"Frank" by Chris

This is another entry from the Elm Class story competition.

Frank

Chapter 1 - Old Hicklebottom

The wind whistled through the air as the sun went down on Old Hicklebottom Farm. Frank was playing with his play revolver while his mum, Maddie, was inside the little hovel cleaning up. The wind howled once more and Maddie knew something was up. 'It never howls more than once at sunset,' she thought. 'It's a sign of bad luck.' At that exact moment, a flock of birds scurried from behind a hill. 'Get down to the cellar now Frank,' said Maddie cautiously eyeing the hill. 'Yes ma.' KAPOW! Around a dozen men, on horseback, armed with pistols, came riding from behind the hill. 'What's that noise mama?' enquired Frank quietly but worriedly. 'Don't worry, sweetie it's only... gguuunffirre,' she tried to say confidently, but deep down she knew that she was frightened and had hairs sticking up on end. BANG! 'Take everything useful, loot the food, then burn it down,' shouted a masculine voice. 'Quick, down the trapdoor,' said a majestically mysterious voice, which was coming from behind them. Instantly they swiveled their bodies around and there was a man there. Maddie suddenly got a rifle, loaded, aiming at the man. 'Don't move or you'll be in fairyland,' said Maddie with a sense of humour. 'My name is Otto and I come in peace,' Otto said calmly. 'Also we should move otherwise our heads will be burnt by fire,' once again, said calmly. Otto opened a rainbow coloured trapdoor. BANG! Maddie had pulled the trigger on the rifle. Otto disappeared. 'Did I tell you I can teleport?' he laughed from behind them. 'C'mon then down the trapdoor,' he said as he descended down it. Speechless and ammo-less, Maddie and Frank followed silently.

Chapter 2 - Mankata

'Where are we going ma?' asked Frank. 'Mankata,' answered Otto. 'Where is that?' asked Maddie. 'Near the Outback,' replied Otto. 'What time will we arrive?' enquired Frank. 'Around 17:00,' said Otto, now getting a little impatient. 'Quiet,' hissed Otto suddenly. Footsteps could be heard above them and they said, 'That farm in Old Hicklebottom was a great place to raid, had everything.' Noisily the raiders stumbled along for a minute straight. Under the ground, the trio stood silently for a minute straight. 'I think they've gone,' whispered Otto. 'Hey, is someone down there?' said a male voice from the surface. 'RUN!!!' POW POW POW. As the trio ran away bullets came slicing through the earth. 'AHHHHH.' The scream was horrifying. Frank and Maddie turned around right away. 'Keep going... NOW,' said Otto. Suddenly, another bullet came down but this one silenced Otto. 'I got him!' shouted the raider. Then he ran away. 'We can't leave him like this,' said Maddie sadly. 'C'mon lets bury him... give him some respect.' 

Chapter 3 - The Armies Calling

A few hours later Maddie and Frank found a fork in the tunnel. 'Left or right mama?' whispered Frank. Maddie didn't say anything but went left unknowingly. 

As the next day dawned, the birds were singing and tweeting away. Frank was still asleep as was Maddie. Suddenly, they both woke up at the sound of a masculine army voice. 'Only 12 more hours to go soldiers,' shouted a man from above. 'Quick Frank, run!' A few seconds later, Frank must've been at the speed of light. Dragging a 9 stone woman was hard heavy work for a 10 year old. 'Slow down, Frank,' said Maddie, with a face full of dust. 'Look mama, light,' Frank half-shouted. Frank had just got the Earths surface and was questioned by an army officer. 'Name?' he shouted in an instant. 'Maddie and Frank Latingo, married to head of The Official Army,' said Maddie like a royal. 'Sorry for wasting your time, ma'am,' he said humbly. She smiled, waved her hand and walked away.

After they had passed security they went to see Mr Latingo. They burst in through the doors and shouted, 'We need help from the army attack some raiders that raided our farm!' 'Why?' he enquired. 'Because they just ruined our future,' said Frank forcefully, holding up his toy revolver. Mr Latingo didn't know that the pistol was a toy. 'Very well, then, I shall recall Australia's Armies.'

Chapter 4 - The fight in the Outback

'Send the scouts to recall the army then return with them to me,' Mr Latingo said, 'then I shall need to chat with you all.'

