Our Space Our Words

   Her name is Sophie.  She is a girl who steals from people. At the age of ten she started stealing in primary school, from people, from friends, from shops. The gang she hung around it was a bad influence. After school they always ended up in a shopping centre and Sophie and her friend stole things.   They thought it was fine stealing because there was no other way of getting new clothes and things.
   Now she is twelve and has started secondary school. She made new friends, in a new gang. She told them what she used to do in primary school and her new mates want to try it out too.  They need new clothes and things themselves. So after school they went to a shopping centre in town, and they stole things, whatever they wanted or dared take.  They kept on stealing non-stop for a month, a whole month.  One day they went to a shop called New Look.  They stole some shoes – nice shoes.  Except they forgot to peel off the label from the back.  The sensor went off while they were trying to get out. It beeped.
   Sophie, knowing the game, ran.  She managed to get out but her friends didn’t.  They got into trouble with the police.  A whole lot of trouble.
   Next day when Sophie goes to school, her friends are hanging out with the bad people. Her friends were telling on her with the bad people, the bad gang. They tell them what Sophie has done, how she got them into trouble with the police and ran.
   At the end of the day Sophie goes to her locker.  It’s where she keeps all her stuff.  Her mobile phone.  Her ipod her father gave her. Her school books, her jewellery.  Everything she has, and none of it stolen from shops or other people. She’s proud of that even if she don’t admit it to anyone.
   She opens her locket but it is empty.  All her stuff is gone.  Stolen.  Her former friends hang around, pretending not to look, sniggering.
   She hears someone singing.  ‘What goes round comes around…’   

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Failure

  “Yeah, you’re a really good musician but to get into this area of the music business you need to develop your voice”.
  That’s all I ever seem to get from record companies. My music is good but my voice could crack glass, not in a good way though. I love music, it’s my life. But how do you get into the music biz if you can’t hold a simple note?
  I trudged home in the rain. Completely discouraged. All my life my dream was to be a mega star. Look at me now a famous reject. I turned the corner into my road and walked 50 yards up to my house. I wasn’t ready to face mum, she doesn’t believe in my dream. My dad died fighting for the same dream I have. Mum just thinks I’m setting myself up for failure. I can’t let my dad down. Mum just expects me to be a doctor like Delilah, my sister. Oh perfect Delilah, mummy’s little angel. Well I might as well go home gonna have to face the Brady bunch sooner or later.
  As I was putting my key in the lock the door swung open. I jumped back, nearly fainting.
  “Dee, Dee, Denise! My favourite cousin”, cried Marquis as he leapt forward to hug me.
  I was over the moon he’s the only person I can talk to who listens since dad died. Everyone else just shuts me out.
  We ordered Chinese and updated each other on our lives and what was going on. He then told me that when he arrived mum and Delilah were at home but went to Nana’s for the weekend. I was so relieved to be able to prolong the private time I had with Marquis. After staying up late watching black and white films we decided we would call it a day. We made our way to our separate rooms, and planned to eat breakfast at the local diner.
  “Morning stinky toes,” I greeted Marquis as he exited the bathroom.
  “Uh,” said Marquis acting hurt, “I forgot how long you could sleep the diners probably serving lunch now”.
   When I finished dressing up my nostrils were tingled by the smell of food. I walked into the front room greeted by the sight of Marquis lazing on the sofa flicking through the channels.
  “Oh, I thought I smelt lasagne,” I informed Marquis.
  “You did, it’s cooling off,” replied Marquis calmly.
  I walked into the kitchen, I could almost taste the lasagne on my lips it looked so tantalising.
  “I knew you would like that, I remembered it was your favourite food”, said Marquis quietly.
  I jumped as I hadn’t felt another presence in the room, he was such a calm quiet person which is what everyone loves about him.
  Over lunch I explained to Marquis how my dream as a mega star was dead and that maybe I should just become a doctor like Delilah.
  “Zip it,” interrupted Marquis, “That’s defeatist talk, you’re a fighter, you just need to learn how to sing. I help you find a coach.”
  “Thank you, you’re the only person who believes in me right now because I don’t believe in myself,” I replied truthfully.

False Hope

  We set out looking at the purple pages. We found a basic singing coach and this singing specialist. I was nervous I hadn’t been taught music by anyone but my dad and I don’t take criticism easily. Marquis saw the look on my face and told me to relax as I made the phone calls. I spoke to the coaches who both were women. Susan who was the basic music coach, told me to come in first thing tomorrow morning. Whereas Martha the specialist told me to come over straight away and we’d go from there, her voice was harsh I knew I’d need to brace myself.
  “Take off your sweater and we’ll do some warm ups,” said Martha instructed without looking at me. I could tell this was going to be a long session.
  After 3 hours of hell and total criticism, Martha told me to put my sweater on and we would discuss the session. I didn’t like the sound of her words.
  “Denise, you seem to be a very talented musician,” said Martha in her strong accent, “But I insist you stick to being a producer, honestly…I’ve heard a dying horse make better…shall we call it…sounds”.
  “Well, I’m great full for your honesty. Sorry for wasting your time,” I said as I walked out of her studio. In truth I was crushed but I still had the basic musician to help me out. Anyway opera isn’t my style and that’s what she specializes in.
  “How was it darling cousin mine,” enquired Marquis.
  “Just great,” I replied sarcastically.
  “Don’t give up it’ll there’s always tomorrow,” he replied optimistically.
  I went to bed early that night, I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Not even Marquis, which was unusual. He left me alone so I could be with my thoughts he knows not when to push me and let me be.
  I awoke this morning ready for a new day, a fresh start. I walked into the kitchen to pour myself some crunchy nut. As I turned to return the milk something caught the corner of my eye, it was a note.

