the first words out of my mouth.
“What happened?” she said. “My house! I’m fine, but my dad’s behaving really strangely!” Her dad had escaped. What had I done? “Thank you for saving us. How’d you know?” I couldn’t speak so I hung up.
I was so worried about what I’d done – I had to talk to someone. I drove to Mum’s work at parliament. As I approached the building a huge explosion threw me to the ground.
I feel shards of glass, I am lying on the ground surrounded by rubble. I know immediately this is retaliation. My mistake has killed my mum. I close my eyes again and everything fades away. I wake to someone shaking me. I feel pain in my left arm. I open my eyes and see the ghost of my mum. I close my eyes again.
When I wake mum’s in my room. It seems impossible but she tells me she survived the explosion. After we hug, I tell her what I did. “I couldn’t help it – I had to protect April. I’m so sorry – I know I’ve let you down.”
Mum takes my hand. “You could never, ever disappoint me,” she says. “Your heart was in the right place.” I smile.
Runner-Up in the Year 5-7 Category
Sally Scruby, Survive The Day (Year 7)
Carrie looked around. The world was bleak and grey, with rubbish and debris swirling around her in the hazy afternoon light. This was her reality now. The world’s leaders had ignored global warming for so long, until it was too late. Earth's ecosystems had collapsed, and much of Australia had quickly become a dry, dusty wasteland.
Carrie sighed, pushing a strand of bobbed brown hair behind her ear, and turned to her companions, her brother, Rowan, and their friend, Sammy. “Anything?” she called. “Nothing,” Rowan replied, “just rubbish and cockroaches.” Carrie shuddered. If there was one thing she hated, it was cockroaches. They were disgusting, dirty, crawly little things that would get into and eat almost anything. Although now even cockroaches had a hard time finding something good to eat. The three teenagers had been living off scraps of food left over from when the world was a happy place, full of light and colour, and global warming was still a thing of fiction in many people’s minds. Now, it was hard for Carrie to believe that only 18 months ago, the biggest thing she had been worrying about was starting high school. Half way through what would have been her second year there, she and her friends had to forage for scraps, and drink from streams to survive.
Sammy sat defeatedly on a rock, sweaty and exhausted from looking for food in the scorching sun. He picked up his water bottle and emptied the last of its contents on his
tongue, the amount pitiful. “We should head back to camp,” he called out to the others. “There’s nothing here and my water just ran out.”
***
Back at the camp, Carrie refilled her bottle from the nearby stream, then placed it beside her mattress in the tent she shared with her brother. The two of them had been traveling with a group of people known as The Protectors since a week after their parents had died. The group, led by Sammy’s Aunt Amanda, were looking for other survivors with the hope of reestablishing a more cooperative, compassionate society.
When Carrie emerged from the tent, Rowan and Sammy were having an animated argument. “Our camp’s perfectly safe! We haven’t been attacked by dingos yet,” Rowan exclaimed, crossing his arms. “But if we stay, they could track our scent! We need to go to my Aunt Amanda and ask to move camp,” Sammy countered, glaring. Carrie rolled her eyes. They were back to the same argument again, whether a pack of dingos would find them, and steal their supplies. “Guys!” Carrie shouted. “We have bigger things to worry about! Lack of food, or our water source drying up. If dingos come, a group this size could ward them off, so stop arguing!” The boys glared at each other once more, before going to help prepare dinner.
***
Rowan rolled over on his mattress. The air was humid, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and the mosquitoes were persistent. His thoughts drifted to his and Carrie’s parents, as they often did in the quiet darkness of the night. Just as he was drifting into sleep, he heard whispering, followed by a rush of feet. He sat up, and went to wake his sister, but she was already sitting upright and alert.
“What was that?” Carrie breathed, getting up quietly and peeking outside. “Raiders! About a dozen of them.” She scrambled to her feet, grabbing her makeshift knife – which was comprised of scrap metal and wood – and rushed outside.
The Raiders looked up as Carrie and Rowan, along with the rest of the Protectors, advanced on them. "Drop that food right now, you have no right to take it," ordered Amanda. "No," they replied, "we don't answer to you." "Fine by me," Amanda said, and at her cue, the Protectors launched themselves forward, tackling the Raiders to the ground and taking back the food.
