and the winners are...

As always it was a tough decision for the judges, but here are the winners of the Spring school holiday 2015 writing competition... (if you need a reminder of the words that needed to be included you can find them here...)

Category 1 : 7-8 years

• Erian, winner - "Puffy and the cupcakes"
• Charlie, runner-up - "The Cupcake Princess"

Category 2 : 9-10 years

• Agnes, winner - "The story of Princess Natalie and her kingdom"
• Sam, runner-up - "The Adventures of Feather Man"

Category 3 : 11-12 years

• Alex, winner - "Shadow of the light"
• Melisand, runner-up - "The Icing on the cupcake"

Congratulations to everyone!!

Puffy and the cupcakes ... by Erian

Once upon a time there was a cat called Puffy. He had black fur, white feet and puffy cheeks.

Puffy worked at Snuffles Bakery which was owned by the mean Mr. John Snuffles.

Snuffles Bakery was known for making the best cupcakes in the world and Mr Snuffles told everyone he made them himself…but really, actually, it was Puffy who made the cupcakes.

No one knew that. No one knew Puffy worked hard all day and all night…

•  Shaking (the flour),
•  Cracking (the eggs),
•  Stirring in (the butter),
•  Adding (the sugar),
•  Mixing (the batter),
•  Baking (the cupcakes),
•  Icing (the top)

Over and over and over again; shaking, cracking, stirring, adding, mixing, baking, icing, shaking…And that was the rhythm of his day, every day

One day the Queen and her prince came to town to try the cupcakes - they had heard how good they were.

Mr. John Snuffles was at the counter to greet them. "Come in, come in, come try my cupcakes I make them myself!"

Poor Puffy knew this wasn’t true but he never told anyone and let them believe it was Mr. John Snuffles who made the delicious cakes.

For the queen's and the prince's visit, bossy Mr. John Snuffles had told the cat to make a special cupcake good enough for royalty.

The special cupcake had royal blue icing with a golden crown on top that you could eat.

Mr. John Snuffles was just telling the queen and prince how good his cupcakes were and how hard he worked day after day to make them just right when, suddenly, the cupcake boxes that had hidden Puffy working in the kitchen tipped over and everybody saw Puffy putting a golden crown on to royal blue icing. They all knew it was not Mr John Snuffles who'd been making these delicious cupcakes.

The queen and prince said that the bakery was now to be called ‘Puffy’s Bakery’, not ‘Snuffles Bakery’. They ordered 12 more delicious cupcakes and drove off back to their castle.

The cupcake princess ... by Charlie

The cupcake princess was still awake, frustrated by lack of sleep. Suddenly an idea popped into her head. She crept down the creaky staircase into the kitchen.

The castle tabby cat greeted her with a loud meow. "Shhhh" whispered the princess.

The princess opened the heavy pantry door. Before her lay the cupcake tin she had admired the day before. Being royalty has its advantages she thought.

She lifted the cupcake tin though she knew touching it was against the rules of the castle. She opened the lid and to her horror saw only one cupcake was left. There is a cupcake thief in the castle! How can I catch them? she thought. I will play a trick on the thief, so she covered the cupcake with salt and pepper.

Then she heard a strange screeching noise. She spun around and saw the castle cat. The cat kept on meowing until the Princess heard footsteps coming down the main corridor of the castle. The princess flashed with anger. Quickly she got the cupcake tin and put it quietly back into the pantry. She shut the door and slipped into the ballroom where there was a table with a rather large tablecloth that went down to the floor. She crawled under the table just in time…

The door swung open slowly and she saw a dark terrible shadow coming towards her. The princess was scared and wanted to scream but was too clever for that. A figure walked into the room. It was not a terrible demon but her older brother Erik. He smiled and then revealed the cupcake he had snuck into the pocket of his black hoodie.

He is the cupcake thief thought the princess. She smiled to herself as Eric sunk his teeth into the cupcake. "Arararrarrarrrrarrrrarrraragggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!" Erik spat the cupcake onto the floor then kicked it into the fire like a football. He stomped off upstairs with the rhythm of an angry elephant.

The princess had caught the cupcake thief red handed and was sure he’d never steal cupcakes again.

The cupcake princess lived mischievously ever after.

The story of Princess Natalie and her Kingdom ... by Agnes

In a kingdom far far away there lived a brave and amazing little girl called Natalie, the princess of Utonville. She lived with the beautiful King and Queen and her older brother Peter but suddenly something terrible happened. The year was 1715 when this terrible thing occurred.

"Peter, what have you done?! Mother and Father will be so mad!" yelled Natalie as her brother Peter finished hiding the family riches in a ‘Safer’ place.

"I was just having some fun. And anyway there’s nothing else to do" argued Peter. "What is going on in here? Don’t tell me you two have been quarreling again." said Miss Sally, their maid who was standing in the door way with a glare on her face. The children stood up straight as Miss Sally walked into the room.

"Miss Sally, Peter was hiding the family riches into a ‘safer’ place apparently." Natalie confessed.

"WHAT!?" Miss Sally turned around with the biggest scowl the children had ever seen. "Where are they?" The children pointed to a large chest. Miss Sally took the riches out of the chest and hid it somewhere where the children would never find them. "No supper for you two tonight so off to bed" fumed Miss Sally.

Natalie lay awake in her bed listening to the cool breeze of the night when she heard someone yell "HELP", it came from Peter’s room. Natalie sat upright in bed and put on her slippers, She took her candle and tiptoed out of her room.  "Meow" Tibbles her cat came out from under her bed and followed Natalie. Natalie went inside her brother’s room and saw an empty bed and an open window. Someone had taken Peter.

Natalie had to find him. So Natalie went back to her room and got dressed in a dress, some scratchy stockings, some old boots and an ugly cardigan. She quickly got her satchel and went down into the kitchen. Natalie opened the larder door and took three apples, some cupcakes and biscuits, a leather flask to store water and some leftovers of last night’s dinner and put them in her satchel. Natalie tiptoed to the front door and slowly opened it. Then she closed the door and headed to the well to fill up her leather flask and off Natalie went into the darkness with her cat Tibbles.

It was morning when Peter regained consciousness. "Where am I?" Peter asked himself. "You’re in my house you idiot." said a scratchy and rough voice. Peter looked around and found himself locked up in chains and in an old dirty looking room and he saw a small man with grey tufts of hair sprouting out of his head.

"Why am I here? What do you want from me?" Peter yelled at the small man.