To Dede,
Gone to Tre and Taylor’s house
just felt like being with the guys.
I hope you don’t mind. Good luck
with today and don’t wait up for me
Marquis

  How sweet of him to ensure I don’t worry about him. Well I guess I’d better go and get ready for Susan.
  An hour later I’m in a small room inside a community centre. Susan a smiley round woman is sitting at the piano doing scales with me. This feels worse than yesterday and Susan’s sweet. Going back to basics feels weird. I haven’t spent time on scales and breathing from my diaphragm.
  “Now sing louder,” Susan instructed.
  “lalalalalALALAALAA!” I bellowed.
  “Well done, let’s try saying me instead of la,” requested Susan. That’s how the lesson continued swapping la for me, me for la. Susan also taught me how to control the breathes I took and how to sing from my diaphragm. I also found there was a special way to stand when singing, crazy right.
  “Denise I really enjoyed this day. Go home practise then rest your voice. Come and visit me anytime you need some help,” offered Susan.
  “Thanks you’ve been a real help,” I replied as I hugged her and hurried home to inform Marquis.

Blessings in Disguise

  It was 9:47pm when I finally arrived home. Marquis was on the phone to his girlfriend, so I decide to practise before I showed off my new found singing skills. I sung a few of the latest chart toppers until I heard the phone click into place and Marquis walk over to the sofa.
  “mememememememeeeMEEEEE!” I sung like a cherubim.
  “WOW!” exclaimed Marquis, “Today made a huge difference. Sing me one of your songs now, miss diva”.
  I popped my backing track into the CD player and walked to the centre of the living room. I got into the singing stance, took a deep breath and belted out the first line. Wow I sound like a chart topper. Then I sung the next line. Marquis’ grin began to fade away, my voice was returning to its usual self. I felt like Cinderella after the ball, slowly but surely turning back into a house girl. There was no hope I wasn’t going to make it as a singer with the voice of a warthog…grunt grunt. 
  “It’s ok, don’t give up the first line sound superb,” soothed Marquis, “But I think I found something for you,” started marquis.
  He explained while at Tre and Taylor’s, or shall I say T and T’s, they introduced a new format of singing to him. It was more like talking really fast to a nice upbeat tune.
  “Hello I said I want to sing not talk really fast, anyway Tre and Taylor are a pair of jokes…urgggh,” I yelled as I stormed into my room.
  How can Marquis even suggest I compromise singing for talking, it’s unethical. I wanna be able to sing like dad his voice was soothing and relaxing.
  “I made you some pancakes…sorry about last night. No hard feelings?” marquis says solemnly.
  I trudge out of my room and fork some pancakes into my mouth. I say nothing to Marquis, I feel like milking the situation. When I finished my pancakes and I make my way over to the bathroom. Just at that moment the phone rings.
  “Denise I need to see you at my office at the record label ASAP,” commanded Big Phil Street Beatz’s CEO, then I hear the dial tone. Big Phil only does that when it’s super urgent.
  I rushed into the shower while I was still brushing my teeth and the pancake remnants away. I run back out into my room and pull on my clothes. As I sprint out of the room Marquis others to give me a lift I offer it hastily. We arrive at Big Phil’s office 30 minutes after he called.
  “You took your time Dede. Well I’m not one to complain but is that all you could pull out of your wardrobe to wear for a CEO like me? Anyway I’d like you meet my nephews Tre and Taylor,” said Big Phil.
  The names rang in my head like an alarm. T and T entered through a side door.
  “Hey Dede, we heard about your singing probably so we thought we could teach you a new technique,” said Taylor beaming. I didn’t have a chose in the matter, I had to learn the technique or big Phil would get vex. Big Phil led us, Tre, Taylor, Marquis and I, to a sound proof room. My tummy was in knots I didn’t want to learn their stupid technique.
  “Alright Dede let’s start with a basic phrase: My name is Dede, 1.5 times 2 equals three,” instructed Tre as Big Phil left the room. I snorted as I heard the rhyme, how pathetic.
  “OK Dede, Big Phil has gone so we don’t need to pretend. Marquis told us you didn’t want our help but Big Phil ordered us to help you,” informed Tre truthfully. I might as well make an effort if he had the consideration to tell me the truth.
  We spent the next hour and a half talking really fast to different beats and tunes if I am honest with myself I kind of enjoyed it. It was a refreshing change. Suddenly, in the middle of a track, Big Phil barged in. He was clapping.
  “I love it, every bit of it…it’s so…so…funky fresh. I’m going to call it R.A.P. Radical Attempt at Poetry,” said Big Phil ecstatically.
  As they say the rest is history.

Happy Endings

The opening act had finished, I was going on. I walked down the stairs, my tummy was in knots even though this was the 14th time I’d done this. My knees knocked together they were like jelly. I could see the machine made smoke, the glitzy lights. I walked onto the stage there was an up roar from the sea of heads. I could sea at least 7,000 people in the arena. I began to rap, I could hardly hear myself. The crowd were chanting Queen Dede. I loved being queen of rap, it was even better than the dream I initially had. After the show I took photos and did signings. It was my 2 year anniversary of being in the music biz. I was in Tokyo with Tre and Taylor. Marquis was with me all of the journey, he loves his new travelling life. Mum is proud of me but hasn’t apologised for not believing in me. Delilah and I still hate each other but she loves showing me off now.

Molly and her friends couldn’t wait to go camping in the forest. Molly wanted to make a real campfire and tell ghost stories round it, and sing campfire songs.

    ‘Molly, hurry up,’ her mum shouted from downstairs.

    ‘Coming,’ Molly called back. She was so excited and she couldn’t wait to put up her tent.

    ‘Wow,’ Molly gasped when she saw the forest.  The trees looked like they were leaning against each other, shutting out the sun.

    ‘Mollie,’ someone called.

    Mollie turned round and saw her friends, Bella, Ann and Ellie.  ‘Hi, guys.’

    She hugged them tightly.  ‘Let’s get our tents up.’

    …’Now what?’ said Bella.  They had set up their tents, and got the campfire going.  The sun had gone down and where the light from their campfire didn’t reach it was dark, really dark.

    ‘Time for scary stories,’ Anne exclaimed, and they sat round the fire, toasting marshmallows.