"If we’re going to survive this mess, we have to work together,” said Amanda. “You’re welcome to join us as Protectors, but it means sharing the load. No more stealing.” Before the shocked Raiders had a chance to answer, there was a low growl from the bushes. A pack of dingos had surrounded them. “Told you we should’ve moved camp,” Sammy remarked snidely. “Game on!” Carrie said.
Sally Scruby, Survive The Day (Year 7)
Carrie looked around. The world was bleak and grey, with rubbish and debris swirling around her in the hazy afternoon light. This was her reality now. The world’s leaders had ignored global warming for so long, until it was too late. Earth's ecosystems had collapsed, and much of Australia had quickly become a dry, dusty wasteland.
Carrie sighed, pushing a strand of bobbed brown hair behind her ear, and turned to her companions, her brother, Rowan, and their friend, Sammy. “Anything?” she called. “Nothing,” Rowan replied, “just rubbish and cockroaches.” Carrie shuddered. If there was one thing she hated, it was cockroaches. They were disgusting, dirty, crawly little things that would get into and eat almost anything. Although now even cockroaches had a hard time finding something good to eat. The three teenagers had been living off scraps of food left over from when the world was a happy place, full of light and colour, and global warming was still a thing of fiction in many people’s minds. Now, it was hard for Carrie to believe that only 18 months ago, the biggest thing she had been worrying about was starting high school. Half way through what would have been her second year there, she and her friends had to forage for scraps, and drink from streams to survive.
Sammy sat defeatedly on a rock, sweaty and exhausted from looking for food in the scorching sun. He picked up his water bottle and emptied the last of its contents on his
tongue, the amount pitiful. “We should head back to camp,” he called out to the others. “There’s nothing here and my water just ran out.”
***
Back at the camp, Carrie refilled her bottle from the nearby stream, then placed it beside her mattress in the tent she shared with her brother. The two of them had been traveling with a group of people known as The Protectors since a week after their parents had died. The group, led by Sammy’s Aunt Amanda, were looking for other survivors with the hope of reestablishing a more cooperative, compassionate society.
When Carrie emerged from the tent, Rowan and Sammy were having an animated argument. “Our camp’s perfectly safe! We haven’t been attacked by dingos yet,” Rowan exclaimed, crossing his arms. “But if we stay, they could track our scent! We need to go to my Aunt Amanda and ask to move camp,” Sammy countered, glaring. Carrie rolled her eyes. They were back to the same argument again, whether a pack of dingos would find them, and steal their supplies. “Guys!” Carrie shouted. “We have bigger things to worry about! Lack of food, or our water source drying up. If dingos come, a group this size could ward them off, so stop arguing!” The boys glared at each other once more, before going to help prepare dinner.
***
Rowan rolled over on his mattress. The air was humid, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and the mosquitoes were persistent. His thoughts drifted to his and Carrie’s parents, as they often did in the quiet darkness of the night. Just as he was drifting into sleep, he heard whispering, followed by a rush of feet. He sat up, and went to wake his sister, but she was already sitting upright and alert.
“What was that?” Carrie breathed, getting up quietly and peeking outside. “Raiders! About a dozen of them.” She scrambled to her feet, grabbing her makeshift knife – which was comprised of scrap metal and wood – and rushed outside.
The Raiders looked up as Carrie and Rowan, along with the rest of the Protectors, advanced on them. "Drop that food right now, you have no right to take it," ordered Amanda. "No," they replied, "we don't answer to you." "Fine by me," Amanda said, and at her cue, the Protectors launched themselves forward, tackling the Raiders to the ground and taking back the food.
"If we’re going to survive this mess, we have to work together,” said Amanda. “You’re welcome to join us as Protectors, but it means sharing the load. No more stealing.” Before the shocked Raiders had a chance to answer, there was a low growl from the bushes. A pack of dingos had surrounded them. “Told you we should’ve moved camp,” Sammy remarked snidely. “Game on!” Carrie said.
