Short story competition Shortlist - 10 years and under Emily to the Rescue. Rose Pullinger................................................................................. 2 The Fairy Tale Police. Bridie Rogers.................................................................................. 4 The Good, the Bad and the Dusty. Summer Keightley.......................................... 7 As the Seasons Go By. Hallie Bennett.............................................................................. 9 A Child’s Destiny. Alice Dux................................................................................................... 11 Above the Sun. Charlotte Woodhouse........................................................................... 13 Bob the Mouse. Michael Heenan...................................................................................... 15 The Blacksmith’s Helper. Leo Spent............................................................................... 16 The Garden. Hannah Moore................................................................................................. 18 The Hidden World. Celeste Johnsdorfer....................................................................... 20 Pickle. Viva McGillvray............................................................................................................. 22 Playground Detective Series - Book 1: The Case of the Missing Lunchbox. Chloe Toogood............................................................................................................................ 24 The Big Adventure. Adele Mewett............................................................................... 27 Blue Roo. Rafael Siemer........................................................................................................ 28 The Sausage with Problems. Audrey Reinhardt..................................................... 29 Bouncing Back. Rachael Zigomanis............................................................................... 33 Grandma’s House. Archer Reyne...................................................................................... 35 Super Pups. Harriet Grigg.................................................................................................... 36 The Magic Map. S.G. Newman............................................................................................ 39 Polly’s Plants. Jade Summer Walker............................................................................... 41 Heart Of the Ocean. Audrey Cole...................................................................................... 43 E = Murder C2. Austin Su........................................................................................................ 45 The Dog from Quintia. Rose Hyde.................................................................................. 50 The Boy Who Knew Just Enough. Oscar Hetteling............................................... 52 The Best Shot. Salih Sheriffdeen....................................................................................... 54 First Prize Emily to the Rescue By Rose Pullinger It’s my sister Claudia’s wedding day. She’s marrying Finn. I don’t really like Finn. He’s all slicked hair, and he insists I’m a precious little sweetie. But who cares? I’m a flower girl! And my cousins are down - all the way from Queensland! Our house is packed. My family: Mum and Dad, Lisa (great swimmer), Sam (maths genius), me (just Emily) and Tommy (the best accident ever, Mum says.) Then Aunt Eliza, Uncle Tim, Nick and Chloe. Nick and Chloe are really into hair too. Maybe because they’re from the city. The only problem is the septic tank. It keeps alarming. But whenever Mum suggests ‘cleaning it good and proper’, Dad changes the subject. ‘Where are they?’ Mum cried. ‘We have to leave in half an hour!’ Earlier, Uncle Tim had realised his suit was in the laundry. In Queensland. He and Aunt Eliza had gone to buy a new one. They weren’t back. Mum and Dad were all dressed up, looking posh, but worried. Beep! Beep! The septic alarm. Over it, I heard voices. Mum and Mr McGregor, our neighbour. ‘Turn the darn thing off! It’s driving me nuts!’ he snapped. ‘That alarm can’t be silenced,’ Mum said, firmly. ‘We’ve tried.’ ‘I want it OFF!’ ‘Today’s my daughter’s wedding, Darren.’ Her voice was enormously cold. I was relieved to hear Dad. ‘To reduce the pressure in a septic, flip its lid up. Just remembered,’ he added, proudly. ‘We’ll try,’ Mum sniffed. After Mr McGregor left, Mum muttered, ‘Horrible man! I’d like to throw him in!’ The tank was against the fence, squashed between trees. The only way to access the handle was to walk across the lid. Dad placed a foot on the tank. A leaf dropped onto his shoulder. Lisa and Nick chatted behind me. Clouds hurried across the sky. Mum stepped onto the tank. Crack! I closed my eyes. I knew what had happened. Eventually, I forced my eyelids upwards. Mum and Dad were submerged, shoulder deep, in the tank’s contents. The kids, all six of us, stood around in a kind of silent circle, staring. We had to leave in – I checked my watch – thirteen minutes! ‘Chloe! Sam! Tommy!’ I ordered. ‘The ladder!’ They ran. I turned to my older sister. ‘Dad’ll need his gross green suit. Get it. Find a dress for Mum.’ Lisa ran inside. ‘Nick, try ringing your parents again.’ He left. ‘Don’t worry!’ I shouted to my speechless parents. Someone tapped my shoulder. Chloe. ‘The ladder’s gone.’ She was pale. ‘To the hall. Wedding decorations, remember?’ 2 ‘Now I do,’ I said, grimly. ‘We’ll have to . . .’ I was at a loss. I wanted to sit down and cry, but I did not. I thought of my laughing mum, my joking dad. All the fun things we do together: painting, walking, watching movies. Movies! Indiana Jones! ‘Rope!’ I murmured. Nick ran up. ‘Mum and Dad aren’t answering.’ Lisa appeared, then Sam, holding Tommy’s hand. ‘I can’t find Dad’s suit. What’ll we do?’ I found my voice. ‘Someone – grab the rope.’ ‘Dibs not!’ sang Tommy. ‘Can’t! My hair’s done!’ Chloe indicated her fancy braid. ‘Not - um - in these shoes!’ said Nick. ‘Just can’t go in there,’ Lisa whispered. ‘Don’t, Sam!’ wailed Tommy. That left me. I couldn’t. I really couldn’t. But I nodded. ‘Sam. Take Tommy. Go ask Mr McGregor for a suit,’ I said. The whole way to the shed, I whispered, ‘Just a spider. Just a spider.’ I stood at the shed’s yellow door. Yellow does not match fear. If fear was a colour, it would be grey. Definitely. I opened the door. On the wall was the huntsman. I stepped inside. One of its legs twitched. Huntsman spiders jump. If they land on you, they cling. The rope was lying on the ground. Under the spider. I grabbed the rope. I sprinted away. ‘Heave!’ we cried. We were yanking Dad upward. We had Mum out already. Sam jogged up. Tommy, on his back, carried a grey bundle. A suit from Mr McGregor! Floomp! Dad collapsed on the grass. ‘Wedding!’ yelled Mum. Inside, the telephone rang. ‘We got lost! Our phones weren’t charged!’ Aunt Eliza clucked. ‘We’ve found the car now. Home soon!’ I don’t know how we did it. In seventeen minutes, all of us were showered, dressed and in our little mini bus. ‘Full steam ahead!’ Mum cried. We were six minutes late to the wedding. We never told Claudia why. Judges’ Comments: Really fresh and clever. Excellent pacing and tension with a satisfying ending. 3 Runner-up The Fairy Tale Police By Bridie Rogers It is Monday morning and the best Fairy Tale inspector ever (Inspector FT) is investigating cases where some culprit will go to court and a judge will decide on the case. There are 3 cases in this story. CASE 1 “Something is going on at that pond. Myra, go and look further into the case immediately!” yells Inspector FT pointing at the Fairy Tale screens. Myra, the curly blond-haired female fairy tale police officer turns the volume up on the pond screen and hears 3 mean ducklings saying: “you’re soooo ugly!” “Eeeew, keep away from her” “She’s an UGLY duckling!” Then she sees a tiny, grey duck crying. Myra tells Inspector FT “these ducklings definitely are doing the wrong thing…let’s see what the judge says” Myra tells the ducks to head to the courtroom. ************** Shhh.... the Judge is here. “Now, ducklings, tell me your story” yells the Judge. “Well,” begins a duckling called Jorben, “We were playing when that ugly, grey duck just started crying for no reason!” “Okay…Mr Ugly Duck, you may object and tell us your version of the story” boomed the Judge. “Well, I came along to see if someone would play with me. All the other ducks started calling me names, so I cried.” said the ugly duckling. “Myra from the Fairy tale Police, you are the witness, tell me who speaks the truth.” questioned Judge. “The little grey duck” says Myra “Right, from my investigation, I can say that the little grey duck speaks the truth. The other ducks were clearly bullying and this will not be tolerated in our fairy tales, Case closed” boomed the Judge. 4 CASE TWO Back in the Fairy Tale control room, Inspector FT looks at the screens ‘Petel, look over at the bridge near the green pasture, I think something is going on over there ‘. “Certainly Boss”, she says. Petel investigates and notices a troll being frightening and some billy goat brothers being mean to each other, she decides to take them all to the judge. ************* In court the Judge states, “So it appears we have billy goat brothers giving each other up to a troll?” “Troll, you are our witness, tell me any further information you know,” called Judge. “Well, um, I can definitely say that the younger two goats said ‘No, eat my brother instead, he is much bigger than I’ “, replied the troll. “Hmm.... “ Judge said. “Interesting....Billy goats one and two, what do you have to say?” “Well, we would never sell out our brothers, we knew that our older brother could buck the Troll , so the only way we could all survive was to tell the troll to wait for Billy Goat 3.”, said Billy Goat 2. “Are you aware of this Goat Number 3?” boomed Judge. “Yes, it was all part of our genius plan!” replied the Big Billy Goat. “Okay, I think we all can see that the goats are innocent”, says Judge. “Case closed…Oh, and Troll that bridge is not your property so stop annoying people as they cross…or you may be back in this courtroom!”. CASE 3 That afternoon, Myra had just closed the “ugly duckling” case when she noticed something else unusual on the Fairy Tale screens. “What is that wolf doing all alone? I thought wolves hunted in packs?” Myra asked. “Good pick up Myra, go investigate…” said Inspector FT. “Boss, the wolf is blowing a straw house down!”. “And now, a stick house!” “I can see little pigs inside” Myra whispers. 5 “Let’s bring him in tomorrow and see what the judge thinks about this!” Says Inspector FT Monday is over at the Fairy tale police station. Inspector FT, Myra and Petel have been busy, but it is very nice to know someone is watching the screens, ready to help our Fairy Tale characters. THE END Judges’ Comments: Funny and fresh and a clever way to reinterpret a well-known genre (of fairy tales). 