 Ellie started the story.  ‘Once…’  She insisted that it was true, but she was making it all up to scare her friends.  ‘Once there was a man who stayed in a hotel very close to hear, right on the edge of the forest.  He thought it was a good hotel until they gave him some food, which he was allergic to.  It made his feet swell up and he was furious, really angry.  He had told them he was allergic, had even written a note which they should have pinned up in the kitchen but they hadn’t taken any notice.

    The cook came out of the kitchen to have a word.  ‘We didn’t make any mistake, sir.  No food you are allergic to when into that stew.’

    ‘Then who put it there.’

    The man realised someone was out to get him.  Perhaps the scoundrel had run into the forest. 

    ‘But I’ll find him,’ said the man, ‘and when I do, I shall teach him a lesson he will never forget.’

    Off the man went, out of the hotel close to hear on his swollen feet.  Thump! Thump! Thump!  The cook and the people who ran the hotel, and all the other guests could hear his footsteps fading into the forest.  And that’s the last they ever saw of him.  People say he is still in the forest to this very day, looking for the person who had given him the wrong food….

    Everyone round the fire was speechless. It was all so scary. Ellie looked pleased with herself. She’d fooled them.  Everyone believed the story was true now.  Thump! Thump!  Thump!  It was very hard not to laugh.

    ‘Come on,’ Bella yawned at last.  ‘The fire’s nearly out.  Let’s go to bed.’

    Everyone got into their cosy sleeping bags, zipped their tents shut and went to sleep.  Ann woke up in the middle of the night.  She could hear something.

    Thump!  Thump! Thump!

    It was the man from the hotel, still looking for the person who had given him the wrong food. 

    ‘It can’t be,’ Ellie confessed.  ‘I made the whole thing up just to scare you guys. ‘

    But there was the sound again.  Who was making that noise then?

Thump! Thump! Thump……!

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 May 19th was the day I was going to Barcelona on holiday, for two whole weeks. I couldn’t wait to go and the best part was that I was going there on a cruise ship. 3 days on a cruise ship – that was the best part of the holiday as far as I was concerned. ‘1 more week to go,’ I kept thinking all through the days before. I started packing bags and equipment in the car a week before with my brother.

* * *

All of my stuff, and the other’s, was packed in the car. So we set off to the cruise harbour. It took nearly four hours to get there. And then we had to wait another two before we could get on the ship. I have to say I got a bit angry because I really wanted to get on and see what the ship was like inside. The person who was in charge said we had to park our car outside and carry our luggage on board. I was quite happy to do that because it meant I could go on board at last.

It was so posh, it was rated a 5 star ship. I told my mum, ‘can I please go swimming in the pool?’

‘Ok,’ she said, so I ran in my swimming trunks and jumped into the pool.

* * *

The water slides were really fun but it was getting dark. I got dressed and called my brother and sisters, ‘let’s go to the cinema.’
So we went to watch a film, on board a ship. It was HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. Three hours long, it was a really good film. By the end of it, it was about midnight, so I went to my room with my brother and sisters and we all fell asleep.

* * *

Day 2 of the cruise!

I had lots of things to do today. I ate my breakfast: bacon, sausage, egg, baked beans and toast. After that I got dressed in my new clothes and went to look around the cruise ship. I was thinking of something that I needed. My basketball. I went to my room and got it. My brother was waiting for me in the basketball pitch, so we played for a couple of hours. Later on mum called for us to go to the restaurant and have our lunch. I had pizza and chips, the others all had different things like hamburgers, jacket potato and seafood. Soon I was feeling full and needed to relax. I thought perhaps I should go and watch another film. My brother didn’t agree. ‘Let’s hang around with mum and dad.’

So we did. We looked around some more places on the ship. There were shops where you could buy clothes, and my mum and dad decided to buy some. We had to wait while they tried them on.

Suddenly I heard something. People were shouting and screaming.

‘The way ahead is blocked with a huge rock. We can’t get through this canal.’

I was so scared, my heart was beating fast. Everyone else was panicking, saying that the ship was going to sink underwater.

‘Don’t panic,’ said the captain. He had come out to assure everyone that we were safe. But where we? From the deck you could see the huge rock looming closer and closer towards us. We got closer and closer to it. Then I had a thought. There was a missile on the ship. I told the captain to use it.

He said it was a good idea. But we only had one, so we had to wait until we were really close to the rock before we could use it.

BANG!

The captain fired and the missile and it hit the rock. ‘We’re going to die,” I thought. But the good thing is, nothing bad happened. Everyone was so happy.

* * *

The captain gave me £1000 for my help. I was even happier when we reached Barcelona. I gave my mum and dad a hug. We were here at last and we went to a nice hotel. A hotel in Barcelona!

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I am lying down. The hot sun shines brightly at me. I open my eyes little by little. The ground under me is really soft. I touch it and it feels like sand, running through my fingers.

I sit up. Where am I?  

I am stuck on a hot deserted island, that’s where. I just know it.  I start to scream - and my other 5 friends Charlotte, Marie, Nicole, Lucy and Corbin start to wake up.

Like me, they are really confused.

‘This is a dream. We’re dreaming.’

‘This is a fantasy.’

‘No it isn’t.”

‘It’s real, believe me.’

They get up with confusion. Corbin and Lucy seem to love the island. They think it’s beautiful.

I think they are crazy. I scream at their face. ‘There’s nothing here but sand.  Boring sand.’

Then I walk off.  They must think I’m weird, screaming like that, kicking up the sand. They tell me to chill. Nothing bad is going to happen to us.

But they are wrong.  I know it! I sit down, close my eyes and try to relax.  If only I could shake the feeling that something terrible is going to happen.
           
Suddenly I hear cannons being fired.  There are pirates headed to the island. The fire cannon is blowing up trees. We make a run for it.

Luckily there are too many palm trees for the pirates to see where we are going.  When we pass through the trees we find ourselves on the banks of a river.

I know its name. Long River. They is no way we can get across it, because there is no bridge, no fallen to tree stretching from bank to bank.  And there are poison fish in the water.