'Where shall we go mama?' asked Frank. 'Somewhere that I shall be able to command the troops,' she said quietly. 'Your troops are ready for battle, destroy the enemy at all costs... good luck,' intervened a voice. 'I am Co-captain Wilkinson,' he said. 'Fred Wilkinson.' 'Let's roll out.' 

The next day they located the camp of the raiders. 'We should win by a breeze,' said Fred humiliatingly. 'On the count to 3 we shall charge!'

'1'

'2'

'3' 'CHARGE!' Fred screamed. 'AHHHHHRRR,' the soldiers screamed. A few of the soldiers got ahead of the others, cocked the rifles, turned around and fired at... THE AUSTRALIANS?!? 'The army has mutinied mama!' said Frank worriedly. It was now even-Stevens: the raiders and a third of the army against two thirds of the the army. Blood everywhere... screams everywhere... men falling everywhere. After a while the battle field was completely silent. Frank, Maddie and Wilkinson also on the other side of the field there was... MR LATINGO!?! BANG! Wilkinson fell flat on the floor. BANG! Maddie had gone as well. MAMA! Frank shrieked. Mr Latingo approached Frank. 'That stupid toy pistol of yours, don't do anything silly or you'll be sent to fairyland with your mother.' Frank was determined to kill him. He cocked his pistol and aimed. 'Go on, shoot me!' shouted Mr Latingo with a laugh. BANG!

Mr Latingo fell on the floor,

Mr Latingo lived no more,

Frank's bullet had hit the head,

But Mr Latingo is truly dead,

Mr Latingo always doubted Frank,

But Frank is also one to thank,

Although this story wasn't long,

It was written by Christopher Long.  

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Thanks for your story, Chris. Next time: "Australia Hassle" by Oli. 

(Photo courtesy of: http://free-photos.co)

"Wild friends" by Chloe

We recently had a story-writing competition in Elm Class, with a prize of a paperback by Bear Grylls. There was one rule: the story had to be set in Australia; apart from that, it was up to the writer! We had four entries, all of which will be published on here. 

This is from one of our runners-up, Chloe.

Wild friends

"Did you see Home and Away last night?" asked Sheila. Lily smiled. "Classic episode! she replied. Sheila was Lily's best friend since she moved to Australia. However, she still missed her old friends from England. "Yes, it was awesome!" Sally interrupted. "Hey Sheila, I've got two tickets to a gig, wanna come?" "Sure!" she said. Lily stared at Sally, waiting for her to say something. "Oh, sorry Lily, you can't come, I've only got one extra ticket," Sally said. Lily stared at her feet. "It's ok, I've got something on tonight anyway," she mumbled. Lily hated Sally. Sally hated Lily. Sally was Sheila's second best friend and Lily's best enemy. 

"CLASS DISMISSED!" Lily walked home from school, the teacher's voice still ringing in her head. She thought about her homework: write about your dream pet. She sat on a bench and started. A fluff ball of smoky grey fur, a face so cute that you're spellbound, an amazing tree climber. "A koala," she said, and glanced into the Australian sunset. "That's my dream pet." "That's my dream pathetic pet more like!" laughed Sally who emerged from behind a tree. "You're such a baby Lily!" "I'm not the one listening to other people's conversations!" Lily said angrily. "Where's the conversation then?" asked Sally, who pretended to look under the bench. Lily was red with fury. "Arrrrr, is Lily a bit angwy?" Sally said in a stupid baby voice. "Whatever," said Lily, who continued to write her work out. "Whatever," Sally mimicked. "What are you writing anyway?" she asked, snatching Lily's work. "Hey, give that back!" Lily cried. Sally ripped it. "Oops." Lily glared at Sally. She ripped it again. "Like I said; pathetic!" She laughed, as she dropped it behind her. Lily walked away as Sally smirked. "So, when you starting your homework then?" she called. Lily ignored her.

She made it home. "Home sweet home," she sighed. The door opened to the same old sight; her younger brother (Lee)'s toys lying around everywhere. "Hello sweetie!" called her mum from the kitchen. "How about a sandwich?" "No thanks mum!" Lily called back. "I'm going into the garden." "Ok, be careful," her mum said, while examining the green slimy substance on the wall. "Lee, I told you not to put slime on the walls!" she shouted to him, as he was upstairs playing with his friends. "Sorry!" he called back. He wasn't. He never was. Lily traveled into the garden to hear rustling from in a bush. She peeped inside...