6 Highly Commended The Good, the Bad and the Dusty By Summer Keightley It was the day before tomorrow, the one day I dreaded for so long, was almost here... moving day. I had grown up in the small coastal town of Innes Park, Queensland, where the waves never seemed to disappoint and the sun always shined. Mum and Dad had decided to pack everything up and move our family out West, to be with Grandpa Bush. He was in desperate need of help on his cattle station. Queensland had now been drought declared and Grandpa’s property at Sommerset needed help to manage the herds of cattle. I’d only been out to visit Grandpa a few times and from what I remember, was the sweltering heat and cracked dry ground beneath my feet. Grandpa was as strong as an ox and he always spoke in riddles. His favourite saying was, “sometimes you just have to take the good, with the bad and the dusty”. This time, grandpa was in a lot of dusty. As we drove off in our heavily packed out EH Holden sedan, I silently said goodbye to our seaside home and hoped we would return soon. Finally, we arrived at Sommerset Station. Mum and Dad shouted, “ Willow wake up, we are here!” As my eyes slowly opened, I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. The ground looked dry and barren, just like a brown snake, ready to take dear life. Holding back my tears, Grandpa greeted us and took us inside the old family cottage. Grandpa had aged, his face was sunken and seemed somewhat sad. Over the coming days, we settled in and mum began to home school me whilst running the errands around the house. Already I was missing my friends and my seaside home. Before we knew it, days became months and months became years. To be precise two years and 3 months. I was now nine years old. It had been a long dry year and mustering season was finishing up on Sommerset Station. I was hoping to head back to the coast and take it easy. Not this year. The cattle were starting to struggle and dad was showing signs of exhaustion. The summer thunderstorms had been patchy and mostly further out on the coast, which meant we kept missing out. At this point, I started to think what the heck were we doing out here. 7 Then all of a sudden, I felt some hope with the talk of an incoming cyclone. This meant we might finally get rain. By Sunday, Cyclone George had been named and we were boarding up the windows on the old family cottage, tying down the rusty windmill and tidying up all the mess lying around the property. Cyclone George had now reached category 4 and was predicted to get closer to Sommerset. Grandpa was not budging. He believed there was no way the old homestead cottage was going to let us down. So with Mum, Dad and Grandpa we all bunkered down and waited. The rain started to come down steady. It was music to our ears. Then the winds picked up and began to howl. At this moment, we thought all of Grandpa’s troubles were set to disappear and we could finally move back home. The amount of wind and rain received was unbelievable. Although, I began to fear for the livestock that my family had put so much hard work into keeping alive and well. When the weather had cleared up, it was time to check out the damage. As we hovered over grandpa’s property in the helicopter, water was flowing everywhere. It seemed that the very first thing that could save the land from drought had caused so much more damage than good. Dead cattle were everywhere. Grandpa and Dad started to bury cattle carcasses and rebuild and fix broken fences. Springtime had soon approached and everyday new calves were being born. This symbol of life, gave Grandpa hope. Like Grandpa always said, “ Sometimes you just have to take the good, with the bad and the dusty.” This time it was far from dusty, everything was now green and Mum and Dad were now planning our bitter but sweet return home. Judges’ Comments: There is some lovely use of language in this nicely told and observed piece. 8 Highly Commended As The Seasons Go By By Hallie Bennett SUMMER Christmas has just passed, we find wrappings on the floor and we pick them up to put in the bin, “Gee”says Harlow as she picks the rubbish up for the 6th time. Harlow and I sit on the grass beside the river. The hotness spreads across the state waiting for us to sizzle until we can’t breathe. The local village lady is handing out free watermelon, just enough for us to munch on for our snack. We spit out the watermelon seeds onto the grass and enjoy the sunset. The grass is crunchy and brown, as we sit on it we can feel the grass tickling beneath us. Our eyes tinkle as the sun sets just above us. The beaches are full of people packing up and digging out their umbrellas. Sand travels across the village leaving a trail in front of our door. Hot, hot, hot! The sand is burning people’s feet as they leave the beach. We pass people playing cricket as we walk home along side the river, “Six!” yelled one of the boys. School is now back and we enjoy playing outside in the sun, “Don’t forget your hat” says our teacher. We all get side tracked because of the hot weather in class, “Phew” I say as the bell goes off. This term has now come to an end, we long for the holidays to start. AUTUMN The weather grows cooler as the days go by, the leaves fall off the trees and the hotness disappears. The crispy leaves fall into my hair as I lay in the leaves. Brown, yellow and orange, the leaves make a crunchy sound as I walk on them. We go to bed early and wear our warmest pyjamas, the owls hoot at night and the crickets are making happy calls to their friends. At Easter time we open the door to our garden and find the eggs shimmering all over. “Yummy” says Harlow as she helps herself to an egg. We eat yummy hot cross buns and then we get ready for church. We see purple all over the church hall and we take our seats ready for the service. We have hot cross buns after the service then we leave. We make our presents for our mum, she can smell the hot tea as we sit on her bed,”Happy Mother’s Day” we say and pass her our presents, “I love you and your kind hearts!” She says. WINTER I see a feather drop as I cross the road. I can see the mist in the air and my nose is bright red. People walk around with big poofy jackets on but I just wear a beanie. Every teacher brings a cup of warm tea to drink in class. Our family goes for mountain hikes, we explore the mountains and look at all the 9 mountain animals. As we go up the mountain we see more fog and we can’t see ahead of us. Fog is all around of us, we look for the warm places to sit. We count down the days and save all the money for the Royal show, even though it has been raining so much lately. We all talk about what rides will go on, “Such fun” says one of my friends as she writes down the date. “Are you going to the Royal Show?” Asks my classmates, “of course!” I say. SPRING The day has finally come! We pack our lunch and money and catch the bus to the show grounds. As we get there, we see people eating fairy floss and buying their ride tickets. “Weee!” They cry as the roller coaster goes down. First we buy fairy floss then we look at the animals. Then comes the exciting part, the rides! But it doesn’t last for ever, we stay for another hour to watch the fireworks, boom, pop, crack! Now we leave, I go to the show bag area and buy some show bags. I can see the flowers and animals as I smell the fresh spring air. We go to the swimming centre and I get ready to dive in, “3 2 1!”the swimming instructor says, “Go!” I dive in and grab a sinky. What a great year, I can’t wait till the next one starts! Judges’ Comments: Lovely lyrical writing and I only wish the ending had been stronger. 10 A Child?s Destiny By Alice Dux The sun was out, making the send a golden colour. Kids were splashing about in the water or building sandcastles in their floral patterned swimsuits. I cautiously dipped my toes in the water, my fears of waves dancing at the back of my mind. Waves are strong, scary, a nightmare, but today was ?try something new day? according to Mum and Dad. ?Be brave not perfect,? said Mum. ?You?re a big boy now,? said Dad. I stepped deeper into the water. The waves were huge today, as big as the cottages that were scattered across the bay. I was scared but eager to prove that I wasn?t afraid of waves anymore. I looked at the other kids, they were having fun. Why couldn?t Deeper and deeper I stepped into the water. Looked back at Dad as he shouts, ?You can do it Kiddo!? knowi? My heart was beating faster than a cheetah could ever run. I turned back at the sea and right before my eyes a wave as big as the sun stood before me. The wave crashed over me with a loud sound, forcing me under water. It all stopped. I could still hear people playing and splashing above but my eyes were shut. I was sinking to the bottom. Suddenly I felt something push me up to the surface, taking me away. I woke up and my parents weren?t there. Dugongs with Doctor?s masks caught my eye, as they helped ill sea creatures. I wasn?t in my rocket shaped bed. I was lying in a hospital bed made completely out of coral and shells. A million questions raced through my head. Where was Why was I here? How can I breathe? The dugongs continued fussing about with the other patients so I crept out, eager to explore. It was magni?cent. There were libraries, cafes, shops and many more, all under the sea. Mermaids swam around doing errands, whales everywhere taking people to theme parks, schools, and offices, Turtles working all day in of?ces and banks. was absolutely mesmerized by this beautiful place of colour and life. It was like a dream come true but whenever I caught someones they would give me a horri?c glare. It was obvious I didn?t belong. I was taking it all in when somebody tapped my shoulder. I turned around to see a mermaid, she had deep scarlet hair and wore a crown made out of shells. She was different to the other creatures. She didn?t scowl at me like I didn?t belong instead she smiled from ear to ear. know what you?re thinking, but you belong here. Back through your family's timeline your great, great uncle was the roman god of the sea Neptune. This is your destiny Dennis.? ?Who are you and what is my destiny?? I stared at her, shocked. I am the queen of the ocean. You must rule by my side and be the keeper of the sea. 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And Bob lived in the castle with the Queen, and the chicken lived in the street. 5 WEEKS LATER, one day the chicken decided he would get Revenge on Bob. ‘’I will get revenge on that tiny, little pest!’’ MEANWHILE IN THE CASTLE, The Queen was eating breakfast and so was Bob. Then the queen said “so Bob what is life like as a mouse?’’ then Bob said ‘’Well all mice are different but I am very active because I go from house to house all the time.’’ Suddenly there was a knock on the door, Bob went to open it. ‘’oh you again’’ said Bob. Bob soon told the Queen that the chicken was back. So then the Queen kicked the chicken out the window (again) and on this day the chicken still lives in the streets and the Queen and Bob still live in the castle. Judges’ Comments: A really funny, original and charming story. 15 Finalist The Blacksmith’s Helper by Leo Spent One day the blacksmith’s young helper was sitting at the forge, smelting down aluminum to make ingots and amulets. He dropped each bit of scrap slag carefully into the crucible and he watched as it glowed red hot. It would sit in the crucible for 45 minutes, first becoming runny like egg yolk, but then he would use tongs to place it in a small sandy mold while it hardened. His last couple of efforts weren’t very good because there were some impurities, but he was getting better at crafting them so they were becoming more consistent in color and shape. Soon he hoped to sell them at the market. His eyes, the color of crunchy green apples in the flames, were concentrating hard but his favorite jumper was getting too hot. Stopping, he yanked it over his head. Phew it was nearly 7.30! He realised his magical kitten called Blaze wandered in. Blaze stood next to the forge and said, “Hey Leo do you wanna go hunting for Phoenix again?” “Ok sure, but let’s do it tomorrow!” Leo replied. But Blaze looked impatient. They were interrupted; however, as moulten sparks whizzed past them, flying out of the forge. This was clearly because Blaze’s magic had messed with the forge’s heat. “Let’s compromise,” said Leo, ‘Get up at dawn tomorrow!” Blaze rubbed on his leg and wandered out of the Smithy towards the house and the quiet warmth of Leo’s bedroom. The next morning they woke snuggled next to each other and decided they would invite Leo’s friend Harry if he wanted to come too. They carried stout boots and packed some things: a long rope, a bucket, a flask of water, and some of the instruments from the forge. They set off in the direction of Harry s house. So they collected Harry who helpfully created a portal (he was very good at physics) and soon all three were sucked into a tunnel. After whirling through the air for what seemed like a long time they were shot out on a fiery piece of terrain. “Omg it’s like that game...the ground IS lava,” Leo joked. The others laughed and put on their strong boots. Since Blaze had fire magic he wasn’t too effected, so he led the way past a smasher-frog who asked, “Are you looking for a Phoenix?” They were amazed but the frog just pointed, “Up on mount Flame- crasher, there are hordes of Phoenixes, be careful!” Then continued by saying, “I know a lot about phoenixes, I might come with you I think”. So the four of them continued along the ravine meeting a rocky river pass. They could see a slope up from the floating rocks and the frog said, “Up there,” pointing with his long sticky-green frog-hand to the summit. They saw a huge streak of flame, so with care they scrambled up the hill. 16 The Phoenix swooped towards them, and ducking, they said, “Do you want to come back to our forge, we could do with your help?” The Phoenix thought, then he said, “ Provided that you are kind and I get some of the profit, then yes!” So they climbed onto his scaly back (saying owww as they went, because the Phoenix was made of fire). Before take-off) the Phoenix said “Hold tight!” Then they swooped across the landscape. They landed where the fabric was still ripped because of the portal and Harry allowed them to go back to his house, “Phew, arrived safely” they said. But then Leo remembered that his mum probably wouldn’t want a Phoenix for a pet, so (after deciding the Phoenix was too big to hide) he wrote her a letter giving 3 reasons for keeping the phoenix. These were, in order of importance 1. He could cook sizzling sausages with his fiery breath 2. On a cold day he could defrost the car And last 3. Leo wouldn’t get scared of monsters coming out from under his bed because Phoenix would burn them to a crisp. His amazed mum agreed and even reached up nervously patting the Phoenix’s nose before they all walked together towards the forge. 17 Finalist The Garden by Hannah Moore I sprinted down the narrow alleyway through the relentless rain, the sound of heavy footsteps echoing behind me. “There she is!” I heard one of the orphanage bullies shout. I glanced back to see all six of the bullies running after me just before I whipped around the corner and down another road. I saw a door on my left. It could keep me hidden for a while. Rain constantly falling on me I pulled it open, jumped inside, and slammed the door behind me. I pressed my back against the door breathing heavily. I heard the group of boys sprint past, their footsteps fading into the distance. After a while, when my heart slowed down and breathing became easier, I looked around and took in my surroundings. I wasn’t in a building as I thought I would be, but in a bright garden. Walls covered in ivy and jasmine towered around me, grass and colourful plants grew all over the floor. A gentle breeze swept through my hair. “That’s weird,” I thought to myself. “How could there be wind inside? Now that I think of it shouldn’t it still be raining?” I glanced up at the ceiling, or what should have been the ceiling but instead, above me, was a vast open sky with the sun shining on my face. This was just too weird. I turned around to open the door but to my dismay it had disappeared. It was getting darker so I thought I better look around for some food. A little further down I spotted some apple trees and a vegetable garden (more food than I had ever had at the orphanage). While I was picking some pears I noticed that in front of me were three different passages like a maze. After eating some food, I thought I should see what was down a passage. I walked down and found a tree. It had long, thin brown strips coming of the end of the branches. I took one and gingerly licked it. It was sweet and a bit like… Chocolate! Everything seemed so weird here but now I felt like nothing would surprise me. I scrambled back to discover what’s in the other passages. Dragging my feet along the second one, thinking could this be any longer? I stumbled along until my feet stopped. I looked up to find a blank wall. Seriously? After walking back from that tiresome trek, I wandered down the third passage. Would this be a dud like the other one? Yes! A passage that leads to… a door? I wrapped my hands around the knob. Suddenly a huge voice boomed from overhead. I jumped, frightened out of my skin. “To get past the middle, you have to answer my riddle,” the voice continued “They try 18 to beat me, they try in vein, when I win, I end the pain.” Why riddles? But I listened and thought for the answer anyway. Something about it nagged at my brain. Wars, fatal accidents, murders, even suicides they all had one thing in common. DEATH. “Death,” I answered confidently. “Correct,” boomed the voice and the door swung open. A dusty room confronted me and so did three doors, one wooden, one metal and one clay. “Choose. Two will lead to the riddle before and one to light.” Oh, great the riddles and the voice are back. I stepped forward nervously. Two led to death and the other to freedom. The middle one seemed to urge me towards it. The metal felt cold against my palm. I pulled at the handle and the door swung open. I heard it lock behind me. I saw a tunnel with fire surging through it, I had chosen the wrong one. Images of the bullies laughing and chasing me and losing my parents swarmed through my mind. Anger surged through my body. I charged through the tunnel not caring what was happening. I expected to feel the fire engulf me and lick at my skin but instead I was greeted by sunlight and warmth on my face. I was breathing heavily and glad to be alive. As I walked through the doorway of the orphanage. I received a warm welcome from them all. They asked me what had happened and if I was okay. The bullies were punished and had to do a whole month of laundry after I shared my story. 19 Finalist The Hidden World by Celeste Johnsdorfer It was Sunday morning, the birds were singing in the trees and the sun was shining. I was happy and enlightened because I was at my uncle’s castle on Tip Top Hill. It was a very large place, so I thought I would explore the castle from top to bottom. As I looked through floor to floor, it seemed nearly impossible to see the castle in one day. So, I grabbed my pencil and pad and started to make a plan. I will go from floor to floor to every single room until I find a hidden surprise. After three hours of searching it seemed like no hope or luck was left in the world. So I went to the garden and sat on a the pearly white bench. The garden was beautiful, each rose as fresh as spring, every plant as vibrant as the sun. But as I was thinking about flowers, I noticed a strange blue light coming from the old wooden door which had been closed up for hundreds of years. I slowly ripped the wood off, one by one and opened the door. I saw nothing but white and as I put my hand through it felt colder than ice. I went through the door hoping for an adventure. Suddenly I fell down a pitch black hole and landed in a room made from millions of colourful crystals. Each crystal shone like a sparkling light, and all of them shimmering like the stars. As I slowly stood up I noticed there was no doors or windows just a big golden mirror. I laid my palm gently against the mirror, and it started to speak in a deep and dark voice. “What shall you want to know?” I replied, “Where is the door?” “A door is a heart to a new world.