Corbin points out a boat. We leg it but the problem is, there is only space for four people on that boat.  I really want to live, so I go in after Corbin.

The others start to fight and argue with each other. Only two more can get in. Who should it be?

Nicole and Charlotte have a catfight.  Meanwhile Marie and Lucy sneak onto the boat. Angrily, Charlotte pushes Nicole in the river. Poor Nicole can’t swim. She is surrounded by poison fish. Her body starts to sink little by little.

We can see her hand bitten off by fishes. I feel really sick. Charlotte feels so guilty, she wants to follow her into the water. I can’t lose another friend. I get out the boat and try to stop her.

She doesn’t jump in. Somehow, we all cram into the boat; now we can’t leave anyone behind. I have never felt so scared in all my life.

Then the boat starts to tilt. I hold onto Corbin. Corbin really likes it and smiles back at me. I am so glad when we reach the other side. We get off the boat just in time.  As I hop on to the bank, is starts to sink. The others get out really quick and the fishes are eating the wood as if it were a piece of meat.

The sun starts to fade away. It gets darker. My heart is beating faster and faster. Corbin knows I am scared so he gets up and starts to sing and dance to entertain me. I feel much better.

We all cheer then Corbin wants me to dance with him. My friends start to cheer for me. I get up and dance by his side. I love it and the others want to dance.
          
While we are dancing we hear people talking and also shouting. We stop at once and I look through the bushes. It’s the pirates, looking for us! I step back and step right on to a dry stick. The snap sounds like a gunshot in the dark. We run! 

It’s so dark that I can’t see and I have to hold hands with Corbin. Marie falls over. She can’t get up. We try to help her,

“I think she’s broken her leg,’ says Charlotte.

Marie says, “go without me”.

I can’t lose another friend but Corbin says we must go.  Her screams fade away every time I ran further away. As we run we fall into a hole in the ground. I land on Charlotte and Lucy and Corbin land on me.  Ouch, the pain! I’m thinking how stupid can we get. This time we can’t escape. The hole is too deep, the sides of it too slippery to clamber up.

We sit down and stare at the moon. It is really beautiful. Corbin thinks it is romantic. Charlotte and Lucy start to fall asleep. I feel really sleepy too. And that’s when I notice Corbin is really upset. A teardrop rolls down from his eyes.

I look at him and tell him, “everything is going to be fine, trust me”.  He smiles back at me and we fall asleep in that pit, in the middle of the humid jungle on an island goodness knows where.

The next day I wake up to find I cannot move my arms. We are in a dark cave. We are strapped to a pole hammered into the ground. Marie is right beside me.  I wake her up. How did we get here from the hole in the ground?  Had the pirates captured us while we were sleeping?

The others are with us too. Corbin tries to break the pole but it’s too strong to break.

‘Quiet, everyone,” I gasp after a while.

I can hear footsteps. They come closer. It must be one of the pirates. He comes closer to us.

He says his name is William. As it turns out, he is not one of the pirates, just a man who was marooned hear many years ago. He offers us a deal. If we help to kill the pirates, he will help us escape. We all say yes.

Quickly, he cuts the ropes and we escape from the cave. He shows us how to use a sword. He’s got a pile of them, hidden away in a chest.

We practice all day long but where are the pirates? We look behind and suddenly pirates jump out from nowhere. They are ready to fight. We start to fight.

The battle is terrible.  Pirate’s body parts fall off like we are using light sabres. But we can’t get to the captain.  His name we learn is Savy. He claims to be the worst pirate in the history of pirates.

Suddenly everything goes as quite as the grave around me. The only thing I can hear is someone breathing. I know someone is behind me. I turn around. It’s Corbin.

‘Do you want to fight?’”

‘Don’t be silly.”

He finds the remark funny and starts to laugh. I realise he is not talking to me but to Captain Savy standing only a few feet away.

The duel lasts a long time, me and Corbin fighting Captain Savy together. We ate doing quite well. Then Captain Savy pushes me aside and it’s Corbin and him now. Lucy and Charlotte help me up. Corbin doesn’t do so well on his own. Before I know it, Captain Savy’s sword comes down and I hear Corbin howl.

The next thing I know I’m holding Corbin in my arms.

‘You can make it out of here,’ he whispers. 

I am so angry that I pick up my sword and start to duel with Captain Savy again. We are fighting on the edge of a cliff. Captain Savy is worn out and me too but neither will give up.  Then I hear a shot. It’s William. Slowly, Captain Savy falls over the cliff into the sea below. 

 We carry Corbin to William’s ship and leave the island at last. If only we can get home in time to get Corby help!  Then the ship stops in the middle of the ocean.

‘This is the end of the line for you, I’m afraid,’ says William.

I was shocked. “I trusted you”.

‘Never trust a pirate,’ he howls gleefully.  And he makes us all walk the plank while he throws Corbin into the sea. I try to hold on to him but I can’t.  I have to let go.  Then I feel something swimming underneath us.

It’s dolphins come to our rescue. And behind them is a boat, clouded in mist.

I shout for help!  But I see one guy has a musket.  He fires and I see the bullet coming towards me, straight at me.  I close my eyes, and then I open them again.

I am in bed.  I’d just had a nightmare. Lucky none of the adventure was real, otherwise I’d now be… dead.       

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    “Mum! I’m home!” Georgia yelled, rushing into the living room before her best friend Kate who had come to tea.
    “Oh hello darling! How was school?” her mum replied in her usual tone.
    “Yeah, yeah, great. But guess what!” Safiyah rushed her words so much that her mother took a few moments to try and figure out what she had said.
    “Wha-”
    “We’re going on a Safari trip for school!”
    “The whole world doesn’t need to know!” her best friend Kate pointed out as she strolled into the living room.
    “That’s wonderful, darling. We all know how much you love nature and animals!” her mum started to natter on. “Did she tell you, Kate? She wants to become a zoo keeper when she’s older! Her father isn’t very pleased about it but I just tried to explain that if she…”
    But the girls had left the room.
    “She does like to go on doesn’t she!” Kate sighed walking out of the front door “I better go and start packing!”
    “Yeah me too!” See you at the bus stop on Monday.” Georgia shut the door “This is gonna be the greatest trip of my life!”

