 
Recrafted: 2018

Group One

## Heaton Extension Writers Anthology

Edited by Beaulah Pragg and Fran Atkinson
Smashwords Edition (2018)

Copyright © respective authors (Rātā Shaw, Jenny Song, Ed Leonard, Niamh Matthews, Scarlett Robson, Emily Cotton, Thomas Tracey, Caitlin Roberts, Meg Bowman, Cleo McLaughlin, Henry Wilson, Isabella Bailey, Issie Matson, Elle-Roze Ilkiw, Abbey Fairbairn, Emily McVicar, Emelia Scott) 2018

Cover image by Beaulah Pragg using images from pixabay.com

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www.beaulahpragg.com
Table of Contents

Introduction  
by Beaulah Pragg and Fran Atkinson

Cloak Like Blood  
Rātā Shaw

A Feast of Good and Evil  
Jenny Song

Crooked Beaks and Crooked Hearts  
Ed Leonard

Little Grey Racing Wolf  
Niamh Matthews

The Power of Roses  
Scarlett Robson

Little Lady Red Dress  
Emily Cotton

Tamati and My Wakahuia  
Thomas Tracey

The Princess Spy and the Seed  
Caitlin Roberts

The Goose Girl & The Golden Goose  
Meg Bowman

Effect of the Forest  
Cleo McLaughlin

Red's Boring Grandma...  
Henry Wilson

The iPad's Curse  
Isabella Baileyy

Imprisoning Love  
Issie Matson

At the Tuna's Behest  
Elle-Roze Ilkiw

Cage Made of Mirrors  
Abbey Fairbairn

Fairy Houses  
Emily McVicar

The Tale of The Sleeping Prince  
Emelia Scott

About the Editors

Other Titles

# Introduction

Welcome to this anthology of recrafted fairy tales by students at Heaton Intermediate School in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Over ten weeks, students learned about the history and structure of fairy tales, along with how to craft a short story.

They then chose a fairy tale to recraft, using one of three approaches. First, they could pick a different point of view—eg. tell _Beauty and the Beast_ from the Beast's point of view. Second, they could change the role of the main character—eg. make Red Riding Hood a daring warrior instead of a frightened girl. Finally, they could change the setting—eg. set _Rapunzel_ in modern-day Spain.

The class spent many weeks writing, story editing (making sure the plot made sense), and then copy editing (checking spelling, grammar and tense). After the course ended, Fran and Beaulah edited and proof-checked the stories, in preparation for publishing.

We were both deeply impressed by the willingness of these students to return to their stories again and again over so many weeks, patiently working through layer after layer of feedback to make their work shine.

We are proud of the stories they have produced and hope you enjoy reading them.

Beaulah Pragg and Fran Atkinson

#  Cloak Like Blood

## by Rātā Shaw

A shrill wind whistled between the tree trunks, causing Little Red Riding Hood to pull her blood red cloak closer around her. The young girl trudged along uneasily, her path enclosed by gnarled oaks on either side of the track, their boughs looming overhead.

A dark form, camouflaged among the deep shadows of the forest, shifted between the shrubbery. _Snap_. The girl glanced around warily, before continuing on her path in a more hurried manner, eager to be out of the forest and at her destination.

As she hastened down the trail, the contents of her basket clinking together, she saw a tenebrous figure dart through her peripheral vision. She spun around, brandishing her basket in defence. The path stretched out behind her until it was masked by trees, completely empty. She shivered, and not from the harsh wind.

Spinning back round to continue on her way, she was met with a truly alarming sight. Sure, she had seen the occasional wolf skulking in the distance around these woods, but this was a petrifying specimen. Towering above the poor little girl was a mass of flea-ridden fur with claws like daggers.

"Where would you be going in such a hurry?" growled the wolf, flicking his long, bristling tail.

"I'm delivering supplies to my grandmother, who lives in a cottage at the end of this trail," said the girl sounding bolder than she felt, as she side-stepped around the wolf.

"And why would your grandmother need supplies? Is she ill?"

"I'll have you know my grandmother doesn't get ill. She is an extremely powerful witch who's practically immortal, so if you'll excuse me, good day to you!" the girl proclaimed, before turning on her heel and storming away, though she was shocked by her own outburst. The wolf rushed around to block the girl's path again.

"How about you pick some flowers for your grandmother? I'm sure she would be terribly pleased," he smiled, gesturing to the colourful array of wildflowers blanketing the forest floor. The girl paused, seeming to ponder whether or not to take up this offer.

"I will," she announced finally. "Because I want to, not because you told me to."

The flower heads lolled back and forth in the wind, their petals fluttering gently. She crouched down on the forest floor and began collecting bright pansies for her bouquet. As her back was turned, the wolf smiled, then turned around and bolted down the path.

At the end of the path, in her little wooden cottage, Grandmother opened her eyes, banishing the vision she was having. She immediately set to work barricading the house. She knew that the wolf would arrive any minute because it wasn't a very long path. She had almost no magical aid to her advantage, because her granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood, was coming to restock her supplies today, and, from her vision, she knew she was currently delayed picking flowers.

Fortunately, the old woman was a gifted seer, so she didn't need enchanted assistance to perform clairvoyance. Unfortunately, this was not going to do well against a wolf. She opened the top cupboard, searching for her emergency magic supplies.

"Hmm," she said to herself. "Healing potions won't help at all either." The cupboard door's hinges rattled as she slammed it closed.

She locked the front door, and shoved a weighty armchair in front of it, using the strength she had earned from years of spell-working. She awoke her nocturnal familiar, an old horned owl.

"Aster, alert me of any activity outside the house," she commanded as she ushered him out a window, before she closed it and locked the shutters.

Grabbing her staff, just a plain walking stick without her magic, she faced the door, sick with apprehension, and waited.

There was a click of claws on the cobblestone path.

The wolf prowled around the perimeter of the house looking for a way inside. As he approached the front door, he saw a solitary old owl open its beak, as if to cry out. He gulped it down before it even had a chance to utter a single hoot.

He could tell the house had been fortified as tight as a stronghold, judging from the closed shutters and locked door. Carrying on his course to the back of the house, he saw the back door. The wolf nudged the door with his nose, hoping that the old witch's mind had forgotten about it. Annoyed to find it locked, the wolf decided that he had to find some other way in, without alerting her he was there.

Scaling a nearby tree, he crept carefully down a branch that was overhanging the roof. Once he had lowered himself onto the shingles of the roof, he prowled towards the chimney, careful to tread on the pads of his paws so as not to make a sound. When he peered down the chimney stack, he could see the soft glow of a lit hearth emanating from the base.

Now knowing the only way to get in was by force, he returned to the ground. He decided that to come through the back door was the best option, since the back of the house was less likely to be closely guarded.

Weighing up his options, the wolf concluded that he should attempt to pick the lock with his claws, rather than knocking the door down, so that he could maintain the element of surprise. After a few failed attempts of lock-picking, he moved onto prising the hinges from the door. Once free, the door fell down into the house with a loud bang. The wolf winced at the sound, praying it had eluded notice.

He padded down the hallway towards the main entrance. He saw the witch seated facing the barricaded front door, staff in hand. She didn't seem to have heard him come in. The wolf was delighted at such an easy meal, so he crept up behind her chair and knocked her unconscious with a swing of his paw. He swallowed the grandmother whole without thinking to chew.

With a full stomach, he decided to sleep off his snack while waiting for Little Red Riding Hood to arrive, but not before quickly shoving the armchair out of the way and unbolting the door so that she could get in. Seating himself in a comfortable chair, the wolf quickly nodded off.

A while later, Little Red Riding Hood knocked at the door. She knocked again when there was no answer. It was unlike her grandmother to not answer the door. Strangely enough, when she had arrived the door had been ajar. Her grandmother wasn't the careless type. As she pushed the door open, the house just seemed to prickle with wrongness. An armchair had been pushed on its side near the door, standing out like blood on snow compared to the order and neatness her grandmother worked to maintain in such a small household. Taking another tentative step into the cottage. Little Red Riding Hood looked through the house to see the back door astray from its hinges, lying flat in the doorway. This only added to her unease.

Hearing a noise in one of the side rooms, she clutched the handle of her basket tighter, damaging the freshly picked bouquet in her hand.

The wolf was startled awake by the sound of a knock on the door. He recognised the girl in the red cloak standing in the doorway and knew he had to disguise himself. He flung one of the witch's long fur cloaks around himself, then seated himself in the rocking chair beside the bed.

"Grandma?" called Little Red Riding Hood anxiously through the silent house.

"I'm in here, dear," rasped the wolf, putting on his best old woman impression. The little girl walked into the room, and immediately she knew there was something wrong with her grandmother.

"Are you alright Grandmother? You look very strange..." she said warily.

"Oh, it's just the result of a spell gone wrong dearie," croaked the wolf, thinking on his feet. "It'll wear off in a few days."

"Oh, okay then," said Little Red Riding Hood relaxing a bit, but there was still a hint of nervousness in her voice. "Here are your monthly provisions." She smiled brightly, handing her basket over to the grand-wolf.

The wolf smiled, constraining himself not to tear the basket open, eager to obtain this rare magic. But since wolves don't possess opposable thumbs, he was having quite a bit of trouble with the latch. Seeing that opening the basket would be hopeless without using his claws, and thus giving himself away, he placed the basket aside.

"I'm ever so tired dear, my memories all wrong," said the wolf turning back to Little Red Riding Hood, involuntarily swishing his tail. When he saw the look of fear on the girl's gaping face, he knew he had blown his cover. He pouncing forward and swallowed her whole, then sighed at having to eat his meal in such a rush.

Little Red Riding Hood opened her eyes. She didn't recognise her surroundings, and she was having trouble breathing. She was in an enclosed place, with dull lighting. Her memories were blurry and troubled, and her head ached like it had been compressed into a jar. Something hard and wooden was jabbing her in the ribs painfully. She could barely move, but she managed to turn her head to look around, and to her surprise, she met a familiar face.

"Grandma!" she exclaimed, but her voice sounded distant and muffled, as if she were speaking through a fur coat.

Her grandma's face was pallid, and she looked unconscious. Her glasses were askew, and she clutched her staff to her chest. The little girl managed twisted around a tapped her grandma on the shoulder.

"Grandmother?" she asked uneasily. When she didn't answer, Little Red Riding Hood manoeuvered herself so she could better get her bearings. Pressed against her left arm, she saw a bedraggled pile of feathers, which she recognised as her grandmother's owl familiar. She poked the bird, and it trembled in response, obviously finding it hard to move in such a tight space. Aster's feathers drifted near her nose, causing the little girl to sneeze. Suddenly, she was struck with an idea. She plucked some of the owl's feathers, provoking a squawk from the poor animal. Then she set to work on her escape plan.

The wolf had been attempting to sleep off his lunch, but was awoken continuously by his upset stomach. He concluded that the culprit of such disturbances was the result of him overeating. He concluded that a nap would have to wait, so he turned eagerly towards the basket on the floor. Using his claws, he tore the lid right off of the hamper, revealing rows of jars and bottles gently illuminated from the array of bright colours they possessed. He was about to reach in to examine the wonders he beheld when he had a strange feeling in his gut. Something was irritating his throat and he felt like he was going to burst into a fit of coughing. His nose twitched, and he could feel the overwhelming urge to sneeze well up in his chest. _Achoo!_

As she saw the light, Little Red Riding Hood grabbed her grandma, by the neck of her robe. They were both thrown onto the wooden floor with a thud, accompanied by a puddle of digestive fluid. When her head hit the floor, the old witch came to, looking around bewildered.

"Where am I? What happened?" she uttered, sounding very perplexed. She then saw the wolf, who was glaring at his regurgitated meal in disgust. She whistled to her familiar for defence, but the owl didn't come swooping in to her aid like she planned. She turned to her granddaughter, frantically.

"Where is Aster?" she asked, distraught.

The little girl gasped in shock remembering the dishevelled bird still inside of the wolf's gut. He was at the mercy of the wolf's stomach, and the wolf's stomach didn't have much mercy to supply. She took her grandmother's staff out of her frail hands, then turned towards the wolf. Using the sceptre as a bludgeon, to the wolf's dismay, she whacked him in his stomach causing him to cough up a ball of wet feathers. The poor bundle crashed into the cupboard, causing the decrepit door to fall off its hinges. The healing potions inside rattled against each other, before falling to the ground with a smash of splintering glass. One jar smashed onto the head of the old owl collapsed on the floor. The glowing liquid seeped into the animal's feathers, and they began to grow longer and stronger, renewing their former glory. The witch's familiar leapt into flight, a new bird. He fluttered around the appalled wolf's head, pecking at the fleas in his fur.

"Go away you stupid bird!" the wolf complained, flapping his paws uselessly in front of his face.

"Throw me my staff!" Grandmother called to Little Red Riding Hood, who was chasing after the wolf while waving the stick threateningly. The girl skidded to a halt, then spun around to toss it towards her grandmother. Catching it with one hand, the witch raised her other hand and whistled. Aster ceased his pecking and swooped over to perch on his mistress's hand. Now that there wasn't an owl tormenting him, the wolf turned towards the witch. She picked the basket up from where it sat and selected a round bottle brimming with what looked like liquified amethyst. She uncorked it, then tipped her head back, downing it all in one gulp. The staff in her hand began to glow with purple light. Raising the staff above her head, she spun it around before slamming it down on the ground, making the floorboards flare to life with lavender sparks.

As his hair crackled with magical electricity, the wolf began to feel very strange. His fur grew shorter, and his sharp claws retracted up into little soft pads. His pointy ears grew shorter and softer, his body shrunk until he was drowned underneath the fur cloak he had been previously wearing. A tiny shape wriggled out from the folds of the coat and stumbled into the light. It was a young puppy, covered in a fine dusting of grey fur that was barely even there.

"That'll make him learn his lesson," smiled Grandmother, folding her arms. The dainty little dog stumbled after a mouse that had crawled out of the floorboards. Little Red Riding Hood turned to her grandmother questioningly.

"Is he still dangerous?" she asked, watching the little animal trip over in pursuit of the rodent.

"No," smiled Grandmother down at her granddaughter. "He has the mindset of a newborn pup. He's perfectly safe, and better yet, he can be your very own familiar."

Little Red Riding Hood gasped, then crouched down on the floor, beckoning the dog over. It raced over to her and leapt into her arms, licking her nose jubilantly.

"You should give him a name so that you can summon him," said Grandmother, gazing lovingly at the little girl.

Little Red Riding Hood looked down at the puppy in her hands, thinking of a name, when she noticed something. Her fingers were stained red with blood. She realised that her hand must have been pricked by the wildflowers she had been holding, what felt like ages ago. In all the fear and excitement she had not realised.

"I'll call him Thorn," she said, "because even friendly flowers can have deadly spikes."

"Now, I hope that next time you'll be more careful," said Grandmother, scolding Little Red Riding Hood for her carelessness.

"I'm sorry, Grandma," she apologised, looking at her feet.

"It's alright, dear, just don't make the same mistake again. You should head home now before it gets dark." Grandmother smiled, leading the girl and her new dog towards the door.

Someone beat them to it though. Before they reached the door, someone rapped their knuckles on the wood. Little Red Riding Hood stepped forward and opened it. Standing there was the local woodsman, holding his axe.

"Is everything alright in here? Because some strange noises were coming from this house, and I was chopping wood just down the way, and, well, there's meant to be wolf loose around these parts..." he stammered, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh no, everything's fine," gushed Little Red Riding Hood, wringing some wet substance from the corner of her rosy cloak. "I was actually just heading home now!"

"Maybe, I should accompany you," he stuttered. "Because, you know, wolf and all..."

"I'm completely fine actually," the girl went on, skipping around the woodsman, puppy in tow.

"I have my own personal guard dog now," she smiled, gesturing to the clumsy puppy at her feet.

"Oh, um, okay then. I guess I'll just leave..."

Little Red Riding Hood skipped down the path, the ever-blowing wind making her cape dance around her. She called to Thorn whenever he strayed too far from her and he'd bound back excitably. The only sign he had ever been a wolf was his teeth, abnormally sharp compared to those of a newborn dog. Soon the pair were enveloped by trees, and he left his old life behind.

##  Author Bio

Rātā Shaw is twelve years old and goes to Heaton Normal Intermediate School. She likes reading and drawing. Her favourite books include _Twilight Robbery_ , and _Cuckoo Song_ , by Frances Hardinge. She likes writing and reading fantasy because the real world is boring. She sometimes draws pictures of weird animals.

She has chosen to rewrite _Little Red Riding Hood_ with grandmother as a powerful witch to experiment with various aspects of fantasy and myth, and to change the levels of power in the different characters.

#  A Feast of Good and Evil

## by Jenny Song

The wedding of Cinderella's father and Alexandra, her new stepmother, is only fifteen minutes away. Cinderella is dreading the marriage. In fact, she is pouring tears like a rainstorm. Cinderella's father is all ready for the wedding, just waiting around and talking with his future wife. Out of nowhere, Cinderella rushes in.

She snaps, "Could I have a word with you, Father?"

"Yeah, sure, let's go outside and talk privately," says Father, pointing towards the left. Cinderella's almost-stepmother glares at them with suspicion.

"I thought you loved Mother!" yells Cinderella when they're outside.

"I do. I still love her, even though she's up in heaven," Father says.

"But then why are you marrying this evil lady that will be of no use in my life?"

"You can't live without a mother! I can't take care of you twenty-four hours a day; that is the only reason I am going to marry her!"

"I don't need another mother!"

"Don't worry, darling. I will always love you, and your mother, more than her," says Father as he hugs Cinderella.

Then suddenly, a shadow gasps from the corner.

"Who's there?" shouts Father. He looks behind him, but the person is gone. "Don't worry, it doesn't matter," he says. "I am going to marry her, so please don't be disrespectful again. Just remember, I love you and your mother more than anyone."

"Okay, I'll try and be polite."

The wedding begins right as Cinderella's father enters.

"Will you take this man as your husband?"

"Yes," the stepmother replies, sounding unsure.

"Will you take this woman as your wife?"

"Yes," he replies, looking a bit dull.

Neither of them look happy about the marriage, especially the stepmother. She looks fierce and almost regretful.

The wedding ends. Nothing feels special, and nobody's happy.

"Greet your new stepmother, Cinderella," says Father.

"Hi," Cinderella greets her disrespectfully.

"Your daughter is rude," says Stepmother to Father.

"Just leave Cinderella alone!" says Father, looking enraged.

"This is your new brother. Harvey, Cinderella, greet each other!" says Stepmother in a moody way.

"Hi," Harvey says, as his face blushes and turns red.

"Hi, I'm Cinderella. Nice to meet you," says Cinderella kindly.

While Father goes and greets the wedding guests, Stepmother drags Cinderella to a corner. "I heard everything that you and your father said! I shall take revenge when my time comes."

"Why did you marry Father then? It would've been better for both of us if you hadn't! He doesn't love you as much as my mother!"

"How could you say that to me? I'm marrying your cruel father because he's rich and has friends in high places! Also, Harvey has no father himself. I actually loved that man, and I thought he loved me back. This love was all fake!"

"Then why don't you get divorced?"

The stepmother's anger takes over and she explodes, slapping Cinderella. "How dare you say that? We just got married! You'll see what's to come of your disrespectful ways."

* * *

Present day

"You shall not sleep until all of these peas have been picked!" says Stepmother to Cinderella, as she slaps her. The stepmother stomps off, grinning. Cinderella sighs. Tears are dripping down her rosy cheeks, and she is thinking about her mother.

"Why is my life so dreadful? Why does Stepmother hate me so much?" she cries to herself.

"Mother, Father, why did you have to leave me? I just can't take it anymore!"

_Mother_ , she shouts, but only in her head. _Are you listening to me?_

"I've tried millions of times to talk to you," she whispers, "can you please help?"

She cries as she starts sweeping the floors, remembering past days, and the fateful day that ruined her life once and for all.

"Who are you talking to?" Harvey says suddenly, appearing out of nowhere.

Cinderella feels her heart drop. "No-one, just myself."

"Do you need any help?" Harvey asks in a polite manner.

"No, I'm fine. Stepmother will kill me if she finds out you're helping."

"Don't worry about her, I just want to stay with you," he mumbles. "I like working. I mean, I like housework," Harvey mumbles again, as his face turns into a red tomato.

"You're silly," Cinderella laughs. "Go on, do your own work before you get in trouble."

"Okay." He sighs, rolling his eyes.

Before Harvey can go anywhere though, Stepmother storms in. "Cinderella! What kind of tricks or murder are you doing with my son?"

"I promise, I wasn't doing anything to him!"

"And why should I believe that?"

"Mother, she didn't do anything!" cries Harvey.

"Go back to your room this instant, Harvey, while I give this selfish girl what she deserves!"

"I'm sorry," mouths Harvey guiltily, as he looks into Cinderella's eyes.

Stepmother slaps Cinderella, but it isn't enough for her. She gets out her cane.

"Ouch, please stop!"

"Mother! Please stop, she hasn't done anything wrong!" Harvey screams with a voice like a tiger.

"Fine. I'll stop, but it's only because Harvey says so. You'll get no food for the whole day, and that's your punishment!" shouts Stepmother.

The housework is only half done, and there is no food in Cinderella's tummy. Her lips are dry, and her stomach is grumbling. She is sick and cold, and all she has left is her tears, once again dripping down her cheeks.

Her life is a misery. She's caught into a world without any love, or any hope, as she keeps regretting the past.

Harvey appears with a full delicious dish and a cup of water. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. Please forgive me, and don't feel so guilty, because this is what I owe you." He quickly runs off, leaving the food and water.

Because of Harvey's kind heart, Cinderella doesn't starve. She eats it all up, but still has to sweep the whole 250-metre squared house, wash approximately 550 dishes, and there is yet more and more housework to do.

Afterwards, she falls asleep on the dirty floor, but soon enough she gets woken by Stepmother.

"Wake up, or else I'll sell you as a slave!" she shouts as she kicks Cinderella in the ribs.

The next day, there is a big crowd outside.

"There's a crowd of villagers, Mother. What's happening?" Harvey asks curiously.

"Let's go outside and see," Stepmother replies.

Cinderella creeps after them, as she is very curious as well. There is a big poster speaking of a curious feast that will run over three days.

"What is this?" Harvey asks suspiciously.

The poster says:

Every family in the village is invited to a three-day feast to celebrate Prince Philip's fifteenth birthday. Every girl is invited to dance with the prince, as he is going to marry the most beautiful girl in the village.

"I'd be so great for the prince!" says a villager.

"Are you talking about the prince rumoured to be perfect?" says another villager.

"He is handsome, kind, rich, tall, and so perfect and amazing."

"Yes, he is!"

The whole village has heard that the prince is good-looking, and all of the girls dream of marrying him, including Cinderella.

Cinderella's heart starts beating rapidly as she thinks about the prince. She feels really shy and starts blushing as she remembers the day she first saw the prince.

About a month ago, Cinderella had been outside enjoying the fresh air, and she saw a handsome stranger ride by.

As he went past, he had said, "How's your day, young lady?" in a very well mannered voice. For Cinderella, it was love at first sight. She had blushed as the prince rode his horse onwards. To her, he had looked really handsome.

Cinderella can't wait to properly meet the prince, as the poster does say that everyone is invited. She dances and hops around, wanting to dance with the prince.

"Cinderella's going to come, right?" Harvey asks his mother.

"No way!" Stepmother answers.

"But it says that every family is invited!" Cinderella shouts.

"But you aren't really a part of our family, and the king will be expecting only me and Harvey as we are distant members of the royal family."

"It's unfair, Stepmother!" complains Cinderella.

"No, it's not!"

"Yeah, it's unfair. If Cinderella wants to go, she can go! Every girl is invited to the feast, Mother. Cinderella can go," says Harvey.

"Well, you have heaps of housework to do, and you don't even have any proper clothes! So don't ever ask again!" shouts Stepmother as she stomps off.

"Please!" Cinderella pleads.

"Don't worry, I'll try and convince Mother, so don't cry anymore," says Harvey sweetly.

* * *

It is the day of the feast. Harvey and Stepmother are getting ready, but Cinderella is still cleaning and doing more and more housework.

"I'm so sorry. I tried convincing Mother millions of times, but she still says no," Harvey cries.

"It's fine," Cinderella replies sadly, but she starts crying.

"I was hoping for you to go, so I bought you these golden slippers," says Harvey as he shows her the shimmering shoes.

"Thank you, anyway."

"Maybe next time you can go."

Stepmother looks gorgeous, and all ready to go to the feast. "I'll have a think about you going tomorrow if you harvest all of these thousands of vegetables." She giggles, then smirks at Cinderella and is off to the feast.

Cinderella cries and, once again, she tries and talks to her mother. "Please help me!"

Then a sudden voice speaks, "Calm down. The feast is nothing. Do you really want to go to the ball?

Cinderella is shocked. "Yes I do, but where are you?"

"I'm in heaven, watching over you."

"Mother!"

"I'm sure you'll regret going to the feast."

"No! I'm not going to regret anything. Please help me," Cinderella speaks softly.

"You'll be in pain and anxiety. The future won't be that good."

"I can't keep living like this. You left me, and so did Father. I want to dance with the person I love, or actually do something that I want to do for the first time in my life."

"I'm sorry I left you, but the future may be too dangerous if you go to the feast."

"How do you know? I can feel it won't! So please help me? Please, for the first time in my life, please help me!"

"Fine," Mother says.

A minute later, hundreds of animals appear out of nowhere. They harvest the vegetables in only five minutes. A beautiful dove brings an amazing, pretty dress that looks like it has come from heaven. Cinderella looks like the most beautiful girl ever.

"I look amazing! Thanks, Mother," she says as she looks up at the sky.

As the magic works on Cinderella's face and body, she slips on the golden shoes that Harvey gave her. A beautiful carriage appears out of nowhere. She hops on and is off to the feast.

* * *

Cinderella arrives with a big smile on her face. She hears the lovely music playing and sees women and men dancing. _Wow, this is amazing!_

She walks in. Everyone looks at her beauty, including the prince. Stepmother and Harvey don't recognise her because the magic has transformed her into a princess.

Prince Philip comes over to her, and her heart starts beating rapidly.

"Would you like to dance with me?" he asks in a very mannered way.

"Yes, of course," she says, delighted.

At this moment, Cinderella loses track of who she is and just keeps dancing. She falls in love with the beautiful music, and the prince.

The music plays on until finally, the musicians have to rest. Cinderella and Prince Philip have a chance to actually greet each other.

"Nice meeting you, I'm Prince Philip."

"Hi, I'm—" Her words are cut off by shock as she sees Harvey and Stepmother. "I've got to go!"

"Where?" Prince Philip asks.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I promise!" Cinderella zooms into her carriage, and the coachman rides off.

Before Stepmother and Harvey come back, she races home. She changes her clothes and shoes and hides them.

Then the door suddenly bangs open.

"Hi, Stepmother, how was it?"

"Why do you want to know?" Stepmother looks annoyed.

"It wasn't that fun, as expected. It was pretty boring because all we had to do was greet all the royal families," says Harvey.

Stepmother looks around, dazed. "Did you harvest all these vegetables?"

"Wow!" says Harvey.

"Stepmother, can I go to the ball tomorrow, please?"

"Of course not, you've still got heaps of dishes to clean!" she says as she muddies all of the clean dishes!

Cinderella's eyes water. She starts washing the never-ending dishes, but the magic isn't over yet.

"Bye, see you later!" says Harvey as he and Stepmother go off to the feast.

Cinderella thinks of giving up, that the magic was just a dream.

"Uhhhh!" She sighs as she washes the dishes. But then suddenly animals come around and magically start to do the dishes, and there is a knock on the door.

"Are you ready to go to the feast?" the coachman asks politely. He is all ready with his carriage.

"I'll go get ready!"

As soon as she puts her dress on, she transforms into a princess. She puts on her golden slippers and is off to the feast.

She arrives with another big wide smile, ready to see Prince Philip again, but it isn't what she expects. Before the prince sees her, she sees something she isn't supposed to. Prince Philip is greeting every family in the village, including the poor.

"Hello, I'm Prince Philip, as you know. I'm the prince, so respect me. You poor little ones will have to do what I say!"

"You aren't very kind, are you? You're not even that handsome!" A little boy giggles.

"What did you just say? How dare you? Do you even know who I am?" the prince says as he tramps over to the little boy, looking a little too grumpy. "Guards, take him away to the woods until he learns his lesson!" he demands, and the little boy is taken away.

Cinderella gasps with fear and anxiety as she hears everything from behind the corner.

Once she is calm, she walks confidently into the ballroom, and the prince sees her.

"It's you again!"

"Hi," Cinderella says shyly, but with fear still stuck within her.

"Do you want to dance?" Prince Philip says.

But Cinderella is frightened of the prince. She doesn't want to dance with him, but she's scared that he will punish her if she says no. "Yes, sure."

The music starts playing, and they begin to fall in love again as they talk and chat while they are dancing.

"Where do you live?" Prince Philip asks.

"Somewhere along the village," Cinderella replies fearfully.

"I have to say, you are very beautiful."

