

## Murder, Magic, Merthings, More.

### Stories from the DylanEd project, 2012

### By Year 8 pupils from Ysgol Bro Myrddin, Tre Gib, and Cwrt Sart

_"My education was the liberty I had to read indiscriminately and all the time, with my eyes hanging out"_ \- Dylan Thomas

This kindle e-book has been produced as a means of distributing work arising from writing workshops held as part of the DylanEd project.

©Copyright of the stories herein remain with the original authors, 2012
**Murder, Magic, Merthings, More.**

Various Authors

Copyright Various Authors 2012

Published by Cynan Jones at Smashwords
Here are the stories from this year's DylanEd writing workshops. The workshops comprised sessions of work with Year 8 groups in three schools.

The stories have not been edited strongly nor overly proof read. Hopefully this gives a more honest sense of the work.

This year, many children choose to work on their stories in their own time. Their enthusiasm was clear.

In total, over 64,000 words came back to me. To put that in context, that's more than twice the word count of my last novel.

As this is a representative collection, I've cut the longer stories that grew into ongoing 'books'. These stories are marked 'Extract.' I hope the young authors forgive me.

It was a pleasure to be involved with the project again. My thanks go to the staff in the three schools, and to the pupils for their genuine engagement in the sessions.

Enjoy the stories.

Cynan Jones
**The Treasure of the Landmarks** **[Extract]**

Rhys D. Evans, Bro Myrddin

##### Prologue

As William Riddell looked out over the chaotic, churning waters, he felt strange. Was it nausea? No, he hadn't eaten yet. The only thing he'd had that morning was a bottle of water, handed to him by his loyal pilot Guido. It had tasted weird but with jet engines blaring near by it was hard to focus. But it couldn't be vertigo! William had jumped from many, many miles higher. You see, William Riddell was a daredevil. He had jumped off the Empire State Building, the Pyramids, the Great Wall of China and even Mount Everest! But this would be another incredible stunt. Jumping from a plane, two thousand feet up into Niagara Falls! This would also be a significant memory for him for another reason. On this day, fifteen years ago, he and his late wife had met. Her name was Clair. She had meant the world to him. They had one child before she died in a tragic accident in New York. Jamie. He was fourteen now and at the hotel, watching his father risking his life on TV. William had become a daredevil after Clair had died. It had made him realise how short life could be.

As these thoughts were buzzing in Riddell's head like an aggressive swarm of bees, he had failed to hear a voice shouting over the whirring engines. It was Guido. Guido Mario Babolli was his full name. He had long, slick black hair, drove a Lamborghini and loved pizza and pasta. He was a walking, talking Italian stereotype.

"Mr Riddell!" he shouted with a thick accent. "The reporters are getting anxious!"

"Right, ok!" Riddell replied. And he jumped.

This was his favourite part of the stunt. The free-falling down with no worries or cares. As he came close to the enormous target, he pulled the string to release the parachute. But nothing happened. He pulled again. Nothing. This was horrible. He had no control. He was plummeting. Plummeting to his death.

In the plush, luxurious hotel room, Jamie Riddell tried to look away as he saw his father's corpse float down the waterfall away from him. Forever. If someone on the site of the accident had looked to the sky closely, they would have seen a small, white aeroplane fly away into the distance.

## Chapter 1

Three years had passed since that day. William Riddell may have gone but his spirit lived on in Jamie. Jamie was slim, short for his age, had short, dark brown hair and large, dark blue eyes. He was quite intelligent but found school boring. The only lesson he found interesting was Physics. He loved learning about planets and gravity and how and why things worked. He had only one main hobby. Skydiving. He'd been suspended for a month once for jumping off the school and onto the headmaster's brand new BMW. He hadn't been punished though. For the past three years now, he'd lived with his uncle James.

James was an alcoholic, a thief, a pig and a filthy, filthy liar. In a nutshell, he was a bad, bad man. Jamie had once heard his father say Jamie was named after him. Once Jamie had met him he'd made a mental note to change his name as soon as possible. James didn't care about, want or even love Jamie. He barely even fed Jamie.