Or so she thought.

*****

   On the coach they slept, ate and chatted about celebrities and fashion. But most of all, they gossiped about their classmates! After three hours they arrived at the airport. They checked in, gave in their luggage and got a coffee. Ten minutes later they had to give their hand luggage in to be checked and had to walk through the metal detector. Then they choose their seats on the aeroplane and carried on with their conversations from the coach. Eventually, they arrived at the safari resort. They put their belongings away then went to sleep.
    The next morning they were up and ready by eight o’clock. They clambered into the Jeeps (three to a Jeep) and Kate and Georgia were put with a boy called Charlie. So they set off seeking elephants, sneaking up on tigers and following trails of fresh poo. They became quite close to Charlie and even ate with him! On the third day of being at the safari the class went in a coach because they were only doing written work and the roads were wider where they were going.
Kate needed the toilet. Desperately. And there were no toilets around.
    “Georgia…” she whispered “I need the toilet!”
    “Well you’ll have to hold it!” she whispered back “There are no toilets around!”
    “But I’m DESPERATE!!!” she said a little louder.
    Georgia sighed. She looked around.
    “Look there’s a hole over there.” Kate just looked at her blankly. Georgia grunted “Fine, I’ll come with you!” Georgia said slumping out of the coach.
    “Hurry up Kate or the coach will go without us!” Georgia nagged.
    “Don’t worry! Charlie will tell them to wait!”
    Back at the coach they were moving but Charlie didn’t tell the driver to wait because he was worn out and was just dozing off into sleep.
    “Okay, finished.” Kate stated feeling better “We can go back now.”
    “Alleluia alleluia!!!” Georgia sang sarcastically.
    “OMG!” Kate yelled.
    “What?” Georgia snapped.
    “WHERE THE HELL IS THE COACH!” Kate screamed.
    “Oh you’re KIDDING ME!” Georgia cried. “You are so annoying!”
    “What! Charlie didn’t stop the coach!” Kate defended herself.
    “But it’s not Charlie’s responsibility! Is it? If could just hold your stupid wee we wouldn’t be in this mess would we! And it’s not like were still in Wimbledon and we can walk home… WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A JUNGLE IN AFRICA!!!” Georgia roared!
    “Well you’re a supportive friend aren’t you!” Kate screeched.
    Georgia smiled.
    “Listen I’m sorry I was so hard on you. It wasn’t your fault. It was nobody’s fault.” Georgia said hugging Kate.
    “Yeah, but right now we need to find a way out of here! Do you have your map in your bag? I have a compass.” Kate replied as they parted from their hug.
    “Yeah I’ll go and get it.”

*****

“Well if the resort is there… and we went twenty-eight miles south west… then the nearest airport is seven miles east of us!” Kate mumbled as she looked at the map. Georgia was busy seeing how much of the necessities they had left.
    “We should go back to the resort to get some more food and water first.” Georgia pointed out.
    “GEORGIA!!!! OF COURSE WE COULD GO BACK BUT WERE NOT BECAUSE THE AIRPORT IS CLOSER BY ELEVEN MILES AND IF WE DID WE WOULDN’T BE IN ANY TROUBKE AT ALL!” Kate answered. Georgia made an ‘O’ with her lips.
    “Well we probably have enough food to last us a couple of days. So are we gonna get going now?” Georgia asked.
    “Yeah, we might as well.”
    So they trekked off into the jungle for 2 hours before they had a rest.
    “It’s getting dark now; we should eat and get some rest.” Kate announced.
    “Okay. You set up the tent and I’ll make the fire.” The girls had rice pudding and went to sleep until 6am. In the morning they finished their left over rice pudding then had half a slice of warm bread each and put away the tent. They had hoped someone would see the smoke from their fire but nobody had come. So off they went again struggling with the weight of their bags with the heat of the sun beating down on their face. Georgia even fainted once while Kate suffered from sunstroke. They staggered on. They had travelled six miles now.
    “Only 1 mile lef- ARGHH!!!”
    “Georgia?!?!” Kate bawled.
    “Help! Kate? Someone! Ouch! Help!”
    Georgia! Where are you?” Kate was panicking like mad!
    “Down here! Help please! Something is eating me! Help!” Georgia was practically crying now. Kate looked into the hole in which her greatest friend ever had fallen down. Their she was, covered in leeches. Suddenly Kate stopped hearing her friend’s screams of agony. All the times she had spent with her friend flashed trough her mind. The parties, picnics, the sleepovers. She remembered that people say that before you die your whole life flashes before you. But she was only seeing the parts of her life when she was with…
    “Georgia” she whispered as she reached over to help Georgia.
    “Wait” she thought “This is leeches we’re talking about! I might die… but then Georgia might die… Oh Gosh! What should I do?” But by the time she turned around to help Georgia she had gone. All that was left were some bones covered in leeches.
    “No… No… NO!” She bellowed as she fell to the floor with misery. Was she too afraid to save her friend in case she died? Was she the worst friend ever; getting her lost and then… killing her? Kate thought about the answers as she trudged on for the last mile.

*****

When she arrived at the airport she was a little less depressed. She walked around looking at departure and arrival times when an important point popped up in her mind. How was she going to get back to England? Kate looked around. She sat on a chair and thought about how she could maybe stow away on an aeroplane to England. How would carry on with her normal life when she was the only person that new what had really happened? How would she get over the guilt? How could she go on knowing that she had not even tried to save Georgia’s life? She was a coward and she would never forget it.