"Thank you."

They dance and dance, talking until the music stops. Cinderella feels as if it's a dream, dancing with the prince, and is sure that what she saw before was unreal.

How would this prince do that kind of thing?

But she remembers what really happened. She doesn't feel safe here and knows that she has to get back home before her stepmother does.

"I'm sorry, it's time for me to leave."

"Why do you always leave me?"

"I have other plans."

"Promise you'll be back tomorrow? I have to ask you something, so make sure you come."

"Uhh, umm," she hesitates, "I've got to go. Bye!" And she rushes off to her carriage.

At home, she rushes to get changed and starts to think about what happened.

Stepmother and Harvey come back, but this time Cinderella does not ask to go to the ball, even though the dishes were all done.

The next day, Harvey and Stepmother go to the ball once more.

"Come on, let's go, Harvey!" Stepmother says.

"Okay!"

"You are very quiet today, Cinderella, that's a pretty good sign. Just like that, keep your mouth zipped!" Stepmother grins as they leave for the feast.

There is another knock on the door.

"Are you ready to go the feast?" the coachman asks, repeatedly.

"No!" Cinderella says, but the curse of magic keeps going. The coachman keeps repeating and repeating until Cinderella says yes.

"Fine, I'll go!" And she gets ready to go the ball. She is again transformed into a princess that nobody will recognise, but this time she feels some sort of force pushing her to go to the feast.

She arrives, but realises that if she goes in, there is no way out. She should just run away this instant.

"Hey there, Coachman! Let's go back home!" Cinderella shouts desperately, but before she can get into the carriage, the prince sees her.

"Hi there, I was looking for you everywhere," Prince Philip says in a very sneaky voice.

Cinderella's heart is racing, and she is gasping with fear.

"Do you want to come and greet the other royal families with me?" he asks.

"Yes, okay," Cinderella replies with her creaky nervous voice.

They go around meeting the royal families, which is fine until the family they meet is Harvey and his mother.

"This is Harvey and Alexandra."

"Hello, nice to meet you," Cinderella says as she feels her heart racing.

Alexandra and Harvey don't recognise Cinderella yet, and Cinderella is super nervous that they'll realise it's her.

"Anyway, enjoy your time... oh, what was your name again?" her stepmother asks.

"Umm..." Then Cinderella accidentally slips and falls as she is so nervous. Prince Philip helps her up. Harvey looks down at Cinderella's golden slippers and his eyes open wide. He gasps.

"Are you..." Harvey mumbles, but then says, "Nevermind, enjoy! Let's go, Mother!"

Cinderella gasps and gasps and gasps.

"Excuse me," Cinderella says and walks off to the toilet. She needs and wants to hide, but guards are everywhere.

She sneaks off, trying not to bump into the prince. Outside the ballroom, in a quiet place, Cinderella hears a little conversation between Prince Philip and the king.

"Father, I have found who I'm going to marry."

"Just marry any girl. It's all your choice!"

"When I get married, and I become king, I have plans to get rid of the poor and just make it a wealthy village."

"All decisions are yours, but choose them wisely."

"Father, I am brave already. I've dealt with those who disobey me, and have done dangerous deeds. I have a lot of skills. Don't worry," the prince says. "And I am the most good looking in this village. I also have self-confidence. I will be a great king, Father, no worries."

"Okay, okay. You are ready son!"

When hearing this Cinderella thinks she's about to collapse. _Who is he marrying? Is it me?_

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Prince Philip says, "Come over here, I need to ask you something."

Cinderella stares at him. He suddenly kneels.

_I need to leave right now!_ she thinks.

The prince asks, "Will you marry me?"

"Umm..." Cinderella says, and then she just runs for her life!

"Wait, what are you doing?" the prince yells.

In Cinderella's desperation, she leaves one of her golden slippers on the stairs.

"Where's my carriage? Oh no, it's gone!" Cinderella shouts in fear. With no choice, she just runs, even though the prince shouts, "Come back! Guards! Chase her!"

She hears the guards chasing her. She knows her life is depending on fleeing. She doesn't look back. She runs like a cheetah, but it isn't enough. The guards are right behind. Sweat drips down her face. She is breathing heavily. Her legs are sore and tired, but then suddenly a man on a horse speeds past Cinderella.

"Hop on!" he shouts.

"Who are you?"

"It's me, Harvey."

Cinderella hops on his horse.

"Thank you so much! Please, promise you won't tell Stepmother!"

"I promise."

They arrive home. Cinderella feels so relieved. She realises that she needs someone that is warm-hearted. Cinderella feels that her heart really belongs to Harvey, even though he isn't rich and handsome like the prince. He risked his life saving her, and that makes him a very warm-hearted man.

"Are you okay?" Harvey asks desperately.

"I'm fine. I'll hurry up and get changed before Stepmother gets back."

As Cinderella hides her shoes and dress, she thinks, _Hmm, Harvey is a very sweet person._

Afterwards, they talk about the feast and what happened, until suddenly Stepmother comes storming in.

"Harvey, I had to walk home! What did you do with the horse?" shouts Stepmother.

"I'm sorry, I had to rush home," says Harvey. They both look at each other and feel very nervous because they think that Stepmother will know. To their relief, she storms off without saying anything else.

Cinderella is relieved and happy that it's all over. She knows that she will never go near the castle, and she will never want to see the prince again.

* * *

A few days later, Cinderella and Harvey are peaceful as they haven't heard the rumours. Then there is a sudden knock at the door. Cinderella opens it and her smile fades, replaced by tears in her eyes.

It is the prince.

"Hello there, I am looking for the lady that fits this golden slipper. Could you please try it on?"

Alexandra interrupts, saying, "It can't possibly fit, she wasn't even there!"

Harvey looks at Cinderella with sweat dripping down his back. His nerves are rattling inside him.

"Yeah, it would be useless for her to try it on," says Harvey with his voice cracking in his throat.

"Every woman has to try it on!" shouts one of the soldiers.

"Yes, okay, I'll try it on," Cinderella says. Her voice cracks up. She feels her heart beating as fast as if it is a running race. There is no way to run, she has to try the shoe on.

It obviously fits perfectly.

"What is happening?" Alexandra cries, looking confused.

"So, you are the one," says Prince Philip with a cruel smile, as he stoops and kneels for the second time, but he still asks, "Will you marry me?"

No words come out of Cinderella's mouth. Her head is spinning like crazy. She hates the prince. _But what will happen if I say no?_

But she would rather die than live with this man!

"No!" she says.

"Excuse me? What did you say?"

"No."

He lifts his sword up in the air and brings it down towards Cinderella.

"No!" Harvey screams as he puts his arm around her.

In a split second, Harvey's arm is slit by the sword. The sword is bloody, and so is Harvey's arm. He screams and collapses onto the floor.

"What is happening? Someone help Harvey!" Cinderella cries.

"Oh no!" Alexandra cries as she collapses to her knees on the floor beside her son.

"Please, someone help!" Cinderella pleads. "Someone! Guards, please go call a doctor now!"

One guard gets on his horse and rides off to call a doctor.

"Come on, guards, help him!" Cinderella begs. "Just someone, please, help him!"

Alexandra wraps her shawl around his arm to try to stop the bleeding. Cinderella sees Harvey enduring the pain.

Is it too late?

"I told you, you would regret it," says a sudden voice.

_Mother?_ Cinderella thinks.

In time the doctor arrives. He orders the guards to carry Harvey up to a bedroom and the door slams. Cinderella and her stepmother shed tears of regret.

After a while, the doctor emerges and walks towards Cinderella and Alexandra. Cinderella feels her heart beating towards death. She is losing hope by the minute.

"Please don't tell me he's dead," Alexandra says, with a voice that is barely audible anymore.

"I'm sorry, but Harvey has lost a lot of blood. We have used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, but we'll have to amputate his arm because his bone has been shattered. Don't worry. It hasn't concluded, he isn't dead. But he won't ever be able to use his arm again."

They both take a deep breath, relieved.

"I'm sorry, Mother," Cinderella cries.

"For what?" With eyes full of tears, Alexandra barely speaks.

"I'm so sorry for all the pain and hurt I gave you years ago. What I said was all wrong. Father loved you. I should've never have said anything so bratty, and I feel so stupid that it took me these years to realise that it all started because of what I said to you. I realised that I was wrong today when I saw someone dying in front of my eyes. I am truly sorry, Mother," cries Cinderella.

Alexandra just keeps crying, shedding the never-ending tears of a broken heart.

"Good news, Harvey has survived the amputation," the doctor comes and says.

"What?" Cinderella reacts, surprised.

"Thank you so much!" Alexandra says, and they both jump around like crazy little kids, feeling so relieved and happy.

"Harvey!" Cinderella shouts with happiness as she runs towards his bed and gives him a big hug.

"Are you okay, now?" Alexandra asks.

"I'm all fine, now."

"Harvey, I'm so sorry for what I have done," Cinderella says. "I regret everything. Please, promise that you'll never ever leave me."

"I won't ever leave you, even though I only have one arm." He giggles.

Alexandra smiles at them both, looking so happy. "Well, I'm going to leave and find myself a happy life too. I might go abroad marry another man, or whatever, but that's none of your concern! You two promise me you will live happily ever after, okay?"

"Wait, what? You're leaving us?" says Harvey.

"You are old enough to take care of yourselves. Just live happily ever after."

"Mother, you too!" Cinderella says.

Alexandra just smiles and leaves.

"Bye! I'll miss you, Mother!" Harvey waves.

"Oh, and by the way what are we going to do with this prince?" Cinderella asks.

"Hmm..."

* * *

The king finds out about the prince's past and present crimes and agrees to send that snobby, rude prince to prison for the rest of his life!

But more importantly, Cinderella and Harvey live with the money, the house and the farm that Cinderella's father left them. They are caring and sharing with the poor, and their vegetable farm goes very well, with the help of the animals, who are pro-harvesters. And so, Harvey is capable of living with one arm and his love for Cinderella, and of course, they live happily ever after.

##  Author Bio

Jenny Song enjoys reading realistic novels, but she prefers writing unrealistic stories that don't occur in this world. Her favourite author is Jacqueline Wilson because she writes books of many ages. Jenny started reading her books at seven years old and she is still hooked into them. Her favourite sport is swimming and running, and she gets very competitive about these sports.

Jenny rewrote _Cinderella and the Glass Slipper_ by changing stepsisters into an only boy child named Harvey. A lot of the characters emotions were changed. In this version, Harvey likes Cinderella. Jenny also changed the prince's character a bit, to make it more intense with two antagonists.

#  Crooked Beaks and Crooked Hearts

## by Ed Leonard

It was a night the mother swan had experienced many times before: the stars shimmered and sparkled above her head as she peeked through the reeds to check on the nest. Within there were seven eggs of the same size and another slightly bigger egg off to the side. Next to them was the mother, a duck, fussing over them like ornaments.

The swan stared intently at the large egg. She wanted so badly to tuck her head under her wing and fall asleep, but she knew how close these eggs were to hatching. You could almost see the shape of the ducks inside the eggs. Her eyes stung with pain as the unforgiving wind whipped past her. She moved her feet to try and get a feeling back in them. She had no nest to hide in. She had no bevvy to huddle with.

She tried not to remember being forced out. Forced to live by herself, and while she was going to lay eggs. She'd lain three, but only one had survived. The one egg that was now lying under a duck, in its nest, as she couldn't take care of it. She didn't have the skills.

That's why her bevvy had left her: "If you can't make a nest what use are you to children? What use are you to this flock if you cannot have children to carry on our bevvy? You claim to be a swan yet you are uglier than most ducks."

That was the start of her torturous life without a flock. She was thrown out and had to eat, sleep and fly by herself. The winter had been freezing. Her body had almost been frozen solid. She'd been starving when an icy layer had covered the cold water where her food lived, and she was about to die when a kind human took her in and helped her. She'd gone back out to the pond at the end of winter. When it was time for her to lay her eggs, she'd gone to a different pond. She made the best nest she could with her horrible crooked beak, and she had sat on the eggs for weeks on end. After many weeks of starvation, she gave in to her stomach. But even in mid-spring, it was too cold and dangerous for the eggs to survive. While she had hopped off only for a few minutes, she'd come back to find only one egg left.

She no longer trusted herself to take care of her egg, so she gave it to a duck: she snuck into the duck's nest and plopped her egg down with the duck's. It was heart-breaking for her to leave her egg. She knew that the duck would know the egg was different, she just hoped it wouldn't mind. Luckily ducks are so forgetful she thought it was one of her own.

That's why the mother swan was here now, watching over her egg, and hoping so badly that it would be alright. Worrying, hoping that her egg would be okay, and eventually losing herself in her thoughts she drifted off to sleep.

The swan woke to a loud quack of happiness clearly audible through the reeds. She peered through them to find the mother duck standing over her newly hatched ducklings. All had hatched except one: the large egg at the edge of the nest was still whole. The mother duck glanced over and saw the final bird had still not managed to break out of its slim casing.

After two days more of sitting on the larger egg, it finally hatched. The duck now stood over five ducklings and a larger chick coated in grey.

Her cygnet! It has hatched! The mother swan looked at the ducklings. They seemed like ducks that would be nice to her baby. That was until she heard the closest duckling snarl about their ugly grey brother. She was horrified by how the duckling talked about her baby. He was beautiful. He had eyes like the darkest nights and feathers like the clouds.

She watched her son all day. He seemed to be doing well. They went out on the water and he swam stronger and faster than the others.

She was happy for her son. Maybe he could find a home with the ducks. What would happen if she left him with the ducks? They could easily take care of him. No, she told herself furiously. He's your son. You must see him again.

The ducks were almost to the other side of the pond, so the mother swan decided to get in and follow. She was a fine swimmer, in fact, she was better than most swans. As she swam past other ducks and creatures, she heard snippets of conversations, little whispers about her beak. So what? She said to herself. Why do you care about how someone's beak looks, and how her speech is slurred because she can barely open her mouth without a sharp pain in her jaw?

For weeks she watched her child be labelled as an outcast. He spent his days away from anyone and seemed to be even more miserable than the mother swan. The days he spent alone swimming across the pond and the nights he spent huddled at the edge of the nest.

After months of disgusting words being spat at him by his horrible siblings, he left the pond. The mother swan was worried for her child. There were many dangerous places around. Winter was coming, and her son had no flock to migrate with. It wasn't very likely he would survive it. It wasn't very likely she would survive it either.

She followed him through the meadows at a safe distance, occasionally having to hide when he looked back. He arrived at his destination later in the day: another pond inhabited by ducks. Her little boy, who looked so frail compared to the strong figures of the wild ducks, walked up to them. The mother duck only caught snippets of the conversation, but she got the idea. Her son wanted to stay on the moor and swim around. Throughout the conversation, the ducks still managed to tell him how ugly he was. He settled down in the moor only a few metres away. The peace didn't last long though.

Two wild female geese flew over and asked the ugly duckling if he wanted to come over to their moor. He could find a wife there. But yet again they told him how ugly he was.

Suddenly there was a sharp crack in the air and the geese fell to the ground with blood oozing out of them.

The mother swan wasted no time diving into the reeds. She lay with her legs in the air, her face suspended millimetres away from the marshy water. She stayed like that for hours as gunshots cracked across the moor and dogs searched around for anyone hiding.

Finally, the gunshots ceased. She heard the farmers walking away laughing. Once she was sure all the humans were gone, she rolled over back onto her feet. She glanced through the reeds to see her cygnet shivering with fear. Or was it cold? He was lying in the cold, muddy water. His face was etched with fear and his body was covered in mud. His eyes looked dazzled. He was as still as a rock, and his chest barely moved, as he lay as still as ever and closed his eyes.

The cygnet's sleep didn't last long, as thunder boomed on the horizon and lightning jolted him awake. The mother swan knew all about storms. The ones that destroyed entire valleys, but also the ones that saved hundreds from a drought. Staring at the dark clouds storming across the sky, the mother swan knew what type of storm this was. It wouldn't be dangerous as long as they stayed close to the ground; they had to burrow down and stop for the night. Sadly, the cygnet seemed to have other ideas, as he took one look at the storm and, though he still had a frightened look on his face, he got up and headed off away from the storm. _Oh no,_ his mother thought. _This isn't good._

The cygnet raced through the woods, his eyes darting back for only milliseconds to see how far away the storm was. His eyes were glazed with fear and worry. Though no longer a small cygnet, he had never been in a storm, he didn't know how to protect himself, so all he did was keep on flying. He flew through the seemingly endless woods until he had outrun the storm. The mother swan knew how dangerous it was to do that. She didn't want her only child to die just like his father.

Just like his beautiful father who thought he could outrun a storm. Who thought he could do anything. And the mother swan had almost believed him until that day. The day the horrible storm tore her heart to pieces. The day when her lifelong lover had been lost to the storm. When she hurried over to see the lifeless body of her partner. Her face was distraught, her mind couldn't comprehend it. Her partner had died. Her eggs would not survive without a father. What was the point of living?

But somehow her child was greater than his father. He outran the storm and found himself standing at the edge of the woods facing a lush valley. There was a lake at the bottom of the hill; reeds coated the edge of the water and ducks, geese, and some other type of bird she didn't recognise, swam around the lake. The trees that were dotted here and there across the meadow were just starting to lose their leaves as autumn started to take action.

She watched her grey cygnet walk down to the bank and poke his head through the reeds. He'd grown so much over the months, and was now as big as her! He went out to swim on the lake and hunt for some food. All of the animals out on the lake steered clear of the ugly grey bird.

The mother swan had not realised how hungry she was and followed her child's example.

The next few weeks went by with nothing much happening. Her child stayed there. He swam around, ate food, and slept in the reeds. The mother swan did the same as her child, still somehow managing to steer clear of him.

The weeks slowly turned to months, and it was soon winter. The lake was freezing cold and slowly froze over. The grey swan's luck ran out when he was swimming around on the lake. The ice was so thick that he got stuck in it.

His mother was hiding in the reeds but decided it was time to show her face. She needed to help him!

The freezing mud stuck to her webbed feet as the mother swan walked through the reeds towards the frozen river. Her wings shivered and her heart pounded. Through the gaps in the long grass, she saw her cygnet struggling to escape his bonds. But though he struggled like the mother swan had never seen before, he couldn't escape the icy grasp. His anguished cries went unheard by anyone else, and he was slowly losing his battle with the cold.

Thoughts raced through the mother swan's mind like a river. What if she couldn't save him? What if he died? What if, after all this, he didn't want to be with her? But even through all these doubts, she knew what she needed to do. Her son was in danger, she had to help him.

She flinched as the ice made her feet slip as she ran across the frozen water before taking flight. There was a small thought in her mind, urging her to go back. No, she told it. She would save her cygnet if it was the last thing she did.

She flapped her wings urgently. Slowly, she lifted herself off the ice and soared up. She had always loved flying. The feeling of soaring across the endless sky. She refocused her vision on the cygnet stuck in the ice. He had his eyes closed. The rise and fall of his chest was so slow it was almost still. She tucked her head in and dove towards him.

The wind whistled in her ears as the ground came hurtling towards her. She pulled up at the last second and slowly levelled out.

The thought suddenly came to her that she didn't know how she would save him. She couldn't pull him out of the ice by herself. The only way she could was by catching him while she was flying past. That would have been easy if she had claws. Sadly her webbed feet could not grasp anything but water. But her beak might be able to do it.

She angled her beak so she could grab his grey feathers. She just hoped that the ice wouldn't hold so hard she would rip him apart. She went to open her mouth wide when she realised she couldn't. She'd forgotten about her beak! How could she do this with a crooked beak? She'd always hated her beak. Her horrible crooked beak.

Well, her horrible beak would have to do. She opened it as far as she could, which wasn't too impressive. Her beak caught on his grey feathers and locked into them. The ice held firm and she fell to the ground. She knocked her head on the ice and struggled to stand up. She glanced over to see her child crawling away from the ice, he struggled to keep moving and finally stopped moving a few metres from where he was stuck. She had knocked him loose.

The mother swan finally got up and hobbled over to her child. He looked up with a dazed and tired look.

"Who are you?" his small voice questioned.

"I'm... I'm your mother." She hoped that he would believe her, that he would accept her.

Confusion flashed across his face, along with anger, sadness, joy and finally finishing on mischievous. Wait, mischievous?

"You were that shadow I saw one night that was looking at me."

What? He had seen her? She felt like a fool. All this time she'd been fretting, hoping she wouldn't be seen, and all along he had known she was there. But she could worry about that later, right now they needed warmth and food. She just hoped she could find the human who'd helped her survive last winter. Then, after the thaw, they could find a new bevvy.

But in this moment, helping her cygnet across the ice, she felt happier then she had in so many years. Even though it was cold, and she and her son had nothing but an icy river, they had each other. She was sure things were going to get better.

##  Author Bio

Ed Leonard is twelve years old and goes to Heaton Intermediate. He enjoys reading and writing. His favourite books are _Percy Jackson_ , by Rick Riordan, and _The 5 Kingdoms_ , by Brandon Mull. Ed also enjoys playing cricket and is in an extension maths class.

Ed retold _The Ugly Duckling_ from the point of view of the mother swan.

#  Little Grey Racing Wolf

## By Niamh Matthews

Somewhere beyond the deepwoods, in an old village full of joy and happiness by the name of Little Wolf Spire, lives Grey. Grey is the dearest wolf of all. Anyone who lays eyes on her adores her silky grey fur and her pale blue eyes. Her stomach fades into a shade of snowy white, and her nose is a delicate pink, like the petal of a fragile spring rose. But nobody could ever love her as much as her frail grandmother. Her grandmother provides her anything and everything she wants, yet she is still modest and meek. Her grandmother had known she didn't have much life left in her but wanted Grey to always have something by which Grey could remember her, so she had woven her a golden basket. It took her months, but she always repeats the fact that it was all worth it.

Grey visits her Grandmother as much as she's allowed, but her mother is very strict with journeys through the woods. There are rules, and Grey respects them.

Past the first three cottages and just beyond the stone brick well is Grey. She's with her three friends, Rosemary, Midnight and Twig, racing each other back and forth, from one tree and to the other, almost like a relay. Twig is sprinting with all her might, winning the race for her and Grey. Her feet nearing Grey's, she quickly jolts to the left. Grey reacts smoothly and continues on. She is the fastest out of all her friends and their siblings. In fact, she is almost certain she's the fastest in all of Little Wolf Spire! Grey is back quicker than a flash, while Midnight is still making her way back towards them.

"These teams are unfair!" yelps Rosemary.

"Yeah, Twig is faster than both of us, and Grey, you're like the fastest wolf I know!" exclaims Midnight.

"I think they're pretty fair," giggles Grey.

"How about we swa—"

"Grey!" Grey's mother calls out from her small glass window, lined with a chipped white wood. "Your grandmother is sadly very ill, and I know she would cherish a visit! Maybe bring her some bread and vegetables to help her get well. If you really wanted you could even pick her some flowers, but just promise not to wander too far."

"Okay, I'll just be a minute!" replies Grey.

"Sorry guys, I gotta go," she says to her friends.

"Bye!" they all howl.

Grey wanders back to her white, straw cottage and peeks around the door frame to say goodbye.

"Bye, Mom," she yells cheerfully while grasping her basket with jagged teeth.

"Hold on a minute!" her mother calls.

Grey stands unbalanced on one foot, half out their narrow doorway. She slowly twists around and regains balance while beginning to walk back towards her mother.

"What are the rules?" her mother says with a stern tone in her voice.

"Ugh! Stay away from the path and don't talk to strangers. I know, we've gone over this every time I've gone over there!" says Grey in a frustrated voice.

"Yes, but you know what happened to your father. You need to be more careful. Hunters do exist, you can't just ignore that."

"Please, can we not talk about Dad? I haven't seen a hunter out there since that night. I'll be fine!"

"I wish your grandmother would just take everyone's advice and move down to Little Wolf Spire. She's too far away from everyone!" complains Grey's Mother.

"Well, it has been her home for her whole life. You can see why she'd want to stay!"

"Yeah, yeah. Have fun and don't forget to say hi for me!"

As Grey steps out the door and waves goodbye, she pauses. She stands still for a minute, politely drops her basket down on the hay-covered concrete and quickly runs back to give her mother a tremendously big hug.

"Bye." She smiles.

Grey sets off towards the rim of their dear, little village and toward the woods. _Flowers._ The thought slides into her mind smooth and fast. She quickly changes direction and skips over to find Grandmother a fresh bundle of flowers. The woods are blanketed in a smoky black cloud at this time, and there is not a light to be seen. No bluebirds singing their cheerful songs. No squirrels searching for scrumptious nuts. Just tinted black with a hint of a mysterious, shadowy grey outlining the needle-like trees. The wind howls through what can be seen of the crisp night sky. Grey lifts her head. Twas light when she set off, but now all is dull as dusk arises. She has never left this late before. She's beginning to question her surroundings. A quiet mutter jolts her ears to the right. Curiosity suddenly rushes through her veins.

"It's too small, it's just not worth the time and effort," a stern mumble comes from beyond the bush.

"Yeah, but we need all the fur we can get. These rugs sell for a lot, you know," another mumble emerges.

_Oh, there must be someone looking for some sheep to shear to make some rugs!_ Grey thought.

The desire to discover what creature is in need of her help starts to take over; she knows she can help them find some sheep. She slowly changes direction and sneaks toward the murmurs. She approaches the bush and glances over the soggy, lush leaves. Two men are perched on a stump under a lonesome, swaying willow tree. They seem too far away to have possibly been creating such a close noise, but they are the only possibility.

Now the shock has only just occurred to Grey. The path! It is less than two feet in front of her. For her whole life it was only a fragment of her imagination, but now it is a reality. Everything hits her at once. Her paws collapse beneath her, leaving her toppling over the bushes and lying on the centre of the path, unconscious. Her basket, with Grandmother's vegetables, bread and flowers, is upside down a couple of feet away from Grey, the vegetables scattered across the path.

"Is it dead?" an unfamiliar voice wakes Grey.

The two men slowly approach Grey with friendly grins and greet her. Both the men wear red, plaid shirts and scruffy jeans. The bigger man has floppy brown hair, and the smaller one is wearing a black beanie only revealing a strand of dirty blonde hair. The bigger one looks strong and tall, while the other, not so much.

"Hello there, umm—"

"Grey, my name is Grey," she says politely.

"Ahh, okay. Hello, Grey! Are you alright? What brings you out here on such a dull afternoon?" the bigger man asks.

"Well, I'm going to visit my grandmother of course," she says with ease edging into her voice.

The quieter man comes closer to her and begins to scratch her soft belly and behind her nervous ears. Maybe humans aren't all bad, Grey thinks. Her eyes wander around her new surroundings. She begins to become worried until... just over the hedge, peeking over all the other pines, is a grand oak tree. She is almost at Grandmother's house!

The man continues to speak, "So where does your grandmother live? Is she far off?"

"No, she's actually just around the corner! She lives in the only cottage through the end of the woods, by the opening—just up on the small round hill!"

"Do you visit her often?"

"Yeah, do you come out here often?" she queries back.

"First time." The men seemed pleased.

Grey is relaxed and calm. "Well I can tell you now, there's no sheep around these parts, but I do know where you can find lots to shear!" Grey seems pleased now, she loves helping people!

"Sheep?" The men seem confused.

"Yeah, the sheep you came out here to find and shear to make into rugs!" She smiles.

"Oh yeah, those sheep." The men look at each other, smirking with glee.

"So, where do you live?" The men ask.

"I live in Little Wolf Spire, just through the other side of the woods," says Grey while she slowly gets up off her back and goes over to pick up the scattered vegetables and flowers from the path. I better not leave Grandma waiting.

"I better be on my way now. Grandma is probably waiting for me, but I hope you have a great day," Grey continues as she slowly tries to sneak away, the last vegetable just in reach.

"Wait, wait, don't you want us to meet your grandmother?" the men stall.

"Oh, yes, that would be lovely! But only if you have the time! My grandmother would love to meet you. You guys will love her too! She's practically famous!" Grey rants on.

"And how's that?" the man questions.

"Well, not to brag or anything, but she's the biggest wolf you'll ever see around these parts!" She grins.

"Really?" The big man tries to look shocked, but a sly grin washes up on his face.

"Yup!"

"Well then, I propose a race. First one there gets to—"

"—eat all the biscuits," Grey cuts in.

"It's a deal." They grin.

Off she goes, racing is one of her favourite things—because she always wins. There is no way the men can beat her. They even made the mistake of giving her a head start. She sprints through the thick bushes, past the pine trees and over the logs and twigs. The night swallows her further and further until she can't be seen anymore.

Suddenly, she comes to a halt and listens. A strange, nerve-wracking, humming noise floods the area. The noise disturbs her, but she really wants her grandmother's biscuits. Her grandmother makes the best biscuits ever! They taste like happiness! So she keeps on going. She begins to see Grandmother's cottage perched upon the flower-crowded hill, the sunset illuminating behind. Grandmother's cottage is small, but everyone thinks that's why she likes it. It has a misty yellow roof and walls of a dirty white colour.

Grey beat the men! Grey bangs on the door gently. "Grandma, I'm here with your bread and flowers! Mother even sent me with some vegetables."