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw a heart shaped crystal in the wall. Suddenly all the walls started to swirl around and in front of my eyes was a glass staircase. I slowly stepped down the stairs but immediately slipped and landed on a soft bed of red desert sand. I had been walking for hours and I could feel my sweat dripping down my face, my tongue getting drier by the minute. Before I was about to cry and scream I saw a village that looked as dark as the midnight sky, with a blue castle in the middle. I started to run as fast as I could, trying not to trip. I finally got to the gloomy place. I noticed the only thing as colorful as a rainbow was one single flower floating on a night green lillipad. I was about to pick it and take it with me, when suddenly a girl about my age jumped in front of me. She had glossy hair, a huge smile and asked me for my name. I said my name was Katy and I told her my story, which had led me there. She replied in a soft and calm voice: “Hi, my name is Maria.” Just before we shook hands, I noticed she was nearly see-through, with a slight tint of colour. “Why are you see-through?” I asked. “Because this flower keeps us living and this world not turning into dust. But in two days at dawn the flower will die and the queen will rule. “But why?” I asked wondrously. “Because the queen in the castle owns our life source crystal. And if the flower is gone, she will rule. But if someone destroys the crystal before the flower dies, the flower will be saved and we will all have peace. “Then why hasn’t anyone here destroyed it?” I asked. “Well, no one has ever had the courage, because legend has it, anyone caught in the castle would face the nightmares of doom, crying behind bars in jail. But do you have the courage?” “Yes I do!” I said. “Being adventurous is good because you will need to first dive into this 20 lake and find a magical chest with two diamonds.” Moments later I was in the lake and I could see the fish sparkling in rainbow colors and coral looking as fragile as glass. Hidden behind a coral was a box with a rusty lock and seaweed hanging from each end. I grabbed it and floated to the surface. I started to pull the lock back and forth until it fell off and sunk to the bottom of the lake. I opened the chest. Glistening in my eyes were two purple diamonds. Suddenly they both started to float in the air, slowly merging together forming a diamond key. “What is this?” I asked wondrously. “Katy, you just found the key that opens all!” she replied. “But what’s that Maria?” I asked. “This key will help you to open a musical box hidden in the queen’s garden that holds the diamond of life.” “Oh, does that mean I have to go to the castle? What if I get taken away? I will never get home again!” I shouted. “Don’t worry Katy, all will be fine. We will sneak you in the front gates, hiding you in a giant cake, because the queen likes cake. And then the key will point the way to the box.” Days later I was hidden in fake wooden cake that was rolled through the doors into the garden. While I had the chance, I jumped out of the cake and got the key out of my pocket. In a flick of a second the key started to dig through the ground, finding a pink music box. I ran out, trying to catch my breath, when I found Maria. “Maria, I found it!” I said in a puffed out voice. “Eeee!” Maria screamed excitedly. “But it still needs to be destroyed!” At 4 o’clock in the afternoon the lake was packed with people waiting to see the crystal destroyed. As I slowly lifted the diamond I saw little silhouettes of people trapped inside the diamond. “This is for the greater good”, I repeated over and over again. There was a slight tingle in the air and when I smashed the crystal, it turned into millions of little shards. Immediately there was a scream coming from the castle: “No!” the queen sounded threatened. I shouted “Maria, you are colourful again! Everyone is!” “Yes, Katy! You heroically smashing the crystal, saved us all! Before I give you one of the crystal shards to go back home, I would like you to meet some of my friends that have helped you go on this adventure. Well Katy, these are my friends. “Katy, this is my friend Essie, short for Escargot, French for snail. Essie is a baker and he was the one who put the icing on the fake wooden cake.” He was a happy French snail with a blue scarf and a black beret on his head. “Good day, Mademoiselle” he said in a French accent. “This Katy, is my Japanese friend Mika, she is the smartest girl here.” She had black hair and a pink dress. “Konichiwa” she said.“ But last but not least is my friend Eldora. She is great with mysteries and legends and loves the feeling of finishing a case. But I guess you have to go now, don’t you?” Her voice started to fade from happy to silent. She handed me a shard of crystal looped in a bracelet. “All you need to do is to close your eyes and think about the place you want to go.” So I did what she said and fell asleep. It was the morning and I opened my eyes. When I noticed I was in my bed I was shocked. I saw something written on the mirror. I walked closer to it, it read in curly writing: ‘An adventure awaits’. What could that mean - I wondered. 21 Finalist Pickle by Viva McGillvray “At last, my potion is complete and ready to go into the pickle-na-tor. I will finally get my award for being the world’s best scientist!!” Moriah didn’t like her job at Coles so was always looking for ways to get out. She had seen an ad for the ‘World’s Best Scientist Competition!’ So at night she gets creative, but things don’t always go to plan. However, she does like a wonderful pickle sandwich. So it was no surprise that she was working on a pickle-na-tor for the competition, which makes pickle sandwiches. Sadly the ‘Pickle-na-tor’ was not going well for Moriah. The tricky part was getting the right mixture for this amazing machine. At night while Moriah was creating another potion for the pickle-na-tor, she dropped her pickle sandwich in the potion with a ‘plop’. She got most of it on the floor. “Now I have to start again and clean up this mess.” When she went to get some things to clean up the mess, she slipped in her potion. Moriah was screaming and waving her hands in the air, not paying attention to how close she was to the ‘Pickle-na-tor’. In the commotion, she accidentally pressed the ACTIVATE button on the pickle-na-tor. “Oh no! The potion wasn’t ready to activate - what have I done?!” panicked Moriah. The pickle-na-tor was making weird noises and spreading a foggy smoke. Out of the mist Moriah could see a mysterious form. “Roaaaarrrrrrrrrr” came out of the fog. The figure stepped forward and Moriah couldn’t believe her eyes. What had she created? This pickle-creature reminded her of a prehistoric being. Had she created a Pickle-asaurus? The first of its kind- EVER? Once the shock subsided, Moriah said, “I will call you Pickle because you look like one”. And with that, Pickle stared up at Moriah with his big eyes- she just knew that he would love it here. “I just realised you could be perfect for the World’s Best science competition, I will enter you,” Moriah said and with that she got onto her computer and started typing when she was finished Pickle was entered into the competition. “You will win for sure! You’re going to be great, we just need to practice some tricks you’ve got this!” Moriah finished. After a couple of weeks of practising Pickle had learnt 1.forward roll 2. lie down 3. backflip! He was Amazing! “ Now it is time to go to the competition, come on,” said Moriah and they headed out the door. When they arrived at the competition there was a man wearing black sunglasses and a black suit. “Names.” He said. “Pickle and Moriah,” Moriah replied happily. “Come into the competition your names are on the list,good luck!” said the man. 22 On the walls there were ribbons of every colour of the rainbow and paintings from every artist in the world, on the right in the corner Pickle and Moriah saw the spot where they would impress the judges and get their score“ Come on Pickle this is what we’ve been training for.” Moriah said “ We’re gonna win” “ And here must be Pickle and Moriah with a dinosaur?” Said the first judge. “Yes, but Pickle is the dinosaur!”Moriah said proudly, “Pickle is going to perform some tricks for us is that right?” asked the second judge. “ Pickle has been training and he will perform some tricks” said Moriah “So let’s see some of these tricks,” proclaimed the last little judge at the end. Pickle began with a forward roll and then did lots of tricks ending with back flips. “ Bravo, 8.” exclaimed the first judge “ 8!” proclaimed the second judge. It was time for the third judge to give a score “9, for the double back flip.” The first judge began “That makes your score 25. Well done and remember to join us at the end to see who wins.” The judges moved to the stage to announce the winners they saw Moriah and Pickle waiting nervously at the front. “The World’s Best Scientist is…… Moriah!!!!” announced all the judges in unison. Moriah and Pickle were so happy, Moriah though she could explode, they had won first place it was so exciting!!! “Moriah would you like to say some words?” said the littlest judge. Moriah went up to the stage to thank the judges and other scientists. Pickle and Moriah went home and celebrated with all their friends. Moriah’s dream of becoming the World’s Best Scientist had come true!!!!!! 23 Finalist Playground Detective Series Book 1: The Case of the Missing Lunchbox by Chloe Toogood CHAPTER 1. THE MISSING LUNCHBOX It was Monday morning recess when 10 year old Grace McAnning was eating her play lunch of a packet of chips when suddenly she was approached by seven year old Lily Kelly. Lily was in Year 2 and had a dislike for most people. ‘You stole my lunchbox, you stole it!’ she said quickly and angrily. ‘What would I want with your lunchbox?’ said Grace in disbelief. She had previously admired the hot pink lunchbox encrusted with plastic jewels, but she had no intention of stealing it. ‘Well it’s missing and I demand to know where it is’ continued Lily. Although Grace didn’t care for Lily’s childish demands, she had secretly always wanted to be a Detective and solve mysteries, just like her idol Nancy Drew. It looked like she finally had a chance to make her dream come true. ‘OK Lily’ she said comforting her, ‘lets see if we can locate it’. CHAPTER 2. CLUES... Grace followed Lily and they walked over to where the lunchbox had last been seen. ’... and it’s not here’ Lily said rudely, interrupting Grace’s thoughts. ‘Do you have any enemies’, asked Grace, thinking that Lily’s outbursts could easily get people off- side. ‘No, of course I don’t’ replied Lily. ‘But there are a lot of people in my class who are obsessed with the colour pink and they always stare at my lunchbox. I have one suspect in mind who was nearby when it went missing’. ‘OK, we should probably start there’, said Grace. CHAPTER 3. CONFRONTING THE SUSPECT Lily lead them over to Amanda Dawes. She had been sitting on the bench at recess not far from the lunchbox. When Lily confronted her Amanda denied stealing the lunchbox, but she did provide some interesting information. 24 ‘I was watching Lily’s lunchbox sparkling in the morning sunshine when something ran by and snatched it. It startled me and I fell backwards. When I looked up again all I saw was something dashing off into the bushes and through the fence’ said Amanda finishing off sadly. At that point the bell rang and everyone ran back to class. Grace began to ponder over what Amanda had told them. CHAPTER 4. THOUGHTS In class Grace couldn’t concentrate. She thought hard about what they had learned so far. Grace wondered what could be small and fast and could leave the school grounds. Her thoughts were interrupted by her teacher Mr Davies. ‘Grace, Lily in Year 2 would like to see you’. As she stood up at her desk it hit her - perhaps it was a dog! ‘Any luck?’ asked Lily outside. ‘I don’t think we’re looking for a student’ Grace grinned. CHAPTER 5. FOOTPRINTS (OR PAWPRINTS!) ‘Why do you think it may be a dog’ Lily asked Grace. ‘Because a dog is small and fast and loves to eat’, she said trailing off. ‘I’ll need to think more about it though’ Grace added. The girls both headed back to class. At lunch Grace fortunately had peace and quiet to think it over. A dog she decided would leave tracks because the ground was still wet from last nights rain. Amanda showed them where she last saw the culprit disappear. The girls went to investigate. Behind the bush was a muddy track with paw-prints in it! The girls squeezed through the fence and followed the track into the adjoining park. Not too far along they came across a bush that was shaking rapidly. Grace quickly peered into the bush and saw a little dog chewing on Lilly’s pink lunchbox. Lily peeked in too and let out a wail ‘Noooooo, my lunchbox is ruined!’ ‘But on the positive side’, said Grace, ‘we found the culprit’. CHAPTER 6. EVERY STORY HAS A GOOD ENDING.... RIGHT? Grace picked up the friendly little dog and looked at its collar. It’s name was Maple and there was a phone number as well. Grace pulled out her phone and dialled the number. ‘Hello’ said the voice on the other end. ‘Hi’ said Grace, feeling like a real Detective ‘I’m just calling to let you know we’ve 25 found your dog’. ‘Oh, thank you’ said the lady. ‘I’ve been so worried about her. However can I repay you?’ Grace looked at Lily and smiled, “I think I have something pink in mind.’ 26 The Big Adventure by Adele Mewett Dnce upon a time there was a baby duckling and a pimply baby giant. The baby duckling and the pimply baby giant liyed in a little cottage in the middle of Tasmania. There was a big rusty war plane in a small shed next to the cottage. The cottage used to he an orphanage and was yery small and rusty too. The giant and the duckling were yery bored because there was nothing to do. One day the giant and the duckling had an idea to go on a big, exciting They didn?t know where they were going to go but decided that they would just start walking. The next day the baby giant and the baby duckling packed their things and started their long journey. After two hours of walking, they found themselves in the most dangerous forest in the world. As soon as they figured out where they were, they ran straight out ofthe forest. They came to a beautiful blue ocean. They had no boat or anything useful in their backpacks so theyjust had to swim across. When they landed on the next island, it was freezing. They had landed in Antarctica! There were penguins in Antarctica, lots and lots of them. The duckling and the pimply giant wanted to take a penguin home but knew they couldn?t take them from their parents. Then the duckling and the giant had an idea. They should ask one of the penguins ifthey could take one oftheir feathers home. So they asked a penguin and she said yes! They plucked one feather each, said thank you, and started their long journey home. When they got home they put their feathers somewhere safe to remember their big adyentu re. After such a tiring journey, the pimply giant started to feel sick so the duckling called the doctor. Soon the doctor arriyed, looked at the giant and said "This is a goblin, not a giant!?. The duckling said ?We thought he was an exhausted gianti". Suddenly the giant felt much better because he had thought the big adyenture had made him sick but turns out he was feeling sick from being called the wrong thing. Now that the giantfgoblin was happy in his own skin, he asked the ducking whether she would marry him. She said yes and they got married the same day. They flew away into the sunset in the old rusty war plane. That's when they realised they should haye taken the war plane on their big adyentu re. But that didn't matter because now they were heading off on a brand new adyenture. 27 Finalist Blue Roo by Rafael Siemer “Mum!” I screamed! “Mum!” Over and over again until I could not make any more sound. But she didn’t appear. It is dark, warm and cosy in the pouch. It was my home. “Be careful” Mum would say when she tipped me out. To keep Mum’s pouch clean, I had to make my yellow water outside on the cracked claypan. Today the troop was looking for insects to eat. Mum doesn’t like bugs, but it’s all we can eat right now. Insects, leaf fall and sometimes the rare discovery of dry grass or hay is all that can be found on the desolate plains. I look at my beautiful Mum, her fur is like mulga bluebells in the Spring. She has gotten thinner and thinner these last few weeks. Waning in the endless drought. As I stand on the dry crumbly earth the ground begins to tremble. One of the kangaroos stomps its foot. Danger! The troop takes off as fast as lightning and I am left alone. My pointy ears ache as a thunder like roar grows louder and louder. A wave of red, black and brown dust covers the sky. I can’t see, I can’t breathe and the world has turned sepia. I stand up and the searing wind forces me up against a fence. I hop feebly along the fence with the wire biting my skin. I fall at the locked gate. Splayed by the savage khamsin. A rip-roaring sound frightens me. An angry red animal with four black round spinning legs speeds past me. It’s a loud human. My mother showed me loud humans once before as we bounded over the plains. She told me that humans are dangerous. They chase us with dogs; they destroy our grass and force us out of our rangelands. A tall thin beast walks towards me. I can’t run from it. I am too weak. Two scratchy ants crawl across my eye. Warm, sticky, sweet blood slowly flows out my nose. It stains the orange dust red and I accept the darkness that washes over me. Postscript: The joey in this story was rescued by my Dad at the point of death. Despite the odds, she survived and was raised by my neighbour Annie. Even though the drought is harsh, there is softness in the hearts of people. 28 The Finalistsausage with problems The Sausage with Problems by Audrey Reinhardt One stormy night at Toowomba hospital on the 13th of January 2011 a baby sausage was born. As you know, only humans live in Toowoomba so a sausage wouldn’t fit in. That night they named the Sausage Sizzle. He was pink and uncooked, Short and stubby with big blue eyes. 7 years later It was sizzle’s first day at school. He was so excited he had to go to the toilet 10 times! As he got into the car, he asked his mum if he was going to make any friends. His mum replied, “I don’t know honey bun, but I am sure you will.” So off they went to school, but little did sizzle know that school would be as terrible as getting put in between two slices of bread. When sizzle got to his class he was immediately laughed at. 29 “Look at that pathetic little sausage.” said a boy called Thomas Mc clucking. “Look at the tiny little clothes he is wearing.” Smirked one girl. Sizzle stood there wondering what to do. SO he ran. He ran as fast as is little legs could take him. He ran all the way to the courtyard where he sat for a long time and that is where he sat every day until another sausage came. THE NEXT DAY “Hi I’m sizzle,” said sizzle to the new sausage. “Hi” replied the new sausage. “Do you want to play with me today?” “Sure,” said sizzle excitedly as he hopped off the bench “I would love to play with you.” So they walked to the playground and played on the monkey bars until the bell rang. Dong!, Dong! “By the way, what's your name?” asked sizzle in a hurry. 30 “My name is barbecue.” and with that, she walked away to her classroom. The next day they played happily together without A care. When people said mean things about them they didn’t listen and just walked away. They had a great time together playing in the sun until. Duh duh duh. A new sausage came, But this was a different one. He was the son of a famous rock sausage and everybody loved him. As soon as he walked through the gates Barbecue ran to kiss his meaty cheeks. “Barbecue!” called Sizzle, “Come back!” “Sorry mate!, But she’s my girlfriend.” Yelled Hotdog. “Didn’t she tell you!, Eh?” As Hotdog said that Sizzle had already gone. He was so distraught that his only friend had betrayed him. “Well it’s back to the bench then.” said sizzle sadly as he walked to art class. A few hours later 31 “Hey, Sizzle.” Said Barbecue. “I just wanted to say sorry.” “Really, you want to say sorry to me?” “Hey, Sizzle.” Said Barbecue. “I just wanted to say sorry.” “Yeah, I was being such a jerk and I didn't think about you.” “Really, you want to say sorry to me?” When barbecue said that his life was filled with happiness again. “Yeah, I was being such a jerk and I didn't think about you.” When barbecue said that his life was filled with happiness again. A few years later A few years later “You wanna go to the snowflake dance with me?” asked sizzle “I would love to go with you sizzle.” Smiled barbecue “You wanna go to the snowflake dance with me?” asked sizzle They got ready and they danced the night away without any cares. “I would love to go with you sizzle.” Smiled barbecue Barbecue was the happiest sizzle had ever seen her. He felt like the They got ready and they danced the night away without any cares. luckiest sausage in the world! Barbecue was the happiest sizzle had ever seen her. He felt like the A YEAR LATER luckiest sausage in the world! “um, barbecue…” A YEAR LATER “Yes sizzle!” “um, barbecue…” “Will you marry me?” “Yes sizzle!” “Of course I will” replied barbecue with a big smile. “Will you marry me?” So they got married and had a lot of babies. “Of course I will” replied barbecue with a big smile. So they got married and had a lot of babies. To Be Continued….. 32 Finalist Bouncing Back by Rachael Zigomanis I pulled myself up the apple tree and then SNAP! The branch I was standing on broke. I plummeted downwards and landed on something surprisingly soft. I’d forgotten about our trampoline! My legs hurt but I stood on them wearily and bounced, even going high enough to do a somersault in mid-air!!! “Daisy! Heidi! Are you there?” I shouted. I bounced high enough to look over the fence and see a girl running through the next-door house at super-speed. “Hi Daisy. I’ve got something to tell you” I said. “Hi” she said. I continued on “I fell off our tree. I nearly....” Daisy interrupted. “I have something even more important to tell you.” I stopped talking and waited. “We’re moving house” she announced. “You’re moving house?” I gasped in disbelief. “Yep.” “Where to?” I could feel a worry bubble rising in my tummy. “See those mountains?” Daisy pointed to the blue hills that rose up on the horizon. “We’re moving to somewhere there.” I gaped at the mountains. I could NOT believe this. Since moving in next door three years ago, I’d become good friends with Daisy and her sister Heidi. “Did you see the sign?” Mum asked later that day. “What sign?” I said. “The one that says FOR SALE in front of Daisy and Heidi’s house” Mum replied. I groaned and put my head in my hands. “Well, someone needs cheering up” Dad said. “And I have just the thing” Mum said, taking a cake out from the oven. “I made your favourite: chocvanilla cake.” I didn’t move. Choc-vanilla cake was my favourite but I don’t think I could really enjoy it at the moment. “I guess that didn’t really work” said Dad. “We might need to try some other way of cheering you up.” “Why are you so upset anyway?” sneered Luke (my older brother). “NOYB” I mumbled. It took a second for Luke to realise what I meant. Then he