So Jamie made money for food by doing dares for children. He actually enjoyed this. He got paid for doing what he loved. But he didn't realise that one jump could change everything.

## Chapter 2

It was time. Every Saturday at four o'clock he would do dares for bored kids and then collect the cash. He was very cautious while doing it. He had kept his old house and bought a soft, comfy mattress from the bargain shop. He also never jumped from the same area twice in a month so that it was harder for the police to find him. Today, he would be jumping from the town bridge onto the riverbank.

It was time. There was a large crowd calling his name, getting impatient. So he jumped. Like his father, with grace, elegance and a touch of style. But as he fell through the air, he felt it. His heart beating like a hyperactive drummer. He was sure it would beat its way out of his chest. But it stopped and he landed. He felt terrible. His head buzzed and his chest was burning. He was scared. Terrified. This had never happened before. He had to go to the doctor. If he hadn't this story would never have happened. He pondered why this had happened. What was it and why was it happening. Why?

First, the doctor gave Jamie some tests. Some eyesight, some hearing, some fitness and even a urine test. Then he had to wait in the colourless waiting room for his diagnosis. After what seemed like eternity, the doctor returned looking grim with a wad of papers in his hand. He said the words no one wants to hear.

"I'm sorry."

## Chapter 3

"Sporavitus," the doctor said in a quiet, calming voice.

"I'm sorry?"

"It's a rare form of heart cancer."

"How does it work"? Jamie asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"If someone experiences a shock or thrill, their heart beats faster. If this happens too often their heart beats fast all of the time until they die of a heart attack."

"Is there any cure for it?"

"Only one. But it's extremely expensive. However, it says on my medical record you inherited your father's money. Perhaps you have enough for it. Think about it and come and see me tomorrow if you're interested."

It was the longest night of Jamie's life. Usually he couldn't sleep because of James's snoring but tonight it was for another reason. He had a choice. Save his own life or complete his dream. For as long as he could remember, he'd wanted to see the world's most famous landmarks. The Statue of Liberty, the Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the list went on and on. He wanted to see them, to understand why they'd been built. When he turned eighteen he would see them all. But he wouldn't live to eighteen. He was going to die in six months. He wondered what his father would say. A new thought came to him. Everyone dies sooner or later so... With that he packed his bags and called a taxi.

One Fatal Word

Jess Rees, Cwrt Sart

I was just walking. I didn't mean for it to happen but that one word that changes a life forever can be fatal.

I was trudging through the mud, listening to the crunch of brown leaves and the rustle of scarpering squirrels. I would pause at the odd thing, a mossy log amongst trampled twigs and dry branches. It is a forest of wonders with deepest secrets at the roots, imagination at the tips of trees. The roots of the past run deep through the ground, whisper to each other excitedly.

The thing that struck me the most was not the ivy-covered cottage with a bird's nest isolated in the chimney, out here in the middle of the forest. It was the gothic girl sitting on the porch, weeping into her lap and wringing her hands.

She was around twenty but was a small girl. As I approached, a twig gave way beneath me; she stood up with sudden anxiety, taller than I would have imagined, with her eyes darting forward.

Her jet black hair swung wildly, and she looked me in the eye.

'Hello' I called but she said nothing. She turned and seemed to vanish into the darkness of the forest but I could still see her shape vaguely through the trees.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I felt like I was being watched.

I heard a gasp before what happened next. A gunshot rang out and a cry of strangled pain drifted towards me.

Whatever made me do this I do not know, but I ran towards the weeping girl. Just a simple word, 'hello.' If I hadn't of disturbed her... She lay upon the mossy floor, bloody and still. Her brilliant blue eyes staring up at the canopy, seeing nothing.

Her body seemed to be complete resting there but I knew I had caused her death.

I hid in the closet, peeping through the keyhole. My mother thought I was out. I saw her grab a carving knife and pull up her left sleeve. She lowered her hand to her wrist, but before I realised what I was seeing, something smashed through the window and sent my mum flying, sent her landing with a thud on the cold stone floor. I saw a lock of blonde hair and emerald green eyes disappear behind the trees outside.