"Lift the latch and let yourself in, I'm too weak to get up."

Grey does as she's told and lets herself in. She puts the basket down and goes to lie down with her grandmother. As Grey lies down, there is a soft squeaking noise from the creaky bed. It's a familiar and comforting noise to Grey, and she smiles as it quiets down. Grandmother's cottage is one storey and only one room. She has a small pantry and a small cooker. She has a tiny kitchen bench, which leaves her almost no room to bake. But somehow she always manages to make the best baking ever! She has the smallest fridge you could ever imagine. And that is about it. There is a bed and a small bedside table stabilising a crooked chair. Nothing more can possibly be jammed into her cosy home.

"I brought guests, Grandma. They're on their way here to meet you right now! They're so kind and polite," says Grey cheerfully.

"How wonderful, I can't wait to meet them," she replies.

"Oh! Grandma," Grey exclaims. "What small ears you have."

"All the harder to hear you with," she says.

"But, Grandma, what small eyes you have!"

"All the harder to see you with, my dear," she replies.

"But, Grandma, what small hands you have," she continues.

"All the harder to hug you with."

"Oh! But, Grandma, what a terribly small mouth you have!" Grey begins to get worried.

"All the easier to fool you with." A grin appears on her face.

Grandma jumps up suddenly, only to reveal the larger man lying under her skin! Grey jolts backwards, plunging into the other hunter's arms.

_My grandmother is dead, my grandmother is a rug._ A voice floods her head with horrible thoughts. She tries not to listen and suddenly swerves her head around in an act of defiance, reaching her knife-like teeth up to the man's head.

"Ahhh! Get this thing off me!" the small man yelps.

The other man quickly grabs Grey off the first.

BANG!

The small man grabs a vase full of wilted flowers off the bedside table and smashes it against the floor, quieting Grey's urge to run.

"Hey, help me over here! We gotta get her in the cage, and chuck her in the car. This plan is gonna work great. Her whole village is gonna fall for our bait!" The larger man cackles.

"I'll go grab the cage. How big do you reckon this rug is gonna grow?" The smaller man smirks at the thought.

Grey is confused. _A car? What's a car?_ she thinks. Greys face twists around as sudden realisation attacks her. _A car, that's what killed my father. But there was no car where the men were sitting? And what were they talking about, 'bait'? Had they planned this all along?_

Suddenly, laughter spreads across the room, but not a light, cheery laughter, more of a dark, malicious laughter. Grey is grasped by the legs and thrown violently into a narrow prison-like cage.

The men begin to speak again. She doesn't want to listen to another word they say, but as the words slip from their mouths, she can't help but hear, "Now, to Little Wolf Spire."

##  Author Bio

Niamh Matthews is eleven years old and she loves to write creative/fantasy stories! Creative writing has no boundaries and you can create anything your heart desires and that's why Niamh loves it. In her spare time, other than writing, she also loves to drawing. She likes drawing because it also has no boundaries, you can draw a squiggly line and still call it art, and nothing has to be perfect because whatever you create is how you imagined it, and therefore perfect!

Niamh Matthews rewrote _Little Red Riding Hood_ , and in her version Little Red Riding Hood is now Little Grey Racing Wolf. The main characters have all been switched around. Throughout her story, she has brought up the issue of hunting. Hunting is a cruel and horrible thing. Would you murder an innocent wolf cub, just for one rug?

#  The Power of Roses

## By Scarlett Robson

"Mama, please don't go to heaven!" I sobbed loudly against her chest. One of her hands was stroking my hair weakly. I looked up to see her smiling softly, sadness and love brimming in her eyes like the tears in mine.

"I'm sorry, little prince, but I have to. You'll be fine. Your pa will look after you." She coughed violently into the crook of her arm after finishing the sentence, her chest heaving up and down unevenly. My mother has always been so strong, beautiful, fearless, _indestructible_ ; I can't bear seeing her like this, propped up in the bed she had stayed in for the past week when she was normally always doing something or going somewhere. The only light source, other than the crackling fire in Ma's room, was coming from beyond the rain touched window, making the room grey and desolate like my mood. I looked around to see if my father was lurking. I couldn't see him, so I leant down to Mama's ear.

"I love you more than Papa though. Plus, I'm not a little prince, I'm a big prince. I am nine!" A breathy whisper of a chuckle left her mouth. She kissed me gently on the forehead.

"And I love you more than anything else in the world, my big prince. You just stay true to yourself and keep being you, okay? I know your father can be a bit hard on you and all, but he's just trying to make you the best future king possible," she paused in her sentence to cough again, and I latched onto her hand to try comfort her. "Do you promise me you'll work hard on your study and keep being the kind person you are?" I didn't understand why she wanted me to promise her this, but I did, in the hope it would make her feel better. Gulping back the tears, I answered in my bravest voice.

"I-I promise, Ma."

She squeezed my hand with a strong grip, the energy it took to do so evident in her knitted eyebrows. I brought her into a soft hug, being careful not to hurt her.

"Could you do a favour for me?" I nodded my head lightly. "Pick a rose from the rose garden and bring it back to me."

I tilted my head at what she said. "But you always tell me to never pick flowers."

"Yes, I know, but I just miss them so much, and this room is so bleak." Her voice was so full of longing.

I knew how much her garden meant to her, so I stood up, squeezed her hand, and took a good look at her once more before walking out the door. As I was leaving, I swore I heard her say something, but I must have been imagining things. Why in the world would she have been saying goodbye when I would be seeing her again in only a few minutes?

* * *

Eight years later

I erupted from the bed, sweat covering my skin and panting for breath; the same way I woke up every time I dreamt about the last moments with my ma. When I'd come back to her room, she had passed away. I have never touched, or gone near, a rose since, and I asked that no one else ever go to the rose garden either. It was probably overgrown now, but I didn't care.

My breathing finally steadied, and even though it was before dawn, there was no way I was going back to sleep. I grabbed a jacket and made my way through the castle to the ballroom. My feet thumped against the pristine white marble floor. I stroked my hand against all the golden decorations lining the walls. Taking a seat at my throne and kicking my feet up on the footrest, I felt authority and power surge through me, a feeling I enjoyed a lot. Since my father died two years ago, this kingdom had been mine, thank goodness. I was sick of having him there to boss me around all the time, as even though he was my father, he was cruel and didn't act like one should. The time flew by and soon old Mrs Potts, the castle keeper and lady I've known since childhood, pottered in with a tray.

"Ah, I thought I might find you in here. Did you not sleep well then, poppet?" Her sickly sweet voice filled the silence. I could feel a headache coming on.

"No, I did not," I spat while she rested the tray holding tea and scones on the table next to me. I hadn't known I was hungry until now, and I wolfed the scones down one by one.

"Swallow that mouthful before you have any more. You already have enough scones in that gob of yours to feed all the children of the village!" she lectured thrusting the tea at me with slightly wrinkled hands, while I just rolled my eyes.

"Did you have a nightmare?" She asked once I had gulped everything down. I gave her a dark look. She was always trying to talk to me and still hadn't realised that I never wanted to. Or she just didn't care what I wanted and pried anyway. Most likely the latter.

"I don't want to talk about it. You are dismissed."

She tutted grumpily but retreated anyway, knowing full well that she was not allowed to disobey my orders with me being king and all. I watched her small figure leave until not a single one of her greying brown hairs was in sight, before taking another scone off the plate.

Bing...bing...bing...bing...bing...bing...bing...bing...bing

The father clock on the other side of the large ballroom struck nine o'clock at the same time Cogsworth burst into the room with a pocket watch in hand.

"I'm hoping that one day you might actually be late, Cogsworth," I sighed.

He scurried over to me while tittering awkwardly, "Good morning, master. We need to start getting the castle ready for the ball this evening."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "And why are you telling me that? It isn't my job to get it ready, is it? I mean, I'm not a pathetic servant am I?"

His large Adam's apple bobbled. He shook his head furiously. "No of course not, but we will need you to, um... to leave your throne while we're cleaning."

"Are you ordering a king to step down from his throne? Are you purposely trying to provoke me?" I hissed as I stood up to loom over him, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

Lumière suddenly strolled into the room, as casual as if he were walking in the park and not walking in on me shouting at his friend. "Ah, master, your breakfast is served, and then we will get you all handsome for the ball tonight."

I grunted at what he said but followed him out into the dining room, not before glaring at the shaken Cogsworth.

Next time he might not be so lucky as to only get a simple glare.

* * *

Later that night

"Where is my wig?" I asked restlessly while crossing my arms at the lady who was doing my makeup.

"I'll put it on now, Your Majesty." She produced a curled white bundle of hair from behind my chair and placed it on my head, my orangey chestnut hair disappearing under the mass.

I turned my head from side to side and inspected my reflection. A white-faced, red-lipped figure looked back at me, a lot different to my usual tanned self.

"Your Majesty, the ball is starting." Cogsworth's ash coloured head appeared in the mirror. I nodded before looking at myself in the mirror once more. I was ready to make my grand entrance.

Straightening my jacket and waistcoat then following Cogsworth out, we proceeded through the long corridors of my castle. We stopped at the large wooden doors leading into the ballroom. I took a deep breath and put on a charming smirk. Trumpets sounded from the other side, letting the partygoers know of my arrival. The doors opened up to a wonderland of glistening white. Chandeliers sparkled above like the sea of white dresses, and candles lit every inch of the room.

Awed silence filled the room at my presence. I scanned the room to look at all the fine clothing the people were wearing.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the greatest ball of the week. I say 'week' because we all know there will an equally good one next week, perhaps even better." Posh chortles of laughter filled the room. I grinned smugly at them. "Enjoy yourselves, everyone. Let the ball begin!"

Chatter filled the room and couples moved into the centre to dance while I made my way to my throne. The dancing started. It looked as if everyone had just one brain, their movements so well synchronised and flowing that I couldn't keep my eyes off them. They twirled and moved as swift as fish through water, but all I could think about was, as sappy and pathetic as it sounded, love. The amount of it in the couples' eyes as they stared at each other was overwhelming. My heart broke. I hadn't felt love in years, and I couldn't help but want it.

Suddenly my thoughts were broken by three loud raps, the sound of the door tapper. I glared at Cogsworth, a signal for him to go see who's arrived, so he shuffled out the room. After a minute or two, he came back in.

"Master, there's a lady at the door calling for you." I groaned loudly, but I have to admit that I was quite curious. So standing up from my seat, I strode out into the hallway, the guests' eyes piercing my shoulder blades. I arrived in the front parlour of the castle. The oldest looking woman I've ever seen peered at me. She was clothed in holey, dirty rags, mud and water layering on them from the stormy weather outside. Her hair was like a white birds nest perched atop her head, and I think there were even some sticks and leaves in it. Not a single bit of colour was associated with her beyond from her youthful, luminescent blue eyes. I almost laughed at the sight of her.

"What do you want?" I asked sternly, and her lips turned up into a small, sad smile.

"I am just hoping for refuge in your castle, away from the bitter cold. All I need is a warm fire and a place to sleep, and, if you would be so kind, some food and water?" she croaked. She must have noticed how wary I was because she continued speaking again. "I have something I can give you in return."

I cocked my head to the side. What could she possibly give me in return?

She slowly put her aged hand into the side of her deep brown coat and produced the last thing I wanted to see.

A bright red rose.

Sadness washed over me like jumping into a freezing lake in winter, and I could practically feel the blood rushing from my face. All the tears and sorrow that I had suppressed since Mother's death caught up with me and a whimper left my lips. I could barely speak my next words.

"Y-you want me to give you food, water, and shelter for a... a rose?" I looked all around her face wildly, searching for the smallest sign of her not being serious, but her appearance stayed blank and waiting.

' _You need to man up_ ,' my father would have said to me right now, and he would be right, I did need to. Putting on a smug and stern facade, I chuckled a bit. "For all I'm offering you, and in return, you want to give me a pitiful flower!"

She nodded her head weakly while I shook mine vigorously.

"No, I do not accept. Why would I let an old hag like you be in such a nice castle as mine?" I sneered, trying to make it seem that I just didn't want someone as dirty as her around, instead of the fact I didn't want to go near that rose.

Her features dropped slightly at what I said.

"Never judge someone by their appearance, you never know what might happen if you do." She stopped speaking and stared at me long and hard for a few seconds then spoke again, "Please, Your Majesty, can you not be so kind as to simply let me rest for an hour or two?"

"No, never in a million years, billions even."

"Than a billion years you will get." Her once crooked back straightened up. I couldn't contain my confusion as I widen my eyes.

This is an old lady, how on Earth could she just suddenly stand so tall and upright? Golden sparkles appeared in the air, creating a glistening aura that progressively strengthened by the minute, turning into a small howling tornado around her. What was happening? Cogsworth and the door boys sprinted out of the room, but I stayed transfixed on where she was enveloped by the golden mist. Soon it started to clear, and I could see a silhouette of a figure in the midst of it.

"Are you okay?" I shouted, at the same time a lady so beautiful it was hypnotic hovered majestically from the fog. Where did the old lady go?

"I am an enchantress. I came in disguise to test you on your kindness and integrity, which I have found to be nonexistent. You are selfish and judge people on what they look like on the outside, so as punishment you are to become a terrible beast and stay that way till the end of time. Unless..." her voice was as angelic as her looks and I almost got distracted.

An enchantress? Beast? Unless? What is she talking about?

"Unless what?"

"Unless you find a girl who will love you for you before all the petals fall off this rose." She nodded towards the rose resting on the tiled ground between us.

I didn't have time to think about it for long. Her delicate hands tightened into fists before opening forcefully, expelling the same sparkles that once surrounded her in my direction. Tingles spread across my whole body. I looked down at my feet which felt suddenly extremely squashed in my shoes. The seams burst forcibly, and my jaw dropped.

Large, clawed paws were in their place, thick russet brown hair crawling from them up my legs like vines. Every place the hair touched grew bigger. Soon my legs were three times the size they had been. My shoulders and back broadened immensely. I could feel all my muscles strengthen by the second. Pain surged through me during the process, and it felt like my limbs were being pulled and stretched by a thousand strong men. I roared out in pain the whole time. As the change reached my neck, my voice deepened, turning almost... _animalistic_? By the time it had all finished, I was hunched over, eyes closed, with the remains of my clothes surrounding me in tattered heaps. Opening my eyes, I looked down at my outstretched hands... paws! They weren't hands anymore, long silver nails pierced out the ends like small blades. Looking up abruptly with a glare already on my face, I expected the enchantress to be standing there but was instead met by empty space.

Heaving in and out like a mad bull, I could feel anger coursing through my veins. The need to destroy was the only thing present in my mind as I sprinted down the corridors, spreading my arms wide as I scratched both of the walls. My vision blurred as I pierced everything in my path, including all the paintings and decorations littering the walls.

Suddenly, I stopped.

Turning around, I looked down on the floor where a cracked mirror lay. Slowly reaching down, I sealed my eyes as I lifted it in front of my face. I took deep breaths, in and out, before counting down.

3... 2... 1

My whole body shook. I immediately dropped the mirror. It crashed to the ground. My throat tightened, and I couldn't breathe after what I saw in the reflection. What the enchantress said was true.

I was a beast.

##  Author Bio

Scarlett Robson is a Year 8 student at Heaton Intermediate. Her favourite books are _The Fault in Our Stars_ , _Holding up the Universe_ , the _Chronicles of Ancient Darkness_ and _Me Before You_ series. She loves reading and writing fiction, her favourite genres being romance and real life issues. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys playing soccer, video games, hanging out with friends or watching movies.

She chose to rewrite _Beauty and the Beast_ from the Beast's perspective to show the reasoning behind the Beast becoming cursed.

#  Little Lady Red Dress

## by Emily Cotton

Most kids, as the day begins, are out shopping with their friends, or doing paper shifts to save up for the new Xbox game that they just _have_ to have. I once met some snobs on my way through the local 'rich neighbourhood', who were playing in a pool. For fun. I know kids who ride bikes, kids who play ball games in the park, and kids who walk dogs. And me? I'm visiting my ancient, old-as-rocks-can't-even-walk-without-her-walker grandma, to give her the medicine she needs to stay alive. Why do I bother? She's probably gonna die anyway. Besides, if anyone I know sees me carrying drugs (prescribed, mind you), they'd think me weirder than I already am. If that's possible. At school, I'm called Little Lady Red Dress (which, now that I think about it is pretty funny).

But here I am. Stones start clogging up my scuffed sneakers as I walk down the gravel driveway of my apartment building and head onto the footpath. We had to move into this crappy apartment building, full of alcoholics, druggies and dodgy lads, when Dad left and took his money with him. Mom said good riddance and managed to convince my kid sister, Kayla, that he is a bad man and we are much better off without him, but the fact that now all Mom does is smoke and stare off into space says otherwise. She thinks I don't know, but I do. Back on the subject of why I should bother dropping off hella expensive drugs to Granny, it's not like we have limitless money. I haven't showered in a while (counting the exact number of days is a right way to trigger a panic attack), and all we have left in the cupboard is some apples, a loaf of bread, and a few ramen noodle cups. Why on Earth did I agree to this? I should be out trying to get a job since some nutty old bag is too lazy to. Plus, guess how many times Granny broke her promise to pay us back for all the lotto tickets she bought (and wasted)? None, none and none. Right grump, actually. The only reasonable thing that she's done for me is made me this cape. It's not like I wear it because I want to. I don't have many other clothes to wear.

Jeez, this basket is heavy. What'd Mom put in it?

I'm innocently walking along when a cold, drawling voice stops me in my tracks. "Hey! Little Lady Red Dress!"

I slowly turn around. A clump of greasy, matted dark hair falls into my eyes as I see long, auburn hair and long brown lashes that she bats at teachers to get whatever she wants. Rosa Newfield. She is the angel on top of the Christmas tree at our school. She always gets the lead part in our school plays, she always gets picked first for teams, and she always, ALWAYS, gets what she wants. Of course this would happen. Why did I even agree to this stupid idea? Why am I carrying drugs? Why—

"What's in the basket?" Her voice cuts through my thoughts. Again. Rude.

"Why do you care?" I say as confidently as I can.

"You know what, Ladybird? Buzz off, like the little bug you are."

I sob dramatically and fall to my knees. "Oh, what a hurtful insult! You have made me double over and drown in my sorrows." I get up and place my filthy hands on my hips as best as I can, considering I'm holding a basket.

She spits at me, and I wipe my cheek with my sleeve, disgusted. "I know what you're trying to do. Don't think it's working. You're not cool."

I glare at Rosa and turn away. Mom always says sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Well, I want to tell her this: you get called ladybird every day and see how you feel. Adults just don't understand. They were kids once, right? Actually, now that I think about it was Granny ever a kid? When was that? I shudder and push the thought of Granny in a diaper out of my mind.

A crisp, clear voice rings out on the lonely street I just turned onto. "Little girl, where are you going?" I ignore him and continue walking, gripping my basket tighter. "Did Mommy ever tell you it was rude to ignore your elders?" I speed up a little when I hear his footsteps behind me. "Come on, I've got all the candy you can eat in my van. Want some?"

I swallow, my throat dry, and continue speed walking. "I'm not going to stop. You might be a nice man helping a hungry girl out—"

("I am!" he muttered to me)

"—OR, you could be a kidnapper, and I'm nearly at Granny's house, so I'd rather not, thanks."

I hear his footsteps speed up, so I break into a run, but his legs are longer. I feel ice cold hands grip my shoulder, and I see a wolf patch on a long leather sleeve, so I spin around and punch as hard as I can at whatever I can. I feel satisfied when I feel my fist hit flesh, and I turn tail and sprint away from him. My heart is still racing when I turn onto a busier street, and I notice my hands are shaking. Creep. A horrifying thought strikes my mind. Where is the piece of paper in my pocket that said Granny's address? Granny just moved, so I'm still not 100% on her address. I push my hands into all of my pockets and come out empty handed. My pulse quickens. That means... Although I don't care much for Granny, I tug on a passing woman's shirt. "C-can I use your phone to call the cops?"

She opens her mouth to say something, but thinks better of it and hands me her phone hesitantly. "Don't try anything funny, chickie."

My fingers are shaking so hard I keep hitting the wrong button. "Hey, can I get a policeman to-" I hesitate, trying to remember her address "7 Hetherington Street as soon as possible? I-I think.. there's going to be a break in.. just make it fast, okay?"

The policeman on the phone starts saying something else, but I hang up and give the phone back to the woman with a quick thank you and run off, determined to get there before the wolf patch guy does.

I skid to a stop in front of Granny's house and press the red doorbell.

"Who is it?" Granny's voice comes out through the speakers sounding strangled, and I hope it's just the speaker white noise.

"Gran, you've gotta let me in, I think someone's trying to get us!"

I hear Granny chuckle. "Come in, dearie."

Dearie? Granny never cared enough to call me that. I swallow and take the key from under the mat. The door swings open, and I creep down the hall. "Granny?" I stumble into her bedroom. A lump in the blankets, slowly rising and falling indicates that Granny is indeed alive. I exhale.

"Granny, we—"

"Come here and give me a kiss, darling."

It wasn't the white noise, her voice sounds forced and strangled. "Granny?" As my heartbeat rises, so do my suspicions. I creep up to the bed, avoiding the singular creaky step, and as fast as I can, I throw back the blankets. I scream and fall back as a giant shape lunges at me. I crab walk backwards, my black shoes tapping like drums on Granny's shiny wood floor, and my dirty hands leaving marks. The wolf patch guy slowly starts advancing towards me.

"Oh, no, not today!" I grab a lamp from a table, and throw it across the room towards him, wrenching the cord from its socket. I let out a strangled yelp as he pulls out a gun. I manage to make it to my feet and slowly start backing away. He slowly raises the gun to me, and I turn tail and run.

I run to the first place I see, the guest room. I scramble in and lock the door, my breathing ragged. Oh my god. I'm going to die in here. I am going to die in here. Granny will find me in here, with a bullet wound between my eyes and probably have a heart attack, if she isn't already gone. Where is Granny? Did he get her first? I hear footsteps getting closer, and an almost gentlemanly knock drums itself into my brain. "Little pig, little pig, let me in!"

I swallow and press myself against the door for extra security.

"Not by the hairs on my chinny chin chin!" I spit.

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down!" with every word, he rammed himself into the door.

Suddenly, all is silent, and a cold feeling tickles my spine when I hear a click of a gun. "One, two..." His cold voice is quiet, calm, nearly sane. Nearly.

I scream, and a gun fires. The handle of the door slowly turns, and I realise that the gunshot was not an attempt to kill me, he shot the lock off. A boot sides through the door, and he appears in front of me.

"Once I get rid of you, there will be NOTHING in my way to get Jess back."

"Jess? That's Mom's name..."

"Yes, Red. I am your father." My world slows down. He can't be my father. My father was a handsome man, with short black hair and clean, groomed skin. But the more I look at him, the more it makes sense. Those eyes...

"She kicked me out because she found out about my relationship with Amy. She said that I was a danger to you. Then Amy decided she was too good for me as well. She broke it off, I broke her neck. Now, you are the last thing I need to pull out of my garden, you little weed."

Even though I can't see myself, I know my pupils are dilated with fear. A hoarse scream escapes my throat. "Granny!"

I scream and feel warm tears cut through the dirt on my face. I desperately grapple for anything, ANYTHING in my reach. All I find is fluff, collected from the carpet. My father cocks the gun. I close my eyes and brace myself.

Suddenly, I hear a dull thud, like someone dropping a bag of sand echoed through the room. "Red?" a croaky voice registers in my in swirling thoughts, and I open my eyes.

Granny stands in the doorway, her wrinkled hands grasping a baseball bat. Her usually cold eyes are wide with fear, and she's breathing heavily. My father is crumpled on the ground, and Granny gasps. "I was napping in the living room when I heard a scream! Oh, thank goodness you're okay!"

I throw my arms around my grandmother, tears rolling down my cheeks. A sob, muffled by my Granny's nightdress escapes my mouth, and I cough, wiping at my cheeks.

"Let's go home."

Suddenly, sirens start wailing. I look up and wipe my nose. My hand fumbles for Granny's, and we cling to each other as we walk out to greet the cops.

##  Author Bio

Emily Cotton is eleven and goes to Heaton Intermediate. She enjoys dystopian novels such as _The Hunger Games_ and _Divergent_. She prefers to write creatively and competitively. In her spare time she is reading, drawing or playing with her cat.

Emily rewrote _Little Red Riding Hood_ in a modern setting.

#  Tamati and My Wakahuia

## by Thomas Tracey

Tamati and his mother lived in a small dilapidated brick cottage on the outskirts of Lumsden, a rural farming community in the deep south of New Zealand. They resided in a place firmly rooted in the ideologies of Kiwiana, with rolling pastures stretching towards the horizon dotted with grazing sheep like hundreds of dirty little marbles on a vast green carpet.

They both readily purchased cheap jandals and Swanndris. These decisions were reflected across the town as they were the fashion of choice, even in the bitter chills and crisp snow that passed through the township during the winter months. This tiny locality was a constant epitomisation of Kiwi culture.

Tamati and his mother were bound by the inescapable shackles of poverty. Sadly, this resulted in them being inexperienced in the apparent joys of wealth and fame enjoyed by others in more privileged positions of glamorous urban centres.

This often resulted in a morose Tamati, left to stare longingly at the large, delicious meals or the latest smartphones which were frequently bragged about at school lunchtimes.

They were both desperate to lead wealthy lives.

Tamati's mother, who had lost her dear husband to cancer when Tamati was only an ignorant toddler, was subject, like many others, to the laborious task of tending the fields and pastures that provided the town with the majority of their food throughout the year. Although vital, her job paid very little, so this situation often sent a frustrated Tamati outside to explore the bush, desperate to find any excitement to escape his monotonous life.

As a result of their hardship, they were both extremely tough. They sported curly black hair, dark skin and deep brown eyes. His mother was worn with age and the strain of her energy-sapping work, whilst Tamati was still a naive, idle young boy who lacked the hard-working nature of his tired mother.

Sam was Tamati's best friend and beloved schoolmate, an anxious, polite, but lazy boy. His family owned the big red house on the hill beside the Lumsden post office. He had unusually tanned skin, hazel eyes, and a similar personality to that of his friend. His sister, Katherine, was almost a perfect clone of her sibling. She was also the girl that Tamati secretly liked, but, even after many attempts, he could never muster up the confidence to ask her out on a date.

In the middle of July, one clear, bitter Lumsden morning, Tamati was out exploring the bush after an intense argument with his mother. That day, he thought, had a horrible sinking feeling of foreboding, which ate away at the pit of his stomach. After scrutinising this speculation for minutes in the serenity of the native flora, he decided to trudge home.

A few paces into his trek, without any warning whatsoever, Tamati was abruptly tackled from behind. He was subsequently winded and shocked as he stared up at the stranger that had positioned himself in front of him.

The stranger extended a filthy hand out to help him. Tamati somewhat uneasily obliged and stood up, brushed himself off, and turned to face the stranger.

The man had matted curly hair that was so thick with soil and the occasional leaf that, from what Tamati could discern, it could have been any colour. He had brown, oaken skin, evidence of a life spent in the baking sun. He wore long faded jeans and beige overalls, again, encrusted in filth. His body was tall and thin, which made him seem like one of the kauri trees he was standing beside.

Tamati uneasily shivered as his gaze wandered towards the stranger's face. His eyes were the same earthen shade as Tamati's but possessed an otherworldly sheen capable of making anyone nervous.

"Who are you?" Tamati stammered.

"Well that's a good question, Tamati," the stranger said sarcastically.

Tamati gasped and fell dumbstruck, eyes gazing at the stranger as he tried to mull over the newfound knowledge that the man knew his name.

"I'm Hemi, your uncle," he said grandly.

"But how? Where have you been?" Tamati swiftly countered, trying to discern whether this stranger was actually his uncle.

The stranger then reached into his pocket and pulled out an authentic photograph detailing Tamati's mother and her husband on their wedding day. This prompted Tamati into action.

"Bring me to your mother as fast as you can. I'll explain everything soon, trust me!" Growly tones rasped through Hemi's hurried speech; he was impatient with Tamati's anxious questioning.

Hemi and Tamati then sprinted like stoats from a trap through the bush, weaving around trees and animals and leaping up rocks only to eventually emerge into a clearing.

Minutes later they were on the main road. Zigzagging around cars and pedestrians, Tamati buzzed with excitement, while Hemi formulated the next step to his plan.

When they finally reached home, Tamati sped inside to confront his mother. Once they appeared outside Hemi greeted them with a monumental grin almost stretching the width of his dirty face and exposing eight once-clean teeth.

Tamati's mother stood for a second, puzzled and speculative, but ultimately she saw no resemblance and exited her trance.

"I'm very sorry, sir, for your inconvenience. My son has been very rude in mistaking you for him," she shamefully told Hemi. Instantaneously Tamati was shot with an intense, scolding look worthy of melting a bear.

"But... but he told—" Tamati was cut-off mid-sentence by his increasingly furious mother.

"The name similarity is merely a coincidence. Now go inside!" she ordered angrily.