*****

“Kate?” she was woken from her sleep by the soft, familiar voice of
    Charlie.
    “Charlie? Charlie! What are you doing here? Oh my gosh! Wait until Georgia finds out you’re her she’ll b-” but Kate stopped when she realised that Georgia was never going to find out that Charlie was there.
    “She’ll what? And where is she anyway?” Charlie looked around. Kate hesitated.
    “Uh… we had an argument. Yeah. Ur she… stormed off somewhere.”
    “In the airport?” Charlie questioned.
    “No in the jungle.” Kate answered.
    “Oh. Well I’m so glad I found you!” He said as they hugged awkwardly.
    “Yeah, me too. But how are we gonna get out of Africa?”
    “Don’t worry! My mum is coming over to get us and we can go back on another plane.” Charlie sat down next to Kate “She will be here in five hours.”
    “Oh thank you so much! So… ” Kate paused “what are we gonna do in that time?”
    “Dunno” Charlie moved closer to Kate. She looked up at him as he was a couple of inches taller than her. They smiled. They moved so close their noses touched. Kate could smell Charlie’s sweet musky scent. Their lips touched. They kissed. Softly at first then quite passionately. Kate wanted to stop but she wouldn’t… she couldn’t. In fact they only stopped when a mother and her twin tree year-olds came along and they didn’t think they would want to see two teenagers kissing. Now it was awkward. They were silent for about an hour. Then Charlie went to the toilet and Kate got a drink. When they got back they only had 2 hours left until they could go home so they went to look at the shops and have some time on their own. Kate got a slice of cake while Charlie got a packet of crisps. Eventually Sarah (Charlie’s mum) found them sharing a milkshake and she hugged them both.
    “Oh I’ve missed you!” She grinned “Come on now or we’ll miss our flight.” They checked in, Charlie gave in his luggage and they got on to the aeroplane. They slept the whole time because they were so exhausted and comfortable. Sarah did some tricky crosswords and word searches and had a small snack.

*****

When the aeroplane landed Kate started to walk away from the airport when she suddenly turned and ran to Charlie. He hugged her and she started to cry.
    “What’s the matter?” He asked sympathetically.
    “Charlie…” she whispered.
    “Yeah…”
    “Well… do… do you wanna run away with me?” she burst out.
    “What?!?” he said in a loud whisper “Are you crazy?” Kate started to cry.
    “Oh, I didn’t mean it!” he said rolling his eyes.
    “No! It’s just that… well…” she paused. Could she trust him?
    “Of course I can!” she thought to herself. “He came all the way to the airport and called his mum over just for me! I think I can trust him!”
    “Georgia didn’t really run off she fell in a ditch and was eaten by leeches. And it’s all my fault because I needed the toilet so she waited then the coach left and I didn’t help her because I was afraid of dying myself!” Kate said so loudly that Sarah started to wonder what they were talking about.
    “Wow, wow! Brain overload!” Charlie joked but Kate didn’t laugh. “Listen, it can’t be all your fault! I mean of course your not gonna give your hand to someone covered in leeches! And you needed the toilet! That’s hardly your fault!”
    “But it is my fault! I know it!” Kate moaned. “So what do you say?” Charlie looked puzzled then remembered.
    “Come on, that’s hardly a reason to run away! You’ll get over it!”
    “You know,” Kate started to turn around “I always thought you were more sensitive that that!” She turned completely when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
    “Where are you going?” Charlie asked.
    “I’m running away!”
    “You can’t go on your own!” He sighed “Okay! Fine1 I’ll come with you. But you have to let me go home first.”
    “Okay. Tomorrow at four A.M.! Meet me outside my house.” So they went home and prepared for the long journey ahead.

*****

“Where are we gonna go?” Kate asked nervously.
    “Urm… we could go to a BNB?” Charlie suggested.
    “Okay let’s go.” They travelled on the train until they got to the Deforest and asked to stay at a small Bed and Breakfast Hotel that they found. It belonged to an old lady and she warmly welcomed them in. They stayed there for a month and considered getting a job so they could pay for the rent and the lady agreed to let them buy the flat in the end. One day when they got home they turned the television on to relax, and watched the news. And as Kate watched the screen she started to sit up.
    “Charlie!” she shook him and he sat up.
    “What?”
    “They’ve sent a search party for us!”
    There was a knock at the door.
    “There’s someone to see you dearies.” The old lady called.
    Charlie opened the door and shut it again.
    “It’s them!”
    “Oh my gosh! What are we gonna say to them! I can’t tell them what happened to Georgia! I can’t tell them why I ran away!” Kate cried “Help!”
    “Well my mum is a social worker. She can change our names and stuff and only she and one other person will know.” Charlie suggested.
    “Who?”
    “Your mum…” Kate thought about it.
    “Do I have to tell them what happened to Georgia?” Charlie nodded. It was silent.
    “Okay. Fine. I’ll do it. Open the door.” So awkwardly she faced her parents and slowly told them what happened to Georgia. She started to cry. They hugged her.
    “Listen darling.” Her mum said reassuringly “It wasn’t your fault! It was nobody’s fault! It’s okay. Don’t cry!”

*****

“Sophie, can you pass me the butter please.”
    “Yes, mummy.” Her daughter replied. Twenty years later, Kate was now Alice and Charlie was now Jack. They had got married and bought a big house in the country. They had two daughters and often visited their parents who had completely forgotten who Katherine Fisher and Charles Guffik were.

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“Where shall we explore first?” Sally asked her friends.  She had just moved into a new house, a big house and she was eager to show it off to all her friends, Anne and Lily and her new neighbour Emily.  The group split up, everyone going off in different directions.  They climbed stairs, turned corners, opened doors and entered rooms where light bulbs had yet to be replaced.  Somehow, they all ended up where they had started, on the landing on the top of the stairs, a big landing for a house this size, Sally thought.

    ‘Wow,’ someone exclaimed when Sally pointed out a massive painting of an old lady on one wall.  It was such an old painting, the frame looked so rickety, Dad had decided not to move it until he got expert help from an antique dealer.

    ‘There’s something behind it,’ said Emily, one of Sally’s friends.

    They jiggled the frame and the whole painting swung out like a door on hinges.  Behind it, set deep in the wall, was a door. A secret door!