"I want to know where you keep the royal riches. You little children act like spoilt brats and you live in a world of royalty compared to us poor villagers. That’s why I want the royal treasures and that’s why I took you so your parents will take you back and give me the royal treasures in return." Peter sat there speechless. What was he going to do? How would he get out of this misery? The man walked away and got some stale bread and a flask of water and gave it to Peter. All day Peter thought and thought of his family and his little sister Natalie and how he would get out of this house, until he heard little footsteps coming down the stairs.

Natalie had searched for Peter all night but had no success. Suddenly when dawn approached she saw a dirty white handkerchief that looked similar to Peter’s one. He must be close by she thought. A man came out of a house nearby. Natalie walked up to him and asked "Have you seen my brother sir, he’s wearing a white night dress, he has brown hair and brown eyes." The man nodded and pointed to the house next door. "Thank you."

Natalie tried to open the door but it wouldn’t budge. So Natalie tried the window but that didn’t work either. Finally Natalie saw a ladder leading up to a window upstairs. So Natalie climbed it and tried to open the window and it opened! Natalie climbed through it and jumped off the window sill. There was only one room up there and it was the small man’s bedroom leading into a corridor and stairs. Natalie knew Peter wasn’t in that room because she heard loud snoring and Peter never snored. "Psst, Peter it's Natalie. Are you in here?" Natalie whispered into the poorly lit room.

"How did you find me?" Peter replied.

"I’ve been looking for you and I came across this village and looked around, until I found your white handkerchief on the doorstep. So I asked the man next door if he saw you and he pointed to this house, that’s how I found you. Thank good-" Natalie didn’t have time to finish her sentence when the children heard footsteps.

"Hide" Peter whispered to Natalie. Natalie could hear the rhythm of her heart beating in her ear as the footsteps became louder and louder.

"It’s time to go to sleep you brat." The small man said as he entered the room. Then it was pure darkness.

"Peter! Are you awake" Whispered Natalie when she heard snoring.

"Yes" Peter whispered back.

"MEOW" Meowed Tibbles.

"SHH! Tibbles, that man might wake up" explained Natalie. “Peter, we have to escape it’s our only chance” Peter stood up and led Natalie to what he thought was the door.

"I think this is the door" he said as he opened it. A whoosh of cool wind blew onto their faces as they stepped out of the house. "Where are you, ye little brat?" said a familiar scratchy and rough voice.

"Oh no, he’s awake quick Natalie" whispered Peter rapidly. The children ran as fast as they could along the cobbles until they reached the dark forest. The only way they could go was through the forest, they wouldn’t dare go back because they feared the terrors down that street. So they ran.

By the time the children were out of the forest they were gasping for breath "Which... way... is...
the... castle?" Peter panted. "I... think... it’s... this... way" replied Natalie, panting and pointing west. They ran and ran west until they saw in the distance a big castle. But suddenly the children heard footsteps coming closer and closer.

"Where are those two little brats?" said the familiar voice of the small man. The children fell silent and hid behind a bush.

"I’ve found them master" said another voice which came from right behind them. A man appeared with a hunchback with warts all over his face.

"Ahh, you can’t get away now you little brats." said the small man. "Now my companion Quasi has found you there’s no way of you escaping." Then came the sound of hissing and meowing.

"You’ve brought a little friend of yours. Well it’s just an old cat, it won’t do us any harm my companion. Now seize the children" cried the small man.

"Get off us" screamed Natalie. But the screaming didn’t help. Natalie bit the hunchback and started to run.

"OWW" the man screeched. In shock the small man let go of Peter and the children ran as fast as they could but the two men were catching up. "Hurry up Quasi! They’re getting away" complained the small man to his companion Quasi.

"This is our chance to escape" said Peter to Natalie. So they hid behind a bush and emerged when the men had passed. They finally reached the castle. They both stopped to look at it but realised they were running away from the men. Peter went up to the big double doors and knocked. ‘Knock, knock’ but the two men were already at the end of the forest so Peter kept knocking. "What is- Peter, Natalie where have you been?" asked the maid Miss Sally and gave them both a big hug. "We were worried sick me and your parents."

"Miss Sally there is no time to explain our absence please let us in" Peter explained. So Miss Sally let them in and locked the door.

"What happened?" asked Miss Sally. So the children explained what happened from the very beginning till the very end. Miss Sally was in shock after the children had finished the story. "What are your mother and father going to say about this?" said Miss Sally to herself. The children laughed and went upstairs and freshened up and went to bed. So from that day on the whole kingdom was happy and so were the king and queen, oh and Natalie and Peter and don’t forget Miss Sally. And those two wretched men, they were sent to prison to never return to Utonville again.

The Adventures of Feather Man ... by Sam

There was once a feather, who wanted to be more than what he was. A feather. So after years of training he came out of the pillow and set off to travel the world (the house). Of course once he got out he was faced with problems, but one thing he did not know was that he was actually royalty and his relative was the King of all Feathers in Port Melbourne. He was going to outer space (outside) and was so close to making it but he was sucked up by the vacuum...

Feather man was trapped in the vacuum cleaner... "How do I get out of here?" he thought. He looked around, there was more than one feather in this vacuum cleaner, it was like a refugee camp but worse, a lot worse. Feather man was not going to give up that easily so he got all the feathers' attention and gave an inspirational speech. "Are you guys just going to wait here for someone to get you out? Or are you going to get out and live your life?" He waited for a moment and then somebody shouted "We were waiting for someone like you". The crowd nodded. "Argh whatever!" feather man said as he started climbing up the vacuum tube. When he was finally out he jumped and started gliding for about 3 seconds and then a dog ate him... yep a dog...and there was also a cat prowling behind him.

Inside the dog's belly, feather man was sitting down and then he stood up angrily and shouted to himself, "OH COME ON REALLY... first the vacuum and now this". He looked around and saw two feathers playing poker. He took a seat and asked curiously "How long have you been here?" the two feathers didn't look up for 5 whole minutes. When they did one said gloomily "Ten years I reckon... and by the way the dog's name is Buster, he is an English Staffy". Feather man looked up and said, "I've heard horror stories about that dog! Why haven't you left? You could just go down the hatch..." the feathers looked at feather man very alarmed and both shouted "NO!!" Feather man understood why they said that, but he knew he had to do it, so he suffered the horror and was out.