Hemi, who had been seemingly unfazed by the enraged bickering, reached into his grimy pocket and produced a small black and white photograph featuring Tamati's mother locked in a passionate embrace with her late husband. Both were staring at them with ecstatic smiles, the lively couple unaware of their misfortune ahead.

All of a sudden something clicked inside her head, and Tamati's mother realised with uncontrolled, flowing emotion that Hemi was, in fact, Tamati's uncle because, as she remembered it all those years ago, he had taken that very photo on that hot Dunedin day.

She sent herself flying into his arms, locked in a passionate hug, ardently weeping. Some minutes later, she concluded her emotional tirade and wiped her eyes. Still shaking from her discovery, she began with a simple question: "What happened?"

"It is a long story, but I am willing to tell it," Hemi commenced. A joyous Tamati fixated himself on him, elation brimming throughout his body. "About twenty years ago I was wrongly arrested for attempted burglary and sent to jail for three years. The fact is, I was so desperate after my brother's passing that I became angry and unstable because I couldn't deal with the death of someone so close to me."

Tamati and his mother were hung on every word, trying to discern the truth of his disappearance.

"Two years into my sentence I was rightfully freed and justice served. But because my house had been repossessed, I was forced to live in the bush." Hemi continued.

"Wow, like a bush ninja!" exclaimed Tamati, scenes of old 1980s warrior movies flashing through his mind.

"Not really," Hemi chuckled.

An urgent look from Tamati's mother prompted Hemi to continue. "I spent 6 months living as a recluse until I came here because I was so desperate to find you," Hemi recounted.

Above them, the clouds were gathering into a rather ominous stony grey which, as the observant people of Lumsden (including Tamati's mother) would know, often signalled a thunderstorm.

"Come inside then, Hemi, unless you want to be struck by lightning and pelted by hail." She chortled.

After hours of lamenting and storytelling over the pouring rain and booming thunder, Tamati's eyes started to droop as they became heavy with fatigue.

"Is there anything we can do to repay you for your visit?" Tamati's mother wearily asked.

"Well, there is a small item that Tamati could retrieve for me tomorrow, from where your husband and I used to play frequently as children. Just a sentimental trinket," Hemi insisted.

"Consider it done," Tamati drowsily reassured.

After that, one by one, their heads hit the couch. They all fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.

The next morning Tamati and Hemi were up very early and left just after dawn, ensuring that they left the snoring Mother a note detailing her of their absence.

The pair rode their ancient, spluttering tractor through the damp, misty morning fields until they reached a small cave positioned on the edge of the Oreti River.

"This is the place," Hemi said excitedly. He jogged over to the mouth of the cave and beckoned energetically for Tamati.

Once he had waddled over, Hemi pointed at my home. From their point of view, my home was a small, shining object located near the back of the cave.

My home was roughly triple the size of a human fist. It glimmered a deep gold that had a mesmerising effect on Tamati.

"I want you to retrieve that wakahuia for me," Hemi pleaded, pointing through the Tamati sized hole.

"Alright," Tamati assured him as he climbed through the dirty, slimy entrance into the cave.

He instantly regretted agreeing to Hemi's request, as the cave was full of small insects and ugly, jumping weta. A shivering Tamati continued crawling through the cave until, at last, he reached the small glittering wakahuia.

The cave was large and cavern-like, with large limestone walls and deep crevices piercing the ground.

To him, my home was even more spectacular close up. Tamati noticed the elegant workmanship of the carvings and the stunning gold paint shone in a perfect juxtaposition.

Having fetched Hemi's prize, Tamati bolted from the horrible cave hoping never to come back to that terrible place again. Once he reached the opening, he was greeted by a tremendous, smiling Hemi. His eyes were large and glistening, looking slightly deranged in his vivid state of happiness.

As Tamati stared up at the vivacious Hemi, he lost his footing and slipped, falling on to the crumbling rock that had once held him up to the entrance. Hemi consequently gasped as Tamati, moaning desperately, tumbled down onto the floor of the cave.

After a perilous few moments, Tamati pulled himself up and started to climb. Although he fell hard, ripped clothing and grazes were his biggest issues.

"Pass me the wakahuia, and then I'll pull you up," Hemi commanded through the now chokingly dusty atmosphere of the cave.

"No, pull me up at the same time," Tamati stammered cynically, coughing afterwards.

"Just do it!" Hemi hissed, he was becoming increasingly frustrated at Tamati's absence of cooperation.

"No!" Tamati countered, continuing the game of verbal pinball.

"Give it to me now!" Hemi shouted and started to angrily wrestle my glowing wakahuia out of Tamati's small, dirty hands.

This force was all it took to send Tamati plunging back to where he started, lying on the floor of the cave.

"You were never good for anything, you ugly brat," snapped an enraged Hemi, staring down, with crazy fantasies of destruction and revenge, at the pathetic pile of dust that was Tamati.

All of a sudden Hemi stormed off into the bush in an infuriated tantrum, slowly devising the next step to his plan.

After many anxious, angry tears, hours of agitated yelling, and frequent wall-boxing he was still trapped in the dank, dusty cave. It began to get dark and as the sun dipped under the horizon, and the twinkling stars started to show. He came to the grave realisation that he was stuck there.

He dramatically started to think about all the people he would be leaving behind if he died in the cave, the many life experiences he would miss, and the many memories that would lie non-existent waiting to be made.

Ironically, his breathing began to calm. His pulse slowed. He lay down on the powdery floor and studied the numerous glimmering stars.

Tamati reached over and grabbed my home. He studied it in his hands, caressing my soft edges and running his fingers across the engraved lid. "What is so important about you, anyway?" he murmured thoughtfully.

As soon as he had said those words, I obeyed them and started to shake and emit a low growling noise similar to a landslide.

Tamati stood up and fearfully dropped the wakahuia. He pushed himself to the edge of the cave and stared at my convulsive, glowing home.

What was seemingly golden air started to flow from my abode's edges and envelope Tamati in a dreamy mist that flowed and cascaded through the cave and out into the cool, night air. As soon as the fog could not get any thicker, it started to disperse. I emerged in the centre of the now dark cave.

"I am the Taniwha of the wakahuia," I boomed grandiosely. "I will grant any wish of yours, whatever it may be, for you are now my master," I emphasised.

"Okay then," Tamati said cautiously. "Get me out of here!"

"Done," I jeered, chuckling at the pitifully unimaginable wish.

Almost instantaneously Tamati was at his own front door clutching me inside the wakahuia with his tense, sweaty hand, shivering under the bright, nighttime moon.

He rushed inside to convey the horrible story of Hemi's disappearance, and the more fortunate tale of the wish-granting taniwha, to his mother.

After hours of test runs with me (all being successful!) they were both jubilant at the many possibilities that lay ahead of them. Over the weeks that came, they used me almost every day, wishing for exotic food, fine jewellery and expensive clothes. The pair couldn't have been happier at their new discovery. One week Tamati even used me to conjure a new Xbox which became an instant hit with the children of Lumsden, sending them flocking to his door eager to try his games. Tamati's mother also magically renovated the house, refurbishing the leaking drainage, mouldy deck and the ancient, creaky floorboards.

Tamati, with his newfound wealth, managed to gift Katherine roses and costly chocolates, and after numerous offers, they fell in love.

A few iPhones and many chocolates later and Tamati and his mother's sudden wealth was continuing. It was even up to the point where they were suddenly on the nationwide news for Tamati's mother's sudden decision to buy a hefty share of Microsoft.

Sadly, this was all about to change.

When? On a frosty, September morning to be precise.

On this aforementioned morning, Katherine was out shopping whilst Tamati and his mother stayed at home, contemplating whether to summon a new oven or a red Lamborghini. They had both become very greedy, and selfish towards others, because of their new-fangled items that had besotted their lazy desire.

Katherine had ignorantly decided to sell me, within my wakahuia, for one of the new, glossy ones she had seen dotted around the town's various market stalls that had been set up for the ongoing local fair. She'd left very early so she could grab me from underneath Tamati's snoring grasp.

Once she arrived, she wandered for hours in the cold, windy weather until she found the perfect place.

The ideal stall was near the outskirts of the small market, where the salesperson laid his products on a large white sheet. He had labelled them and categorised them dependent on what type of wood or method was used to make them.

The salesperson himself had matted curly hair, brown, oaken skin and earthen eyes. His body was long and thin. To Katherine, he almost looked like a great, dirty surfboard, only to be used by those brave enough to venture into the freezing ocean.

"How may I help you?" the salesperson said, excitedly grinning. As soon as his gaze strayed to my home, held tightly under Katherine's arm, he knew he had found his prize.

"I'm looking for a new wakahuia. I'm also happy to trade this one in," Katherine declared, holding my home up for the salesman to see.

"Sure, you can have a new one free," he said becoming increasingly ecstatic.

He reached for my wakahuia and waited impatiently for Katherine to choose another one before he thrust it into her hands.

At that moment of exchange, the salesperson became my new master and hastily spoke under his breath to me. Inaudible to Katherine, he wished, "Make that girl and the unruly brat's mother vanish." Although disgusted by his evil nature, I was bound and henceforth obliged.

"Bye." The salesperson chuckled, triumphantly.

"What..." was the only word uttered from Katherine's mouth before she spiralled into darkness and disappeared leaving the salesman alone, deliriously chuckling.

Due to the salesperson's wish, the same unfortunate thing happened to Tamati's mother, who was currently resting in her glamorous abode on the other side of town. As she plunged into darkness and vanished, an astonished Tamati burst into the room, violent tears starting to erupt from his eyes as he realised the enormity of what had happened.

Tamati's newly renovated house, Xbox and phone all mystically disappeared, leaving a cottage-sized, bare patch of wispy grass on the ground of his former home.

He rushed outside, his head a dazzled bag of flooding emotion. He raced down the street toward the marketplace, his tumultuous, confused state of mind making him groan like a maniac. He rushed through the stalls, desperate to find or hear Katherine through the loud, bustling crowd.

He reached the end of the marketplace and hopelessly turned and stared at the ground he had covered.

A tall, grinning man hurried past Tamati, bumping him as he passed by. He was clutching my wakahuia with his free hand, and as he started to reach the conclusion of the outermost stalls a forlorn Tamati stole a glance of it flashing by.

Tamati was abruptly ecstatic and gazed up, only to catch a glimpse of a wild Hemi sprinting towards the bush.

At once he pursued in an avid chase, drawing on memories of past athletics day victories for strength.

As gravel turned to grass, Hemi finally realised he was being followed and increased his pace. However, Tamati was up to the challenge and matched him, continuing the chase.

I was secretly willing Tamati to win, just so I could rid myself of the evil man's grasp.

Hemi was desperately muttering under his breath, trying to utter a phrase that would send his pursuer tumbling into darkness.

I required him to have a calm state of mind in order to acknowledge his requests. His failed attempts frustrated him, causing him to release an angered moan into the fresh, agricultural air.

This continued for some time before Tamati was led out into a bright clearing only to witness Hemi leap into the nearest cave, mysteriously disappearing into the dark depths.

Tamati did the same, leaping into the cave following Hemi's fleeting form.

They both entered a small room with a dusty, threadbare bed in the corner and a ripped pair of clothes on the floor. A large, mystical-looking book, which I knew held two bottles of a strange, fizzing liquid, also rested on the bed.

I, within my wakahuia, was carelessly tossed into Hemi's deep, filthy pockets of his threadbare, baggy jeans.

Once they both had steadied themselves, they locked into a violent fistfight sending dust pirouetting from the roof of the cave. They traded numerous kicks and punches. Both started to take effect on Hemi's old, creaky joints, while Tamati's remained lithe and agile.

Tamati flipped the bed in Hemi's direction, which landed on his leg and caused a painful crack to emit from Hemi's newly bent limb.

A hard, punch to the gut sent Hemi falling firmly to the floor, and, in a sudden idea, Tamati reached for the now scattered, mysterious vials and threw them at Hemi's face, stinging his eyes and forcing him to let out a furious shout.

A blinded Hemi stood up and violently flailed, sending Tamati crashing into the wall, dirtying his clothes and making his head ring.

The final blow was dealt, unknowingly, by Tamati who, intending to concuss, heaved a large rock spiralling through the air, sending Hemi crashing down dead, blood pooling from a gash on his forehead.

Tamati, shocked by his murderous deed, walked to him and reached with a trembling, sweaty hand to pick my wakahuia up, cradling it in his shaky fingers. Minutes passed and he still sat, quietly mulling over the death of his beloved uncle.

Due to Tamati's reclamation of the wakahuia, the magic was reset and the surprised voices of his mother and Katherine rung out from outside the cave. Tamati, still traumatised, shuddered out into the light.

When they finally arrived home to their once again drab, tired cottage, the sun had set and the rich reds and yellows had begun to fade in their soft, streaming journey through the sky.

From that moment on, the trio realised that, although sweet, wealth wasn't the most important thing to cherish. Kindness, they thought, would instead be their secret to happiness.

##  Author Bio

Thomas Tracey is twelve years old and resides in Christchurch, New Zealand. He attends Heaton Normal Intermediate School and his favourite subjects are Reading and Writing. He loves to write science fiction and mystery stories and to read thrilling tales of dystopian worlds.

In his spare time, Thomas is an avid sport enthusiast, but mostly enjoys the great game of cricket, and the wonders of the modern Olympic Games.

He chose to rewrite _Aladdin_ with a New Zealand twist to put a modern perspective on the story.

#  The Princess Spy and the Seed

## by Caitlin Roberts

I made my way towards a dull building to my left. My tights were the same dark colour as the sky above me and I wore a black top with a leather jacket over top. My straight ginger hair was scooped into a ponytail that came down half way my back. Billy and I had a simple mission: get the drive for the agency, get out, then figure out what was on the drive. But my body was full of adrenaline. I swiftly opened the back door leading to the inside of the building.

"Make a left turn now, Lily," said a voice in my ear, and I followed the instruction. "Okay, the drive is behind the set of invisible lasers on the shelf to your left. You should be able to see it now."

I gently slid my backpack off and unzipped it. I took a small bag of flour out and poured some into my hand. Then I blew it out in front of me. That's when the lasers appeared. I studied the scene for a moment and then I leapt forward dodging the beams until my feet landed on the other side. I wiped a bead of sweat from my brow and crept down a flight of stairs.

The room was dark and looked like a person's office. I crept towards the shelf on the left. When I got there, I gently ran a hand over each shelf until I found the memory stick. I stuffed it in my jacket pocket and headed for the exit. That's when the thug arrived. He swung his fist and I dodged, kicking him in the groin. I wrapped my legs around his neck, choking him until he collapsed on the floor.

I started to run.

"Mission complete, Billy. Catch up tomorrow," I whispered into my earpiece.

* * *

Knock, knock.

I groaned and slipped out of bed, chucked on my dressing gown and went downstairs.

"What do ya wa—" I cut myself off when I saw a boy with a pale face and blue eyes. He wore a black jacket and a black beanie covering his blonde hair and to finish the look. He also wore the geekiest glasses in town.

It was Billy.

"Oh, why did you have to come so early?" I complained.

"Lily, it's 10am!" exclaimed Billy.

"Whatever. Come inside." I sighed. Leading Billy into the kitchen, I made him sit down while I cooked him his second breakfast this morning. Of course, he didn't want another one, but I told him I didn't want to be the only one eating and he reluctantly agreed. Billy was prepared to have another breakfast because when we were kids he learnt about me and, well, how I was.

"Morning, Billy," said my mother, wincing.

"Good morning, Emma, are you alright?" Billy replied.

"Yes, quite alright," she said, clutching her stomach.

"So the drive is here," I said, drawing his attention back to me as I pulled a USB stick out of my pocket and gave it to him. He stuck the drive into his computer and started tapping his keys. He frowned.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't get it," Billy said, turning his computer around. On the screen were a series of numbers. "The agency said it would be a message or something like that."

"Yeah, they did say that. Maybe it's like a code or something," I whispered excitedly.

"Oh, what if it's a code that's hiding a location? That would be so cool!" Billy exclaimed. "I'm gonna go home and start figuring it out."

Billy packed up his things and practically sprinted out the door. Even though Billy and I were spies, we still acted as if it were a game. Being spies had been our dream when we were kids. We would dress up and pretend to be secret agents. Four years ago they recruited us into the agency and we have been training ever since.

"Lily, I'm going grocery shopping. Do you want to come?" Mum shouted from down the hallway.

"Nah, I need to do my homework," I replied, even though I wasn't going to do it.

"Okay, I'll be back in about half an hour. Love you!" she said. I rolled my eyes. I was seventeen and Mum acted as if I were two!

"Okay, Mum. I'll see you then," I said back. I waited until I heard Mum's car engine fade out and then I scampered to my room. I scanned my floor looking for some clothes that weren't completely dirty and chucked them on. I then found my headphones sitting under the stacks of homework that I never had time for and headed down the street to the park to relax.

Later that night, I lay in my bed thinking about the codes when Billy called.

"Lily, I figured it out. Can I come round?" Billy said excitedly.

"Sure, I'm not doing anything important," I replied.

"Okay, see you in three," Billy said, hanging up.

Three minutes later, Billy arrived at my apartment looking as red as a beetroot.

"I can't believe it, Lily," Billy exclaimed as we got to my room. He paused, looking at the stacks of sheets on my desk. "Lily, is that all your homework?"

"Maybe. You were saying?" I replied. Billy rolled his eyes. He was such a geek.

"You were right! It was a code, and it's a map," Billy said.

"Leading to where?" I asked waving my hands for him to continue.

"Aberdeen Palace. In the palace, there are these crystals. I don't know what they do, but they're very important," he said.

"Uh, duh, they're important for money," I replied.

Knock, knock.

"Sorry to interrupt your spy business, but dinner's ready. Billy do you want to stay for dinner?" Mum said, poking her head through the door. Mum always acted as if it was still just a game.

"That would be lovely, thank you, Emma," Billy said. We finished dinner pretty quick as we wanted to do research on the crystals hidden in the palace.

"I'll take your plates," Mum said as she stood up. Billy and I stood as well, starting towards the stairs, when we heard a loud bang come from the kitchen.

"Mum!" I called running into the kitchen. Mum was lying on the floor and there was a broken plate on the ground. "Mum, are you alright?"

"I... stomach... ambulance," she gasped.

"Billy, call an ambulance, quick," I shouted, tossing him my phone. He hurriedly dialled and ten minutes later an ambulance came screeching around the corner. Wee waa wee waa. The crew jumped out of the car as Billy met them at the door.

"She's in here," he said, leading them to the kitchen. When the paramedics saw my mum they looked at each other nervously.

"My mum will be okay, right?" I said worriedly.

A paramedic came and knelt beside me. "We will do what we can," she said calmly.

"I'll meet you at the hospital," I said to Billy.

I sat quietly, looking at my mum, as we left in the ambulance.

"Miss," I looked up and saw a nurse.

"Yes?"

"We have some bad news about your mum," I sat up straight and nodded at her to keep going. "She has stomach cancer. It's terminal. We've done all we can. She must have tried to hide it for too long. I'm sorry."

"How long do you think she'll be alive for?" I asked blinking the tears away from my eyes.

"About two weeks," she replied.

I couldn't take it. I burst into tears and cried into Billy's shoulder who sat calmly at my side. Minutes later people were staring at me with pity. I couldn't care less. I didn't want to look at them so I stood and ran out the door.

"Lily, wait!" Billy shouted as he ran after me. I ran all the way home and buried myself in the warmth of my bed.

"Lily," someone said, shaking me. I groaned and answered in a muffled reply, "what?"

"Sit up Lily, please." This time I recognised the voice, it was Billy. I sat up and brushed my hair out of my face. When I did this Billy tried not to laugh, I looked like a mess.

"I've been doing some homework on the crystals on the drive and it tu—"

I shook my head. "Billy she is terminal. No money or stupid crystals are going to help" I said, realising the truth. Mum was going to die and there was nothing I could do. I lay back on my bed and buried my face into the pillow once again.

"Lily, the crystals are more valuable to your mum than you think. Look at this." He pulled his computer out of his grey satchel and opened it. He made a few clicks and showed me an article on a website. We sat in silence as I read it. The article was about healing crystals and how they could dissolve in water and then the person who drinks it would be healed of any injury or sickness. "And it turns out these crystals are the same ones on the drive!"

"Billy, are you sure this is true? I mean there are lots of fake things on the internet," I queried.

"Positive," he replied.

"Oh my goodness, Billy. I could use these crystals to save Mum. Oh, you're a genius," I exclaimed, wrapping him in a big hug.

"So let's make it a mission." We stayed up all night planning out how to get the crystals and how I was supposed to get into the royal castle.

I met Billy at the mall the next morning.

"Hey, how are you doing?" he said when he saw me.

"Alright, I guess," I replied.

"Okay, first we have got to get your costume so look out for something royal looking," he ordered. We searched for hours scouring every clothing shop, but there was nothing we could afford.

"Billy, maybe we should just get some fabric and make one," I said.

"Yeah, let's try that," he replied. An hour later we headed home with bags overflowing with materials to make my dress.

"I'll call Alex, from the agency. She is the best seamstress in town. Then we can start your princess training." Billy grinned.

"It's bad enough I have to get in a dress, don't try to push it, Billy," I said angrily. We worked all through the night and by morning I had a beautiful day gown.

"Okay, you can have an hours sleep and then we can start preparing your politeness," Billy said.

I crashed straight away: sleeping was my thing.

I was woken by someone shaking my shoulder.

"Lily, time to become a princess," I heard Billy say.

"Argh." I hated this already. I practised walking downstairs slowly with good posture and elegance. I ate food and drank tea with my pinky out. By the end of the day I was ready. We just needed to plan.

We studied maps of the royal castle, and came up with lies about my background. Billy updated websites with information about me topped with a lot of pictures.

That night was when our plan was going to be put to action.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BE—

I found the button on my alarm clock and stopped the horrifying sound.

A horrible storm was raging outside and I really didn't want to get out of bed, but it was part of the plan to save Mum. I slipped on my dress, threw my cloak around my shoulders and shoved my earpiece in my ear.

"I'm on my way out," I told Billy. I closed my front door and scurried into the night.

When I arrived at the castle I was drenched from the rain. _They'd better let me into their castle,_ I thought as I knocked on the humongous castle door. The door opened and a guard in a luxurious uniform peaked out. When he saw me he yelled to another guard and stuck his head out.

"What do ya want?" He questioned.

I did my best to look horrified. "How dare you speak to a princess that way," I replied trying to sound posh.

"Princess, eh. Well, why would a maiden like you be out on this stormy night?" he said.

"I got lost and now I seek shelter," I said back. Oh, how I loved being a spy!

"Guard, who are you talking to?" a new voice said.

"A 'princess' who seeks shelter, your highness. She is an imposter," the guard replied.

"I most certainly am not," I said looking offended.

"Go get my mother. I will talk to her now," the voice said. The guard nodded to me and left.

When the man who'd been speaking saw me he gasped and gestured me inside. He had brown hair and dark green eyes. He wore a blue tux and a shiny gold crown.

"Who are you?" I asked.

He laughed. "I am Prince Jack. Next in line for the throne here in Norbury Town."

Of course I knew that, but a princess who knows nothing doesn't.

An elegant lady appeared. She had the same brown hair as Prince Jack and soft, caring blue eyes. She wore a purple evening gown and a small crown on her head; it was the queen.

"Mother this is... ah..." He stopped and turned to me. "Oh my goodness, where are my manners? I forgot to ask you your name. Would you please tell me?"

"Lily, Princess Lily, I guess you could say," I replied.

"Mother, this is Princess Lily. Lily this is my mother, Queen Rosa."

"Lovely to meet you, dear," she said to me before turning to Jack. "Jack, please tell me why you haven't given our guest a blanket to keep warm. She is creating her own puddle in our corridor," Queen Rosa said. I looked down and saw it was true.

"Well... I wasn't... I'll go get you a blanket and some spare clothes, and my mother will lead you to a room," he said to me. He started walking toward the stairs, but before he left he whispered something in his mother's ear who nodded in agreement.

"Follow me, Princess Lily," the queen said before turning and heading up the stairs.

I scurried after her, trying to keep up. We passed a maid and the queen stopped. She whispered something to the maid and the maid rushed off in the opposite direction she had been going before. Something was going on.

Soon the queen stopped before a door and knocked.

"Is it ready?" she asked, to whom I'm not sure.

"Yes," came a muffled reply.

Queen Rosa opened the door and I gasped. Inside was a bedroom, but the bed had one, two, three... twenty mattresses!

"This will be your room for the night," the queen said to me gesturing to the room.

"Thank you. Is there a ladder?" I breathed.

"Yes, it is on the other side," she said. Sure enough on the other side sat a brown ladder.

I really did not see the need for twenty mattresses. Although I didn't ask why. _It's a shame I won't actually get to sleep in it,_ I thought as Queen Rosa gracefully exited the room.

I waited until I couldn't hear her footsteps and then I clicked my earpiece on. "Billy I'm in," I whispered.

"Yasss, I knew it would work. Okay, so now you should wait until everyone is asleep and then start your search for the crystals," Billy replied excitedly. I could imagine him bouncing up and down sitting in his chair.

There was knock on the door.

"Got to go, Billy, update you later," I quickly whispered as I turned to the door. I opened it to find the prince waiting patiently outside.

"Your clothes and a towel," he said as he passed them to me. "Feel free to have a shower, there's an ensuite right through there. Soaps and flannels should already be in there. If you want anything just ring this bell and a maid should come."

"Thank you," I replied. He took my hand and gently kissed the back of it before leaving. I rushed to the bathroom and washed the hand he kissed three times just to be sure.

Now all I had to do was wait.

After a long shower and climbing up the pile of mattresses, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling for ages. The hours passed. I got my bag that had been hidden within my dress and pulled out the spare change of clothes. I put them on. It was time to start my search for the crystals.

I gently pulled down on the handle of the door and crept into the hallway. I started with the library, as in all the movies there is almost always a secret passageway there. I looked behind books and under chairs, pulled forward shelves but there was nothing.

Next, I moved into another room which I soon discovered was the prince's bedroom! I slowly tiptoed past his bed and rummaged through his drawers trying to find a clue but still there was nothing. Just as I was about to leave the room I heard a change in the prince's breathing. I quickly scurried out of his room and waited in the hallway for a moment to make sure he didn't wake.

Then I continued down the hall. When I heard footsteps I dove behind a bush and waited, but no one came. I'm losing it, I thought to myself and continued along. Hanging on the wall I found a beautiful painting of a gigantic flower; it had a wee gem in the middle of it. It was gorgeous. I carried on and found myself in another guest room. I searched all around there but still couldn't find anything. I looked at my watch and saw the time, it was four AM. I had to head back.

I was so disappointed that I had found nothing, and that had been my only chance to find them. I had failed.

I got back to my room and changed into the nightgown the prince had given me earlier, then I climbed up the ladder and hopped into bed. But I couldn't stop wondering where the crystals might be.

The next morning I got up having had only an hours sleep. I got dressed and did my hair before heading downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning, dear," Queen Rosa said as I entered the dining room. "Here's the menu for breakfast. Choose whatever you want."

"Thank you, ma'am," I replied taking the menu from her gentle hands. "Oh, I think I'll have the big breakfast, please," I said.

"June, big breakfast, please," the queen said to a passing maid, then she turned to me. "How was your sleep last night?" she questioned eagerly.

What sleep? I thought. "Well to be honest not very good," I replied sheepishly.

"Oh, why was your sleep not good?" she asked suspiciously.

"Ah, well, I couldn't fall asleep," I said.

Queen Rosa looked very excited when I said this. "Well enjoy your breakfast. I must be off now," she said and she rushed toward the door.

I was so curious to see why she was so excited, I followed her out the door and listened to her conversation with the prince.

"She's a real one, Jack," the queen whispered.

"What? Really? Do you approve?" he whispered back.

"Yes, she is so lovely. I didn't think she would feel the seed," she replied.

"How many mattresses was it under?" Jack said.

"Twenty!"

"Wow, she must be a very delicate sleeper."

Slap!

"Ow, my arm," Jack complained.

"All princesses are delicate sleepers! Don't you know anything?" his mother said in an annoyed tone.

"Whatever you say, Mother," replied Jack.

"So what are you waiting for go get it," she said.

"Oh. Okay then," he said.

That's when I heard footsteps, so I rushed back to my seat and sat down. I wonder what the queen was saying by 'go get it'. I thought to myself as the prince arrived.

"Good morning, Princess Lily," he greeted.

"Good morning, Prince Jack," I replied mocking his tone and he chuckled at my joke.

"May I take you to the gardens?" he asked

"You may," I answered. He came over and took my arm and we headed out into the gardens.

"I have a question for you, Lily," he said, turning to me.

"What would that question be?" I said.

He knelt on one knee and took a small box out of his blazer pocket.

_Uh oh,_ I thought.

He opened up the box. Inside was a beautiful ring covered in diamonds. It almost made me cry to know that the ring probably would be worth twenty thousand dollars and he was not in debt.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

I felt sick. I felt dizzy. I felt faint. I stumbled to a nearby bench and sat down, Prince Jack by my side.