The bush revealed a koala that fitted the description Lily though of on the bench. Lily was startled. It was trying to climb up the fence, but its hind leg looked broken. Lily knew something was wrong. Quickly, she rushed it inside. "What's wrong Lily?" asked her mum. Uh oh, Lily thought. "I just... forgot my ... homework book!" she said. "Ok honey start it now if it is due in tomorrow." Lily helped the little koala, giving it food secretly, rushing home early to find it. And of course, the hardest of all, the big one (you get the idea!) hiding him from everyone else. 

It was all going to plan... until her mum went to tidy her room... "What's all this rubbish?" she asked herself, holding up a tatty bunny toy. She tossed it into a bin bag and carried on looking around for things to go. She looked under the bed. There were lots of board games with the pieces missing, so she dumped them away too. Amongst these, she saw a grey fluffy ball at the back of the bed. "I can't reach that," she sighed, and continued looking for stuff. You see, Lily SOMEHOW taught the koala to sleep in a ball so at least it wouldn't look like a wild animal at first sight. Lily came home from school only hours later. She was welcomed by her mum. "I tidied your room today, Lily, it was in a right state!" her mum said. "Oh no!" she cried. "What?" "Oh... ok mum!" Lily said and she rushed upstairs. The koala was nowhere to be seen. She looked everywhere in her room, but it wasn't there. Lily sat on her bed, head in hands. She heard something. She looked up. Then she saw it. Out on her window sill, it stared back at her. The koala. Lily breathed a sigh of relief. The koala bounded up to her, and pressed its head into her cupped hands. It was like it was saying everything was all right. "That was the closest call so far!" laughed Lily. And it was. Right up to the point everyone found out it was there...

Lee, Lily's little brother was allergic to koalas, but he liked snooping around in Lily's room. One day, he was looking for his barrel of slime (really another excuse to be in Lily's room) when he stared to sneeze. "Mum! A koala has been in Lily's room!" he shouted. "What?" gasped their mum. "What?" gasped Lily. They both rushed upstairs. "Look, fur's on the bed over there." "So there is!" laughed her mum wearily. "Do you feel ok Lily?" "Look mum, there is no koala in my room and there never will be!" Lily reassured her mum. At Lily's voice, the koala sprinted out of the wardrobe to Lily. He looked at everyone else. "Right, never," their mum said. Lee started sneezing again. "Quickly, downstairs Lee," she cried. He rushed out of the room. "Lily," she breathed. "Mum, please can I keep him, please?" Lily asked, desperate for an answer. "Your brother's allergic to them!" her mum shouted. "Well, he can stay out of my room then! He shouldn't be in here anyway," she replied. "No," her mum said sternly. "You can't keep it; think about the diseases it could give you. Why did you bring it in anyway?" "Its leg was broken," Lily said quietly. "We were learning about animals' bodies in school so I could help him." "Ok," her mum said calmly. "He can live in our back garden, but no house guests please." "Yes!" Lily cried. "Thank you, thank you and thank you!" Lily hugged her mum. "No house guests please," her mum repeated. "Ok!" Lily tried to hold in her excitement. She took the koala outside, and so after that, the koala lived in the garden. And it was very, very happy to have such a good friend like Lily.

And I hear you ask: "How do I know all this?" Well... I'm the koala!

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Thank you for your story, Chloe. Next time: "Frank" by Chris.

Favourite authors?

We're going to have a display board in the ICT room which will feature your favourite authors. We thought we'd start with Roald Dahl and Jacqueline Wilson.

Any suggestions for future displays? Either let us know as a comment to this post, or speak to the librarians. 

Thank you!

New librarians

Welcome back to school!

We have some new librarians; they are Darcy, Jake, Ella J, Ella Bea and Jaime, all from Elm Class. They can help you find books you're looking for, or recommend something if you're stuck for what to read. 

They have some good ideas for the blog, so look out for quizzes and chances to win books. They're also on the lookout for short stories, poems and comic strips to publish, so if you've got something you'd like to see on the blog, hand it to any of the librarians or to Mrs Eyres.