Feather man needed to shower. He glided for several days meeting new friends along the way. Finally he came to the great shower. He needed to turn the tap on, but he wasn't strong enough. Suddenly he heard a low growl. Feather man spun around to see Buster outside the shower ready to attack! Feather man had an idea - if he could get Buster to jump at the shower tap and turn it on he would have his shower. When Buster attacked he failed badly, he just ran with a surprising rhythm and speed and slammed right into the shower door. Man, that fat dog could run, he was like a lightening bolt. Feather man had been doing a lot of intense training and jumped right over Buster like a calm relaxed angel (an angel dripping with sweat). Buster came at him again and feather man was struck down to the ground and hard. He pulled out his trusty boomerang, throwing it at the shower tap it turned on - toe biting cold water slammed down on Buster and that fat dog was out. Feather man caught his boomerang and laughed to himself as nice cold water poured down on him. He got out of the shower and saw a little (massive to him) curious drooling 3 year old staring down at him. "OH NO"

He had a small head start and was sprinting with the toddler right behind him. The toddler had a half-eaten, licked chocolate cupcake in his hand. For the toddler this was a playful game but for feather man this was a matter of life or death. He made it into the toddler’s room and hid under the bed. He spied a motorbike and a hot wheels track and hopped onto the motorbike and rocketed down the track. The toddler did not have a clue what was going on, but that didn't stop him from racing after the motorbike. Feather man was near the end of the track and skidded to a halt. He had escaped the toddler but not the walls and crashed right into one while he was looking back and laughing.

Feather man hopped out of the crashed car. Needing supplies he went back into the kids’ room and found military clothes his size and a remote control plane that shot little pellets. He was ready! His first target was the shower and he fired heaps of bullets. The shower recovered quickly and fired the coldest water it had. Feather man jumped out of the plane hitting the tap off (don't ask me how it turned on in the first place) and the shower fell to the ground. Next was the toddler. He was easy, just fire a few pellets and he was off crying and running away. Next, the vacuum cleaner. He jumped out and was sucked in, but that was his plan! Inside he saw the other feathers were still there. "Come on my brothers we can destroy this!” This time he heard a massive cheer and they all got out of the vacuum and attacked it except some stupid feather named Hiccup went to the front and tried to tame it. He got sucked in but crashed the vacuum. After the battle the feathers returned home (apart from that guy called Hiccup), only the dog and feather man were left standing. Feather man took off his military clothes and looked like a plain old feather. Buster ran at him and feather man knew it was the end. He would never start his new journey and so he closed his eyes and waited but nothing happened. He opened his eyes to get a nice warm lick from Buster. Buster had let feather man go! He hugged the dog and floated out the door and into space (the world).

Disclaimer: Nothing was harmed in this story apart from some feather who crashed a plane into a vacuum cleaner.

Shadow of the light ... by Alex

Silent as a shadow a little cat as black as the moonless night slipped across the cobblestone wall. As if it thought it was royalty it perched itself on the wall gazing upon the dirty alley. Darkness swirled around the cat as if to suit its purpose.

Suddenly a shabby old tabby cat slipped into the starlit alley.

"Lord Noir, Blanc is moving across the country, he is going to the moonlight ball." grunted the tabby.

"I will be there, he can’t have a party without me." Noir whispered back and then he was gone.

As Blanc walked into the ball the smell of fresh cupcakes and the rhythm of music came to greet him.

The ballroom was vast and there was no sign of immediate threats.

Gliding in amongst the chattering cats a string quartet was playing a tune that Blanc didn’t recognize.

A cat came through carrying a china platter loaded with cupcakes decorated to perfection.

Suddenly darkness fell over the ballroom, the doors burst open and the buzz of chatter shut off in almost an instant. A cold breeze rushed in sending a shiver up Blanc’s spine. A dark figure briskly strode into the room, all eyes darting towards him. He was pure black from head to tail.

"Blanc! I know you are here, show yourself!" shouted the figure. Blanc leaped onto the stage, tendrils of darkness shooting towards him like a bullet from a gun. The black cat leaped towards him.

"Noir!" cried Blanc, "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you! Dancing!" answered Noir.

"What, dancing with fire?" asked Blanc while a barrage of fireballs white from heat shot from his paw.

"Exactly!" screeched Noir as one of the fireballs hit his tail. Shadows swirled around him forming pitch-black armor. A blazing inferno swirled around Blanc until nothing was visible but the flames. Noir tried to find weaknesses in the fire but whenever he tried he got heavily charred.

Suddenly the fire died down and Blanc was once again visible. Rods of fire swirled around Blanc occasionally frying the shadows that neared him.

"Everyone out!!!" ordered Blanc.

Frantically the other cats rushed for the door like a herd of wild buffalo. Blanc threw a knife at Noir distracting him for a second. That was all Blanc needed. He threw one of the blazing rods at the roof right above Noir’s head, the roof started to fall. Blanc started to run and before Noir had realized what he had done it was too late. A sickening crunch was heard and a blood curdling screech and then all was silent.

That night a mournful silence hung round the town until the sunlight of the morning proclaimed a new day. Still the town was quieter than usual. The buzz of the town died to a quiet whisper. Then the rumors began…

The icing on the cupcake ... by Melisand

Picture this: a peaceful country village with thatched cottages lining the cobblestone streets, the respectful townspeople going about their business in a friendly and cheerful way. Presumably, you think that the citizens are human but they are not, they're Patty Pan People. Patty Pan People are just like us from the neck down but their heads are cupcakes, their faces are made of lollies and their hair is cream cheese icing. Their - or what we call a - brain is the soft, fluffy sponge cake in the middle, which could explain the events in this story...

The story begins on the night of the annual Squashing Scream, a few years ago. Every year one Patty Pan Person is deprived of their hair by the evil were-cat which haunts the village on the night of the Squashing Scream.

Quentin wished her friends a happy Squashing Scream and walked home from her job at the hair-salon just as the sun was setting. In her joyful frame of mind she forgot to hang up her Philadelphia cream cheese packets to ward off the cat. Consequently, as she got ready for bed the cat lurked stealthily around her house waiting for her to fall asleep.

"Ooh, what an awful dream I had last night," said Quentin to her pet Guinea Pig when she woke the next morning. "I dreamt that this year the evil were-cat came and licked MY hair off ... and ate my sprinkle decoration!"

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" squeaked her Guinea Pig frantically ... but not understanding she went downstairs to get ready.

After her breakfast she put on her favourite outfit and twirled around in front of the mirror...

"Aaaah!" she screamed, "my hair is gone! It wasn't a dream! I was the victim of the Squashing Scream Were-cat!" and she burst into uncontrollable tears.