"Can I be alone for a minute?" I asked the prince.

"Of course," he replied. He stood and headed for the castle. He looked sad, although he shouldn't as he doesn't even know who I really am.

I sat there and contacted Billy, my hands shaking.

"Yo, so how did it go last night?" Billy said.

"I had no luck with finding them, but I have other news," I replied in a disappointed tone.

"What's the news?" he asked curiously.

"Well, today the prince proposed to me. He thinks I'm a real princess! What should I do?" I cried.

"You're amazing at your job, but I can't believe he thinks you're a real princess!" he said.

"I think you missed the part when I said he proposed to me!" I answered.

"Yeah, I heard you. I don't know what to say. Do you like him?" Billy questioned.

"I don't even know him," I almost shouted.

"Well, you could just wait. He probably won't expect you to accept straight away, maybe he'll give you a couple days to think about it. Then you can keep looking for the crystals," he suggested.

"I guess you're right. But can you do me a favour and visit Mum?" I asked.

"Sure, it's the least I can do," he replied.

"Thanks. I'll update you tonight. Bye," I said, hanging up. I got up and headed to my room. On the way, a maid passed and handed me an envelope. I opened it up and read the note.

Dear Princess Lily

I have decided that it is a bit much for you to take in, so to resolve the problem you can stay three more days in our hospitality. In these days we can get to know each other, and then you can accept or decline my proposal. If you can not stand me a minute longer, you may leave the castle whenever you wish.

Prince Jack

P.S. Are you available tomorrow afternoon?

I hurriedly went to my room and found a pen and paper on the desk. I wrote:

Dear Prince Jack,

I would like to thank you for your hospitality and your kindness. I would enjoy staying the three days you have offered me. I like surprises.

Lily.

I rushed over to the dressing table and rang the bell the prince had given me the night before. A lovely metallic sound filled the room and soon a maid knocked on the door.

"Yes, your ah... Excuse me, what would you like me to call you?" the maid said when I opened the door.

I smiled warmly at her. "Lily is fine. Could you please give this to Prince Jack," I replied handing her a perfectly folded note.

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. I had decided that every second night I stayed here I would have a proper sleep. I now saw why there were twenty mattresses, it was so comfy I had to drag myself out of bed.

I continued my morning routine and headed downstairs. Today it was the prince that greeted me instead.

"Good morning, Princess," he said bending into a deep bow.

I couldn't help myself, I started to laugh. He straightened his posture and grinned.

"Please don't call me 'princess'. Call me Lily," I said, chuckling.

"As you wish, my lady," he replied with a cheeky look on his face. I glared at him and that look vanished and he corrected himself. "Lily, I mean,"

"So what do you have planned for this afternoon?" I said, breaking the awkward silence.

"I thought you said you liked surprises," he replied raising an eyebrow.

"Very well then, keep your secrets," I said turning around and walking toward the dining room. He caught my hand and spun me back around.

"Breakfast is this way today," he said, and escorted me into another room. In the middle of the room sat a table for two, and a buffet table was laid to the side of the room. Jack walked over to the table and passed me a plate

"Take whatever you want," he said. I stacked my plate with pancakes, sausages, bacon, berries, poached eggs and waffles, while the prince put a pancake and two sausages on his. I really didn't understand how he ate so little.

"So, truth or dare?" he asked grinning at me once we had both sat down.

"Truth," I answered laughing.

"Okay then, what were you doing the night before last, walking around the palace?" he said.

I felt my cheeks get hot. "I was trying to find another bathroom. The one in the room I'm staying in wasn't flushing," I answered, wondering if he'd believe the lie.

"Okay, your turn," he replied suspiciously.

"Truth or dare?" I said.

"Truth," he said.

"What did you whisper in your mother's ear when you left the night I arrived," I asked him curiously.

"Test," he said.

"What does that mean?" I said.

"Test you, to see if you're a real princess. My mother put a seed under all those mattresses in your room and you felt it. Only princesses have such delicate backs," he replied.

We continued this game until I knew pretty much everything about Prince Jack and he knew everything about my cover person.

I searched through that night but still found nothing.

The next day I met Prince Jack outside in the garden, and we talked about our lives. Then we went horseback riding.

Being a princess was awesome. I knew at some point I'd have to tell him who I really was, and why I'd come here, but I was having so much fun with him I didn't want to spoil the moment.

Then I thought of my dying Mum. I had to find the crystals! Tonight was my last chance.

That night I looked for the crystals. I would have to leave and go back home tomorrow, so I searched all night. But I still found nothing.

I couldn't believe Mum would die because I failed.

Later the next day the prince came knocking on my door.

"Hello, Lily," he said cheerfully.

"Hi Jack, I'm guessing you have planned something for today?" I said, trying to hide my sadness.

"Well, I had. But I changed my mind when I saw the weather. May I show you something?" he asked.

"Of course."

He took my hand and we sped down the corridor. He stopped at a set of stairs, gesturing for me to ascend. I went all the way to the top before coming to a door.

"Open it," he whispered in my ear. So I did. Outside it was pouring with rain, but the view was magnificent. I gasped. You could see the whole village from up here.

"It's beautiful," I breathed.

"Yeah, I come up here when I need to think or clear my mind," he replied.

"You're so lucky to have this. The best view I have is the neighbour's clothesline," I said.

I froze. The prince thinks I live in the middle of nowhere!

"Uh huh," he said.

This was the moment I had dreaded.

"I'm not a princess! I'm a spy. I came here because of my mother. She has terminal stomach cancer, so that's when Billy, my mission leader, said that there were these crystals that could heal people, and I thought that maybe I could find them and use them," I explained choking back on my tears. I thought about how on the first night I had washed my hand so thoroughly after he'd kissed it, but now something was different and I didn't want to lose him.

"I already knew that," he said.

"What?" I cried

"You really thought we would just let a stranger into the house?" he said.

I felt so stupid.

"There is a magic book in the castle. Whenever a new person is born their name appears in the book and all their information is logged into it over their lifetime. That is how I know you are not a princess. Come with me, we need to talk about something," he said pulling me back down the stairs. He pulled me into a room I'd seen before: his room.

"Lily, I don't mind you're not a real princess, but my mother does. I need to know now if you want to accept my proposal, as none of this will matter if you accept," he said seriously.

I thought about the last two days I'd been here and realised that I didn't want to leave.

"I just have to make a call," I replied. He nodded and then left.

"Billy, you there?" I said.

"Yep, what do you need?" he said.

"Billy, I need to know if you like me," I said.

"No, we are just friends. Don't worry about me, just say yes," he said. "Did you find the crystals?"

"No. Mum's going to die next week," I said sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Lily," he replied.

"I'll be okay. Don't worry. I've got to go now, so I'll see you later," I hung up and cried. I still grieved over my mum when Prince Jack came back in.

"Lily, are you alright?" he said, rushing to my side.

"It's my mum, she, she is going to be gone in a week and I just ca—" I was interrupted by my own tears.

We sat in silence for a moment, Jack rubbing my side.

"I accept," I said, and he smiled. He took the box out of pocket, gently took my hand and slipped the ring on my finger. I smiled.

"So, my mother wants me to marry a true princess so that the royal blood stays strong in the family, but I want to marry for love. You, you are everything I ever wanted. You're kind and caring, and you're beautiful, Lily. But I think we shouldn't tell my mother your true identity. That will probably mean that our wedding will have to be soon. Are you okay with that?"

"If that's what I have to do to be with you, I'll do it," I answered placing my hand upon his.

"Well, I thought you said your mother was sick," he said grinning. "Come on."

He took my hand and we left his room heading down the corridor. Jack stopped when we arrived at the flower painting on the wall. I watched as he pushed the middle of the rose and a tiny gem fell into his hand.

"This painting keeps the healing crystals safe. When a new royal enters the family, their fingerprint gets logged into it so they can retrieve the crystals, but no-one else can take them. Now let's go to the hospital," he said pulling me in another direction.

We arrived at the hospital in a carriage pulled by two pristine white horses. Jack helped me out of the carriage. We ran inside.

"Excuse me I need to see my mum, Emma Fox," I said to the lady at reception.

"Right this way, miss," she said and led us down a dark corridor.

"In this one," she said stopping outside door 13A.

"Thank you," I replied opening the door. "Mum," I saw my mother sleeping in a musty old bed in the middle of the room. I turned to Jack.

"What do we do?" I said.

"Get a glass of water," he replied.

I rushed over to the tap and grabbed a glass from the shelf above and filled it. I gave it to Jack and he dropped the crystal in the water. There was a blinding flash and the crystal dissolved into the water.

"Try and make sure all the water gets down her throat," he said giving the glass back to me. I took the glass and hurried over to Mum. I tipped the water down her throat and almost immediately her colour returned. Her eyes flickered and she was awake.

"Mum!" I took her hands in mine. "Why didn't you tell me?" I sobbed.

"I didn't want to hurt you, sweetie. It's okay, I feel fine now," she replied stroking my head.

I stayed there for who knows how long, proud that I had succeeded and Mum was going to live.

* * *

Three months later

I was in my dressing room, maids rushing around me getting me ready for the next couple of hours. I was dressed in an elegant white dress that shimmered with diamonds. My hair was twisted in a neat bun and my face was covered in light makeup. I was ready to get married.

"You're ready, miss. If you would please take your place," a maid announced.

I nodded my head and walked toward the door. I looked down the aisle and saw Prince Jack waiting at the other end.

"Are you ready?" said a voice to my right.

I turned my head and saw Billy in his best suit. He had seemed sad when I told him I was getting married to the prince, but he was happy when I asked him to walk me down the aisle.

"Yes," I replied and took a deep breath. I linked arms with him and we headed down the aisle.

I saw my mother's grin as I passed her, and I saw all my friends from school looking at me with bright eyes. Finally, I turned my head to face Jack. He smile was so charming I thought I might melt on the spot!

I arrived on the platform he stood on and he whispered, "Are you ready to live a happily ever after?"

I nodded.

##  Author Bio

Caitlin Roberts is twelve years old and enjoys creating fantasy stories when she writes. Her favourite part about writing stories is coming up with the characters and creating everyone's personality. She enjoys this because you can make them something that you're not and that you can't be, because in a story you can do anything and that's another thing she likes about stories. Outside of school she enjoys swimming, netball, piano and reading.

She choose to rewrite _The Princess and the Pea_. In doing this, she decided to change the main character into a spy.

#  The Goose Girl & The Golden Goose

## by Meg Bowman

There was once a princess with fair skin and golden hair who was loved by all who laid eyes on her. However, she had never been in love herself because of the chance that whoever she fell for would only love her in return due to her luxurious appearance and dignified role which promised wealth and fame.  
Throughout the kingdom, there were whispers of something coming, an army consisting of thousands of men preparing to fight for land. The queen decided it would be best to make an alliance with the neighbouring kingdom, Tassalin, and sent her daughter off as an offering.

As Lilli packed her bag, her mind was full of doubt. She felt as though she had been abandoned by her mother. The queen entered at that moment, but the princess had refused to turn and look at her, a form of protest.

"I understand that you are hesitant to marry. But it is for the good of our people, so it must be done," Queen Avril said.

The princess replied instantly, "Hesitant to marry! He is a stranger, and I can not be made to love him!"

"What must I do to convince you?"

"You cannot convince me, because I don't have a choice!" Lilli screamed, before storming out of the room and leaving her mother alone to contemplate what had happened.

The princess retreated to the stables where she cried to Falada about the journey he would join her on. She was promised that she could take him with her as he was the horse her father had given her before his death, the foal of his most loyal steed.

The next day Lilli mounted the pale and docile palfrey, planting herself on the soft leather saddle. The rest of the company carried considerable loads of supplies on their backs and their horses were weighed down with saddlebags. The journey was predicted to last three days if they were to camp each time the sun drifted below the horizon. This meant the company were anxious to vacate the kingdom rapidly and pressured the princess to say her goodbyes promptly.

Her eyes met her mother's and she stared into the dark hazel until the morning sun reflected off the tear forming on her lower lid. Queen Avril stepped forward and the two wrapped their arms around each other in a modest embrace. She then took the broach off her attire and used it to pierce her finger and stain a pale handkerchief with crimson. She whispered into her daughter's ear, "Keep this close to you and my blood will give you the courage of a charging bull."

Princess Lilli situated the fabric in the pocket of her silk robe and took to the cobblestone path on the back of Falada. The path led into an extensive forest and was soon replaced with grass.

The travellers grew weary as the day faded into darkness. Lilli politely asked her handmaiden, Cecelia, for assistance in constructing her tent. Cecelia replied, "Surely a person such as yourself does not require assistance putting together such a small structure."

Opposed to commenting on her handmaiden's behaviour, Lilli began to pin canvas to the ground, blaming the event on the day's long journey.

The ground was firm and even though she was sleeping on a bedroll containing hay, she could still feel rocks indenting her back. Frosty wind seeped through the tent and into the thin linen wrapped around her, leaving her shivering and uneasy. The moon's light projected across the land which cast silhouettes of trees with branches entangled amongst themselves upon her tent.

Lilli woke to the smell of meat being slowly roasted and assumed that some of the men had gone hunting that morning. As she emerged from her tent, she noticed a bare rod hovering over a mound of ashes and realised that there was none left for her. When she inquired, the man stared at her sourly and told her to fend for herself. So she searched the area and discovered wild berries heavily guarded by thorns. Lilli almost tore her hands apart to collect just a few berries which were barely enough to sustain a mouse.

As the rest of the company were preparing to leave with full stomachs and likely felt as fresh as the day, Lilli mounted Falada feeling starved, sleep deprived and had hands that were thoroughly wounded.

The recurring motion of Falada's trotting became tiresome and Lilli wished that she had never left her elegant home. She imagined her canopy bed, dressed in layers of silk, and her collection of books by the fireplace.

The princess looked ahead at the path. Through the leaves the sun shone powerfully; she could hear a stream towards the east and felt humidity surrounding her. Her stomach rumbled and her tongue felt as dry as sand.

She asked Cecelia to fill her goblet at the stream.

"Are you not capable of doing that yourself?" was the answer.

So Lilli dismounted and ambled to the stream where she crouched down amongst the damp moss and began to consume the water. She perceived her companions' voices as she refilled her goblet; her handmaiden was giving an order to the group: "Once I have the golden goose we shall all be rich. I will take the princess's place so I can have comprehensive access to the castle. You two must go slaughter the princess now; she is by the stream."

Lilli heard coarse footsteps approaching her—the snap of dry twigs under the weight of a person—so she ran. There was a blizzard in her mind, her thoughts swirling around so fast that she couldn't concentrate. She just kept running.

But she fell to the ground in agony. She had to keep running! She couldn't. Everything went dark.

Rain drizzled down her face. Her golden hair had been drowned in a puddle, her foot was dripping with blood, and her head was pounding. She pulled herself up, and, as she placed her foot on the grass, grimaced in pain. Where was Falada to carry her home? Where was home, now she had been both abandoned and deceived?

The sky was concealed by a layer of clouds, dull and grey. The princess would have to wait before she was able to determine her position. Lilli fell to the ground and let tears flow heavily from her eyes until the sky cleared and was embellished with stars. She stared into the ancient map and instantly knew the way to both kingdoms, but she realised that if she were to return home and tell her mother what had happened, it would begin a relentless war that her country didn't have the resources to win.

Lilli remained east of the path to lower the chance of her being discovered by the company if they continued to search for her. The moon barely shone through the dense trees. It was hard to stay on track because of how infrequently she had a clear view of the sky to make sure of her alignment.

Each time the weight of her body put pressure on her foot, she was in agonising pain; she knew she required medical attention. Lilli placed herself on the ground and cleaned the cut with water from a stream, then she wrapped the fabric her mother had given her around her wound.

As the sun began to rise, painting the sky with fiery shades, the princess hobbled into a small town on the outskirts of Tassalin. The houses were crafted from timber and hay, while some stores were made of stone. Lilli noticed the three golden spheres mounted on a tall blackened post, which signalled that this was a pawn shop.

Princess Lilli exchanged her golden ring for 150 shillings, which she used to purchase a white linen dress, thin leather slippers and some shoe polish for darkening her hair and eyebrows so she'd not be recognised. She spent the remaining money on an aged horse with a dirty grey coat and leather saddle to ride further into the kingdom.

Lilli entered the town square outside the Royals' castle. It was packed with market stalls and swarming with patrons. She approached the limestone castle surrounded by guards in steel armour. Lilli tied her horse to a post with a frail rope and entered.

The ground was coated in soft red fabric and from the roof hung a chandelier; the room was grand and inviting. Princess Lilli proceeded towards a wooden desk in the far corner of the room. There sat a man with grey hair and fragile glasses. He asked why she was there and she replied, "I would like to acquire a job."

The man reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small paper form which he then began to fill out with his quill which he frequently dipped in his pot of dark ink. When he asked her name she told him it was Margaret Fletcher; he would have considered it too much of a coincidence if she had the same name as the princess. The man eventually looked up and told her that the only place she was needed was as a goose girl and that the position supplied her with three meals a day and a room to sleep in.  
Lilli accepted and was sent away with a young servant to find her room.

They left the castle and strolled into an extensive field. To their right, there was a narrow block of cabins crafted from wood, and the servant escorted her to these cabins and stopped at the one marked with three lines and a cross. He told her that this was her accommodation and advised her to report to the workers dining hall by seven o'clock each morning to eat breakfast and collect her lunch for out in the fields.

Lilli entered her cabin. Inside was a frayed blanket on a single bed, a wooden nightstand, and a cramped wardrobe next to the murky window coated in dust. She sat on the end of the bed, it was as tough as the forest floor, but she knew that she needed to sustain her position as a goose girl long enough for her to develop a plan of action for her predicament. Once she had a solution, she would instantly exchange her bed for the easing mattress in the luxurious royal chambers and her handmaiden would be exposed.

The sun's serene and composed radiance woke Lilli the next morning—the curtains were so thin that they weren't capable of keeping out moonlight let alone sunlight. She dressed in her white linen dress and leather slippers, and plaited half of her now dark hair in the form of a crown, leaving part of it flowing down her neck. Lilli strolled into the worker's dining hall. Everyone appeared fatigued and overworked as they sat in long rows with slim paths in between each table that would be difficult to move through to get to the food at the other end.

From a large steel pot, she scooped steaming hot porridge into her wooden bowl, then wrapped a stale bread roll and a cluster of grapes within a piece of red fabric to eat at lunch. She sat down at the nearest table and began to consume her porridge. The surrounding workers were discussing the arrival of their new princess.

"I wonder what happened to her handmaiden. She wasn't with the company when they arrived."

"I heard that she stole something from the princess and made off with it. That must be why the rest of the company are searching for a girl with golden hair and fair skin."

"Did you see the princess's horse though? It was the most beautiful palfrey I'd ever seen. Too bad about what's gonna happen to it."

The princess was instantly alarmed and joined the conversation uninvited, "What is going to happen to Falada?"

They stared at her as though she was deranged. She realised what had happened so she calmed her tone and said, "I mean, what is going to happen to her horse?"

One of the boys stared at her and replied, "I thought the entire kingdom knew, it's being killed on the princess's request."

Lilli was devastated and resentful. Falada was innocent and had done nothing to provoke Cecelia. She felt as though it was her fault. If she hadn't requested Falada's presence on the trip, then he would still be at her kingdom's royal stables, as safe as she had once been.

Lilli grieved over Falada as she cared for the king's geese. Everything that had occurred the past week seemed vague and unreal. She sat against a stunted sugar maple tree and looked out at the vast field. She saw two members of the handmaiden's company observing the geese, most likely looking for the golden goose. Lilli acted as though she hadn't noticed them and tried to blend in. She lay on the lengthy grass and attempted to develop a plan to save Falada.

That night, once the limited amount of guards on duty had finished patrolling the stables, she searched for Falada's stall. The palfrey's white nuzzle emerged from behind a wooden gate and the girl sprinted towards her companion. Relief washed across her face when she discovered that Falada had not yet been executed. The horse's eyes met hers and Falada let out a low pitched whinny as a greeting. Lilli was alarmed that this would alert one of the guards, so she quickly opened the stall gate and brushed her hand through his mane to calm him.

Lilli walked her horse to the forest border and let him go free before making her way back to her cabin in the dark silence.

The next day, as Lilli sat by the sugar maple tree now relieved of her concerns about Falada, she observed an injured goose being tormented by a fox. She approached the fox from behind with her wooden crook firm in her hand. Before she could wrap the hooked end around one of its front legs the fox turned and pounced.

Lilli stared into the fox's eager eyes that told her there was no mercy, and he sunk his keen yellow teeth into the flesh of her ankle as she dropped onto the grass in anguish.

Lilli woke in a long but compact room with rows of beds symmetrically lined against each wall. To her left was a well-dressed man with dark brunette hair and warm, compassionate eyes that stared into her own.

He notified an elderly nurse that Lilli had awoken and the lady made her way towards the bed in a rushed manner. The nurse pressed her hand against Lilli's forehead and then appeared relieved as she marked down the girl's temperature.

Then the man by her side held out his hand and introduced himself. "I'm Phillip."

Lilli took his hand; it wasn't covered in blisters like the men who worked for the king, but it was strong. She presumed he was one of the knights that stood by the castle and watched over the villagers.

Eventually, the princess left with the reinforcement of a wooden crutch and a bandage encasing her foot.

She returned to her position as the goose girl. Each day she dozed under the sugar maple tree and dusted the grass with seeds for the geese. Phillip, the man who had saved her from the fox, often returned to the field to visit her. They discussed recent events throughout the kingdom and over time she realised that she was falling in love with him.The once-injured goose also kept her company throughout the day. While he would still venture out, he would always return to her side.

One morning, before Phillip had arrived, Lilli decided to accompany the goose on his excursion. He led her across the field and beyond the stream to a hollow tree trunk. Inside was an assortment of solid gold eggs settled on a nest of hay. Lilli was perplexed and overwhelmed. She needed to protect this goose so Cecelia couldn't capture him.

Days passed when one morning Lilli was unable to locate the goose. He couldn't be found in the hollow tree or any of the surrounding forest. She searched the field frantically and tried to identify the golden goose amongst the rest of the flock. He wasn't there. The two company members that were often there throughout the day had also receded, so Lilli developed a plan.

She dressed in steel armour that had once stood proudly in the castle entrance. She then made her way through the medieval fortress, carrying herself across the red wool with sturdy and substantial strides.

Every guard she passed respectfully nodded, so she responded accordingly as she tried to adopt the way they roamed the castle.

Once she arrived at was meant to be the princess's sleeping quarters, where she knew Cecelia would be staying, she opened the door towards herself and revealed the room's interior. There was a silk-canopied bed in the centre of the immense space, and a stained glass window that consumed the whole of the east wall—it depicted two doves settled on a branch of a limitless tree which was absorbing the light of a fiery sun. The room flooded Princess Lilli's mind with memories of her own home.

Lilli dashed towards a wooden crate poorly concealed under the bed, suspicion clouding her mind. She bent down onto her knees and removed the helmet from her head in order to have a clear view.

"Well, if it isn't the goose girl. Or should I still refer to you as, 'your highness'?"

Panic swarmed Lilli's mind when she turned and recognised her handmaiden, along with the two members of the company, daggers held firmly in their palms.

"How could you've known it was me?" Lilli inquired.

"Some shoe polish concealing your golden hair won't fool me. I had wondered who saved Falada from his certain death," she snickered. "Too bad there's no one to save you from yours."

Within seconds of struggling the goose girl had been pinned against the wall by the two burly men, and all she could do was stare into Cecelia's cruel eyes. She closed her eyes securely when the blade gradually advanced and pictured herself riding Falada through Syupford Woods alongside her father as the bronze leaves rained down.

The tip of the knife was just brushing her throat when Phillip burst through the door, sword in hand, an army of guards behind him.

"Drop your daggers or fight a hundred men!" he proclaimed.

The knives clattered as they met the wooden floorboards and the guards to advance to put the three in custody.

The true princess's eyes began to water and she wrapped her arms around Phillip as she thanked him for saving her life.  
The courageous man stared into her emerald eyes, took her hands in his, and proposed.

Princess Lilli was incredibly sorrowful when she realised that her hand was still promised to the prince. Tears welled in her eyes as she told him who she was and who she was required to marry. The man simply laughed and said that she wasn't required to marry the prince if she didn't wish too.

"Yes, I must! There needs to be an alliance between the two kingdoms!" she insisted. This moment was even more agonising than that of her almost certain death.

"I am the prince." The words escaped Phillip's mouth leaving Lilli in shock.

Princess Lilli realised she could protect her kingdom while marrying for love. She wrapped her arms around him, sure that she would never let go as she was finally in love.

##  Author Bio

Meg Bowman loves to write because you can describe such a wide range of emotions, settings and characters. She is a student at Heaton Intermediate and her other interests include science and reading. She also has a love of animals which inspired her to retell _The Goose Girl_ , a fairy tale about deception and rebellion. In Meg's version of _The Goose Girl_ the main character, Princess Lilli, is being hunted by the group of people who support the handmaiden who betrayed her. Their objective is to kill Lilli and gain possession of the golden goose.

#  Effect of the Forest

## by Cleo McLaughlin

"What's with you, Charming? We're going to be late for our meeting with Queen Diana! You don't have to look at your mirror twelve million times," I say, over-exaggerating. "Come on, we have to get to the castle on time."

We live nowhere special, just a small home in the woods, with circular windows and rounded roofs. We don't live in the town because we work for the queen, so we don't want anyone to find out our plans. But the queen's home, now that's a different story. It's got huge pillars and walls that reach the sky.

We all live in the western land of Albraina. I, Smarty, live with my brothers: Funny, Charming, Shy, Quirky, Cheeky and Honest. We work for Queen Diana because our family has been helped by the royal family many, many times, and this is how we repay them. Queen Diana is quite different from her sister, Queen Elizabeth. She was kind, sweet and caring, until she fell ill and died. Queen Diana is horrible, selfish and cruel. We want to quit, but we can't.

Queen Elizabeth's dying wish was, "Take care of my little Snow White." So we have stayed and watched Snow White grow up; she has become a beautiful young woman.

Today, we have been summoned to the castle. Luckily, Charming picked up the pace and we don't arrive late. We stand a bit down the massive driveway. New guards have been placed outside. _I suppose Her Majesty got angry at the last guards and fired them,_ I think to myself.

Cheeky is picking up rocks and looking through his fingers like a camera. Shy is the most nervous one here, he is hiding behind a bush. The others are doing their own thing. Charming is looking at his mirror, Quirky is counting his fingers for some reason, Funny keeps chuckling to himself.

_He's probably thinking about the times he came here and mucked up,_ I think to myself.

Honest is muttering to himself. _He's probably getting impatient that we aren't going in._ Then suddenly Honest roars, "When are we going in?"

Cheeky looks at him. We all do. And then Cheeky throws the rock at Honest's head. Funny bursts out laughing when Honest falls over. I say, "Funny, don't laugh!"

"Why?" Funny asks.

Too late, Honest is up on his feet and he yells, "I don't appreciate being laughed at when I'm hurt."

He throws a rock at Funny, then picks up another and throws it at Cheeky. Funny gets smacked in the face, but Cheeky dodges and then he skips up to the wooden doors that lead into the castle. Shy doesn't come out of the bush. He knows there's danger.

Funny sits up and rubs his face. He asks Charming, "Can I borrow your mirror?"

Charming says, "No way. It's only for beautiful people like me."

"Rude," Funny says.

"What was that?" Charming asks.

"Nothing," Funny says.

We head to the wooden doors and meet up with Cheeky. The guards ask, "Names?"

Quirky replies, "The three musketeers and their sidekicks."

"Quirky! We are actually..." I start to say, but I'm interrupted.

"The three little pigs, the wolf, and their sidekicks," Quirky says.

"Quirky! Sorry, we are actually the seven dwarfs. We have an order from the queen," I say.

Then they let us in. We walk into almost a dream. _She's redecorated,_ I think to myself.

There are gold ribbons everywhere and white dresses on display. Shy is walking at the back and he's looking nervously around. We get directed to a room. She has polar bear fur rugs, a cabinet of expensive wine and silky gold bed sheets. We walk through the doors and I come face to face with a cross-looking queen. I am almost standing on the hem of her outrageous dress. All the maids have been cleared out and no one is in the room except us.

She says, "Where have you been? You're two minutes late and I've been pacing in my room waiting for you. Why on Earth am I telling you this?"

Honest answers, "Because you're flustered, Your Majesty."

She looks out of the corner of her eye directly at Honest and then she screams, "No-one asked you, Honest!"

Shy hides behind Charming. Funny is on the verge of laughing. I try to signal Funny to stop when the queen has her back turned, but he doesn't notice. Suddenly, Funny bursts out laughing. The queen turns around like a doll. She looks at Funny and screams, "Are you laughing at me?"

Funny stops laughing, looks at the queen and says, "No, my queen."

She replies, "Good," but her face is still red.

I finally say, "Why are we here, Your Majesty?"

Her bright red face fades to a normal colour and she says, "You have to kill Snow White."

"Why?" says Honest.