I ran to the front door, my shoes and hands covered in Mum's blood. I stood at the edge of the porch, furious and hollow inside. I fell to the ground, tears dripping into my lap and my black hair falling in front of my eyes.

The twig snapped. My eyes darted forward. She was standing there, as if she was proud to have accomplished such a thing.

She smiled at me and called out a greeting. I ignored her. A whole bunch of emotions rushed forward, piercing her fake smile, but the biggest one was fear.

I stood up straight to show that I was perfectly fine.

As she blinked I ran as fast as I could to the back of my old cottage. I stopped short; she was already there, standing with her gun pointed at me.

'Hello again Sienna.'

Adrenaline ran through me and before I could blink she retracted her finger against the trigger and the bullet came speeding out...
The Wish I Made, I Made a Wish Maisie...

Annie Pannell, Cwrt Sart

Little Elouise was a young miserable girl who had no friends at all, only a small little doll called Maisie.

One night Elouise was so upset that she made a wish to herself:

"Please, I wish that I could have one best friend ever."

The next morning she woke up with a " Hey! Wake up! You're my new best friend!"

Elouise woke up and screamed with fear. "What? But you're a doll!"

Maisie looked at Elouise in a puzzle. "Well you did wish for a best friend ever didn't you? Well here I am!"

Elouise paused. "Ahhhhh! My wish came true, my wish came true!"

She quickly ran down the stairs dragging Maisie behind her.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Maisie screeched. Elousie ran into the kitchen where Mam and Dad where making breakfast.

"Mam, Dad! My doll Maisie has come to life!"

Mam and Dad turned around in a startled way.

"Love, don't shout that loud, it's only half seven in the morning. Now sit down, your breakfast is almost ready and then you can tell us all about your little Maisie doll."

But just then Maisie walked into the kitchen and said "Hey guys! What we having for breakfast?"

Mam quickly grabbed Elouise and Dad shouted "Quick call the police!"

Maisie called out "No! Please don't call the police. Elouise made a wish to have the best friend ever so here I am. So please don't call the police. I'm only here to be Elouise's bestest friend ever, honest. I'm telling the truth!"

Mam and Dad went through with the idea of keeping Maisie. However, the doll became world wide news and soon enough Maisie was doing interviews, movies, writing books and travelling everywhere. Underneath all that success though, Maisie was still the bestest friends with Elouise and never forgot about her.

Year after year Maisie's success got better and better but then the success slowly started to fade away. Eventually Maisie became like a normal person. Then one day there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Maisie said joyfully, and in came a little girl and her mother.

"Hello there. Sorry to disturb you on a beautiful day like this but my daughter here can't stop admiring your little friend there. Maisie isn't it?" said the mother suspiciously.

"Yes, this is Maisie, and thank you so much for admiring her. I feel very blessed to have her in my life," Elouise replied.

"Why don't you come in for a cup of tea?" said Maisie.

The mother and the daughter sat down on the sofa. Maisie had noticed that the mother had a black rucksack in her hand.

When Elouise walked back into the living room she found it empty. No mother, no daughter and no Maisie....

From that day on Maisie was never found. Elouise tried to contact the police and even the police tried to search for Maisie but she just couldn't be found.

Maisie the doll was left a mystery....
Prologue – I Hear All About It [Extract]

###### Rebecca Walters, Bro Myrddin

My violet dyed hair brushed along my cheeks as I raced towards the beach with Dora, my best friend, yards behind me. I decided that I could go the long way, the way I had never tried before but had heard every single detail about.

Meg, the school's greatest storyteller told me about it a few weeks ago. And I am sure that I could still win! So instead of turning right, on the corner of the street I turned my bike round and headed back down and then twisted somehow, and I found myself on a dark, mysterious street.

It was so dark it looked as if it were night! I must have taken the wrong turn. Then suddenly I felt whispers behind me. I turned. I saw nothing. And then it started again. "It's not funny!" I muttered loudly.

"I think she heard us!" one of the voices whispered.

"I heard you all right!" I shouted at the empty street.