Quite a while later after she had regained her composure she decided that she would go to the hair-salon and get some hair extensions before work. Feeling much happier, she headed off to work.

Everyone at the hair-salon felt very sorry for her and even offered to do her hair extensions for free. But when they went to get the cream cheese icing they found, to their dismay, that they had run out! Quentin's friend Maria telephoned the Icing Factory but they didn't have any either.

"Maybe the cat was still starving after it licked my hair so it went to the factory for more icing," suggested Quentin, but no one thought that likely.

Dolefully Quentin took up her position behind the counter at reception and thought about how she could get some more hair.

"Ah-ha!" exclaimed Quentin around noon. "I'll go and pay Mixer Morris a visit at the factory," and that she did.

Unfortunately for Quentin, the people on the bus weren't as sympathetic as the hairdressers. She was only on the first step when the bus driver grumbled "Get off me bus! Where's ya hair? Being seen in public without ya hair is a disgrace! Get off me bus!"

Then the passengers chimed in "It's a disgrace, A DISGRACE..." they agreed.

"You know how it was the Squashing Scream last night" said one, "I bet her hair was taken then!"

"She might still be haunted by the were-cat," offered another.

"Get off me bus!" the grouchy bus driver snarled.

So poor Quentin had a long, and embarrassing, walk to the icing factory which was on the outskirts of town.

Eventually Quentin arrived at the factory but as soon as she opened the door she knew something was wrong.

CLUG CLUG EEEEEEEK! CLUG EEK EEK EEK RUMBLE RUMBLE! CLUG CLUG EEEEEEEK!

"What funny noises the machines are making," Quentin muttered to herself. "I'd better investigate!"

She peered around the gloomy factory, when she saw Mixer Morris she knew something was wrong with him too.

"Hello... Qqqquentin," he stuttered, "I ccan't ... do anything at a ccccconsistent rate. Cccan you ... please help ... me and the mmmachines?"

"Sure and I think I know what the problem is; you've lost your rhythm! If I help you to get your rhythm back you could stir the main whisk. The other machines could follow you and hey presto everyone is in time again!" Quentin enthusiastically replied, "let's start straight away!"

But unfortunately this was easier said than done.

Morris and Quentin thought hard.

"What about," suggested Morris "I learn a rhythmical dance and stir to it?"

"Good idea, I'll teach you a foxtrot. Slow quick quick, slow quick quick. See, easy" demonstrated Quentin, dancing around the machines.

Morris finally got the hang of the very basic rhythm!

"Gosh Quentin that was difficult, my spongy brain couldn't keep up!"

Quentin crossed her fingers as Morris nervously walked over to the main mixer and grabbed hold of the whisk. Heaving really hard, Morris got the whisk moving to his rhythm. Slowly the other machines joined in too; going from eek eek rumble clug clug to rumble clug clug (slow quick quick) rumble clug clug (slow quick quick).

As Morris let go of the mixer he gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh Quentin! Thank you so so much. You have saved my factory and helped all the hair-salons and their hairdressers in all the nearby towns. I cannot express how grateful I am in words ... but please accept this gift card for your hair salon as a token of my gratitude. Your help has meant more to me than being visited by Patty Pan royalty. Thank you!"

"Before I go there is something that you can do for me in return. Do you have any spare icing that I can use for my hair temporarily, so that I can get a bus ride home? It's getting quite late."

"I would like to say yes but all I can offer you is some of my hair!" and he wiped some of his own hay coloured hair onto Quentin's head in a rather bedraggled arrangement.

"I'm very sorry that my hairstyling skills are incompetent but it should serve the purpose," he apologised.

"It doesn't bother me at all and I am very appreciative of your help. Thank you and I hope to see you tomorrow with the delivery!"

The next morning Quentin skipped happily into work. She handed over the gift card and explained her story from the day before. Shortly after she finished speaking, ding, dong! the doorbell rang. "That'll be Mixer Morris with our cream cheese icing" said Quentin running excitedly towards the door.

"Aaah, Quentin, just the person I was hoping to see" started Morris, "I have enclosed a small amount of emerald dye with the icing delivery. I thought the colour would look nice in your new hairstyle!"

"Why thank you Morris. I love the colour! I shall be today's first customer!" said Quentin with a blush.

At the end of the day she emerged from the salon with a beautifully stylish emerald green swirl and a grin on her face. She was so pleased that she had her hair back. That evening she promised her pet Guinea Pig she would never forget to hang up her Philadelphia packets on the night of the Squashing Scream again...

Spring school holiday writing competition

Get inspired and impress us with a story including the following words:

3 x $65.00 & 3 x $35.00

Book Vouchers to be won!

Prizes awarded in these categories:

7-8 Years

9-10 Years

11-12 Years 

Maximum words: 1500

Please ensure the story is in one of the following formats:

.doc, .docx, .pdf or .jpg

Send your entry with your name, phone number and DOB to library@portphillip.vic.gov.au or drop it in to the library by 10 October 2015. Winners will be notified on 31 October. Enquiries to Michelle or Diana - 9209 6655.

Winning entries will be published on the blog.

the winning stories...

Imaginations were certainly fired up with some impressive entries into our recent winter holiday writing competition in which 5 key words needed to be used: wings, snowflakes, pom poms, winter and magic... here are the winning entries.

7-8 year old category

Mikayla, winner

Minecraft world

Hannah, runner-up

The lost puppies

9-10 year old category

Agnes, winner

The magic scarf

Sofia, runner-up

Nature fantasy

11-12 year old category

Rose, winner

It's good to be different

Jemima, runner-up

The magic jumper

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful entries submitted.

The lost puppies ... by Hannah

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there were three little puppies. Their names were Hannah, Will and Maddie.

Hannah was the eldest, she was 6 years old. Will was second, 4 years old. And Maddie was still a baby and was 2 years old. Hannah looked after her little brother and sister.

One sunny morning their mum said "you can play outside". So Hannah packed her bag. Inside there was 1 chocolate bar, 3 apples, 2 mandarins, 1 pear and 3 slices of watermelon.

Chapter 2

"Goodbye mum", "look after your brother and sister Hannah!" "Okay mum." And off they went.

They took off down the street with their bag of snacks.

After five minutes of walking, Hannah noticed she couldn't see the park yet. It was usually right around the corner. They had made a wrong turn and had reached a forest they had never seen before.

"Oh no! What will we do?"

"Well we could climb a tree and see the way" said Hannah. So they did. But it didn't work.

"I've got an idea" said Will, "we can keep on walking and we might find our way".