The Queen turns back to Honest and screams for the second time today, "None of your business! But I will tell you your reward for doing it. First off, Smarty, you will get everyone in Albraina to appreciate you and your intelligence. Funny, you will get a personal show where you are a comedian. Shy, Shy, Shy, you will get someone to teach you sign language. Quirky, I will make everyone in Albraina think you're cool, not weird."

_That's what Quirky wants? I never would have thought of that,_ I think.

"Charming, you will get a room full of mirrors so you can admire yourself all the time and everyone will love you. Honest?" she sighs. "You will get lots of tape for that smart little mouth of yours. Just kidding..."

But I know she's lying.

"I'll find someone who actually appreciates you blurting out the truth," she says.

_What kind of wish is that?_ I think.

"Cheeky, you will get all the supplies you need to make the best pranks. Well that's sorted, but I need to tell you when and how you are going to kill Snow White," she says.

"So, you will pretend to deliver tea tomorrow to her room and when she's not looking, you stab her in the heart," the queen says.

"That's pretty blunt and harsh," Honest says.

"Did you say anything?" she replies.

"No, he didn't say anything. I just was mumbling to myself about the plan," I say.

"Fine. Also, make sure no-one sees a thing. The worst thing would be the village coming to get me. I love being the queen. You can get what you want when you want," she says.

After that, she kicks us out.

Suddenly a roaring scream comes from the castle. The guards run into the castle. Funny bursts out laughing, and he laughs so hard he can't speak. Cheeky starts to head to the castle, to check what has happened. He pokes his head through the door and he gets banged in the head with a pan. He falls to the ground. A maid stands at the door. She finally sees Cheeky lying there. The maid panics and helps Cheeky to his feet.

She says, "I'm so sorry, I thought you were a robber."

Quirky, who hasn't said anything for a while, steps up and asks, "Why was there a loud scream?"

The maid replies, "Snow White has escaped!"

They all look at each other, horrified.

Charming exclaims, "I see, she's playing hard to get."

"We won't get any of our wishes if we don't kill her, but she's missing so what do we do?" Honest points out.

"Honest, don't just say everything you know to complete strangers!" I say.

Honest sighs. I try to think, but it's hard since now Charming and Honest are quarrelling.

After the maid has gone, I suddenly say, "She couldn't have gone far if she's on foot. She's probably fled into the forest so she might come across our house."

After I said that I realise what's so extremely bad. We have all sorts of evidence of missions from the queen. If she finds those, I don't think we can accomplish the task, then we'd get no wishes, and we would be breaking the promise to the royal family. But we promised to protect Snow White as well.

I start to run, and the others follow. We run along the border of the forest; the fencing is covered with barbed wire. The castle is no longer in sight. We keep running until Cheeky detours another way. I go on, but the rest of my brothers look puzzled on which way they should go,

I shout, "Come on, there's no time to waste."

They break into a run. As I run through the trees, the path is covered with pine needles. Just between two tall trees is a girl—a girl with black hair, pale white skin and lips as red as roses. It's Snow White. She's staring at our house.

Cheeky comes over to me huffing and puffing. Charming, Shy, Quirky, Honest and Funny come soon after. We huddle together. _We can kill her and get our wishes,_ I think. "Guys does anyone have a knife?"

"What about our promise to Queen Elizabeth?" Honest mentions.

"Oh, what do we do?" I say.

Charming puts his hands in his pockets. His mirror falls out of his pocket and makes a loud noise. Snow White turns around. We hide behind a tree, but she spots the mirror on the ground and walks towards it. Then she spots Charming, whose face is most anxious, and says, "Is this yours?"

_Oh good, she doesn't remember us,_ I think relieved. _But we did watch her from afar anyway._

Charming takes it from her and says, "Thank you. We're just wondering, what are you doing out here?"

In the distant, the sound of horse hooves emerges. She asks quickly, "Is this your house? Because I really need to hide. I know this is sudden, but I really need your help."

Her eyes glisten in the sun while her hands are clasped together pleadingly. We look at each other and group huddle quickly. "We need to accomplish the task. Otherwise we won't get any of our wishes," I say quickly and quietly as possible.

They all nod except Honest.

"Honest?" Charming says.

He says, "What about the promise with Queen Elizabeth?"

"Honest, shhh!" I say.

In the end, we accept, knowing we need time to figure out what to do. I take her quickly into the house; she has to duck since she's tall.

The horses sound closer. I look at the table; there are rolls of parchment with plans from the queen. _This is confidential stuff._

Just as Snow White is about to look at the table, Quirky jumps on top of it and smiles like nothing is wrong.

She starts laughing, and I say, "Why don't you listen so you know when they are closer?"

She ducks down beside the bench and listens. Charming and Quirky start to clean up the huge wooden table. Shy's pulling all the old moth-eaten curtains shut. Honest is making a place for Snow White to hide. I find a trunk to put the plans and tasks in. Funny puts all the food away, but I see him nibbling on some sneakily. The whole room is small, but there is an upstairs. Our seven little beds are lined up, and they all have different sheets on them. We have candles, lots of rugs and blankets all around the house. Our stuff is always in sets of seven.

She suddenly says in a low whisper, "They're here!"

She runs over to Honest and hides in the dusty cupboard. A loud knocking comes from the door.

I run over to Honest and say, "Don't say a word, remember last time?"

His face turns unsettled by that comment. The knocking continues. Charming opens the door and there stands a man in armour. "Oh, it's just you guys. Sorry, we're looking for Snow White. Have you seen her?" he says.

Charming replies, "No, we haven't sorry."

He leaves the door and joins his men, shouting, "Head east. The next village is there."

And off they go. Just before we let her out, we huddle up and I say "I think we shouldn't kill her until we organise what to do with the queen."

Then we let Snow White out of the cupboard and sigh.

She says, "Thank you very much. I'm really glad you helped me! It was a life or death situation."

"How so?" I ask nervously.

"My aunt and some people were talking. I overheard part of their conversation: 'we have to kill Snow White'. The worst part is my aunt said it," she explains. "Also, they said the people would come tomorrow to kill me, so I ran away."

"Snow White?" Honest says.

"Yes," Snow White answers.

"Nothing, we didn't say anything," I say covering up for Honest. "Why do those people want to kill you?" Charming interrupts.

"I think it's because she thinks I'm more beautiful than her, but that's not true anyway," Snow White says.

"You are beautiful," Charming says.

"So she can use your mirror then," Funny angrily says.

"Yes, she can," Charming says.

"Hmpf," Funny says annoyed.

After that she brings us back to reality. "Did you hear anything I said?" Snow White asks.

_Hopefully she can't read our faces like I can,_ I think. Shy is white, Charming looks as if he's going to throw up and Quirky looks at me, worried. We all go silent. _What is the queen thinking? She wants to kill Snow White because she's more beautiful than her?_

"Also, my mum set up a trust of money for me and I can use that money when I'm eighteen, so I think she's after that too," Snow White says.

Honest says, "That's not good we have to ki...mwhffff," I cover his mouth.

I say to Honest in a low whisper, "Do you know what you're saying?" Then I let go of him.

She looks at us, confused, so to make this less awkward I say, "What are you going to do now?"

She thinks for a moment and then comes to a suggestion. "I think I'll either go to town or just keep running. I don't want to trouble you any more." She smiles, even though I know she's scared. She gets up ready to leave. We don't want her to leave. No Snow White, no wishes.

"Wait," I say.

I gather the others in a group talk and say, "We need her to stay because otherwise we won't be able to get our wishes by completing our promise to Queen Diana."

Snow White waits patiently by the door. We come to an agreement and Honest says, "You can stay here Snow White, if you would like. But you have to cook," Honest adds, "and clean. I'm sick and tired of doing it."

_We didn't come up with the last part. Oh, Honest, now she's not going to stay,_ I think to myself. I look at him, then I look at Snow White.

She finally says, "If that's alright with you gentlemen?"

I am astounded by that response. Honest sits down and looks happy with himself. Funny bursts out laughing. She does too, and we all join in.

I say, "By the way, I'm Smarty and this is Funny, Quirky, Charming, Shy, Cheeky and Honest. We're all brothers."

She nods. Shy sets up a bed for Snow White next to the fire. She asks, "What should I make for dinner?"

Shy mouths something. She looks at him. "Can you not speak?" she says.

I say, "Shy's never spoken in his life. He thinks he's going to blurt things out like Honest."

"How do you communicate with him?" she asks.

"I don't know, just a brother thing," I say.

"So back to dinner," she says after a few moments.

Funny suggests, "How about a roast? We have a chicken and some vegetables."

Charming says, "That's a great idea."

Snow White starts chopping and preparing the chicken. Quirky prepares the table, but then drops a plate on the floor. He starts singing a weird song.

"Quirky, stop, you're making me laugh," says Funny.

"You're really funny, Quirky," Snow White says.

Quirky looks surprised. "That's the first time anyone besides my brothers has said that to me."

"Well everyone has their quirks," she says.

The vegetables go in the oven. When the chicken is done, we dig in. We are all satisfied after that and we head to bed.

In the morning, I wake up to a smell of fresh bread and I see Snow White making breakfast. _She got up pretty early, just to make us breakfast._

After we all have breakfast, I get ready to meet Queen Diana to clarify what we should do with Snow White. Just as I'm leaving, Snow White says, "Where are you going?"

I say, "To work."

She replies, "What kind of work?"

I am troubled by this question, so I don't answer and walk outside, but the door opens and Snow White says, "Well, good luck!"

I smile and walk to the castle. Once I get there I watch out for the maid that carries around a pan.

I walk into the room and, "Ahhh!" moans the queen.

I ask, "What's the matter, Your Majesty?"

She shrieks, "Snow White is missing!"

I look down, but she notices my odd behaviour. She asks nicely, "Oh, Smarty, you don't know anything, do you?"

She flutters her eyelashes. I think to myself, _maybe if I tell her, I can get more of a reward._

I start to talk. "Um... my queen, I have a problem. I know where Snow White is."

"Well, where is she?" Her expression changes from a pretty little princess to an angry dragon.

"Um... well, she's kinda at my house with my brothers. But..." I close my eyes, scared of what she's going to say next. There's a long silence. I slowly open my eyes.

She's thinking. She says, "Well, that's great, you can kill her at your house." She has an evil look on her face. She warningly says, "Don't lose sight of her, okay? And you must kill her. You and your brothers can bring the body tomorrow."

Then that's the end of the conversation. I take a big breath and walk outside.

I head back along the pine needle path. _What are we going to do?_

My head is full of questions. At home, Snow White is outside digging up vegetables. Cheeky and Shy are playing a card game. Charming is looking at his mirror, again.

I gather my brothers and say, "The queen wants us to kill Snow White... here."

Funny's face droops. No-one knows what to say. I interrupt the silence by asking, "What do we do?"

"You're smart. Think of something," Honest says.

"Thanks for your support, Honest," I say sarcastically.

Shy is nervous.

"So what do we do?" I repeat. "The promise is to keep Snow White safe, but we still owe their family for helping our family. If Snow White was queen then we could accomplish both. Keep Snow White safe while still working for their family, but the question is how do we get Snow White to rule?"

"That means we have to get rid of Queen Diana," Cheeky says.

Suddenly, we hear the door open and Snow White walks in. She asks, "How was work, Smarty?"

I reply, "Not good."

She says, "Oh, what happened?"

I say quickly, "Nothing."

"We work for Queen Diana, Snow White," Honest blurts out.

She steps back, knocking over the coat rack. She says, "What? And why? I thought you were nice people."

"We are indebted to your family and bound to do what the head of your family says, but she wants to kill you. We don't want to do that because we promised your mother, Queen Elizabeth, that we would take care of you. So the solution is for you to rule," Honest blurts out.

"What, me?" she says.

"You were supposed to rule, but you were too young. We need to get rid of the queen somehow," I say.

"How about we bring Snow White to the castle and pretend we are going to kill her, but we kill the queen instead?" Cheeky says.

"Wait, how can I trust you guys when you tricked me?" she says.

"We didn't come up with the plan, we were just doing our job," Honest says.

"Well, yeah, but why are you guys working with her?" she says.

Honest blurts, "Your family has helped our family so many times and this is how we repay them."

"Okay," she finally says.

"Okay, this is what we are going to do..." I say.

The next morning we all head to the castle, with Snow White as a pretend hostage. We go through the wooden doors and head to Queen Diana's chambers. We open the door and the queen turns around and starts laughing. "My, my, my. I don't think you understand what I meant, Smarty," she says. "I meant bring her back dead." She stares at Snow White.

"Why are you doing this?" Snow White says. "I want to know the truth."

"Well, first off, I'll never be the fairest of them all if you're alive. And I want to be queen as long as I live. No-one in this country knows about you, except my staff. So I can keep you a secret and be queen forever," she says.

"Anything else?" Snow White asks.

"Don't be smart with me young lady," Queen Diana says. "Kill her now!"

"Fine! Funny, if you will," I say.

"Your Majesty, a knife please?" Funny says.

"Here," Queen Diana says. "Come on, hurry up!"

Funny turns to Snow White and points the knife at her heart. Snow White is crying. Funny counts "3, 2, 1..." But he spins around and tries to stab Queen Diana. She grabs the knife. It is inches away from her heart.

"Funny, are you trying to stab me?" she asks angrily.

Oh no! The plan failed! Funny what are you going to do?

"Hahaha, you fell for it! I was practising for a comedy act," Funny answers nervously.

"Oh, well stay on topic!" she growls.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Funny says.

Funny points the knife at Snow White, but his hand is trembling.

Queen Diana comes up to him and whispers in his ear, "You want your own show, right?"

"Yes," Funny answers.

"Then do it!" Diana says.

Funny holds his ground, and he thrusts the knife into Diana's heart instead.

She fell for it! I think.

"Any last words," Honest says.

"Snow White, help me," she says.

"I'm sorry, Aunty, but you tried to kill me," Snow White says.

Snow White became queen that day, and we have been made part of her royal court. The funeral for Queen Diana is scheduled next week.

##  Author Bio

Cleo McLaughlin goes to Heaton Normal Intermediate and is a Year 8. She loves art, writing, netball and books. Her favourite series of books are _Harry Potter_ by J.K Rowling, _City of Bones_ by Cassandra Clare, and _Nancy Drew_ by Carolyn Keene. She enjoys writing because she can enter a world of her own. She also loves reading stories that other people wrote. Besides writing, she likes netball, which she has played since Year 3.

Cleo chose to rewrite _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_. She changed the perspective to first person and made the dwarfs work for the queen.

#  Red's Boring Grandma...

## By Henry Wilson

Once upon of time, there was a young lady named Little Red Riding Hood, but everyone just called her Red. She was friendly and popular, and everybody knew and liked her. Although she was kind, caring and responsible, the main reason she was known and loved was because of her grandma. Red's grandma was known across the land because of her amazing loyalty to the kingdom's army. She was their best warrior. Despite her amazingly old age of 93, she was still fit and healthy, and most importantly, still able to fight like a champion! Red's grandma lived deep in the woods where she would not be harassed by her die-hard fans.

It was on a warm, friendly, summer morning that Red had to go to her grandma's house for fighting lessons. Red's mother, a tall lady with ginger hair, stumbled into the small timber room. She started to leave the house, clearly in a rush, and made a feeble attempt at a wave. As an afterthought, she yelled out, "Make sure you don't take too long on the way to Grandma's! You know how dangerous those woods are!"

As Red tied up her boots, she yelled out, "Of course, Mother!" and then set out on her way to Grandma's.

When Red was walking to her grandma's, she quickly realised that it was a warm morning for winter because of the pleasant sun on her back. One of precious few. But, as Red walked through the small, dark, dangerous opening of the forest the frigid air consumed her quickly and robbed her of all her warmth. The only noise was the cool breeze tossing around the dry leaves and the noise her own footsteps. She stopped moving to tie up her loose bootlace, noticing the footsteps didn't stop with her. They weren't hers, and they were getting closer. She turned around quickly, to see a vicious wolf right in front of her.

It snarled meanly and started to speak in a very dead voice; showing no emotion. "What are you doing out in these oh-so-dangerous woods all by yourself, little girl?" the wolf said, seeming almost amused. "You don't know what kind of creeps lurk around here."

"I'm on my way to see Grandma," Red spat, not taking to kindly to being called a little girl.

The wolf was about to jump on poor Red and eat her up in one gulp, but then realised that if he played his cards right here, he would get to eat Red and her grandma! "And where does this grandma of yours live, little girl?" the wolf said slyly.

"That is none of your business," Red said suspiciously. "I don't mean to be rude but I think I will be on my way now," she said abruptly, trying to end the conversation with the shady character that stood before her.

"Why, of course," the wolf said in a sincere tone. Red watched the wolf bound away into the bushes so she turned on her heel, and walked away triumphantly.

Red strongly strode through the woods towards her grandma's house. She strolled up the cobblestone steps which lead to her grandma's cottage and knocked on the door. She waited for her grandma to open the door and hung up her axe on the racks that her grandma had installed for that very purpose. The door opened to reveal Red's grandma with a professional smile on her face. She had a dressing gown on and had the same ginger hair as the rest of her family. She was also tall, but incredibly muscled. Red came into her cottage, which was very nice as Grandma was rich after her service to the kingdom's army. The walls were all timber, with axes and swords hanging everywhere.

The wolf smirked at his luck as he bounded up the steps to the grandmother's cottage. "A frail old grandma will stand no chance against myself. Strong, agile, vicious and hungry. She's as good as dead!" he said himself. The wolf pounded on the door, ready for an easy snack. The door creaked open slowly, revealing an old woman, just as the wolf had expected. He grinned at her malevolently, then he pounced straight at her poor little body.

The old woman ducked and expertly rolled out of the way, ending up in a professional battle stance. The wolf crashed into a coffee table, and two vases fell and crashed on his body, drawing blood. He growled, baring his teeth in pain and anger. Red's grandma pulled off her dressing gown, revealing a leather battle suit and shiny metal armour over her chest. The bulging muscles on the old lady were shocking and very intimidating for all her enemies. The wolf was no exception and it swallowed nervously.

The grandmother ran forward, jabbing the wolf in the nose and kneeing him in the stomach. He swiped his claws opportunistically, striking lucky, and drew blood on her arm.

As Red watched all this, terrified, from the armour room, she knew she must help. The wolf she had met earlier flew across the room and landed at her feet. She breathed deeply, annoyed that she had let it follow her!

Red looked towards her grandma, who was bloody and sore, but probably having the time of her life. Then Red ran into the room where she knew her grandma kept her swords and other weapons. Red chose the sword that she was training with and ran back into the battle. She saw her grandma holding the wolf in a headlock. She wildly swung the sword at the wolf's head looking for a lucky hit. Instead, the wolf pounced on Red but her grandma hit the wolf with a powerful punch knocking it off her. Red got up and watched as the wolf pinned down her grandma.

"Noo!" Red yelled and swung her sword at the wolf's head. A beautiful strike. Its head came off easily and rolled across the floor. "Huh," Red said, surprised that that had worked.

Suddenly, a muscular man burst through the front door. His big checkered red shirt matched his red beanie. He held a massive axe in one hand and swung it wildly around like he was trying to swat a fly. The lumberjack stopped and saw the headless wolf on the floor and Red holding the sword in her hand. "Um," he said, "I saw you fighting through the window and thought you might have needed some help."

"I'll need some help fixing my door!" yelled Red's grandma angrily.

A few weeks later, the lumberjack cut down a tree and carved out a new door for Red's grandma, then helped fix up the rest of her house. As a thank you, Red's grandma gave the lumberjack a nice wolfskin rug. Red kept going to her grandma's for fighting lessons and eventually got seriously good at fighting. Some say better than her Grandma, but Red did not think so. Neither did her grandma. They all lived happily ever after (apart from the wolf).

##  Author Bio

Henry likes to play sports and build things out of wood. He also likes to do art and writing. He likes to read humor and also action adventure stories like _Skulduggery Pleasant_ and _Tom Gates_. Henry likes to read comics as well. Henry likes to play tennis and football and he likes going to the beach. Henry has two sisters a dog and two cats. Also he likes to travel and go to Kaiteriteri.

Henry rewrote _Little Red Riding Hood_ , but changed both Red and Grandma to have fighting skills.

#  The iPad's Curse

## by Bella Bailey

Once upon a time, when I was a little nine-year-old girl, I went exploring up in the cosy attic of our New York apartment. It didn't look like an old, dusty, creepy stereotypical attic. It had a couch and nice white wood planks around the room.

My mum had sent me to retrieve a bracelet from one of the boxes. My Aunty had given it to them at my christening, but asked it to be given to me when I turned ten to make sure I was old enough to appreciate it.

I was digging through an old chest when I hit something hard. It was gold and made of glass. I fished it out, to find it was an iPad. It looked out of date, like it would have been fancy to have ten years ago. I didn't think it would turn on because of its age, but to my surprise, it flashed white and the words "HELLO" appeared on the screen. I then continued to set it up.

I was finding my way around the device, still sitting on the attic floor, when my mother shouted, "Aurora, where are you?"

I used to hate it when she called me Aurora because it sounded so serious and fancy. It was my birth name, but no one called me by my real name anymore. I much preferred Rory. I quickly shoved the iPad back in the chest and hastily buried it under an old Halloween costume. I heard my mum's soft footsteps. Mum didn't approve of devices. I heard her say that they were horrible things that would put me in more danger than I was aware of. I was never to lay my hands on one! But it didn't seem quite as evil as she had made it out to be.

The attic door brushed open and my mother's smiling face appeared. "What are you doing just sitting in the attic?"

"Oh, nothing. Just looking for that bracelet. My birthday's in two days, you know."

A look of worry and concern had flown across her face. I couldn't tell what it was regarding.

"Okay then, just be careful," she warned. Her comment danced in my head quickly and left just as fast.

Ever since that day, I would come up to the attic every night when Mum and Dad were occupied. I was always frightened that one of my parents would catch me because, as time went on, I spent more and more time up there. There was just something about the iPad that I couldn't get enough of. I was hypnotised under its spell.

It came to a point where I was spending every minute I could on it. Its pull was something I just couldn't resist. My parents would often ask what I was doing up there. I would just say to them that it was the most peaceful place and I could see the whole New York skyline from the top of our apartment.

Ten years later, in my last year of university, I was scrolling through Instagram, and I got a message from someone called Peter_Charles.

The message read:

Hi, my friends said that they knew you and I should talk to you, so I found you on here.

I was hesitant and slightly suspicious, but still, I replied:

Hi, Peter.

That is what started it all. We became extremely close, and this led to many conversations. My parents had been getting more concerned, but I had no other choice. I had to be on that iPad. I knew that if they ever found out, I would be in so much trouble, but the temptation of my growing relationship with Peter was worth the risk.

I would wait around for Peter to log on, from when I got up, while I was at university, and even when I went to bed. I would stay on Instagram all day, just in case. Peter, however, lived his life. I would ask what he did and why he logged on so late, and he would tell me how he spent time with his family and friends, played sport and did his uni work. Peter once asked me why I seemed to always reply immediately to him. It was true, I did. I just didn't want to tell him how pathetic I was—I was always on my iPad—because I thought he would be put off and think I had no life. Even though I did in fact, have no life. I just couldn't pull away from my iPad, little did I know, it wasn't my fault.

One day Peter logged on and messaged me, and once again I answered straight away. Peter was worried about me and how I seemed to reply straight away.

Peter: Hi

Rory: Hey

Peter: Y r u always on?

Rory: Because, I don't actually know. I'm just always on my iPad.

Peter: You should get out more. It's not ok, you're never outside. Don't you think you should get outside and live life?

Rory:...I just can't get off. When I try, I can't, and I just go back on it.

Rory: but why are you always off, how?

Peter: Hold on... I'm going to explain why and break you from this spell.

Rory: What do you mean?

Peter: Aurora, I mean I'm going to break you from this curse that has made you stop living and do nothing. It's like you're sleeping and the world is trying to wake you. Meet me at the bottom of the Rock at 5:00 and tell your parents you will be back by 10:00. DON'T bring ur iPad!

It was already 4:30, so I put together a backpack of some things for the evening, and I couldn't resist sneaking my iPad in the back pocket, contrary to Peter's wishes.

I arrived at 5:10 to find him standing there in a suit, looking like a handsome prince. First, he took me to the port and we went on a boat that took us to Liberty Island where we walked up the Statue of Liberty.

We then continued to Coney Island. We road the scariest Ferris wheels and played the games.

After that, we got back on a boat and went back to the mainland.

The sun was setting and we got in a taxi to Astoria Park to watch the sunset. It was such a pretty sunset that I really wanted to take a Snapchat, but I had to resist the temptation; only for Peter though because I know how disappointed he would be. I remember at that moment the realisation that I just resisted the urge of my device, all for Peter. It made me feel like he was breaking the "curse" the iPad had on me, restraining me. That iPad made me feel like I was living my life like I was sleeping unaware of the real world.

We went and ate dinner in Chinatown. It was dark by then. Peter told me he had a surprise and I had to close my eyes when we got into the taxi. He guided me into a building and I could hear the hustle and bustle; I knew it was a busy place, possibly a landmark. Peter then guided me into a room or so I thought. I could hear the whir of an elevator. It seemed to go for such a long time, must be a tall building I thought.

My head buzzed with ideas and I could feel the excitement tingling through my whole body. We stepped out of the elevator. I felt wind fly through my hair. When I opened my eyes, we were standing at the top of the Rockefeller Centre looking out to the beautiful night skyline of New York with all its lights glowing.

"Wow! I mean, I've seen this view on Instagram, but it's so different to real life. It's better than I ever thought," I exclaimed.

"This is what you miss out on when you spend all your time on devices, Rory! You don't need them to live life. In fact, they stop you from living life—like you're living in a shell, sleeping and oblivious to real life. What you see on your iPad isn't real life!"

"I get that now."

"So do you think you can take that iPad—that I know is in your bag—out?"

"How did you know?" I asked, an element of surprise in my voice.

"I guess I'm magical," he said with a wink.

"Yeah, for the first time I feel like I don't need it. I would rather live life without it." I grinned.

And with that, I threw the iPad off the side of the balcony and to my surprise it vanished into thin air.

After that night, I knew Peter had broken the curse. I was able to live life and not be dead to the world. Living life with Peter was my new, healthy, obsession. The iPad was now far out of the picture and I knew that there had been something off about that iPad—I was like a zombie under its powers. Thankfully, after that night on top of the Rockefeller, it had broken its trance over me and I never had troubles with devices again. The curse was broken.

One Tuesday, I decided I wanted to introduce Peter to my family. I had told them that I had a guy I wanted them to meet. They arranged to have dinner at my childhood house on Friday.

When we arrived, my parents were glowing. I think they were surprised that I had brought home a good guy who I loved. We chatted and ate lasagna, my favourite of Mum's meals.

"So how did you two actually meet?" my mother asked.

"Oh, we met online. I heard about her from one of my friends, so messaged her on Instagram."

My face dropped and my meal dropped to the pit of my stomach.

"What?" Mum questioned.

"Uhh..." I will admit that wasn't the smartest thing I could have said.

"Is this true, Aurora? You met online?" She said this so sternly I squirmed like a worm in my dining chair.

"Well, I... um, I guess, kinda," I confessed.

"Yes or no, Rory?" my dad chipped in.

"Yes," I muttered, looking down at my lap in shame.

"Come with me Aurora, we need to talk," my mum insisted.

As I got up, Peter brushed his hand on my shoulder. I flinched.

"Rory?" He looked so confused and I couldn't face him, so I just ran to my childhood room.

"I'm sorry. I just, just, I found the iPad years ago, and I couldn't stop going on it. That, that thing had powers over me, it just hypnotised me," I blubbered shamefully. "I'm so sorry, I should have told you, but I knew that you would take it away and I couldn't live without it! I was so stupid. Forgive me, please!" A lump had formed in my throat, my crying was choking me.

"Oh, Rory, I'm not mad. I can tell this has haunted you. But there's a good reason for me hiding that iPad. I tried to protect you." She frowned and sat down on my bed next to me. She had calmed down now. "At your baby shower, this random old woman came up and gave your father and I an iPad. I must admit, it was weird and she had this strange, sinister, greasy smile on her lips. Your grandma had this crazy idea that the iPad was "magic" and "cursed" by the strange old woman. That it would stop you from living life. She was adamant."

My mind raced. My palms were shaking, and my head was clouded with surprise and thoughts.

I jumped up and hugged her. Her arms enveloped me with a tight warm squeeze. It finally felt like I could breathe easy and move on.

We all lived happily ever after.

##  Author Bio

Bella Bailey loves writing, especially fiction. The creativity and ability to write about anything and there be no right or wrong thing, is her favourite part about writing. She really likes realistic fiction, so when she writes she like to connect it to real life things while still being creative. Outside of school, she plays lots of sport. Her favourites are athletics and hockey. Bella also really likes photography and videography.

Bella rewrote _Sleeping Beauty_ in a modern setting.

#  Imprisoning Love

## by Issie Matson

I sit on my bed. My head rests between my pale wobbling legs. I hear the soft, short, shaky breaths of my grandmother whistling in my ear. She holds me close as we both wonder what will happen without my parents. My grandmother tries to stay strong, comforting me. I feel that I should be the one comforting her.