"Look, come with us!" another voice said. It was a grown-up voice, not the young voice I had heard before. "We need you Maxine!"

"You know my name?" I asked suddenly. I stopped my bike.

"Of course! We are magic, and you are too!" the grown-up voice continued.

"Me! Magic! Wha'...? Oh my gosh! Wow!" My eyes widened.

"If you try, you should see us!" the child voice yelled excitedly. "Then you will come and live with us in our world. See! Everything will be OK!"

"Okay... I will!" I promised. I scanned the street. "Hey! I can see you!"

Now I could see that the child was about ten years old and the grown-up was a woman. I ran towards them. But then I remembered something. "What about my family, friends?"

"We will cast a spell to make them think you were never born!" the grown up said.

"WHAT!?" I was shocked. "Leave them! But! Pah! Ahhhhhhhh!" I spat.

"You'll be okay. You will make yourself at home in Mansik Island," the child promised.

"Mansik Island?" I asked, puzzled.

"Mansik Island," the grown-up explained. "Mansik Island is where we live. Right now we need to get you back there. It's never been discovered by any humans. It's invisible to humans in fact! And boats, they change direction without the driver's control, just to make sure that no human will bump into it! It's huge too! Far too big for an island! It's twice as big as the U.K!"

"Really?" I asked, really taking interest.

"Truly!" the girl said. No, not a girl, a magic being. Maybe she is human. Or is she? There were so many questions to ask. I paused, froze, not saying a word, then finally I said: "Um, but what exactly are you? Girls? Women? Magic?"

"Magic! We are magic!" the woman said. But still I was confused.

"No! I mean tell me everything!" I ordered.

"Okay! My name is Ms. Devinton or Ms. D for short. And this," she said, pointing to the girl, "is Amethyst. She is ten, like you I believe?"

I nodded. Ms. D continued, ignoring my nod. She didn't seem to mind the wind sweeping her long, blondie-grey hair onto her face. Her dark, dark blue eyes (I have never seen anyone before with these darkest of dark blue eyes!) shined and beamed at me, then she turned away and when she told her story her eyes seemed puffy and dull. She must miss those lost ones, maybe?

"Long, long ago just after the dinosaurs had died, there were 'sort of' humans, the magic kind, the ones we are. Half of them turned into those you may think of as real humans, but the others stayed in the magic form. The real humans kept all the land to themselves except one piece. We lay magic dust over it to make it invisible. Then a hundred and one years later a powerful storm washed away most of our form. And all of those who were washed away were sent plunging towards a random human, to years later be re-born as that human.

We are on a mission to find all the missing magic forms. And welcome, you are Magic too! We just need to scan you in!"

I was thrilled and threatened at this story. She paused then added: "We are not called magic forms. We are called Misics of the Magic. Or MOTM people if you like."

"I would rather just call you, I mean us, the MOTM if that's okay with you," I cut in.

"As you like," Amethyst said. I had never really looked at her closely, I had never noticed she had pink eyes. I had never noticed she had hair cut really short, but not as short as a boy's. Her brown hair had pink streaks in. I turned away, making eye contact with a car mirror, and I suddenly noticed my real, light violet eyes. I truly had a magical touch.

"This is amazing!" I commented.

"Yes it is," Amethyst grinned. I had a feeling I was going to like Amethyst.
Seff

Non Roberts, Tre Gib

One day in a little old village was a little old farm where lived a little old farmer man called Seff Morgan. Seff Morgan was a little old farmer who lived in a village named Llanwrda. He lived on the outskirts of Llanwrda. Llanwrda is a little old village with a little shop and a little cafe and a BIG pub for all the locals to enjoy! Seff loved the shop and the café but the thing he loved most of all was the pub. He would call in every night to grab a Jack Daniels Whiskey!

As I said before, Seff lives on a sheep and milking cow farm. He is the special man that provides every house and shop and café in the village with their milk.