scowled “Just tell me” I sighed. “Fine. I don’t want Daisy and Heidi to leave” I admitted. “We might get horrible neighbours.” “Or we might get fantastic ones” Mum chimed in. Several weeks later we were having dinner. “By the way, I heard someone has bought Daisy and Heidi’s house and will be moving in pretty soon” Mum said. “Great” I muttered sarcastically. The following weekend I woke up with a pounding heart. Who were our new neighbours going to be? Daisy, Heidi and I had enjoyed our last play date two days ago. I knew they were leaving for good this morning and I just had to say one last goodbye. I looked at the time and realised that it was already ten o’clock. I always slept in on weekends. Suddenly the thought leapt into my head – What if they’d already left? I looked across to their house from my upstairs bedroom window. I saw a girl inside the house next door. But I realised with horror, it was not Daisy or Heidi! “Who was she then?” I wondered. Then I realised: that girl was our new neighbour! I rushed downstairs and out the back door. I heard voices. “I wonder who lives over there?” a voice said. “Who knows?” another one said. “I want to know” the first 33 voice replied. My ears strained to hear more. Maybe they were talking about me! I bravely climbed the apple tree. “Um, hello?” I said, seeing two girls. They both looked surprised. “Uh, hi” one with red hair said. “Are you our neighbour?” the other one asked. “Yes” I replied. “My name is Anna.” “I’m Holly” the girl with red hair said. “And I’m Matilda” said the other girl. “So you’re our new neighbours” I wondered out loud. “Yes, we’re twins and we’re in Year 3” Holly said. “I’m in Year 4, so you’re both a year younger than me” I commented. Matilda sighed. “I wish I was in Year 4. Then I could get an iPad. There’s this cool game I really want....” As we got lost in a conversation about games and school, I decided that these new neighbours were better than I thought...... “I made some new friends. Those neighbours” I told Mum. “Wow!” she gasped. Then a smug smile formed on her lips. “I said they’d be good....” “I know. I’m going outside to see them right now” I said. I went outside and unzipped the trampoline. I did my somersault in mid-air and bounced. “Matilda, Holly” I called. “Are you there?” 34 Finalist Grandma’s House by Archer Reyne I was at Grandma’s house. It had just hit seven o’clock at night when Grandma suggested to go and clean the very messy and dirty big attic. “There will be some surprises,” she said. That got me thinking. When we got up to the attic, Grandma slowly rolled out a rug. Its patterns looked so beautiful. I jumped on it. Then the rug started to move. I was so amazed. “WOW!” I said while I was laughing in disbelief. The rug shot out the window and I was gliding across the night sky. It was crazy! Who would have thought in their wildest dreams that you could be flying across the sky on a rug! I told the rug to stop at a pizza shop. It snuck down quietly. I went in and got a Margarita pizza and some Coca Cola. We then went to the beach. I was so excited to eat pizza and drink Coca Cola while swimming in the water. While I was swimming, the rug turned into a submarine rug and came in the water with me. I jumped on. I was happy. It was fun on the rug swimming through the water. We then shot up into the air. The air was fresh. Before I knew it, it had hit seven o’clock in the morning and in a millisecond I was back at Grandma’s house with the rug on the floor. I told Grandma about the super adventure on the really fast and amazing rug. “I told you there was some surprises in the attic!” she said. Then I laughed with Grandma. I didn’t actually believe her at first. But, turns out she was right about surprises in the attic! 35 SuperPups by Harriet Grigg Once there was a dog named bob. Now bob wasn?t just any dog. Bob was a celebrity, walking around shaking that little pug tail. But Bob had a secret. Bob was a superhero. Bob?s power was super speed. And every night he would flick a switch and it would turn his ordinary dog house into an underground lair. He would call his friends on the mini mighty mega phone. He called steye. Steve?s power was invisibility. He also called Frank. Frank?s power was toxic farts. He would just fart and whoever walked into it would disintegrate. And then there was Bob's twin sister Bobette. Her power was to take to the sky in search of humans in dangeh One night there was a fire at the international state puppy bank. [this is a bankjust for dogs] It was burning down like a crumbly chocolate cake. The super pups were called on the mission hotline. First Bobbette flew overjust to check it wasn't a joke and it wasn't one it was the real deal. The super pups came over as soon as they could in their super pup-bus, which was like 20 minutes. But they still saved the dogs by frank farting all over the place. Frank was the player of the super hero rescue. They were having a party -- a big party - until they fell asleep. 36 BEEP it was the doggy ringer 2000 caller ID unknown. On the phone was the worst of them all, Miss Pink Fluffy Unicorn. She was calling to say the fire thing was all a prank. She knew Frank?s farts would put out the fire and so she collected those farts to use on the citizens of land. That meant all the pink fluffy unicorns could take over. She needed the land to build a big candy corn castle. The doggy ringer 2000 went dead before she could say anything else. The super pups were angry and annoyed. Angry because Miss Pink Fluffy Unicorn interrupted there special lunch - it was liver flavoured dog food today. Well they had to think of a plan fast, there was only 2 hours till the citizens of land were getting dipped. Frank thought of a good plan. They could sneak into Miss Pink Fluffy Unicorns castle to see the exact place they were getting dipped. ?Honk honk honk? you've got to be kidding. They were stuck in traffic. Luckily Frank?s toxic farts came to the rescue. Frank farted and bobbette lit it up. They were there in no time, theyjust had to discuss the positions. Frank was on distractions, he would just fart so he had a pretty easy job. Bobbette was on look out if she saw anybody coming she would press a button and the boot of the car would turn into a machine gun station. So she had a pretty easy job too. Steve was on sneaker. This is where you sneak around the place to find important 37 information. Steve was on the right side. And last but not least Bob, he was also a sneaker but he would do the left side. They could keep in touch via their collar microphones. They were ready for action, ?super pups gol?. First frank farted and disintegrated the head of security so that made it easier for the sneakers, but there was still other security. Well except two because bobette accidently shot them - ?accidently?. Bob found out what they needed to know. They were getting dipped right next to them, right now. Run yelled Bob. They needed to tell the others. They got back and found out that Bobette had been shooting quite a lot. 80 next time they decided not to put her in that position. Anyway back to the main point. They told them the news and they went straight there. ?Super pups go?. Wait where's Frank? He was eating a chocolate bar that he was suddenly allergic to. They left him in peace. Next they were in the castle, where they spotted those getting dipped in Frank's fart gas. They had no time to lose. Bob thought he could gather up some cobblestones and build a big path, so Bobette could bite the chain. It worked, and there was Miss Pink Fluffy Unicorn. Tip-toe tip-toe tip-toe. What was that screamed everyone. It was Frank. Bobbette chucked him the chain and tangled up Miss Pink Fluffy Unicorn and called the police. All the citizens of land were sayed. 38 Finalist The Magic Map by S.G. Newman “Nooooooo!” screamed Janet. Her mum had just shut down her video game. “Why would you do that?” Janet ran and jumped onto the couch crossing her arms. “Jan you’ve been on that video game for hours!” protested her mum. “Go get some fresh air outside.” Janet rolled her dark brown eyes rudely and stormed off outside slamming the door behind her. Janet was sitting down in her backyard with nothing to do, when a piece of rolled parchment caught her eye. She unrolled it to reveal a map. Suddenly, writing began to magically appear on the map. Three adventures you will seek, the first one’s on a mountain peak. “What does that mean?” Janet thought curiously. After Janet finished reading, everything around her started to change. Her house was turning into an enormous cliff! “Where am I? What’s happening? What should I do?” shouted Janet in horror. “You’ll have to climb the cliff,” came a mysterious voice from the map. “Who are you and what do you want?” Janet replied in confusion. “I am the creator of the map’s quest. I am here to guide you on your journey.” Soon, the magical map’s voice convinced her to begin climbing. After what felt like hours of climbing, Janet’s hands were burning and her muscles were cramping. With the blazing sunlight on her shoulders, Janet felt hot and tired. Looking down, she could see that the bottom of the cliff was no more than a distant figure. Finally, she pulled herself up the last ledge and onto the top of the mountain “Well done!” came the deep voice from the map. “Now for the next test. Use an arrow and bow, to strike a target made long ago.” As soon as the map had read out the riddle, Janet realised that she was no longer on top of the mountain peak. She was standing in a beautiful grassy field, surrounded by dark green hedges. In the centre of the field, was a large round target. Next to the target was a big brown barrel that held two red arrows with golden tail feathers and a smooth wooden bow. “To get through to the final task, you must shoot both arrows into the centre of the target,” explained the map. “But how? I’ve never done archery before, only on video games” she replied shaking. Janet picked up the bow and clicked an arrow into place. Anxiously, she bit her lip as she shot the arrow, and watched it fly towards the target, its golden tail feathers blowing in the wind. It pierced straight through the middle of the target. “Yes! I did it!” shouted Janet, dropping the bow and punching the air with her fists. It was an amazing feeling. Without warning, her bow vanished. “Where is it! Noooo!” she cried. “This is all part of the second task,” the map began to explain calmly. “You must use your imagination to create a new bow.” “Hmm, what can I use to make a bow?” Janet thought. She picked up a strong green vine and a boomerang shaped stick and tied the vine tightly to the stick. “This should work!” she proudly said out loud. 39 Janet aimed, then shot the second arrow. Immediately, she felt nervous as the arrow sped towards the wet dewy grass. Then, a miracle happened… a strong breeze lifted the arrow back up in the air and into the middle of the target. Janet’s jaw dropped. “You did it my friend,” said the map. “Now here is your final riddle. For the next test, you’ll have to find home sweet home, but it’s dark outside. The labyrinth of houses is a pleasure, because at the end you’ll find some treasure!” Suddenly in the darkness, there was a flicker, as a line of street lights turned on. Janet followed them, knowing that this was her way home. When she reached the last street lamp she saw her house. “Treasure” she whispered with excitement. She jumped over her fence and started to turn the whole front yard upside down looking for treasure, but where was it? “Hey map! Where’s my treasure!” yelled Janet angrily. “Don’t you get it? The greatest treasure of all is family!” and with that the map turned into shreds. Janet rushed inside and everything turned bright again. She ran into the kitchen and hugged her mum. “I love you,” said Janet knowing that everything would be alright. 