"Great idea!" said Hannah. So they kept on walking but suddenly they found themselves in a mountain.

"I'm hungry" said Maddie, "we only have one chocolate bar."

"Okay I'll wait."

"I want to go home" said Maddie. "What will we do now?"

 "I don't know" said Hannah.

Just then it started to snow. "I see snowflakes" said Maddie, "me too" said Hannah.

Chapter 3

"Where are we?" said Maddie,

"I think we're in the mountain and it's winter" said Hannah.

"Can I have the blanket you packed Hannah" said Will, "sure" said Hannah.

"I see a fairy with a pom pom bag, wings and rainbow magic."

"Hello" said the fairy, "do you want me to take you home? What I'll do is sprinkle some fairy dust and I will show you the way home," and she did.

Ten minutes later they could see home. When home they said "bye", the fairy said "bye" and they all lived happily ever after.

The end

The magic scarf ... by Agnes

My name is Valerie Xzing (the X is silent). I’m eleven years old and I live with my Grandma Ethel since my parents died in a car accident. I’m a girl but not just any normal girl. I’ll tell you the story that turned my boring eleven year old life upside-down.

It was a stormy day in the middle of winter. I was sitting down and reading my favourite book ‘Harry Potter and the goblet of fire’. “Valerie, I need to go shopping, and you’re coming with me,” said Grandma Ethel. “I would let Faye your babysitter look after you but she still has tonsillitis. Silly girl, she shouldn’t be hanging around anyone who has tonsillitis.” I laughed quietly to myself because I was the one that Faye got it from. Grandma’s the silly one!

As Grandma and I were walking to the grocery store I spotted a scarf that was pink, grey and purple with little pink pom-poms on it. I really wanted it. “Gran, can I get that scarf? It’s really pretty and it will also keep me nice and warm”, I asked my Grandma. “I don’t know, that shop looks a bit strange to me.” She said in a worried voice. “Oh please, please, please can I get it”, I plead. My Grandma sighed and gave me some money. I ran off forgetting to thank her. I pushed open the door and a little bell rang as I stepped inside. I see an old lady behind the counter. I walk up to her. I pointed to the pink, grey and purple scarf. “Can I buy that scarf in the shop window?” The old lady stepped away from the counter, showing her scrawny legs. She certainly took her time getting the scarf. “That will be $20”, the old lady said in a wheezy voice once she finally got to the counter. “You know that scarf could hold magic powers. You never know with the things in this store”, the old woman added as I give her the money. I hurried out of the shop a little bit scared by what the old lady said.        

I lay down in my bed, awake, staring at my pet galah Snowflakes. “HELLO”, he screeched, spreading his wings. “Shush, Snowflakes”, I whisper. There was a flashing light in the hallway. What was it? I got out of my bed and followed the light. It led me to my scarf, which was lying on the floor. I picked it up and examined it. “Nothing unusual”, I thought. I put it on and I went back to my room and looked at Snowflakes. Before my eyes, Snowflakes turned into a beautiful bird made of glimmering ice. I gasped. And it looked like there was a barrier protecting Snowflakes from something. Then I realised that of course, it’s to protect the ice from the sun! I sat down on the floor, thinking of all the amazing things I could do with this magic scarf.

I woke up to find myself curled up in a ball on the floor. Memories of last night came rushing through my head. I picked up the scarf and put it on and looked at a doll Grandma had given me. I hated that doll. I stared at its plastic eyes and it turned into ice and melted. “Huh” I say. I realised then that the scarf turns things I love into ice with protective barriers, and it melts things I hate.

“What is that little girl doing with that scarf, Gumball”, Willow says to her dog while watching me melting things and turning things into ice. Willow lives in the house across the road. “WOOF” Gumball barks, “You’re right Gumball, the scarf must have magic powers. We have to steal it. You know how much I love the cold weather.”

I walk into the kitchen to find some pancakes and a note from Grandma: Good morning Valerie. I’ve gone to the gym as usual, help yourself to some pancakes. Love Grandma Ethel.

I quickly eat my pancakes and get ready to go for a walk. I leave the house forgetting to lock the door. I also leave my scarf behind because I am scared that I will turn someone into ice.

“Hmm, looks like they have both left the house" says Willow, while staring from her bedroom window, watching Valerie walk down the street. "This is the perfect time to steal the scarf Gumball.” Willow gets dressed, walks across the road to Valerie’s house and quietly opens the gate. Her heels clip-clop on the cobblestone as she walks to the front door. The door is unlocked. She sneaks around the house to Valerie’s bedroom. The scarf is on the bedside table. Grabbing it, Willow rushes across the road back to her house.

When I get back from my walk Grandma’s at home watching some TV. I walk into the living room. “Hi Gran” I say. “Where have you been?”, she asks casually. “I just went on a walk”, I answer, but Grandma seems to be more interested in what’s on TV than me so I go back to my room. The scarf’s gone! I look everywhere but there is no sign of it. Now I’m worried. I grab my notebook and a pen, run out  onto the street and go up and down the street door-knocking, asking my neighbours if they’ve seen anyone wearing a pink, grey and purple scarf with pink pom-poms. Just when I was about to give up someone tells me “I saw that lady across the road from you holding the exact same scarf you’re talking about.” That was all the information I needed. I walk back to my house and into my room to figure out a plan to get my scarf back.  

When I hear Grandma snoring, I jump out of my bed already dressed and get my torch. I quietly walk out of the house and across the road to Willow’s house. I try to open the front gate, but it won’t budge. I try climbing it but there are big spikes on top. Then I see a gap between the gate and the fence that I might be able to fit through. I squeeze through and it works! Suddenly I hear growling. I look down to see a little dog. The dog starts barking. I squeeze back out to the other side of the fence. “I need something to distract it” I say to myself.  Then I remember the piece of meat Grandma bought earlier today that we were going to have for dinner tomorrow. “Aha, I can use that big piece of meat”, I say to myself. "I could get the piece of meat that we’re having for dinner tomorrow” I run back to my house and open the fridge. Right in front of me is a big steak wrapped in glad-wrap. I take the steak and walk back to Willow’s house. This time, before I squeeze through the gap I throw the steak over the fence. When I get through the gap the dog is already chewing on the steak.