"It will be alright, I will look after you. I will never let anything happen to you." She holds me tight, adjusting her grip.

_Why, why my parents?_ I hear sirens echoing in my head. The flashing lights, the doorbell ringing. The rough voice of the cops speaking downstairs. The thickest memory of all is the wailing and sobbing of my grandmother as I hide at the top of the stairs peering down.

I nudge my head into the crook of her neck. My eyes fall softly closed, and I fall into a restless sleep.

I wake up and look around. As my eyes adjust to the dim moonlight, I remember my parents. I scramble out of bed as my mind begins to twist and twirl. I need air, my head screams. I rush to the window and jerk it open. As I sit down, I try to rid myself of all the memories of the last few hours. The shock is still reflected on my face, I see in the window's glass. I can't think straight, and I can't help a single tear roll down my cheek. I watch it softly drop onto the petal of a rose hanging on the window sill. It glitters in the moonlight.

I suck in a breath and look around the street. The usual colours of the street are dimmed in the dark summer's night. I grasp a rose petal from the vine winding up the old brick and twist it between my fingers.

Grandmother has promised me everything will be alright. How can I believe her? How can I be sure? They were my biggest support. My biggest heroes.

* * *

Eight Years Later

My eyes flutter open to the squawking of a rooster. I groan and turn over. I've never been a morning person. I try with all my power to fall back asleep, but the sun seeps through the window, falling onto my face every angle I turn. I haul off my sheet and sit up.

I look around the room, but my eyes fall on my mirror. In the corner of the mirror is a small, clock-sized calendar. I suddenly see that today is highlighted with all colours of the rainbow. That means one thing. The Carnival. I leap out of bed but come to a screeching halt just before my closet.

"Ouch!" I turn to peer at what has caused such a sudden pain down my spine. My bird's nest of long brown hair has gotten stuck on a cactus plant by my bed. I quickly tend to this problem before rushing to my closet once again. I bundle my hair up in my hands as I peer through the closet door at the restricted amount of clothes I have.

"This one, this one, this one and this one," I mutter to myself as I haul my choice of clothes onto my bed. I get changed into the nicest clothes I have, even though no one will be seeing me today. I look at myself in my mirror.

_Besides the messy bird's nest I look alright,_ I think. A girl wearing a purple dress and worn out old brown boots stares back at me. I collapse onto my bed, the excitement booming in head overwhelms me with sudden exhaustion.

I sit up warily as the blaring trumpets start to play. I shuffle closer towards the window to get a better view. I suddenly realise my hair could still house a family of sparrows. I grab the oversized hairbrush from under my bedside table and quickly brush the locks of hair.

The music starts to play, and excitement bubbles up inside of me. This is meant to be the best carnival yet. People young and old start to parade down the street in glamorous outfits. Feathers, glitter and colours explode from everywhere you look. Screams of enthusiasm are drowned out by the traditional Spanish music. I long to be down there—the star of the show, dancing and singing.

_I shouldn't be thinking about this. It would break my grandmother's heart. But I can't help it._ I turn to the mirror and imagine. A jewel sits sparkling on my forehead, woven into a gold braided strap that connects to a headdress of bird feathers, pink, blue and gold. My hair twists around the gold strap, all the way to the floor. My dress twirls together in an array of different textures and colours. I twirl softly around, my dress floating around my bright glittery pink heels.

I sigh sadly. This isn't me.

Then my imagination takes hold of me again. I leap around the small room. I throw my hands up and sing at the top of my lungs. My feet tap and gracefully dance to the beat of the booming music. I reach out my arm and pull myself toward the window. I continue to sing as I stroke the rose leaf in my hand. I dramatically pretend I'm in a musical. The song stops, and I pose before the window. I gasp and take deep breaths. I look around hoping to find someone who noticed me. Before my eyes everyone is clapping, applause, cheering. I take a bow. Pretending that all the affection was for me, the girl who lives above the bakery.

I lean out the window and come back to reality. I look around the crowd of people all enjoying the show, but my eyes settle on one man in particular. He is staring up at me, with bright green eyes. He has messy brown hair wavy to the length just above his ears. His hands are hidden inside the pockets of his maroon cargo shorts. He is mouthing something. In fact, trying to whisper. But I can't make out a word he is saying over the noise from the surrounding carnival enthusiasts. He starts to realise that I am having difficulty understanding him. Suddenly I get what he is saying.

"I thought your singing was lovely," he shouts up to where I am seated.

"Thank you," I mouth. I lean over the balcony, resting my head on my hands. I notice that he doesn't seem like a local. He doesn't match the description of all the residents I see strolling up and down the street on an average day.

_Maybe he came to see the carnival. I better offer him the best seat in the street. I pause. Is Grandmother right? Is the outside world dangerous and unfair?_ I shake my head.

"Would you like to come up," I mouth over the crowd.

He ponders for a moment, staring up into the sky. He turns back to me and smiles. He vigorously nods his head. I hold my hand up, gesturing that I need a moment to think. I beckon to him and point to the back of the bakery. He follows my command and disappears down the thin alleyway. I turn and scamper to the closet at the back of my room. I throw myself at the side of the closet in an attempt to move it aside. I manage to shove it out of the way. Hidden behind the old Victorian closet is a window the size for someone to climb through.

"How am I supposed to get up," he questions from below.

"You climb up this," I reply as I throw my neatly brushed hair out the window.

He gapes at the hair rustling in the wind. He stares up at me in confusion. I nod to signify that I am completely serious. He clambers up the hair with ease, as if he has climbed up hair many times before.

He contorts his way through the window and looks at me with wide eyes. I smile and introduce myself.

"I'm Rapunzel," I say quietly. I become hot and flustered. _I'm such a love-struck teenager._

"Principe," he says, offering his hand and breaking the silence. "I thought I should ask, why did I just climb up your hair?"

"The stairs are getting fixed today after an accident," I stutter trying to turn him away from the truth. He shrugs in return.

I take his hand and lead him over to the window to enjoy the rest of the carnival. We continue to watch in silence amazed by the intricate costumes and the flawless dances.

Over the next few months, Principe comes to visit me quite often. We talk and laugh and have the most fun either of us has ever had. We talk for hours about great places for Principe to hide from Grandmother. The tension is always there in both of our heads: the fear, the danger and most of all, the excitement and rebellion. I can tell we are both imagining what would happen if she found us. He would be banned from ever returning. I gulp at the thought. After all these years with no opportunity to be slightly rebellious, I have realised now is the time.

"Rapunzel, I have never asked what you like to do," he says as if he wants to break what he thought was an awfully long silence.

"Umm, I'm more of an inside person," I reply, trying to cover up that in fact I never leave.

"Rapunzel," Principe questions suspiciously, "is there something you're not telling me?"

I take a breath in to make sure I don't crack under pressure, but suddenly all the sorrows, stories and emotions rush in. I bring my shaking hand up and try to calm my throbbing forehead. I can't take it anymore.

"I can't leave, because my grandmother won't let me leave, but I don't want to escape because she loves me. I love her. You see my parents died when I was seven and my grandmother was so distraught that she is determined to make sure nothing ever happens to me." I gasp at the end of my statement. I look at Principe to see if he's gotten any of what I had just said. I hadn't noticed that hot shimmery tears were running fast down my face.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know," he stutters as he takes my hand in his and stares into my eyes, "I don't know if you do, but I feel a connection between us and I want to make sure you know that I will always be there for you."

I stare back at him without words. I nod to symbolise that I feel the same connection. Just as we turn back to face the street and I pour another cup of tea, the door bursts open.

"Rapunzel," my grandmother shrieks in fear. "Come here."

She turns to Principe and stares at him as if she is staring into his soul. She whispers in a strong, controlling voice. "Get away from my granddaughter."

Principe stands up and holds his shaky hands above his head to show he means no harm.

"Grandmother, he is my frie—" I try to explain, but she cuts me off. I know I am risking my grandmother's love when I stand up for Principe, but I have to.

"Rapunzel," says warningly.

She turns back to Principe. "Get out," she yells at the top of her lungs. It feels like the whole world stops. I feel the sudden courage to stand up for myself and Principe.

"No, you listen here, Grandmother!"

She falls silent and seems surprised by my sudden outburst.

"Principe is my friend. He is there for me when you are not. You are too busy keeping me in here—for what you think is my own safety—that you don't listen to my opinions. I want to leave. I have been miserable ever since the first day I was trapped. I love you, and I understand that you love me, but you are doing me more harm keeping me in here. Principe is from the outside world. He loves it; he is safe and happy. Grandmother, can I please leave?" I suck in a heavy breath. I feel empowered after my strong statement.

Grandmother breathes in sync with me. She stares into space for an awfully long time, and I begin to think in fear that she will say no—that she will be furious. Finally, she says in a shaky voice, "Yes, you can leave."

I stand there in silence with Principe standing beside me. His hands softly knock against mine. I clasp his hand, but I suddenly let go when I realise what happened. I rush forward and pull Grandmother into a hug. We both burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry. I was just scared. I couldn't stand to lose you too. You go, venture into the wild world. Enjoy yourself," she says with a slight smile. "Just promise me one thing..."

"Anything for you," I say, nodding my head furiously.

"Visit me."

"Of course I will. I mean," I turn to Principe, he smiles with wide eyes, "we will."

I grab Principe's strong callused fingers and we stride out the door with our heads held high. I look back at Grandmother and smile. Then we continue to walk, imagining what the future will bring.

* * *

Five years later

_Creeaak._ The door opens and an overwhelmingly happy feeling washes over me. I can't believe I'm back. I have wanted to return for years. I push the door open with my foot as both my hands are busy with other things. I walk inside and set my bright blue bag next to the stuffed doorstop.

I set Sofia on the floor in front of the couch. She sits up and yells in glee as she looks around, studying the surroundings. I glance around too, at the mistletoe in the doorways and the baubles hanging off the newly cut Christmas tree. The smell of gingerbread wafts around.

Principe follows behind me and he sits Nicolas down on the couch. Unlike Sofia, he doesn't stay sitting for that long. He rushes back over to Principe and hides behind his leg.

"We're here," I yell down the hall. I hear the scuffing of footsteps moving towards us. Grandmother appears at the hall door with a wide toothy smile. She walks towards me as my pace turns into a run. She pulls me into a hug and I pull her closer.

"Rapunzel," she whispers shakily, as if she is about to burst into tears. "I have missed you so much."

"I have too. I have been longing to come for so long," I say as I gasp in a shaky breath. A smile widens on my face. She gently slithers out of my hung and looks behind me.

"Principe," she says with a smile, "I understand you have looked after her well."

He nods with a smirk. She continues to gaze over at the children. "Who do we have here?" she asks not letting her friendly gaze go.

"We have Sofia," I say, gesturing her way. "She has just turned two. This is Nicolas," I say gesturing again to behind Principe's leg, "who has just turned four." They both wave and smile shyly.

"Well, we will talk more over a great cup of cinnamon tea," Grandmother says, beckoning us to follow her.

The sun shines through the window into my eyes which brings back so many happy memories. I pull myself off the bed and leave Principe to rest happily. I pull up the floral bedsheets on my side and head down to the lounge, passing the window with the beautiful street view of canopies and flowers. I stumble over to the fire and put a log on, which sets it to a nice burn. I sit down in a comfy armchair and think about previous Christmases. The particular Christmas that comes to mind was the first Christmas without my parents. I remember the thunder and rain bucketing down outside.

I open my Christmas presents in my room, cuddled up in bed. Just at that moment Nicolas, Sofia, Principe and Grandmother come in they sit across from me except Sofia who sits on my lap. They begin to chatter about Christmas and the news they have to tell Grandmother as they have warmed up to her now. I think back to my younger self and how I thought that I would never be able to carry on without my parents. I smile and look around at my lovely family. Little did I know then that I would carry on and grow up to have the best family that anyone could ever have.

##  Author Bio

Issie Matson is a twelve-year-old Canterbury girl. She loves writing and reading stories that are dystopian because they are always very unexpected and there are many different aspects of life in the story then we are used to. Her favourite books include, _Harry Potter_ , _Selection Series_ , _Red Queen_ and a very popular fractured fairy tale series the _Lunar Chronicles_. In her spare time she likes to draw and swim.

Issie has fractured the classic fairy tale _Rapunzel_. She has done this by setting the story in Spain. This very drastic change has affected her story by making it more current and exciting. She loves Spain and she thought that this was a great opportunity to put that love into her writing.

#  At the Tuna's Behest

## by Elle-Roze Ilkiw

Tama

Warm, soft, ticklish sand for as far as I can see. Azure, crystal clear water lapping over my feet. As I enjoy playing, my pōrutu, my flute, a relaxing melody skips across the playful waves. The sun's shining down, the sea sounds soothing, intricate seashells lie scattered around me.

"Hurry up, Tama, you can't just play your pōrutu on the beach forever!" exclaims Nīko, one of Tama's two older brothers.

I thought I could! I work hard all the time, doing all the chores and helping my whānau. Let me relax and play my flute a bit more.

"You have chores to do, Tama. Everyone has to do something helpful on this island. Māmā is making parāoa tonight, could you please catch some eel?"

Parāoa! I love bread! I stand up in a rush. Everyone is probably hungry, I'll catch some tuna for dinner...

"Yes, I'll do the chores. It'll be a pleasure." I take the fishing spear he's holding out to me.

_The river's down that way in the bush. I can get some tuna down there._ I sprint down the beach towards the bush. _Why do I have to run? My insides are burning! Yeah, actually I'm just going to walk... nice and easy._

"And hurry up. Get a move on!" Nīko shouts after him.

_What a brother._ But he is always helping our whānau. Finally, I break through the edge of the bush. The river's over to the right. The gushing of the water sliding over the rocks, the birds singing their songs, even the sunlight twirling through the trees, it all looks like a majestic natural symphony. _Yes! Somebody left their pōhā, kelp bags, by the water. Good thing I saw that!_ I jog to the pōhā and use them to fetch water.

_What was the next thing I have to do? Oh yes, get dinner. A tuna for dinner will be lovely._ I grip the spear tightly. Then I say a karakia and I lie down, searching the river, thankful for the clarity of the water. I see a dark long slithering shadow. _This is my chance._ I stab into the water, aiming at the tuna, and miss dreadfully. I try again but fail. Again. And again. I try once more, standing up and running to catch up with it, but dropping my spear in the water. _Urghhh!_ I know this is my last chance so I jump in and clasp my hands around it.

I can't believe it! I caught a tuna with my bare hands!

"Yes!" I shout delightedly.

No one will believe me though.

"Hey, you up there, let me go!" someone says.

"What? Who's there? Oh. The tuna? Why am I talking to animals?" I say under my breath.

"Dunno. But please let me go!" the tuna pleads.

"Why? I have to take you though! I'm sorry."

"Please! I have children. A husband. My tamariki will cry!"

I never thought of it that way... That's really sad.

"Go back to your tāne and tamariki. Your whānau needs you." I gently drop the tuna back into the river, realising that I now have no dinner. After a second the tuna jumps out of the water into Tama's hands and says, "You let me go out of your own will and generosity. Don't be sad that you let me go. I know you. You work very hard for your whānau. I will grant you anything you wish. All you need to do is say, 'At the tuna's behest and at my request...' Remember these words and say them when you need anything again in the future."

"Thank you! How is that true though?" I ask.

"Try it. What do you want?"

"Some dinner for my whānau and the water to go to the village."

"Then say the words."

"At the tuna's behest and my request please take the water to the village."

The water pōhā abruptly rose into the air and drifted meaningfully towards the village.

Wow, this is amazing!

"At the tuna's behest and my request please give me something for dinner," I whisper.

A fish splashes out of the water and lands with a squelch in my hands. Different vegetables come flying from all directions into a kete not present before...

This is incredible!

I decide not to take advantage of this too much, so I just load myself with all the goods and head for the village. It is a long dreary walk, but I keep going, step by step. When I get there, I drop everything where we usually set up the fire and lie down on my harakeke bed, feeling my muscles screaming at me for carrying those heavy loads.

"Tama, I know you are tired, but Māmā asked you to get some firewood to make dinner," my only-just-older brother, Manaia, tells me.

I can already taste that parāoa in my mouth. _I'll go to the forest to get some firewood now!_

I walk slowly, feeling the muscles in my back groan in pain. Dead leaves cackle and crackle under the weight of my feet, and birds chirp above me. I test a tree nearby and hurriedly whisper to the tuna, my hands cupping my mouth, "At the tuna's behest and at my request, please chop the wood."

An axe appears out of nowhere and chops the wood into even pieces. They fly in formation onto an amazing device: a wooden platform on wheels. A rope wraps around the mound of firewood securely and starts rolling away back towards the village. I jump on, lie on my back, and gaze dreamily at the sunlight leaking through the tops of the trees. _What a beauty this place is._

"Ay, you! What is that thing and how is it moving?" booms Hirumu, an elder at our village.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just heading back to the village," I try to say firmly but cheerfully.

"It sure doesn't look like nothing. The rangatira will know about this," he replies and then walks back the way he came.

As soon as I get to my whare, I unload the wood and tell Manaia I did his chore before dropping on my beloved harakeke bed and wait for dinner.

* * *

Korokī

At Rangatira Korokī's

Chief Korokī is a mighty rangatira. His whare is big and cosy. He has one child, his beloved daughter, Tui. Chief Korokī is busy with her and her grandmother all day, trying to make Tui happy and stop her from crying. They make sure that she is not too hot, not too cold, not too hungry and not too thirsty, all to try comfort her.

The chief's servants notice pounding on the dirt coming up closer and closer, and finally, Hirumu comes into view, panting. "Rangatira Korokī, Chief Korokī, you won't believe what I saw!" he says between breaths.

"What is it?" he asks authoritatively. "Don't you see, I'm very busy. Nothing is making Tui happy today, again! I hope what you say is important."

"It's Tama! He was on a platform of some sort, and it had an enormous pile of kānuka tree wood on it. Not only that but the platform was rolling away by itself!" Hirumu spits out in a waterfall of words.

"Send him to me! I must know how this has come to be!" Korokī booms.

Korokī glances away and notices his precious daughter Tui looking him curiously. "Pāpā, who are you talking about?" she asks. "I want to see."

* * *

Tama

I hear a harsh knock on my door.

"Hey, be careful please, don't break my door!" I whimper.

"Open up, open up!" they respond.

I walk over to the door and warily open it. Hirumu and another one of Chief Korokī 's gruff men, Rangi, stand there simmering over me.

What did I do wrong? Oh, right, Hirumu saw me in the palm tree forest...

"Ahiahi marie Tama," Hirumu grunts.

"Good afternoon, Hirumu," I reply.

"Rangatira Korokī wants you at his whare. You must go there at once," he demands.

"Okay, fine," I say exasperatedly.

Hirumu and Rangi step off to the side. I whisper, "At the tuna's behest and at my request, please take me to the chief's whare."

With a stunned look from both men, the harakeke bed (with me on it) starts hovering—slowly at first, then picking up a moderate speed, it takes me away. My māmā has a mixed look of utter awe and fright, as do most of the people in the village who, if not already outside and looking at me, are coming out of their whare. Everything starts to rush by, and I am at Korokī's whare in an instant. At the whare, Rangatira Korokī speaks.

"I want to know something, Tama," says Koroki, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "One, how did you get here? Two, what were you doing out in the forest? And three, why have I been hearing multiple reports about you?"

"I'm sorry, Rangatira Korokī. I may have surprised my fellow villagers as much as myself, for when I was near the river catching my whānau dinner, I caught a tuna with my bare hands! And then it talked to me! It told me to let it go, that it had a tāne and tamariki. I felt sorry for her, so I let her go. But then she leapt back out of the water and told me that if I needed anything, all I needed to do was say some words," I reply.

"That is quite an explanation." Korokī frowns bewilderedly. "Try to make my beloved Tui laugh then! She has not stopped crying since her māmā died. Nothing we do can make her laugh."

I sympathise with Tui, "Oh, how I understand. It's just me and my māmā and my brothers."

I get out my pōrutu, my precious flute, and start playing. The place is filled with a joyful sound. Everyone starts dancing to the wonderful music. I dance with Tui and still, the music keeps flowing from my pōrutu.

"Stop it, Tama," says the Chief, laughing. "You made us all laugh and dance!" He adds, "I can see Tui is happy, and believe she would like to marry you. If you work hard, I will grant you and Tui this marriage."

"I'm honoured, Rangatira," I bow, "but please, forgive me. I don't have spare time, or the servants to care for a crying wāhine. I have to work hard to support my whānau."

"I will never cry again!" says Tui. "I have my whānau to help me. I will sing and dance and work hard with you and your whānau and make my father proud."

"Very well then, nga mihi," Korokī waves as he says bye to me.

I go straight to the river to thank the tuna and express my gratitude for everything. The tuna smiles and says that her job is done. But she grants one last wish to provide the feast for the village.

My marriage is blessed by my whānau and the whole village celebrates my marriage for several weeks. Thereafter, my Tui and I live happily and remember that kindness and hard work brings many rewards.

##  Author Bio

Elle-Roze Ilkiw is a twelve (and a half) year old girl who lives in New Zealand. She enjoys helping people, composing music, writing stories in her head, playing musical instruments, singing opera and being active. At school she participates in multiple clubs including Orchestra, Chamber group, Choir, Chorale, Kapa Haka, Dance, Extension Visual Arts and Maths. She is free-spirited and joyful. Elle is partially obsessed with creating new languages, codes, learning Latin and Greek roots, and memorising π. Her favourite books include _The Bible_ , dystopian novels, and nonfiction encyclopaedias. She dreams big dreams and loves life.

Elle chose to retell _At the Pike's Behest_ , and to set it in pre-European Aotearoa.

#  The Cage Made of Mirrors

## by Abbey Fairbairn

Snow White stared out the castle window at an outstretch of green. She wanted to be in a forest listening to the voices of the birds, or in a meadow of flowers, an array of colour. These things made her feel happy and peaceful, these were things she loved.

Not long after Snow White's mother had died, her father, the king, had remarried. The new queen was a strong, serious lady who only ever seemed to care for herself, and did not show any grief or sadness when the king passed away.

The queen had a magic mirror that Snow White had only ever once seen through the crack of an open door. It told the queen she was the most beautiful in the land, and its charm never seemed to change. The queen never let Snow White venture outside. Unsure why, Snow White stayed hidden away in the castle, unhappy.

Snow White often thought about her mother, who had died when she was a baby. She wondered what she had talked like, looked like, and what part of her was like Snow White.

Ever since her mother's death, at night when the moon replaced the sun in the sky, a little blackbird would come to Snow White's windowsill and sing her a simple tune—a lullaby which would help her drift off to sleep.

Snow White's thoughts were distracted when she heard the sound of boots clacking along the polished floor. She turned to see the huntsman standing before her.

"Miss Snow White," he said. "I have been granted permission from the queen to escort you into the forest and pick flowers. If you would like to come?"

Snow White's heart leapt at the offer and in gratitude, she said, "Oh please, I would love to!"

In the forest, Snow White's head filled with sounds. The fresh air was comforting and relaxing. Her mind drifted into a world of wonder and she was soon distracted. Picking flowers, Snow White heard a sound from behind her and turned around to see the huntsman draw out his knife above her. The sun's light was sleek across the huntsman's blade, but Snow White's eyes were drawn to the anger and sadness that shadowed his eyes.

"No, please, I beg of you!" she cried.

The huntsman's gaze diverted from Snow White's, and he dropped his knife.

"I can't," he grieved. "But she will kill me if I don't."

The Huntsman explained to Snow White how the queen had ordered him to take her into the forest and kill her. "It is your beauty, Snow White. Your beauty has risen above hers. The magic mirror must know it and has told her."

"Please, let me go. I'll run away and never come back," begged Snow White.

The Huntsman couldn't bring himself to kill Snow White, so he let her run free. "You must run into the forest and never return to the castle. I will think of something," he cried as Snow White disappeared into the forest.

Snow White ran and ran, unsure where she would end up. The sky darkened and the forest along with it. It seemed less forgiving and nature's songs turned into ghostly whispers. Snow White came to a stop. The eerie forest was dead still. She was exhausted and damp from her long journey and was frightened of spending the night in the dark.

Hearing a rustle up in the trees, Snow White looked up to see a small blackbird sitting on a branch above her. It watched her quietly for a few seconds, then swooped down to a new branch. Slowly, it hopped from tree to tree, winding its way through the forest. Curiously, Snow White began to follow it. Soon the blackbird came to a stop on a branch and Snow White looked into the distance. Between the trees glowed a vague light.

Emerging from the bush, she came to a cottage. Small and sloped, with a brick chimney; the cottage windows leaked a warm light. Snow White knocked on the door, her heart thumping. No-one answered. She looked back into the forest, but the little blackbird had not followed her out. To her surprise, the door was unlocked. She was cold and damp and, as much as she hated to, she let herself in.

Inside the cottage, it was warm and the smell of soup wafted from a boiling pot that hung above a fireplace. There was a table neatly set with cutlery and bread. Shadows bounced off the walls, fueled by the blazing heat from the fireplace. Snow White ate some bread and warmed herself by the fire. She then went upstairs to find seven small beds. She lay down on one, tired and weary. Slowly, her eyes closed and the crackle of the fireplace hushed quiet.

Snow White woke to see seven little men crowded around her bed. In fact, they were seven little dwarfs! She startled awake and sat upright.

"Who are you?" one asked.

"Oh, I am so terribly sorry," said Snow White. "It's just I was cold and hungry and had nowhere to go."

"We saw you ate our bread," one said.

"And you're sleeping in my bed," added another.

"Oh, I really do apologise," she begged, then introduced herself. "I am Snow White."

Snow White explained to the dwarfs about the evil queen and how she'd found their lovely cottage. "Oh please, won't you let me stay? I have nowhere to go. Just for a little bit?"

The dwarfs huddled for a moment, then agreed to let her stay, and told her to be careful. Not to answer the door when they went to work, in fear the evil queen would once again attempt to kill Snow White.

A few days later the dwarfs set off to work where they dug for diamonds in the mines. Snow White was hanging up washing when she heard a sweet little voice approaching her. It was a small girl, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a pink dress and in her hands, she held a bundle of dandelions.

"Good morning, miss. I was just out picking dandelions when I discovered how pretty they are to blow. They look just like snowflakes drifting through the air!" Her voice was soft and cheerful. "In fact, they're just as white as your skin! I thought I might show you."

Snow White was instantly delighted by the young girl and blithely said, "Of course, I'd love you to!"

With that, the young girl blew on the dandelion and it's little dandelion fairies flew into the air and whirled their way towards Snow White. They landed softly on Snow White's face, a few tangling into her hair. It wasn't long before Snow White grew faint and weak. Her mind spun in circles and her vision drowned into blackness.

Snow White's eyes opened to see the seven dwarfs huddled around her.

"She's awake," one whispered.

"What happened?" asked Snow White.

"We came home to find you on the ground. We thought you were dead!"

"We found these stuck in your hair," continued another. He held up one of the dandelion fairies, his hand protected by dirty mining gloves. "Maybe they are poisoned?"

Snow White explained about the young girl who had come to the cottage and shown her the dandelions. "Oh, but she was so cute. She couldn't have done any harm?"

"I bet it was the evil queen in disguise," one of the dwarfs suggested. "She is still out to kill you, Snow White!"

The dwarfs warned Snow White again about the evil queen, and she agreed to be more careful.

The next day, Snow White was watering the cottage garden when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. She turned to see a teenage girl approaching her. The girl seemed the same age as Snow White and had amber hair, hazel eyes and wore a faded purple dress.

"Hello," said the cheerful teenager. Snow White hesitated to answer.

"Don't be shy," said the girl. "I'm selling lipstick. You don't look to be wearing any? Would you like to try some?"

"Oh, I don't mean to be rude," said Snow White, "I'm just not sure I should try any."

The girl lowered her head and turned away. Feeling guilty, Snow White changed her mind. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I suppose I can try one?"

Snow White watched as the girl pulled a shiny tube of lipstick out from her bag. "Look, this one's as red as your lips," she said, handing it over to Snow White. "I'm sure it will look very pretty on you."

Snow White drew the red lipstick onto her lips. Seconds later, her body felt tired and weak and, as the young woman standing in front of her became a blur, Snow White could just see a cruel grin spread across her face.

Snow White blinked her eyes open and saw the seven dwarfs crowded around her.

"We returned home to find you in a deep sleep again, Snow White," one said. "We found your lips covered in red lipstick. You woke up after we rubbed it off."

"It must have been the evil queen again," another said.

"But it was only a girl, my age. She was so kind though. I felt terrible turning her away. She let me try on some of her lipstick," said Snow White.

"It must have been the evil queen then," declared one of the dwarfs.

They reminded Snow White about the dangers of the evil queen's disguises and Snow White promised them that she wouldn't talk to any strangers who came to the cottage.

