Name: Darcy Hughes
Grade: Prep
Class: Prep/1 Berry

What is your favourite thing about writing?

That when you learn you always learn heaps of things about it and how to fix mistakes. I’m also a really good reader. I read chapters and have finished some novels.

Tell us about your writing…

I like to write about facts and information because whenever I want to know something it can help me remember and not forget.

Name: Bethany Redmond
Grade: 4
Class: 3/4 McCullagh

What is your favourite thing about literacy?

I think reading is my favourite – it is just an easier way of being in another world; with writing you have to create the world yourself. Books I like are the Friday Barnes series – there is an 11 year old girl who is a detective and she solves crimes and mysteries. My best friend, Piper, introduced me to the book, so I found it in the school library and I love it.

When I was younger I loved the ‘Spot’ series. I don’t remember what I liked about them but I loved them – I have the full collection still at home. I also liked Peppa Pig books. When I read I like to imagine – the adjectives help with that.

Tell us about this piece of work…

I wrote this because I needed to write a narrative for an assessment. The story developed as I was writing – I deliberately include lots of adjectives to create the images for people to imagine. I think I could keep going with the story, keep telling people about the characters and the impact on them. But I am really proud of what I have written. Script writing is something I think I might like to do in the future – even as a job.

Apocalyptic Lies

Have you ever thought of the future? Flying cars, automated driving, even a robot that cleans for you! Well with all of that, you need a downfall. Speaking of downfalls...

‘WHOOOSH!’  “The asteroid can come closer any second now!” Ena said, with her bronze hair rustling through the chilling wind.

A radio was playing in the background, sharing the exact same news everyone knew; The world was ending. Everyone was fearing for their lives, hoping the asteroid will go out of orbit, their desperateness turning into fear which turned into acceptance once the asteroid got closer. Then finally...

‘BANG!’  Everything demolished, critical buildings, houses, and people’s confidence. Ena opened her eyes once realizing that she is okay. The sky, once the usual blue, turned into eerie blood-red with one crash of an asteroid.

Ena saw another survivor, her best friend, Sara. Sara started coughing viciously because of the ash. Ena did not know what to do for the reason is that she has not ever been in this situation before. Ena started looking around, and she found a book.

The book had an antique-like cover, with leather bound to it. The title read ‘Flowers that have an impact on the world’ in elaborate golden letters. Ena opened the book, and it automatically flipped to a special page. The heading read ‘Chrysalis Lily – The Flower That Can Heal Anything.’ The actual text read about where it is located, how to activate it, and the benefits from using it.

So, both Ena and Sara set off on a mission. Finding the Chrysalis Lily would be hard, after all. But little did they know, something is out to get them. The girls dodged glowing red magma, deep and shallow craters, until they found a place to rest. The sky turned from that horrible crimson red to dark grey in just under an hour. Ena’s light brown eyes closed as night took over the day.

Morning came, and Sara was acting weirdly. Normally she was outgoing and talkative, but now, she was acting introverted and suspicious. There were berries everywhere that Ena automatically assumed was not thoroughly cleaned, so she thought Sara got sick. Ena was curious to see if there were any other survivors who have gotten sick, so with a bit of left over metal that the asteroid knocked off, Ena built a radio because her old one got squashed by the asteroid.

Surprisingly, the radio got a signal, and she heard someone, likely a news reporter. “There have been a humongous number of reports regarding lookalikes. According to the reports, signs to catch the lookalike is if they act unusual and suspicious. Some examples are if they were kind, but suddenly, now they are rude. If you are afraid, or your relative/friend acts suspiciously, call this number immediately. We do not know if they are human, but we assume they are aliens.” The news reporter said.

At that moment, Ena knew. Sara was in critical danger. Ena tried to shake the feeling off, but she could not bear that her best friend is at an unknown place, probably injured.

Ena flipped through the pages of the book about flowers, and found a secret compartment. She found a phone in there, so she called the number. A voice came through, asking for the name of the victim, and the status that Ena was to her. Ena answered thoroughly including the answer about symptoms which she had to think for a moment before answering. The voice said that they will capture the lookalike soon, and to act like she does not know about them.

As days passed by, she did exactly what the voice said. She stayed quiet, while secretly plotting. One day, while ‘Sara’ was asleep, she called Sara’s mum. Surprisingly, her phone wasn’t crushed, and instead of going to voicemail, she answered. Ena was surprised. After a moment of breathing, Ena could say about the lookalike, and how Sara was probably wounded. Sara’s mum listened carefully, then conceded that she found Sara wounded, so she took her back to a resting place. The call ended, and Ena realised that the ‘Sara’ was gone.

Ena thought that the surviving police caught them, so she just moved on. She did as you would expect, going around obstacles, until she found the Chrysalis Lily. It was a vibrant orange flower, with neon orange glitter revolving around it. She did as it said to activate it, and it opened, and the blood-red sky turned to the baby blue that we all remember as normal. Sara’s mum called again in excitement, saying how Sara was mysteriously healed. Word got on the news that the lookalikes were actually humans, but the asteroid had a secretive side effect on others, causing some people to turn into aliens.

Ena ran to Sara’s house, and Ena and Sara embraced while brutally crying because of the impact this has had on everyone. The lookalikes turned back into actual humans, with their own style, personality, and fashion sense.

Nothing is impossible, even if it seems like it.

Bethany Redmond