I try to open the front door, I look around. There is a gate leading to the back garden. It’s open. I walk through the gate to the back door. Holding my breath, I twist the door handle. I’m in luck, the back door opens. I calmly walk inside the house and turn on my torch and flick the torch light around the room. I’m in the kitchen. I keep flicking the torch light around and then I spot something pink on a little table. I pick it up. It’s my scarf! Suddenly, “BANG!”, a door somewhere in the house slams shut. I hear creaking floorboards. Someone is walking around the house. A shadowy figure appears, coming ever closer. In a panic now, I quickly hide under the little table as the figure comes into view. The figure stops right beside me. I can hear it breathing. “Who’s there”, it growls. “I know you’re there”. At this point I’m scared witless. Clutching the scarf, I make a dash for the back door, run to the fence, out through the gap as if my life depended on it. “I will get that scarf back don’t you worry!” I hear a distant voice say, as I run across the road, home.

Next morning, I wake up at 10:00am. I’m still super tired after what happened the night before.
“Valerie, where are you. You haven’t been up this late since that sleepover you had”,  my Grandma says crossly. Grandma is standing right beside my bed. “Valerie, do you know where the piece of meat we were going to have tonight is?” Her voice sounds a bit cross.

“Grandma, it’s a long story...”, I say.

THE END

Nature fantasy ... by Sofia

I found one! The most beautiful fairy right in front of my eyes,
waving its wings like it was trying to fly up to the sky that was as clear as rice.
With a lot of magic in its hand,
and a quick gesture with its wand,
its feet gracefully landed on the soft grass,
that is when I finally saw that her eyes looked as easy to break as glass.
I took it in my palm,
it looked so calm.

On my walk to my granny´s house,
I couldn´t even hear a mouse.
All I could think about,
was I wanted to shout,
I wanted to shout that I had found a fairy to anyone who heard,
but I knew the existence of fairies shouldn´t be shared,
well, that was what a fairy once told me,
that fairy also told me her name was Amy.

“Granny, I found a fairy today”
she looked as fragile as hay,
my hand stretched out to show her,
“I always find fairies in summer,
but this year I am finding them in winter,
although they are very rare”
at that comment she went very white,
as if she wasn´t feeling alright.

The next day it was snowing,
but I hated not exploring.
So I went outside,
I kept thinking that my granny was sick but I always pushed the thought aside.
With snowflakes brushing my face,
I kept walking quickly like it was a race.
Finally I found an elf on the ground,
just looking around.
With some pom poms on top of its hat,
it looked like a green cat.

So once again I took the unusual creature in my hand,
that is when I noticed what it had on its neck - a tiny green band.
I kept on looking,
then suddenly the most amazing and magical creature was in front of me - the angel king.
It looked so beautiful with all that snow on its nose,
so I thought he probably knows,
so I asked him why my granny was so pale yesterday,
yesterday was a normal day,
although I did find a fairy,
but she shouldn´t worry.

The magic jumper ... by Jemima

Brrrr it’s freezing - I can’t believe Winter has arrived.

I wake up to hear the loud noise of my alarm clock, a hand-me-down from my mum which came from her mum. I didn’t want that alarm clock but my mum gets up extra early and works the whole day 6am to 9pm, so I need something to wake me and I can’t afford a new one.

But wait, I’m late! I guess I slept through my first alarm. I throw on my clothes. Oh no! My favourite jumper is in the wash and I don’t have time to wash it so I’ll just have to wear the jumper my mum knitted me. It’s the one with the bird on the back and it has wide wings and pom poms on the rim. I’m so embarrassed - Why today? Why?

I run outside and grab my bike (well my mum’s bike, she catches the tram on Fridays). I race to school and just make it in time for our first lesson. I try to cover my jumper as much as possible.

The day goes by so quickly and the next I know, I’m on the school front steps quickly grabbing my bike. I cycle home without stopping except at the lights, maybe a bit too fast because I hit a rock and snowflakes cover me… WHAT? It doesn’t even snow in Australia (at least not where I live!) I’ve ever actually touched snow. I search through my bag to find my gloves. It’s even colder then before - and that was cold!

I get up off the ground and it's snowing everywhere. I can’t see my way home, this is going to be tricky. I’m lost. I see a lonely tree all by itself covered in snow. Moving quickly towards it, trying not to get caught in the blizzard, I get to the tree and shut my eyes. For a funny moment I start thinking that I’m floating. I open my eyes and I am floating.

Oh My God!!! My jumper with the bird on the back, it’s wings are fluttering. That’s what’s making me fly. I am getting the hang of things when BANG! I hit the floor. That’s strange - I was so high and when I fell I didn’t feel any pain? Oh that’s right, the pom poms and the snow make it a soft landing. I stand up and try again but I keep falling. I try again and again but it’s not working. I think about my mum - she’s probably thinking I would be home by now. But it’s not my fault if I’m late, I can’t see my way home. How could this just happen? It’s magic!

I start floating up again. This is my last shot and I need to get it right. I start flying to the side. YAY! It’s working. But I still can’t see my way home. But then I realise there are no houses or schools or shops - nothing - just nothing, only the lonely tree. "Where am I?" I shout and see a figure that I hope will save me.

The figure comes closer and closer. It’s the only thing I see besides the lonely tree. The figure is alone. Then I see it clearly - it’s a little girl with a small dress covered with snowflakes. "Hello dear you seem lost?" she says. "As a matter of fact I am lost and was wondering if you could help me find my way. I was riding my bike and it hit a rock and snowflakes covered me and then I started to float and my jumper was making me…"

"Whoa, slow down dear you are talking way to fast. Wait, did you say jumper?"

"Yeah, it was making me fly. I think it might be magical"

"It can’t be, but maybe it is…"

"Is what?" I ask.

"A long time ago, there was this magic jumper with pom poms on the rim and a bird with wide wings, It’s just like that jumper but it went missing."

"Well it can’t be because my mum knitted it, or did she?"

"Well dear, you better come with me. The only person who can prove it is the Master - he knows everything."

We walk until we find a small little Kingdom. "This is where the Master lives and all the other workers" says the girl.

The gate opens and we go inside. "May I ask you what your name is?" I ask the girl.

"Well my nickname is ‘Pinkie’ because I'm the smallest worker so you can just call me that."

When we reach a big door, two guards look at Pinkie and open the gates. "Only the workers and the guards can go in the Master’s room" she says in a whisper. "You have to be quiet because the Master hates loud noise."

In front of us we see a throne with a tall person sitting in it. "I have something to show you." says Pinkie.

"WHAT?!" he booms.

"I found a girl lost and she has a magical jumper. We were wondering if it’s the one that went missing".

"Hmmm" he stands up and examines it. "It sure looks like the real thing. Does it fly?"

"Yes" I say.