    ‘Is it locked?’  Lily, another friend made her way to the front of the crowd. She tried the handle and the door opened, letting out a creak like a someone sighing in their sleep. Behind it was a narrow passage, a tunnel that led off into the musty dark. It was so narrow, Sally wondered how people could squeeze through without holding their breath.  But somehow they managed it, walking in single file, giggling, Emily holding up a torch. She trained the light on the wall, revealing faded wallpaper, the old kind with big patterns.   Sally couldn’t make out whether it was dragons, done in blue, or just faces.

    ‘Hey, look,’ said Emily.  The torch was illuminating words scratched, gouged even, in the old wallpaper.

    BEWARE OF THE DOLL

    Ann and Lily giggled.  Fancy being scared of a doll!  A toy!  It must be someone’s idea of a joke.
 
    The corridor led through a maze, going behind the rooms in the new house.  At last they ended up in a tiny room, so tiny it looked almost like something in a doll’s house.

    Emily looked around her.  ‘But where’s the doll?’ she asked.  ‘We’re meant to beware of the doll.”
    No one took any notice. ‘We should come back here tomorrow and make this room our secret club house,” Sally said, letting her hopes up.

    Everyone agreed.  ‘A club house all our own.”

    They all started talking at once.  And that’s when they heard it. A Click!  The door had swung shut behind them.  The key had turned in the lock.  Ann ran up and tried the handle.  The door refused to open.

    “We can’t get out,” she screamed.  All the girls rushed at the door at once, hammering on it with balled up fists.  ‘Let us out!  Let us out.’

    And then they heard a voice, a chuckle, a laugh.  ‘Why go out when you can stay and be dolls like me.’

    They all swung round to see two pairs of googly eyes staring at them.  There was a doll in the chair by the corner, a doll that had definitely not been there a few moments earlier.

    As they stared, it blinked.  A small china hand went up to her head and patted the curls – made of real hair – into place.  The doll was alive!  It breathed! It lived!

    ‘You too can be a pretty doll like me,” she repeated.  Her little hand, so pretty and dimpled, reached into a chintzy pocket and a knife flashed.  Everyone screamed, loud, but it was too late, far far too late……
 
    Beware if your parents buy a house in London.  In one of them there is a secret door behind a painting that swings open in its frame.  Behind that painting is a secret door that leads down a wall-papered passage into a tiny room, small enough to look like something out of a dolls house.

    In that room is a table, laid for tea, and round the table five pretty china dolls waiting for the door to open and guests to arrive…

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 I was walking through a lost forest, animals hidden in places you can’t see. It’s the night of the full moon. Michael Jackson appears and guide’s me out of the forest. Oh no! my rag doll! It floats away with the wind, higher and higher. You can only see a speck. Suddenly, I hear a clash and bang, what is it? No it sounds soft and slimy-it’s raining molten clocks! Nearby, I hear a river, I run to get a drink. Oh no! it’s empty, there is only a few drops left! I hear a voice, what is it? Is it dangerous? No it’s Chicken Little “The sky is falling!” He cries. “Run!” It is dark, I’m tired and I bet Chicken Little is tired to?! Chicken Little… where are you? Oh no, he’s gone! Wait a minute… cookie crumbles! That means… Hansel and Gretel! I catch up with them. Please take me to your home, I’m homeless and foodless, I plead to them and they agree. Of we lalalalala. Oh no where did they go? Yummmmm… a candy cottage! ‘Knock knock’ “Who is it?” It’s me I reply “Come in then!” I go in and there I see Cinderella! Yummy. “You’re just in time for chicken soup!” So I gobble it all up! Thank you, is say “You’re welcome!” All of a sudden!… everything disappears…everything is all white! What’s happening? I only see dolphins and the underworld plus I spot my rag doll… what else is going to happen? ………………………… what a fairytale!

By Alecxa 

One summer day, Tania was sleeping. Suddenly her alarm clock went TING-TONG-BRING-BRING. Tania turn it off quickly go to sleep. Then her mum shouting calling her downstairs, “Tania! Are you already dressed for school?”

But Tania wasn’t getting up form her bed, and whispered under the covers saying, “I hate school!” Then her mum recently go upstairs trying to wake her up so that she can’t be late to school and get detentions. But suddenly Tania just woke up and didn’t even be woken by her mum and her mum can’t believe that she woke very lightly and very sensible. And the reason why she woke up that early because it’s the end of the school days and they will have fun for the rest of the day.

“Wehee! It’s the end of the school day!!”Said Tania excitedly.

“STOP JUMPING TANIA!!”Shouted her mother.

When Tania arrived to school. She was very excited and very keen to have a present for the teacher to give to the student of how they behave well throughout the year but when she arrived, she arrived very messy and very late.

“Why are you so late?” asked the teacher.

“Where’s my present?!” asked Tania excitedly.

“You haven’t got any gift because you always arrive very late and always irresponsible and you always getting told of by members of staffs and students aswell!!”Said her teacher.
 
“IT’S NOT FAIR!!”shouted Tania. 
 
From that day on she is not in trouble anymore she is Tania herself!!!!

It would rain money 1 day of every month, it would rain clothes 50 days of every year and it would rain watches 15 days of every year.  Everyone would run outside when it rained money and everyone would try to catch the money and they would pick it up of the floor and quickly bring it all into their house.  Then when it rained clothes and watches people would just go crazy.  They would run around trying to grab lots of nice things.

Egypt was amazing. The glistening River Nile was  a sensational site  and either side of it contrasted with the other. The Valley of the Kings was right in the desert with no breeze to cool  down the blistering blaze of the midday sun . Thinking it would be a shady relief to go inside the tombs, I dived into the nearest one [Rameses III]. I was proved wrong about it being a sanctuary from the heat, if anything it was hotter than outside. To make things worse it was the deepest burial chamber which meant there was less air to breathe and still the same intense heat. Then nearly asleep on our feet [having woken up at 6.30] we ventured into the Valley of the Queens. We also visited the temples of Karnak, Luxor and Rameses II. The temperature reached highs of 48^oC.

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They’re so tiny you can’t even see them, they’re called the miniatures.  They live in a skip outside buildings in the miniature world.