40 Polly?s Plants by Jade Summer Walker Polly and Peter lived in a small apartment in the city with their pet budgie named Pedro. Polly and Peter loved plants and every weekend they would go to the shops and buy more plants to fill their apartment. They had lots of different plants, including spiky plants, fury plants, plants with flowers, plants with patterns on their leaves, hanging plants and many was a superpower of Polly?s to keep all of the plants alive and thriving happy in her home. Polly?s favourite shop to buy plants was called "Plantmaina". Every Saturday morning Polly and Peter would walk the two blocks down the road from their apartment to visit Plantmaina and buy more plants. ?Hello Polly, Hello Peter" the store attendant would say when they walked through the door, "Welcome Back to Plantmaina? One particular Saturday, Polly and Peter headed off to Plantmaina, as they did every weekend. This time however, when they arrived the doors were locked. Hanging off the door was a sign that read SHUT DOWN DUE TO LACK OF "Oh no!? exclaimed Polly in disappointment, "What are we going to do now Peter?? asked Polly. "Let?s head home? said Peter. So they slowly walked back the two blocks to their apartment feeling very sad. When they got home, they said hello to Pedro and Polly put the kettle on for a cup of tea. Peter went into his office in tried to think of what to do. After a few minutes of thinking, Peter came running out very excited have a great idea Polly? he said, "What is it?? asked Polly, as she sipped on her cup of tea. ?You love plants, i love Plants, we both are super at keeping the plants alive and we simply love plants so much that we should open our very own plant shop!? ?What a fabulous idea? exclaimed Polly and even Pedro squealed in delight. The very next day Polly and Peter walked the two blocks to Plantmaina and arranged to buy the shop. Then they carefully carried all of their plants from home to the shop to sell and renamed the shot to "Polly?s Plants?. Polly and Peter loved their plant shop so much, and spent every day together working in the shop surrounded by all their favourite plants, they even took Pedro to work each day with them in the shop. Polly and Peter loved helping all their regular customers and welcoming them into their shop by saying "Welcome Back to Polly?s Plants? on each visit and enjoyed sharing their superpower and love for all plants. 42 Finalist Heart Of the Ocean by Audrey Cole The night was warm. The stars were high. As I walked along the beach, something glinted in the water. I waded closer and closer to the object. When I could almost reach it, a wave came and knocked me over. When I got back on my feet, the object was nowhere to be seen! I lay down on the sand frustrated. I stared at the stars. The beautiful constellations lit up in the sky like tiny little butterflies. The next day I went back to the beach hoping to find the peculiar, shiny object. I waded deeper and deeper into the water searching for it without any luck. I was now bored. There was no shiny object to be found, no waves to surf or friends to play with. So I picked myself up and went home. As I approached my house I saw mum standing at the door. “Hey mum, what’s wrong?” I asked in a worried voice. “Nothing honey, let’s have some dinner.” Later that night mum told me we were going to move to Sydney. A few weeks later I woke up and followed my normal morning routine, then I realised that today was the day that mum and I were going to be moving to Sydney! So I ran back upstairs and grabbed my surfboard. Then I headed down to the beach for one last goodbye. A tear rolled down my cheek. As I caught one last wave, I spotted the shiny object again and moved towards it. It seemed to be a necklace. It was half a shell embroidered with pearls and one little crystal centering it. I immediately put it on. It felt really special to me. A while later, we arrived in Sydney. It felt different to back home but I felt comfortable where I was, it was a great feeling. We visited The Rocks and had some food. It was very hot like mum said it would be. Later that day we visited the Opera House and passed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Mum had bought a lovely little house in Manly, so we took a boat over there. The streets weren’t as busy as I was used to but I liked it. After we packed our things away, mum said to follow her outside so I did. “Surprise!” exclaimed Mum. When I walked out of the front door, there was a brand new surfboard on the deck. I was overjoyed. I wanted to grab it and jump in the water straight away, but I stopped myself remembering that I must still use my manners. “Thank you mum,” I said politely. Mum laughed, “Go and play!” and without further ado, I plunged into the fresh, salty blue water. As I swam with the fish, I saw another person on the other side of the coral. We swam closer and closer together until we were right in front of each other. As we submerged, a wave pushed us back to shore. When we got up, she giggled, then I giggled and in a few minutes time we were laughing our heads off. This was the first time I had ever felt so super duper happy! “ I’m Zoe,” she said. “ I’m Audrey,” I replied. “Wanna be friends?” 43 “Sure.” “You new ‘round here?” “Yup.” “Wanna catch up tomorrow? I could show you my hideout and I can show you around!” “Of course.” The conversation went for what seemed like hours. The next day, Zoe and I went to her hideout. She showed me many cool things that she’d found on the beach including an identical necklace just like mine! “That’s weird, I have one too!” “Wait, where did you find it?” “On the beach.” “Same!” “Maybe there is some connection between them,” “Wait, you have half right.” “Yeah.” “ I have half too!” “If we put them together, the necklaces, they make a heart!” we yelled together. I still wonder if that necklace is the heart of the ocean! 44 Murder C2 by Austin Su It was only a simple matter of time until someone realised the mysterious disappearance. It was done. Famous physicist John Robertson was murdered. A black?clad figure jumped out of Robertson?s house and raced back to his own home, unnoticed. He grinned to himself. It was in the middle of the night. Even so, the murderer had to be careful; there are always stars and streetlights, hence night isn?t truly dark. The figure slipped unnoticed through the shadows. The murderer hoped that the one to discOver the murder was not from Scotland Yard. Unluckin for the murderer, the someone to find John Robertson?s body was Detective Callus, a sleuthing legend, best of Scotland Yard. He wore a brown leatherjacket, a collared shirt, a bowtie I and dress pants. His striking look was perfectly complemented with a brown bowler hat. Callus realised the physicist?s room was awful. Disgusting fungus grew over the brown walls. There was a patterned carpet draped across the floor, splattered with blood. Callus took notes of everything. he muttered to himself, think the motive here is clear.? He guessed the murderer was another physicist after Robertson?s notes. Callus, being an exceptionally skilled detective, soon narrowed his list of suspects down to 3 pe0ple. Suddenly, Callus remembered that Lucre, the murderer, was spotted around Robertson?s house on the night of the murder. The murderer? Thought the sleuth. Callus knew the wisest course of action was to pay a visit to Lucre?s place. He knew the address because Lucre was a former criminal. Strangely, Lucre was standing in his garden, wearing clothes that were tattered and dirty. Callus briefly introduced himself, then asked, ?Why don?t we go into your house?? I?m busy with gardening.? Lucre stammered. Callus raised an eyebrow, before whizzing into a dizzying sequence of questions. ?Where were you last night?! Do you have anything to do with John Robertson?!? Unsurprisingly, for Callus, at least, Lucre panicked. I was at at my laboratory doing research. And no, I would never work with Robertson!? Callus smiled, before rapidly whipping out a notebook and scribbling notes in his untidy scrawl. Lucre did seem suspicious. After another hour or so long of exhausting and demanding inquiries, Callus left. l?ll return tomorrow. I?ll visit the crime scene now. Back at the crime scene, it sat in the bin. A clue, but in a place most would not notice. It seemed just a pair of grey keys. How important, who would interesting. thought Callus, picking up the shiny key. This could be crucial. Callus was up all night. He tossed and turned, thinking about the key. He eventually fell asleep at three in the morning. He dreamt about the key. But what did it really have to do with the case? The next day, Callus spotted Lucre at a nearby caf?. He wondered why Lucre was out of his home again, but thought no more of it, resuming his intense, extensive interrogation. Lucre stammered and stuttered, trembled and quivered. As he grew increasingly suspicious of Lucre, Callus found it unfortunate that he only had conjecture against Lucre. Unfortunate. As Callus was evaluating his notes, later that day, a brainwave swept over him. A way to trap Lucre; to make him talk, one nobody apart from an ingenious logician would find. The next day, Callus visited Lucre, who was again standing in his garden, wearing the same set of clothes as before. Callus slowly asked, ?Are you the murderer?? ?No. Of course not. Why?? ?Because,? Replied Callus, shaking a necklace in his closed hand, ?This. I found this.? ?You found my keys!? Exclaimed Lucre. ?Whatkeys? I didn?t mention keys.? Said Callus. ?This is a necklace. What keys?? Lucre immediately turned ghostly pale. never mentioned any keys, let alone yours. The reason why you weren?t in your house any one time I visited you is because you left your keys at the crime scene, but you didn?t dare return. I didn?t mention keys, yet you knew about one. You have inadvertently confessed yourself; jumped right into my trap.? Finished Callus triumphantly. Lucre bolted towards the door but tripped-on a cable tied to chair legs. ?Though you?d run.? Smiled Callus. He took delight in dusting of some awesome wrestling moves on Lucre. A