Every morning he goes down to the shop to deliver only fifteen bottles of milk because he says that if people really want their milk they have to come and get it. 'First come, first served' he says to the lady in the shop. He also delivers milk to the café but in the café he always phones the lady to see how much she needs. Every body in the village thinks that Seff fancies the café owner, Mary, because they say every time people stop to talk to him when he is on his way to see Mary he's always in a rush! That is not normal for Seff. He normally has all the time in the world.

Every year in the village there is a show and then after the show every old person gathers in the village hall for a little dance.

One day Seff plucked up the courage to ask Mary if she wanted to go to the dance with him... after a minute of thinking she jumped up and down in happiness... and so did Seff! That was it. Seff was going to the dance with Mary.

A week went by as fast as lightning, the dance was here at last! Seff phoned Mary to ask what time she wanted to be picked up in his Land Rover. She said "7:00pm, please," and Seff replied with an "Of course, darling."

She got picked up at exactly 7:00pm outside the shop looking spectacular in her new dress. Seff was wearing a new tweed suit he had bought especially for this occasion. They had fun in the dance and they had a couple of whiskeys too!

A year has gone by and Seff and Mary have been in love ever since that night. In fact, just yesterday Seff asked Mary to marry him and she said 'Yes!' They are living together in Seff's little old farm in Llanwrda where the little old couple are going to live for the rest of their lives.
Beautiful Blue Sky

Angharad Treharne-Jones, Tre Gib

Thud, thud, thud, thud...

Footsteps.

The sound of my bare, dirty feet colliding with the concrete floor is deafening as it fills my head with its rhythmic pounding. Each step I take, bringing me closer to death, to my end.

The steady beat of my heart is merely a quiet background noise in comparison. I am not scared of death, I am sad to go and leave my loved ones behind, but not scared, never scared. I am dying already. I die every day, seeing my beautiful country torn apart by the horrendous, brutal war. I die seeing my family cower in terrified fear. I die every time a lorry drives past, loaded to the brim with limp, lifeless bodies. I die every time mothers and sisters receive that dreaded letter, informing them that their beloved father, brother or son will never come home again. They died gallantly, and so will I.

"You!" A roar comes from the man. He's clad in grey uniform, as he motions for me to stand and take my place against the wall. His face red with anger, the foul emblem on his sleeve. "Hurry up!"

I don't hurry. Instead I wonder if this man has children back home somewhere? No, he can't have. No man would be able to glare at me so mercilessly as he hands me over to my death if he was a father. How can he kill a twelve-year-old child if he has witnessed and experienced the innocence and purity of his own? If he has held his darling baby for the first time, looking into his child's trusting eyes, would he be able to take part in my death today?

That's when I stop. I feel as if all the air has been sucked out of me, a hard punch thrown to my face. Josef. My little brother.

"Hurry!" The man roars once more, but I don't move, I can't move.

I can't seem to take my eyes away from Josef's small, bloody frame, lying on the floor. His green eyes, which I'd always found so mesmerising, no shade I had ever seen before, were now dead of emotion.

That's when his gloved hand strikes my cheek, but I feel nothing. I am numb, immune to pain, for inside I feel far worse. I watch Josef being dragged away by another soldier. A soldier...he isn't a soldier!

Soldiers are brave and fight for what is right! How can killing a four-year-old boy be possibly alright in any way? It is wrong... No. It is worse than wrong.

It is the devil's work. This man...he is no soldier, he is a coward.

All at once, I want to lash out, scream, fight and weep; for I will never see my brother again... he can't be dead... how was he even here? How was he caught?

The last time I'd seen him had been at home. Mama and Papa and he and I had been hiding from the soldiers who were searching our village. We hid in the dark cellar, stocked with food and drink, hidden underneath the floorboards. Papa told me to run. He told me to run away, far away, to safety. He wanted me to take Josef, but I didn't know if I would make it, and I thought they would be safe... but, they weren't safe, they were found. Mama and Papa must be here too... or already dead. They're dead because one murderous man in charge is against my people. They're dead because of our beliefs.

I just want to break down and cry for my family... but no, I can't give them the satisfaction. I won't. Instead, I hold my head high, walk my final steps, before coming to a halt, standing with my back to the red brick wall, splattered with blood. Before me is the barrel of the gun as I face the firing squad with six guns and six targets, impossible to miss.