I’ve been and met them and they’re really nice, they’ve got 3 eyes.  Adults are orange, teenagers are blue, children are green, baby’s are pink so our parents’ parents’ are purple!

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It was Christmas, and I knew that every year I would get the present that I always longed for. Last year I wanted a Nintendo DS, the year before I wanted a Tamagotchi version 1 and this year I wanted a pet puppy, a cute looking, soft, deep black puppy that was going to be called Star.

I waited hours until mum would finish work and come home with the puppy. Sooner or later, I heard the doorbell ring, so I raced in front of dad to open the door. There was mum with something behind her back. I was so eagerly excited to see my puppy that I almost cried! “ 1 2 3 surprise!” Cried mum.

“Mum! That’s not a puppy….. That’s, that’s a toy one! How could you.” I screeched and then ran up to my room but I also snatched the toy puppy out of her hand.

Whilst I was upstairs, I was also thinking about what mum had given me and I was thinking, it’s the thought that counts and to make do with what you have. So at that moment I thought that I would keep a toy puppy collection as well as having a stamp collection.

I then, merrily, I went down the stairs and gave mum a hug “It’s the thought that counts” I said with a big smile on my face.

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Walking through a scorching desert, an eagle swoops beneath my head - DUCK - or I’ll get eaten. Melted clocks drooping down, no water, I’ve got to find something to drink or I’ll shrivel up like a prune. I walk further then the weather changes, as if by magic… I arrive at the North Pole. Polar bears crawling, penguin belly sliding, fish shooting up and sea lions hopping. There I see Paul Garaghty’s drawings, following me wherever I go - how odd?! Now I walk even further and then see a river bank - the River Thames I aboard the London Eye and what a sight I see. All tall buildings, all shapes and sizes standing one after the other. I break through the glass because I get frightened by heights and float down into the river. I land with a great splash and swim as if I’m in the Olympics’ to shore. Again! I see Paul Garaghty’s drawings, but this time there alive! The Hopamelleon, hopping towards me and then transfers into a boom box! The sound is as loud as an elephant calling for help. All wet and soggy, I approach Buckingham Palace and knock on the grand doors. There I meet the Queen and she offers me a bed, and I accept that offer because it’s my only chance to sleep in royalty. Walking through a sandstorm, then rain trickling down, I drop to the ground but then I wake up in a sudden shock and then realise… it was all a dream!

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It was a hot day and as I walked I got tired and more tired. I would feel the wet sweat dripping from my head to my toes. As I walked puddles of sweat dripped off of me and my arms were hanging from my body like a swing. When I looked up I saw a bright blue sky with white clouds and a big, yellow, bright ball of light shining down on me. When I had looked back people were queuing at the water fountain and pushing and shoving. Millions of people were squashing each other. Some people were so hot they were shading under bus stops and huge trees. It was so hot even the littlest of bugs were crawling to the shade. Some people even dosed off on lampposts and traffic light poles. That day was the hottest summer ever in the world.

One day I woke up and I opened my curtains to see a wonderful sky of blue and some cloud of clear white in the sky. Then I looked up until I could see the bright yellow sun spreading joy over the whole country. I looked up and smiled while she smiled back. Then I saw all the brightly coloured little birds flying and landing in an oak tree. One of the most graceful birds sat in a nest made of leaves and as flew away she left behind …… nothing.

As I walked past a building I saw disco lights coming from the inside of the building, so I popped my head in the squeaky wooden door. I saw things that were silver, slimy, jelly like and rubbery having a disco yep you’ve got it they were aliens. The strangest thing was they were all disguised as humans they wore wigs and were dressed like hippies.

As I woke up I raced for my present,I could just imagine myself walking around listening to my ipod nano.

I looked at my parcel it was a little bit small, maybe it was the skin for my ipod and the ipod was coming latter anyway as I ripped off the brown covering I could just imagen my beautiful…PAIR OF BATTERIES.

What am i supposed to do with a pair of batteries, oh yes I remembered the game I got that needed batteries for. I didn’t get the ipod nano I hoped for but the batteries will do.

By Alecxa

When it was my birthday. I got this box in the table signed by my auntie. When I opened it was a pair of old socks.

When my Sister saw it and showed it to my Mum, My mum put it in the washing machine to clean the old pair of socks. When it was clean. My Mum said, “Put it on and do whatever you want to do with it” 

So I put it on lazily and got into my bed and closed my eyes and dreamed of something that I want to go and when I opened my eyes I saw a cloud surrounding me filled with toys. I kept on slapping myself and I kept on saying this is just a dream and found myself wearing socks. The socks was shining and it looked beautiful and new. And a voice came out of nowhere and started saying “That socks is magical you can do whatever you want to do with it and go to place you want to go to!!!” 

When I heard that the socks were magical it was not disappointing at all.  It was the best present after all!!!!

By Alecxa

It was a stormy weather, at my house. I was staring at the window singing ‘RAIN RAIN GO AWAY COME AGAIN SOME OTHER DAY’. But it was still raining!!!!! 

“Mum! Can I have a shower in the rain?” I asked.

“NO! You are going to get wet and catch a cold and fever!!” exclaimed mum.

So I stood in the window as the rain poured in the window sill. It was so boring!!!! And then mum said, “We can’t go outside to shop for our food ‘cause the weather is so terrible maybe the shops are closed.” 

 So I waited and waited and waited… for the rain to cool down. When the dark grey clouds disappeared then the shiny sun came out. And there were puddles everywhere!!!

“Mum! Can I come out now!!” I asked excitedly.

“Yes! You can unless you put your Wellingtons on!!” said Mum. 

So I rushed upstairs into my room, put on my Wellingtons, put on my coat and poof I’m outside!!, splishing sploshing and splashing it was fun!!! Weheee!!!

“Mum! I thought that the rain is boring!!! But it’s not, it left me with some BIG puddles to play with!!” I said excitedly.

“Yes!!” Mum exclaimed. 

From now on I liked the weather called the RAIN!!!

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