week later, Lucre sat in jail, plotting ways to take revenge. Why don?t I murder the meddling fool, that detective? He?d better watch out! Finalist The Dog from Quintia by Rose Hyde I’m hot, tired and hungry. My eyes are locked on the clock that hangs over Mrs Deagon’s 90s style hairdo. Minutes pass, four, three, two, and one. A lovely relieving sound rings across the school. Everybody hurries to the door and there’s a big rush in the bag area. I manage to yank my bag off the hook and drag it out of the crush of bodies. Pushing through the flow of people, I squeeze through the doorway and out into the grounds, running through the gates just as they open. I begin to walk, up a steep slope, leading to the high street when I see a dog. Its fur is shaggy, muddy and dirty and it has no collar. The dog’s a normal size, probably a stray and so dirty I can’t even tell what breed it is. I walk over to it and stroke its knotty fur. I love dogs but Mum and Dad won’t let me get one because they make too much mess. I’ve never seen this dog before, which is funny, because stray dogs usually don’t move away from where they are left. It starts walking away from me so I continue up the hill but then it rushes back to me and starts walking away again. I think it wants me to follow, and a sensible person wouldn’t have, but for some reason I do. It leads me down an alleyway. It looks strangely deserted. The dog stops and sits down. I watch it. Then, to myself, I say, “I just wish I knew what you’re trying to do, if only you could talk!”, “but what if I can?” says a voice. I freeze. “Did you just t-talk?” I say, shocked. “Well, yes, you heard me, of course I did just t-talk!” I swear the dog just rolled his eyes. “You’re a talking dog?” I say, my eyes widening. “well now you can talk to me, we should go!” Says the dog merrily. I stay where I am. “C’mon, girly!” he says, tugging on my shirt and pulling me deeper into the alleyway. I stumble after him. When we get to a certain point he stops and ask’s me my name, “it’s Clementine.” I answer. “Well, what a funny name!” laughs the dog. “Hmm, what’s yours?” I say, imagining that talking dogs have weird names. The dog sighs. “it’s Morris-Boris-Diddle-Dee-Dorris, but do me a favour and call me Morris.” I giggle. “Righto!” says Morris, “follow me!” using his teeth he pulls me against a wall and in a big flash we tumble into a lake with a splash. Just then I realise that I have a tail! I’m a mermaid! I look over to Morris next to me and laugh. He looks rather funny! Morris pulls me under with him and we swim for a short distance. Infront of us is a palace built entirely with blue stained-glass walls. It’s magnificent. Morris swims up to the door and knocks. A mermaid opens it and says cheerfully “I’m Nadia, I shall notify the King and Queen of your presence.” She nods at us. A while later Nadia comes back and tells us that King Neptune and Queen Atlantia are expecting us. I look at Morris and he shrugs. I don’t think he planned this. Nadia leads us into a beautifully built throne room. I become nervous, looking at the King and Queen. They are very regal, draped in jewellery and holding sceptres. The King looked stern but the Queen had a kindly sparkle in her eye. They welcome us and talk to Morris about a girl, human, having powers. I wonder if it’s me. After all, there has to some reason why he brought me here. But suddenly, the Queen stops in 50 mid-sentence. Her sceptre clatters to the ground. I gasp. The Queen has turned into ice, and the King, a burning statue of fire! Morris pulls me around a pillar just as…… Nadia. She has one arm covered in fire and the other in ice and she’s laughing a deep, evil laugh. Suddenly, for some reason that I don’t understand, I rush into the throne room and point the Queens sceptre at Nadia. Her arms fall to her side and the King points his sceptre at me and Morris. To Morris he says “The Dog from Quintia has served his purpose.” In a flash we’re back in the alleyway where my adventure began and it looks like I finally have my own pet dog! 51 Finalist The Boy Who Knew Just Enough by Oscar Hetteling As his steps continued, he moved quicker and quicker along the cracked cobbles in the pavement, a ginger, brown spotted cat moving along his side. The boy had to start running now as he heard the roars of the rebels a few hundred metres away. Quickly he silently slid into the side of a dark alleyway. “Tango?”, he called his cats name, soon after he felt a soft furry ball along his leg purring. Then the rebels had struck, he heard the steps of galloping horses and the roars of men and women quickly pass by him. He peered out of the alleyway and saw that the coast was clear. ... “President”, the inquirer called, “More rebels are getting closer to the capital, we need to hold them off from the state building”. The president, a tall man in a dark black suit, turned round to the inquirer, “Hold them off, and if you capture any of them, bring them to me, I have some questions.” The inquirer followed his orders and left the room. The Slovvargen President was not usually a man that feared other people, but more than half of his country’s population was against him, and more and more terrible events were happening such as terrorism and a crashed economy. No one even knew why this war started, myths were spreading across the country and the rebels were vexed about his secrets. He silently advanced towards a quartz white balcony with a glass fence, sure enough, in the distance was a small crowd of people holding medieval weapons in their hands. This was an easy crowd of people to control, The President’s Castle (or so called State Building) used artillery cannons and this crowd was small, but, he knew if more rebels came they could potentially overthrow the capital. For now he would have to find an escape root to exit the country. ... Over the next few days Theodore and his cat Tango found quite a few rare items like food, ammunition and artillery shells, but the most dangerous item of all was a one by one millimetre anti-matter bomb, this could possibly destroy a whole city. The government was using dangerous weapons against the rebels and Theodore feared for his parents. Anti-matter was an illegal warfare weapon which only entered other countries by being smuggled in by terrorism groups. Anti-matter could produce dangerous types of radiation such as Gamma, Proton and even unknown types of radiation. The first anti-matter bomb created in this world was “The Super Nova”; a bomb that was only one metre by one metre long and could potentially destroy a whole country. Later on it was banned in various groups around the globe but soon after it was stolen by an anonymous group of bandits who have smuggled it into various different countries. If required Theodore could activate the bomb with a highly unstable Actinoid to start an explosion larger than one caused by an atomic bomb. 52 Darkness soon came and the lonely boy took out a blanket from his patched leather sack, he was stuck in this polluted city, but he soon fell asleep looking at the beautiful bright stars. His cat Tango lay on his lap, and soon enough both of them were unconscious, waiting for the next day to come. But under the stars something was different, it was unusual, and little did they know, a short stout man in a black mask had been silently stalking them for most of the day and now, hidden in the corner of the alleyway, it was his time to strike. 53 The Best Shot by Salih Sheriffdeen Thump, thump, thump. . Stef was bouncing the basketball around the basketball court at Leo Hoffman Reserve. He was feeling as excited as an NBA player ready for their first basketball match. Stef was trying to prepare himself for the upcoming tournament against the Cannons, which was around the corner. He was panting like a dog on a hot sunny day amidst the 46 degrees heat. He was trying to score 3 pointers through the net to improve his confidence and skills to succeed in his team?s next game. Stef?s friend Angus wanted to train Stef with the essential skills to successfully shoot 3 pointers. Angus had 5 more years of basketball experience than Stef. He was unbeatable against his opponents in his past basketball matches. Angus instructed Stef to run towards the 3?pointer line and bend his knees down low. Then, he told him to shoot the ball into the hoop by lifting off into the sky like a rocket blasting off to outer space. Stef jumped off his knees like a jack in the box springing out from the box and shot the ball through the hoop. The ball came out at top speed like a meteorite crashing down to earth. Stef felt ecstatic about his shot. He felt like a He felt determined that he would succeed and make his team proud at the upcoming match. The day finally arrived! Stef was feeling extremely nervous and excited. He felt like a thousand butterflies were racing in his tummy and a thousand fireworks going off and bursting his head. He headed out towards the court with his team following behind him. They huddled up and discussed their team plan to successfully get through the game. With all hands together, they wished each other luck and took their positions on the court. The referee blew his whistle and the game began. Team Cannons played fierce like lions overpowering their prey and the Lakers played like mice sneaking up behind the Cannons and stealing the ball. Stef stood at the Cannon?s post determined to make a 3 pointer. He watched the ball with the beady eyes of an eagle and pumped his body up like the incredible hulk. 54 The Cannons and Lakers were furiously combating each other to eagerly get the ball into their hands. Within seconds, they reached Stef. Angus, knowing that Stef wanted, to score a quointer, snatched the ball off the Cannons and passed it to Stef. Stef sprang into actiOn and dribbled the ball as fast as he could, guarding it like a jewel, away from the vicious Cannons. Then, he took his chance and jumped off from the court and shot the ball into the hoop. The ball went into the hoop perfectly like a ping pong ball going into its hole. went the referee. Stef?s team cheered him on and thumped him hard on the back for encouragement. Stef felt proud of his achievement. There was only 10 seconds left. Stef decided to make the most of this precious time. Angus passed the ball to Stef at top speed. Stef caught the ball perfectly in his hands. He aimed at the hoop with sharp eyes and shot the ball successfully into the hoop.?.? shouted the referee. The referee blew his whistle and the game was over. The Lakers had smashed the Cannons 0 to 54! Stef?s team were overjoyed as they never experienced such a victory in a long time. They applauded Stef for his hard efforts and Angus for training him well. They all decided to go and celebrate their victory by having an ice cream and watching a movie together at the cinema. Stef felt so proud of himself and determined to keep on training hard so he could become a successful basketball player in the future. The End 55