Snow White waved goodbye from the door as the dwarfs set off to work in the mines. It was early, and the frosty morning snapped at Snow White's lungs. In fear of the evil queen visiting the cottage again, Snow White decided to stay inside and not answer the door. The crackling fire kept the cottage warm, but the windows were blurred by frost from the cold outside. Snow White was busy rubbing at the windows with an old rag when she heard a knock at the door. She jumped back from the window, her heart racing.

The banging came again. Was it the evil queen? Her mind raced. She wasn't supposed to answer the door. The banging became pounding, over and over. Snow White carefully peered through the window, her head against the glass. She could just make out a figure. It looked to be a man though. Not the evil queen.

Anxiously, Snow White slowly turned the handle and opened the door to see the huntsman standing before her! His cheeks were glossy red and his hands were sealed in gloves. His clothing was torn and coated in mud.

"Dear, Snow White," pleaded the Huntsman, "you must let me in, please? I let you run free because I loved you, and I have come back because I love you."

Snow White handed the huntsman a warm drink and they sat by the fire.

"It is the queen," said the Huntsman. "Once I let you run free I returned to the castle and lied to the queen that I had killed you, but her magic mirror soon told her that you were alive and more beautiful than she. My life was immediately in danger. I broke into her spell room and stole her spell book, then fled the castle. I ran into the forest. All this time I have been searching for you, hoping I would find you before the queen killed you. Now that I have found you, it isn't too late."

From his satchel, the Huntsman pulled out a faded navy blue book which had gold words stitched across the cover: 'Spell Book'

He turned it open to reveal a page full of neatly inked words. "Many weeks before I left the castle, I was informed of a ball which the queen plans to hold in the coming months. We can use this spell book to construct a spell that will end the queen once and for all."

Later that day, the dwarfs came home and agreed to the huntsman's plan. Flicking through the spell book, they found a spell suitable for the queen's ball. The dwarfs hunted the mines for the biggest shiniest diamond and set it into a ring. The Huntsman formed the spell and set it upon the ring, which was now ready to finish the evil queen.

The morning of the ball came, and Snow White and the Huntsman set off through the forest to the castle, with the diamond ring. Snow White's feet squelched under the dewy, forest floor. She looked up into the canopy of trees which blocked out the morning's sky. Following them, up in the tree's branches, was the little blackbird. It trailed behind them, fluttering from branch to branch. Its eyes caught Snow White's and it gave a small tweet.

Snow White and the Huntsman reached the evil queen's castle as the sky bled a soft pink. Night was upon them and all the invitees to the ball were entering the castle. The ring was given to the butler, a loyal friend to the huntsman who agreed to give the ring to the queen as an 'anonymous gift'.

Snow White and the Huntsman peered inside through a window, to see a massive ballroom lit by a gleaming chandelier. Women were wearing fabulous gowns of all colours and patterns and men were dressed in tidy black suits. The queen sat in her extravagant throne. Her hair was pinned up with beautiful lace and her dress was by far the best in the room.

They watched as everyone turned to the queen and silently bowed in her presence. The butler who had agreed to give the ring to the queen walked up to her throne and bowed. Behind him was a stack of neatly placed presents, but in his hands, he carried the ring soon to be placed on the queen's finger.

A sly grin grew across the queen's face at the sight of the shimmering ring. Snow White's thoughts whisked around in her head. Would the spell work? Would the queen be suspicious? The queen picked up the ring and lifted her other hand.

Unexpectedly, at that moment the blackbird, which was perched in the trees above, began to sing. It was singing a simple, sweet melody which Snow White recognised. She had heard it long ago; it was a lullaby that used to soothe her to sleep. As the blackbird's song drifted through the air, the queen placed the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit! The diamond ring glistened on the queen's finger and the blackbird's singing ceased.

For a second, it felt like the world around them paused. Snow White could not hear a breeze of wind or see the sway of a moving ball gown. All she could hear was the thump of her own heart against her ribs. Then a dash of light consumed the evil queen. And just like that, she disappeared!

Snow White and the Huntsman stood in silence. Suddenly, Snow White heard a voice behind her

"Snow White?"

She turned to see a woman standing behind her. The lady had skin as white as snow, lips as red as the reddest lipstick and hair as black as a blackbird. Her eyes stared back into Snow White's, tears streaking her face.

"It's me," she said, "your mother."

She wrapped her arms around Snow White and held her in a tight hug. Snow White looked into the trees, but the little blackbird was nowhere to be seen. Snow White already knew, this really was her mother. Her voice was sweet and smooth, and her hug brought a peace to Snow White that she'd never felt before.

"I have been watching over you, Snow White," she sobbed. "You are the daughter that I was taken away from. I have forever held onto the lullaby I would sing you to sleep with, in hope of ever coming back to you again."

Snow White had always felt a connection to the little blackbird that watched her from in the trees. The little blackbird that perched on her windowsill and sung her to sleep.

Snow White's mother regained the throne and Snow White and the Huntsman were safe back at the castle. Snow White and the Huntsman had grown to become strong friends, and every day they went into the forest and picked flowers—not far from the cottage where the dwarfs still lived.

One afternoon, when Snow White was picking flowers she heard a sound come from behind her. She turned to see the huntsman kneeling on the forest floor.

"Snow White, will you marry me?" proposed the Huntsman.

Snow White's heart fluttered and her love for the Huntsman made her delighted to say,

"Yes!"

Now Snow White lived happily with everything she loved. She had her mother back and spent every day with her new prince! Yet the question still remained, what had happened to the evil queen?

One night, Snow White was leaving the forest from a long afternoon collecting flowers. The sky was black and sprinkled with gleaming stars which gave just enough light to illuminate her path home. Up in the trees, something shiny caught her eye. Looking up, she saw a birdcage hanging from a tree branch. Inside, was a small little blackbird that didn't make a sound. And there it sat. Trapped in a cage made of mirrors!

##  Author Bio

Abbey Fairbairn is thirteen years old. She lives with her mum, dad, younger sister and their cat named Mr Spot. She enjoys writing and loves doing it in her own time. She likes the way she can be detailed and guide stories in her own way when writing. She likes to read mystery, action or adventure books especially. She enjoys writing, reading, drawing, music, swimming, and plays for Canterbury Water Polo.

Abbey chose to retell the story of _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_. She changed the point of view to give readers a new side to the story. With that, the plot of the story has also changed and shows a new adventure for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!

#  Fairy Houses

## by Emily McVicar

Mum pulls me into a tight hug. I watch my tear roll down the back of her blouse. "Please don't leave me," I whisper hopefully.

Her soft warm voice answers, comforting the nervous chills down my spine, "I am not leaving, how could I? I will never leave you; you need to remember that. Stay strong. Everything is okay. I love you."

She holds me there tight for another beautiful moment.

"All passengers boarding Flight LW1879 to Africa please come to Gate Eighteen. Can all aid workers please board the plane first? Thank you."

"Well, I'd better be off then. I don't want to be late since I have to go on first. I love you! Be good for Uncle Romeo. See you in twelve weeks."

I watch her walk through the glass door through to security. Uncle Romeo squeezes my hand.

"I'll miss you," I mouth to her as she looks back at me one more time.

Six weeks later

The little red car pulls up in front of me. Uncle Romeo winds down the window to greet me. "How was your day at school today, sweetie?"

"Good! We had art today and I drew some more fairy houses." I say.

While opening up the ladybug car door I struggle to unzip my backpack at the same time. Finally, I hand them to him making sure I have my favourite pink one on top.

"Wow, these are amazing!" he states. I watch him look at the drawings while trying not to drop the many pages.

Beep! The car horns of anxious parents who are waiting to see their beloved children blare out at us.

Uncle Romeo hands the papers back to me, pushes a brown curly lock out of his face, then puts one hand on the wheel the other in the air to say sorry to everyone. He chuckles to me, "Whoops-a-daisy!"

I giggle too, as he always laughs when I say that.

Uncle Romeo takes me to his studio shop after school. I have always loved it there. The rosewood pink all over with the gold lettering and details. A mannequin sits in each of the two windows still wearing bright two-piece sets from his "Tutti-frutti Summer Collection" (named by me) even though it is coming into winter. It always feels so magical.

The gold bell tinkles above me as I enter the room. My eyes meet his gold desk, racks down either side and the stripy wallpaper which sometimes, in the right light, looks like it's glowing.

I follow Uncle Romeo through into the studio which is almost as good as the shop. Many mannequins are lined up and sewing machines, overlockers, and rolls and rolls of thread are along the back wall. Around the corner is the monster table swallowed up by mountains of design ideas.

I decide to leave Uncle Romeo in peace since as soon as he got here he went straight back to work. Outside the studio is the really magical part of the shop. There is a strip of grass with one big, tall tree at the end. It is narrow but has just enough room for bushes and flowers to grow.

My sneakers get splattered with mud as I skip along to the tree, to my tree hut. Well, a kind of tree hut. Uncle Romeo and I wove flax together to make a roof, and I have an old towel laid out on the ground so I don't get wet. I sit down almost knocking over the sign I made, which reads, "Isabella's House! Elves, fairies and me only!"

I place my bag at the back of the hut and pull out the pictures again. A ball of Blu Tack hides in a nook of the lumpy roots at the base of the tree trunk. Pulling pieces off, I gradually stick the new pictures across the walls of the hut. Once finished, I stand back to look at my masterpieces. Yay! Uncle's going to love this! I rush over to the window, almost tripping on another big lumpy root. About to tap on the window to get Uncle Romeo's attention, I take a closer look at him and notice how unhappy he looks. I watch the flick of his pencil while he draws, then he holds up the new design to take a closer look. Finally, he scrunches it up and chucks it in the bin. His head flops into his hands and he groans.

_Oh no, Uncle looks so sad! I'd better not bother him. But how am I going to make him happy?_ I wander back to my hut feeling sorry, and thinking about ideas of how to cheer him up.

Halfway to sitting down, I hear a faint, "Nooooooo! Please, miss, stop!" I jump back up with a fright and spin around.

Meeting my eyes are three little creatures. "Elves! Oh my goodness!" My mouth drops open. "I am so sorry, but, oh my goodness, I can't believe you came to my hut!" The tiny creatures are each about the size of an index finger, and they're wearing tied up rags for clothes.

"Well, we are sincerely sorry for intruding, miss!" the one standing in the middle shouts up at me.

"Oh, no. It's lovely to have you here! I am Isabella, what are your names?" _Wow, this is the best day ever! I can't believe I am actually meeting elves!_

"I'm Lofty," the middle one says with his low voice.

"I'm Locie!" the next one shouts up at me.

"And I'm Tiara, one of the few working girl elves!"

"Wow, you guys have the coolest names." I sigh and sit down making sure not to sit on anyone this time. The elves and I play wonderful games all afternoon, then they promise to come see me tomorrow.

The next day they sit and wait for me after school.

"Hello!" I say excitedly as Tiara comes over to me.

"Is something wrong, Isabella? Us elves can tell when people are upset or troubled."

"Well.." something about her little voice calms me and makes me feel at home. "I am worried about Uncle Romeo. He looks quite upset. But I'm just not sure how to make him happy again! That's if I can. I mean, it's not like I can suddenly make designs more amazing than they already are. And not to mention we haven't had an email from Mum this week yet. She usually writes every week. I think that is worrying Uncle as well."

"Isabella, you have a lot to deal with. Please let us help." They give each other a little look of agreement.

"Thank you, guys. Can you stay for a bit? I would love to have some friends with me."

As weeks pass I see more and more of the elves. We have become very good friends. I like to bring them little pieces of food. But now I seem to be seeing less and less of Uncle Romeo; he's always in his studio working away.

On several occasions, I have mentioned the elves to him, but every time he seems to let it just brush past him. Some sunny, good days I look through the window and catch a glimpse of him with a good design which he pins onto the corkboard above his head. A little smile appears on his face.

Uncle Romeo calls me in as it is time to go home. I say goodbye to the elves and walk into the studio. There I find fabric cut out, ready to create some garments.

"Wow, these look amazing!" I say and watch the smile grow across his face.

After school the next day Uncle Romeo picks me up from school with a wide grin.

"Guess what happened to me today?"

"What?" I ask excitedly.

"Remember how I cut out the garment's material ready for me to sew this morning?"

"Yes," I say, not knowing what to expect.

"Well, when I came into the studio this morning, all of my garments were already sewn up, with beautiful stitching, to perfection!"

"Wow! Who did it?"

"That's the catch, I don't know!"

The next few days the same thing happens. Uncle Romeo cuts out the garments and then the next morning they are made.

On the car ride home four days later, the answer finally hits me. "I know who!"

"Really?"

"Yes, come with me when we get there and I will show you who!"

"Okay then, you can lead the way."

As soon as Uncle Romeo opens the shop door I race out to the garden. Lofty, Locie and Tiara are waiting for me.

"Hey guys, is it alright if Uncle Romeo joins us today?"

"Oh, yes, that would be great!" Tiara answers, giggling.

"Okay cool! Uncle, are you coming?"

"Yes, I'm on my way." I watch him run down to meet me looking a bit puffed.

When he gets there he looks gobsmacked.

"Uncle, this is Lofty, Locie and Tiara!" They all wave as I introduce them.

"Wow. It is very nice to meet you!" Uncle Romeo answers.

"And you too. We have heard so much about you!" Lofty says while standing on a rock so he can see Uncle Romeo better.

I better ask them if they sewed up my uncle's clothes... but what if it wasn't them? Oh well, there's no harm in trying.

"Did you three sew together Uncle Romeo's clothes?"

"Yes, we did. We knew how stressful it's been for you, and it was the least we could do for you as Isabella is so nice to us," Locie answers.

"Thank you all so much. This is the nicest thing ever! Wow, you are all amazing sewers!"

We sit down and have a nice tea party together. It makes me feel happy, knowing that everyone else is happy.

"Oh no, look at the time!" Uncle Romeo suddenly stands up. "I am very sorry, elves, but Isabella and I better be off as it is almost dinner time. Hopefully, we will see you sometime soon."

They all wave and Uncle Romeo leads me inside.

"Isabella, I have a plan." Uncle Romeo keeps his voice low in case the elves can still hear him.

"Really? To do what?" I answer, very puzzled.

"The elves have been so nice to us and I think that we should repay them. I'm just not sure how yet. Do you have any ideas?"

"Umm..." I turn around, thinking of ideas when my eyes meet my tree hut. "Ah ha! I've got it! Let's make them a fairy house!"

"That's a great idea. You go get the drawings that are up in your hut and we can make one of them. I will find the materials from the shed when we get home."

I rush back outside and take down my favourite pink design. Running back inside another idea hits me. "This one is my favourite. Also, how about I get some of my doll's house furniture for them too?"

"Awesome! This is going to be wonderful. Although it's getting late now. We better get you home for bed. I will work on it tomorrow."

"Yay, I am super excited!"

The school day passes slowly as I am so eager to get home and see the elves' house. My excitement can barely be contained any longer. As soon as Uncle Romeo's car pulls up, I rush over as fast as I can.

"Did you finish the house?"

"Yes, I did! You and the elves are going to love it!"

"Yay, I am so excited!"

"I also have some more good news. I got an email from Mum. She is now at the charity event!"

"This is the best day ever!"

When we get to the studio, Uncle Romeo gives me the grand reveal.

"Oh, my goodness!" The tiny house is about the size of a football, with a popsicle stick roof and shiny coloured windows. The roof is removable. He opens it so I can look inside. My doll furniture is placed in the rooms. There are two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a joined kitchen-living area.

"It's beautiful," I say joyfully.

"You haven't even seen the best part yet! I made them some little clothes which I have wrapped up in little parcels for them."

"Oh, how cute! Thanks, Uncle. You're the best," I say while giving him a hug.

"Let's take it outside."

The elves are sitting waiting for us when we go outside and we can see their little faces light up.

"Oh, wow! Is that for us?" Locie asks.

"Yes, of course. We wanted to say 'thank you'," Uncle Romeo says while sitting it down in a nook between the tree roots.

We stand back and watch them race around the house, so happy and joyful. Uncle Romeo takes my hand and we sit down, feeling thankful to be able to help the little elves by giving them their own home, rather than them having to sleep wherever they can find shelter, and giving them clothes to wear, rather than rags.

"Oh, you are both the loveliest people we have ever met!" Tiara says, poking her head out the window. "Romeo, one last thing. Would you like us to continue to sew your clothes? It would be our pleasure, as it is so much fun!"

"Well, only if you want to. I would be honoured. Thanks very much!" Uncle Romeo answers with a wide grin.

_Everyone is finally happy again!_ I think while twirling around like a princess.

##  Author Bio

Emily McVicar is a Year 8 student who enjoys writing narrative stories. She is also very into art and has hobbies of surfing, dancing, karate, and drama. Some books that she enjoys include light-hearted funny reads and _The Harry Potter_ series by J. K. Rowling. When Emily gets the chance she loves to travel with her family.

Emily has changed the story of _The Elves and The Shoemaker_ by setting it in modern times and telling it through the eyes of a little girl.

#  The Tale of The Sleeping Prince

## by Emelia Scott

As the sun set, in a castle, a little princess snuggled into bed waiting for a story. "Can you read me the one about the sleeping prince again," she whispered.

"As you wish, Princess," replied the maid. With that, she cleared her throat and began. "Once upon a time there lived a charming baby prince. The king and queen held a christening and invited everyone in the kingdom, but they invited only twelve of the thirteen fairies, as there were not enough seats for all thirteen.

"The feast was magnificent, the celebrations a delight for all those around. After the feast, the twelve fairies came and bestowed the baby prince qualities he would need to become a good king. When it came to the twelfth fairy's turn to bestow a gift, a wind blew through, sending chills down everyone's spine.

"A lightning bolt cracked through the ceiling, and when it cleared there stood the thirteenth fairy, Maleficent. Maleficent was angry that she hadn't been invited to the christening, so she cursed the baby prince. On his sixteenth birthday, he would prick his finger on a fishing hook and die. With that, Maleficent left.

"Luckily, the twelfth fairy hadn't bestowed her gift, so she managed to change the curse so he would only sleep for a hundred years. Till this very day, the Prince is still asleep, and it is said that he can only be awoken with true love's kiss.

"Now, little princess, you need to go to bed. You have a big day tomorrow."

"Please, just read it once more!" begged the little princess.

"No, I have strict orders from your mother, the queen, to put you to bed once the story is over. Now, good night, Aurora."

"Good night!"

* * *

Ten Years Later

"Luckily, the twelfth fairy hadn't bestowed her gift, so she managed to change the curse so he would only sleep for a hundred years. Till this very day, the Prince is still asleep, and it is said that he can only be awoken with true love's kiss," said the maid.

"Yes, I know the story. I have grown up with it. I live it and breathe it every day. I am sixteen. I should be worrying about the kingdom's future rather than a story—at least that's what Father tells me," complained Aurora. "I just have one question. How long has the prince been asleep?"

"Well, I believe there has been a rumour going around that this is the hundredth year of the prince's slumber. Why do you ask?" said the maid curiously.

"No reason," replied Aurora vaguely.

"Now, Aurora, you wouldn't happen to have a crush on this prince would you?"

"A crush! I am appalled you would say such a thing!"

"I'm sorry, Princess, I didn't mean to offend you. It was only a question."

* * *

A Few Hours Later

"Father, I am going out on a horse ride. I shall be back by supper."

"All right. Be careful though!"

"Yes, Father, I am always careful!" replied Aurora.

As Aurora road, she thought of the maid's question. Had she gotten a crush on the prince? As she kept thinking over the same question, she didn't notice the faint outline of a castle in the distance, coming and going like a mirage.

After a few minutes, she looked up and saw a horrific sight! There stood a castle just like hers, but it was covered in vines with thorns sharper than knives.

Slowly, she started to make her way to the castle. Somehow, it felt familiar. It felt like she was destined to come here, but she didn't know why.

Just as she was about to reach the castle, she heard a horse. Without thinking, she hid behind a bush, fearful about who might be coming. She peeked out and saw a soldier riding the horse she'd heard. He dismounted and headed for the castle.

"Fear not, Prince Phillip. I have come to rescue you from your slumber," he shouted. Swiftly, he pulled out his sword and tried to cut down the vines, but the ones he cut were replaced by several more. He tried again and again, but it made no difference. He slowly reached out his hand and touched the vines. They parted. Without thinking he walked into the vines, but as soon as he did so the vines sucked him in and he couldn't get out.

Aurora screamed. She couldn't believe her eyes. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't hear or see the knight. She feared the worst. She ran back to her horse, Buttercup, and rode back to her castle to find help.

When she got there, she ran up the steps, ignoring all the servants' remarks. She ran straight to her father's chambers. When she got there, she explained all that had happened during that horse ride.

"Aurora, are you sure you are okay? Are you sure you haven't eaten anything strange?"

asked her father. "Melissa!" yelled the king.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" asked Melissa the maid.

"Get the doctor to come. I fear that Aurora may be delusional," said the King. "Now, as for you, young lady. Go to your chambers and go to sleep. You need rest!"

"But Father, I am not delusional. I can even show you where I was!" explained Aurora. "Aurora! That is enough! Go to your room, now!" thundered the King.

"But Father, you have to listen to me!" cried Aurora.

The maid escorted Aurora to her chambers where she was then trapped in her bed by blankets wrapped so tightly around her that she could barely breathe.

The door creaked open and someone walked in. "Hello, Princess. I am the doctor. The king sent me to check up on you to see if you have caught a fever."

"But that's what I'm trying to tell you, I'm not sick! I really did see the castle covered in vines. You have to help me. A soldier got caught in the vines. I have to help him, please!" pleaded Aurora desperately, fighting against her blankets, but the doctor ignored her and carried on with his study.

"Your Majesty, I am afraid your daughter may be sick. In the meantime, keep her in her chambers. She cannot spread whatever she has caught."

"Thank you, doctor!" said the king.

Aurora was left alone all day. When day finally gave into night and it was pitch black outside her window, she slowly and quietly crept out of bed and to her door, careful not to wake anyone up. She opened it. Luckily there was no-one in the hallway, so off she went. She rounded many corners and went down many steps. Anyone else who went down these corridors would certainly get lost, but Aurora knew the castle like the back of her hand. She knew all the spots on the floor that made a noise, so she could creep through without making a sound.

Finally, she got to her destination. It was on the east side of the castle, behind the grand staircase, where the soldiers trained. It was the perfect place. Aurora was set on rescuing the sleeping prince, even if she died trying. She picked up a spear from the weapons section and began practising.

No sooner had she started when someone walked in. Aurora ducked behind some barrels on the side of the wall, determined not to be seen. Slowly, the figure made it into the light of the lantern and she could see his face. She held her breath, for it was a soldier. The same one that secretly was in love with the princess and would do anything for her. He was holding a sword poised, ready for any sign of a threat. He slowly inched to where she had been only a second before and picked up the spear she had abandoned in her rush to hide. She knew her cover had been blown. She rose slowly as not to scare the guard.

"Princess, what are you doing down here at this hour?"

"I came for something," she replied,

"Do you mind me asking what?" the guard asked.

"That's none of your concern, I'm afraid. Now leave me be, thank you, and do not tell anyone about what happened tonight."

Just as the guard was about to leave the room, Aurora stopped him. "Actually can you teach me some basic fighting moves please?"

"Yes, Princess, whatever you wish!"

Every night for three months, Aurora practised and practised until she hurt. She knew every move and every counter move that would at least help her defend herself. She was ready for anything coming her way.

The sun was just rising when Aurora woke up the next morning. She was exhausted from the training the night before, but today was the day. She felt ready.

Aurora quickly got dressed in her riding gear and roughly put her hair in a braid. There was no need for nice clothes or fancy hair where she was going. She was about to do the one thing princesses weren't allowed to do, but she was ready!

She followed the same path she had travelled only a three months before, and just like before the castle came into view, coming and going like a mirage.

Aurora leapt off her horse and ran to the castle. She tried to look for the soldier she had seen walk into the vines, but he was nowhere to be seen. She pulled out her sword and cut down the vines, but unlike what happened to the soldier, the vines did not grow back where she cut them. Again and again, she swung her sword, making great progress with every swing.

As she went, she saw the most horrible sight. There were a dozen or so people caught in the vines. Some were just normal people, some knights. Most were skeletons, some close to becoming skeletons. Then she saw the knight from the other month, who was sadly dead. She tried to cut free the vines around him, but when she got close, the vines whipped at her like they were alive. She thought to herself, I may not have been able to save this knight, but I still have a shot at saving the sleeping prince, if he is even real.

It only took the princess half an hour to get through the vines to the castle, but every minute felt like an hour to her. Finally, Aurora reached the door of the castle. When she reached for the doorknob, she felt power surge through her. She saw images of a terrifying beast, and the prince asleep in his chambers. She also saw herself when she was just a little baby. The twelfth fairy had come in and told her that she would be the one to break the curse. She swept her wand above the sleeping princess, and the child emitted a brilliant glow as the enchantment seeped into her body.

Aurora didn't know what it meant, and she didn't have the time or luxury to stand there and worry about it either. She walked through the hall of the vast castle, looking for anything that might lead her to the prince.

She entered a room which turned out to be the throne room. The throne itself was dusty and filled with cobwebs. She stroked the armrest, thinking of what the terrible curse had put this kingdom though. She forced herself to move on. She was just leaving with she heard someone cough behind her.

She had to swallow a scream, for sitting on the throne, right beside where she had been standing, was the thirteenth fairy, Maleficent. The one who had, according to the story, cursed the prince to die.

"What are you doing here?" asked Aurora. She had to stop herself from trembling with fear.

"Why, stopping you from waking the sleeping prince, of course," replied Maleficent, like it was obvious. And with that, Maleficent starting changing her form. At first, Aurora had no idea what she was doing, but then it became very clear. She was turning into a dragon!

Aurora held her sword in front of her, and she had to remind herself to not shake with fear. Maleficent charged at Aurora at full speed. Luckily, with the skills she had learnt, she was able to deflect some of Maleficent's attacks, but Aurora had forgotten about one thing: the tail. While she was busy defending Maleficent's front attacks, Maleficent swept her tail and knocked Aurora to the ground.

Maleficent paused before the final blow. She gloated to Aurora, "You thought you could beat me? I am a powerful fairy and you are nothing but a princess doing a prince's job. Did you really think it was going to be that easy?"

"I may not be able to defeat you, but they will!"

As Maleficent turned she saw that nothing was behind her at all. She whirled around, outraged, but Aurora leapt off the floor and stabbed Maleficent in the chest. She didn't take the sword out until she saw the last of Maleficent's life flicker from her. As Maleficent crumpled the ground, Aurora saw the vines around the castle slowly retreat and recoil as if the castle was poisonous.

With that, she looked around and finally found a hallway which had previously been covered in vines. It led to the prince's chambers. As she watched the prince sleep, she remembered the story said that the prince could only awake by true love's kiss. Slowly, she bent down and kissed the prince tenderly on the lips. He opened his eyes.

"Where am I?" asked Phillip.

"You're in your castle."

"What happened?"

"You slept for a hundred years after you pricked your finger on a fishing hook."

"Did you wake me up?"

"Yes."

"How could you have done that? You're only a girl."

"Just because I am a girl doesn't mean I can't do what a boy can do."

"Well, I guess I owe you a thank you for saving me."

Then they left the castle and lived happily ever after!

##  Author Bio

Emelia Scott is a Year 8 at Heaton Intermediate. She likes writing because it can help transport you to a different world. Your imagination is your limit.

She likes to write in her spare time, she particularly likes to write fiction books. Her mum and dad call her a bookworm. They say they can never see her without her nose stuck in a book.

She also went to writing camp in Year 7 (in the term three holidays). She is a devoted writer and hopes to become a professional writer in the future.

Emelia retold _Sleeping Beauty_ with the princess rescuing the sleeping prince. She is proud of her writing in this extension class. She feels as though she has portrayed the message that a girl can do anything a boy can do.

###

Thank you for reading this anthology. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to leave a review at your favourite retailer.

Thanks!

Beaulah Pragg & Fran Atkinson- Editors

# About the Editors:

### Beaulah Pragg

Beaulah works for the library learning centre, as well as teaching creative writing and independent publishing. She is a founding member of the Christchurch Writers' Guild, a free and accessible space for new writers to find encouragement and support.

You can find out more or contact her through her website: www.beaulahpragg.com

### Fran Atkinson

Fran is an author and counsellor. She is a founding member of the Christchurch Writers' Guild and enjoys working to support young authors in the community. You can read one of her stories, "Evacuation", in the anthology Regeneration, edited by Anna Caro and Juliet Buchanan.

# Other titles by the editors:

Chronicles of Tyria: The Silver Hawk

* * *

Recrafted: 2018 - Group Two - Heaton Extension Writers Anthology

Recrafted: 2018 - Group One - Heaton Extension Writers Anthology

Home: 2017 - Group Two - Heaton Extension Writers Anthology

Home: 2017 - Group One - Heaton Extension Writers Anthology

Courage: 2015 – Year Eight – Heaton Extension Writers Anthology

Courage: 2015 – Year Seven – Heaton Extension Writers Anthology

Change: 2014 – Heaton Extension Writers Anthology

Chatham Islands War

2013 – Home School Writers Anthology

2012 – Home School Writers Anthology