"Well the only jumper to fly is that one you have so it’s the jumper that went missing. You are a very lucky young lady and this jumper needs to be shared with the world."

"But how?" I ask.

"You’ll find a way."

I was confused. I didn't know how to share it with the world, hopefully I can find a way. Pinkie and I leave the room and go outside.

"Do you need help finding your home?" Pinkie asks.

"I’ll manage." I say.

"Ok, it was nice meeting you" says Pinkie.

I run to the tree and pick up my bike. I start riding home and strangely hit the same rock again. Next I’m lying on the footpath. "That was strange" I say puzzled.

I see the familiar houses and quickly ride home to mine. My mum’s home and after giving her a big hug, I ask, "Mum can I donate my knitted jumper?"

"Sure", mum says, "maybe it’s time for another kid to experience the magic!"

She must have known all along.

It's good to be different ... by Rose

I close my eyes.

I imagine a winter wonderland as I sit listening to the Frozen soundtrack on my pineapple retro headphones. "I love imagining" I say to my best friend Riley or ‘Pom Pom’ as I like to call her.

After school we sit waiting for the bus, with me in my ruffled school dress and my polka dot socks and Riley in her wacky poncho covered with pom poms (now you know how she got her nickname!), overlaying her sports uniform with a deer brooch.

I think to myself, "I understand why people think we’re weird, we wear daggy outdated clothes and I tell people things that I imagine which of course they think is a whole lot of nonsense". You see, I wish that people could understand me. I know my best friend Riley is always there for me but half the time even she tells me to stop imagining and to get on with life. It also doesn’t help being the only girl in the family.

After what seems like forever, the bus finally arrives. We both find our seats and then watch people with their heads buried in their phones. Then something catches my eye. A woman unravels her hand crocheted scarf to reveal a strange object. I whisper something to Riley and we both get off at the same stop as the woman. You may be thinking ‘STALKER!’ but let me explain. This woman looks like she has the same taste that Riley and I have and there’s something special about her. Something that is different. Unique. So that’s why we follow her and by the way you’d probably do the same if you were in our situation.

When we reach what seems to be her house, we see the woman use the strange object to unlock the door. "Why doesn’t she just use keys like everyone else?" I whisper. "I don’t know" says Riley with a tone in her voice that makes me kind of frightened.

When the door swings open with a loud creak we both jump and then work up the nerve to go inside, being very quiet so that the woman doesn’t hear us.

"OMG!" I squeal forgetting to contain my excitement. Riley turns to nudge me but it’s too late. The woman has heard and has spun around on her heel with an expression that surprises me. It’s a cheery and bubbly expression, a look like she’d just won a million dollars.

And so is mine. Even though I’m kind of shocked about her finding us, I’m surprised because this house isn't just an ordinary one painted with white walls, timber floorboards, updated kitchen and an en suite. This is a one of a kind.

"It’s a retro 50’s style house. Everything we’ve dreamed of right here. No modern day pretty, in style house that all the popular and cute girls think that’s hot right now. What don’t you get?" I say to Riley.

"I get it Sam." says Riley. "It’s just I follow the rules of my parents. I don’t just barge into peoples houses like we did just then. I respect and care for other peoples properties."

"I don’t think you’re barging into my property" says the woman in a kind tone.

"Didn’t you read the sign?"

"What sign" I say turning towards Riley with a confused expression.

"The sign on the front veranda that says ‘All welcome to the wacky & bright" the woman replies.

I’m kind of freaking out because I’ve never met a lady who’s as calm as she is. I want to ask how, but I can’t work up the nerve.

"What if some stranger comes in, what would happen then?" asks Riley.

"No one ever comes, they think I’m the weird one and they don’t bother talking. Too busy minding their own boring lives I guess" says the woman in a sad tone.

"Well guess what, we don’t think your weird we think your cool just like us" I say to the woman.

"And this place is like magic, I don’t know anyone who could resist magic" Riley chirps in.

"You think so?" asks the woman.

"Yeah, truly" I say.

"I’d love for you to stay, but won’t your parents be worried?" asks the woman again.

"No because Riley’s staying at my place for the night, and my dad thinks we’re going shopping. Plus my dad doesn’t care where we go anyway" I say thinking about my family.

So we go inside and drink a nice cup of hot chocolate.

There are so many things on the walls. There are homemade blankets embroidered with butterflies with the most colourful wings, leather couches, stuffed birds, checked floors, juke boxes, and snowflakes stuck on the walls to make it look like Narnia.

"This would be a lovely place to live in" I say to the woman as she comes in bringing a plate full of cookies.

"It is dear, but it’s better right at 4 o’clock because then the whole room becomes magical and everything comes alive" she says.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yes really, but only if you imagine" says the woman.

"I told you imagining was good" I say trying to tease Riley.

"Like I would of known" Riley says poking her tongue out at me.

"Anyway" says the woman, "it’s nearly 4 o’clock now so you better start imagining!"

We all close our eyes. I can see Riley struggling but I think "She’ll get used to it," so I stop looking at others and start concentrating on myself.

Suddenly the whole room lights up with a twinkling sound that’s hard to get over. Everything starts to come alive and then I hear music. I see people dancing and having a great time. I feel like I’m in ‘Teen Beach Movie’ because everything looks just like that.

The woman says "What are you waiting for? Let’s party!"

So we all start to dance, meet new people, and have a great time.

Eventually, everything starts to disappear and fade away until all that’s left is the woman’s house. Before we know it, it’s time to go so we say our goodbyes to the woman.

Suddenly I realise that Riley and I don’t know the woman’s name so I ask, "Excuse me, would you mind telling us your name?"

The woman replies "You don’t need to know my name and I don’t need to know yours, all that matters is that we know each other’s personalities and what we have in common".

"What? So names don’t matter to you, it’s the imagination that counts?" Riley asks.

"Exactly my dear" the woman replies.

"You know what, that’s exactly right" both Riley and I say in complete unison.

"You’ve learnt something, haven’t you?" the woman says.

"I think we have" I reply with an expression on my face that shows that I’m sad to go.

So we end up leaving and I say to Riley, "I don’t care if others think I’m weird. I’m going to stand up for what I believe in just like what that woman does, because I know that imagining is a great form of magic".

Riley agrees.

Only 3 days to go!

This competition is now closed. Winners will be notified Wednesday 22 October and winning entries will be published on the blog after that date.

it's writing competition time again!

It's that time again - school holidays and a new writing competition! Let your imagination go wild - you just need to follow the guidelines below.