Beside me are others, punished for our beliefs. We stand together. I do not know any of them, but for this moment they are my brothers and sisters. Some cry in terror, some beg for mercy, some pray and some just close their eyes... waiting. I just stare. I stare into the grey eyes of my killer. Which, for a brief moment, show a flicker of doubt. Am I really killing this girl? he probably wonders. But, as if ashamed of his hesitation, he hides it with cold determination.

I see my home. I see the luscious green grass on the mountains which I walk in the summer, decorated with flowers. I see the day Mama told me I was going to be a big sister and I see my brother's eyes, my father's smile and hear my mother's tinkling laugh. I watch the glorious sun rise over the tall mountains, lighting up the valley in glorious light. I hear the birds singing in the trees and the wind creating a light, almost refreshing breeze. Then I pray my thanks to God. I thank him for my life. I pray for this war to end and I pray for peace to end this monstrosity. As I gaze at the beautiful blue sky, I see a shape form in the clouds. The Star of David. I smile.

Then, the birds fall silent as the shots echo in the air.

Death is merely a good sleep after a long, tiring day.

An Eve to Remember

Rhiannon Davies, Tre Gib

I woke up this morning and slipped on my fluffy white slippers and my long dressing gown. It was the 30th December. It had been a super Christmas, celebrating with all the family. I was very excited about New Year's Eve as it was my daughter Eve's birthday. She was turning ten! My husband Martin was in the bathroom getting ready for work so I walked into Eve's bedroom and opened the curtains.

"Good morning sleepy head!" I said. "It's time to get up now."

"But it's Saturday," she moaned, covering her face with the duvet.

"We need to go to the Post Office," I said, pulling the duvet off her body. "I have some letters to post."

I walked to the bathroom to get ready. Martin was in his smart Paramedic uniform.

"I'll see you later," he said, rushing to the big flash car, blowing Eve and me a kiss as he got in. The sound of the car echoed along our small street.

"Yes," she answered with a small smile which lit up her pale delicate face.

We got into my trusty little car and drove off to the post office. I parked the car and we walked inside.

"Can I help you?" asked the lady on the counter who had a kindly face and greeted us like a cheerful grandmother.

"I would like to get some stamps," I said, turning around, trying to find Eve.

"That will be a pound, please," said the lady behind the counter. I got my purse out from my shiny designer leather handbag.

"Anything planned for tomorrow?" she enquired.

"Yes, we're celebrating my daughter's birthday. What about you?"

"I'm working late tonight so that all my work is done for tomorrow as I'm going to a party."

All of a sudden the strangest thing happened. Eve walked slowly to the counter and stared at the lady behind it.

"Eve, don't be rude!" I said, and then I caught a glimpse of her eyes. One eye was her usual pale blue but her other eye had turned chocolate brown. What was happening? How could this be? I went really quiet which concerned the woman.

"Don't worry, your daughter's probably just tired from all the festivities. I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it," she said. That was the last thing I could remember because apparently at that moment I fainted.

I woke up at home in my bed with a cup of tea on the bedside table.

"Mum! You're alright! I'm sorry that I stared at the woman. I didn't mean to make you faint," said Eve. "Dad! Mum's woken up!"

"Eve, it wasn't that. I'm pretty sure I saw something strange just before I started feeling dizzy!" I replied, taking a sip of my tea.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. It was only Martin, though.

"Feeling any better, love?" he asked. "I had a phone call from Mrs. Green from the Post Office. She told me you'd fainted so I rushed from the hospital to come and get you."

"I'm feeling fine," I said looking up. "Oh my goodness, not again..."

I started breathing heavily. I couldn't stop staring at Eve.

"What's the matter now?" questioned Martin.

"Look at Eve's eyes. Please tell me you can see that one of them is brown."

"I think you're still a bit in shock. Eve's eyes are both blue just like they always are. Are you sure you didn't hit your head when you fainted?"

"Go and look in the mirror, Eve." I demanded.

"They're both blue," she said.