Write your story using all of the following words and characters:

Bees

Mr Strict

Mrs Proudlove

Seeds

Basket 

Maximum 1500 words - entries close Friday 10 October.

The prizes and categories are:

Send your entry with your name, phone number and date of birth to library@portphillip.vic.gov.au or drop it in to your nearest library branch.

Winners will be notified Wednesday 22 October and winning entries will be published on the blog.

And don't forget to check out the Spring School Holiday Program too - we have some amazing events just waiting for you to book into!!!

and another competition...

As part of the Winter School holiday program we have another Library Writing Competition for all of those young authors out there!

All you have to do is write your story using all four of the following characters:

Sam

Nina

Mr Pinkerton

Chook

Maximum 1500 words

Send your entry with your name, phone number and date of birth (DOB required!) to library@portphillip.vic.gov.au or drop it in to your nearest library branch.

Enquiries to Linda Todd, 9209-6526.

Winners will be notified on Wednesday, July 24. Winning entries will be published on the Lightning Readers blog! 

a new Library Writing Competition!

Here's a new writing competition for all of those budding writers out there!

Let your imagination go wild - all you need to do is use all of the following 5 words in your story:

 

eyeballs

 

book

 

mud

 

monkey

 

driftwood

 

Stories to be a maximum of 1500 words.

 

3 x $65.00  &  3 x $35.00  book vouchers to be won! Prizes awarded in the following categories:

 

7-8 years

 

9-10 years

 

11-12 years

 

Entries close Friday 19 April.

 

Send your entry with your name, phone number and date of birth to library@portphillip.vic.gov.au or drop it in to your nearest library branch.

 

Enquiries to Linda Todd, ph: 9209 6526

 

Winners will be notified Monday 13 May. Winning entries will be published on the Lightning Readers blog.

 



When imaginations go wild...

... we get some wonderful tales of adventure to read!

Here are the winners of the "let your imagination go wild" library writing competition in which writers were asked to choose one of the following passages as their story opening:

"It was strange, like nothing they had experienced before. Sam was reminded of a childhood picture book... where the walls became the world all around. Oh yes, it was 'Where the wild things are' by Maurice Sendak. Sam must have read it and had it read to him a thousand times but he had never expected to be reminded of it like this..."

or

"They could see land, they could see trees and plants, but not much else. What would they find there? Finn suddenly remembered a favourite old picture book where a boy sailed to the place where the wild things are. Would there be wild things here? he wondered..."

Category 1:  7-8 age group:

• Melisand, 8 ...  $70 voucher for The biologists' adventure
• Jack, 7         ...  $40 voucher for The wild things

Category 2:  9-10 age group

• Matilda, 9   ...   $70 voucher for Where the wild things are
• Riddhi, 10   ...   $40 voucher for The wild things

Category 3:  11-12 age group:

• Georgia, 12 ...  $70 voucher for Scar's sea
• Ella, 12        ...  $40 voucher for Memrex 2000

As usual the standard was high, so thanks to all who entered - it's difficult to choose from such wonderfully imaginative stories - so congratulations to those who won a book voucher!

The biologists' adventure ... by Melisand, aged 8

"They could see land, they could see trees and plants but not much else. What would they find there? Finn suddenly remembered a favourite old picture book where a boy sailed to a place where wild things are. Would there be wild things here he wondered?"

The reason Finn (the grasshopper) is having this flashback thought is because Finn is an amazing biologist who is exploring a discovered, but unexplored, island accompanied by another biologist called Fionar (who is a ladybird)...

As Finn jumped, and Fionar flew, out of their boat onto the mysterious island they discovered that it was covered by craters from meteorites.

"Oh no!" cried out Fionar.

"Shhhh," whispered Finn. "There may be some animals sleeping you know. We are exploring at night."

"Oops," murmured Fionar.

Little did they know that nearby a mother field mouse was stuck in a dead-end meteorite tunnel. A mean clump of walking grass had blocked the tunnel with its roots and a kind-hearted talking tree was trying to persuade the horrid grass to mind its own business and go away and forget about the field mouse.

Then both Finn and Fionar heard the quarrel going on.

"Don't you respect that poor field mouse's feelings?"

"Do you really think that we care about a field mouse? Bla... bla..!" retorted the grass rudely.

They decided to investigate.

"After all we are here to explore," said Finn.

"Um... yes..." agreed Fionar nervously, and as they came closer, they decided to be on the side of who, or what, ever it was that wasn't swearing!

Meanwhile, underground the tiny field mouse whimpered for all it was worth. "Give me a chance!" she cried. "It's not my fault I'm stuck. The blades of grass tricked me into thinking this was my friend Rabbit's hole, who I was on my way to visit."

Up above the two biologists and the wonderful tree were discussing how they could get the grass to move. But they did not know that the grass was playing a game of 'stacks on' where the blades jump on top of each other. The bottom blade heard what the field mouse said and was so surprised that a silly field mouse would realize it had been tricked that it fell in. The courageous mouse only just managed to jump out of the way as the grumpy pile of grass fell down into the tunnel.

Mia, the field mouse, scampered happily out of the tunnel into the open air. Full of joy she started tugging on Finn's trousers (Finn being the only grasshopper who wears business trousers!). Finn turned around when he felt the tugging and looked down to see Mia smiling up at him.

"Yippee! Hulloa!" he shouted.

"Hello mousey! I'm so glad you got out of that tunnel," cheered Sienna the tree.

Finn and the talking tree shouted so loudly in their excitement that they alerted five other talking trees from the forest.

"Hey mates..." said one.

"That sounds like..." called another.

"Our old friend Sienna!" shouted a third. "Let's all go and see if she needs a hand."

Near the tunnel the three were still congratulating Mia on escaping. As the trees came stumbling awkwardly along (due to having to pull up their roots with every step), Sienna exclaimed "I'm so glad you came, I was just about to send for you!"

"The sneaky grass is still down there" said Fionar pointing to the tunnel. "Would you guard the tunnel to make sure that the grass doesn't get away? It needs to be taught a lesson."

"Of course we will" said the trees together.

"Thank you" said Finn. "Do you have any ideas on how the grass can be taught some manners?"

"Oh yes ... could we please borrow some rope, butter, a mini-megaphone and a spade from your boat? We'll use them as part of a prank," replied Sienna stroking her trunk thoughtfully. "We will return them by parrot mail if you give us your address ..."

"We've had quite an adventure" said Fionar.
"Yes," agreed Finn, thinking to himself, there ARE wild things here...