I wasn't sure what was going on. The only thing I did know was that only I could see Eve's eyes in a strange way! I finished my cup of tea but didn't fancy anything for lunch as I still felt a bit shaken up.

I must have fallen back into a deep sleep because I had the worst nightmare. I had flashbacks of the day. I could see Eve's eyes and for some reason the woman from the Post Office, who seemed to be in danger.

I woke up in fright and looked at the bedside clock. It was 6.30pm. I could hear Martin and Eve playing and laughing together downstairs. I decided I had to find the woman!

I was in my nightdress so I slipped my red coat on before rushing down the stairs.

"I'm going out for a walk!" I called before whizzing through the door.

I ran to the Post Office. The woman had said she'd be working late so she should still be there. When I arrived I was out of breath and I was panting heavily. It was cold and icy so I knocked on the door in the hope that I wouldn't be outside for long.

"Excuse me!" shouted a voice from across the road. It was the kindly woman smiling back at me.

"Oh thank goodness. I was looking for you but it doesn't matter now."

"What did you want? I was on my way home," she said, about to cross the road to talk to me. Her foot stepped on the zebra crossing. She was half way over when a car came speeding down the road. The driver had no time to stop. Without a second thought, I jumped into the road and pushed the woman out of the way of the car and onto the pavement, just in time. The car roared past speedily.

"You saved me!" she cried. "How will I ever repay you?"

"It's fine." I replied softly. The two of us were in pain and just as we were struggling back to our feet an ambulance pulled up. To my surprise it was Martin and Eve who'd come looking for me.

Anyway, I have the New Year to look forward to. A new year will bring a new start which I'm looking forward to, that's for sure.

The Cave That Changed My Life

###### Nia Evans, Bro Myrddin

It was a cold wet typical Russian winter's night and Johnny was all tucked up in bed with a bright smile on his face.

"It's over," he said to himself, "the war is finally over. Just think of all of the things I can do tomorrow, just knowing that siren isn't going to go off and we won't have to take cover from passing planes all loaded with bombs."

The war had finally come to an end and all Johnny could hear was the sound of people dancing with joy in the streets. Johnny listened to the cheers of the people slowly fading as he fell fast asleep.

The following morning Johnny slowly lifted his heavy eyelids to see the sun peering through the gaps of his shutters. He jumped out of bed and opened the shutters, feeling the warmth of the sun greeting his face. He looked down at his clock and saw the time: "Ten o'clock! I've over slept!"

He rushed over to his wardrobe, chucked on some clothes, slid down the banister and went into the kitchen. Something bad had happened. Johnny's aunty was there holding his mother's hand and his mother was sobbing into his auntie's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Johnny asked.

"Ooohhh! My boy! Something terrible has happened," she sobbed. "The day before the war came to an end your father was out in the field, a gun was fired and it hit your father. They tried to save him but his heart just gave up."

Johnny just stood there. He didn't say anything. He didn't blink. He just stood there. Then suddenly he ran.

He ran out of the door and did not stop. He didn't even think of stopping but he knew where he was going.

After about five minutes of non-stop running he pulled up. In front of him there were miles of sand dunes, sea and a sandy shore. He was at the beach. The very same beach that his dad and he would visit every Saturday to go fishing and crabbing. He just couldn't believe it. One of the most important people in the world to him had just gone. Vanished. He had no clue how on earth he was going to go on and then a voice in his head said to him: 'For your mum. You will go on for your mum."

He decided to go for a walk to clear his head.

He reached all the way to the top of the cliff and sat down with his legs dangling off the ledge. All he could hear was the sound of the waves smashing against the rocks underneath him. Johnny had a look around and saw, well, what you would usually see on a beach.

He saw seagulls, some sand, and the sea. But then he spotted something a bit different. A small cave about a mile or two away.

There was something special about this cave though. You could only get to it when the tide was out and for some reason no birds or living creature would go near it. As if there was something different about this cave, something mysterious and spooky. And that is when Johnny decided he was going to visit and explore it.

When Johnny arrived home his mother was standing in the doorway. She did not look happy. Johnny hesitated about going into the house or near his mother but finally he got up the courage.

"Where on earth have you been?" she yelled at him. "I have been worried sick, all day long." She grabbed his arm and dragged him through the hall into the kitchen.

"Aaaawwwwwww!" he shrieked, "that really hurt."

"Oh don't be so silly! I hardly gripped it."

"What's your problem?" Johnny answered back.

"Don't you dare speak to me in that tone! Anyway, where have you been? Do you know how worried I have been?"

Everything went silent for a second or two. Johnny didn't want to say where he had been. He was slightly embarrassed to say that he had been down to the beach, but in the end he had no choice.

"Well, I'm waiting for an answer," his mother said impatiently.

"I went down to the beach," he mumbled.

"What did you say? Speak more clearly."

"I've been at the beach."

His mother went silent and just looked at him. "Why on earth did you go there? Especially on a day like this."

"I just wanted to be close to dad, just for one last time."

"Oh darling," she sobbed as she cradled him in her arms, "that's what we all want."

They both spent the next hour and a half just sitting at the table eating their dinner in complete silence. The only sound was the sound of the neighbour's cat meowing on the garden wall and the tap dripping slowly into the kitchen sink.

Then suddenly Johnny's mother ended the awkward silence by announcing "Well, I think it's time you went to bed young boy."

He replied "I agree mother. I am rather tired. It's been a long day."

Johnny walked up the stairs and curled up into bed. His mother didn't follow, she just sat in the living area sobbing until she could see the morning sun peaking over the horizon.

That morning Johnny crept downstairs, debating whether he should ask his mother if he could return to the beach or not. After all, he did leave her nearly all day yesterday.

As he stood outside the kitchen he heard his mother ask "Johnny, is that you? What on earth are you doing standing there like a statue? Quickly come in and eat your toast before it gets cold."

He walked in. "Mum," he said "I was wondering if I could go back to the beach today?"

"I'm not sure, but I suppose you could."

"Thank you so much Mum." And before she had a chance to say anything he grabbed his torch and was gone.

If you walked it was about a ten minute trek to the beach, but Johnny was so eager to get there that he made it in five.

The biggest challenge was how to get to the cave. He stood at the top of the cliff for about ten minutes before he spotted a route. It wasn't a safe and easy one but it was better than nothing. The route involved staggering down a rather steep cliff face, trekking across some slimy rock pools and walking through waist deep water.

Johnny began walking down the steep side slowly, watching where he put his foot. One slip and he would be rolling down the side as fast as a marble on marble run.

It took Johnny about twenty minutes to reach the bottom but he still had a long way to go. The next part was to walk across the slippery surface of the rock pools, and that was very tricky because the algae had made the rocks like ice so Johnny had a treacherous path ahead of him.

He put his hands out to help him balance and began to shuffle across the rocks. He stumbled a few times but towards the end he got the hang of it. After he completed the rock pool there was only one more thing in his way. The waist deep water. He could now see the cave opening and after all of his hard work he was nearly there.

Johnny thought that it was probably best just to get it over with, so he began. With every inch he moved his feet the water just seemed to get deeper and deeper.

He carried on, determined to finish although he was beginning to get the shivers. Then finally it was over. He had completed the horrible path and all that was ahead of him was a small walk. Then he would finally be at the cave.

Johnny stopped and stared for a moment, dripping with water and breathing deeply.

"Well I'm not going to accomplish anything by just standing here, am I?" He asked himself. "Better get a move on." And that's exactly what he did.

He walked slowly towards the cave, tying to rest his legs because they were absolutely exhausted. He reached the entrance, pulled his torch out of his coat pocket, and switched it on. It wasn't a very strong light but it was better than nothing.

He walked in rather hesitantly, not knowing what on earth he was going to find. He walked slowly through the cave, turning every corner as if it was never going to end. Then suddenly he turned into a wide-open space and he stopped and stared in shock.

He knew what it was. He didn't know whether to run or to stay. He had seen them landing around the village in the war. Not often, but it happened. In front of him was a war bomb. Un-detonated he guessed.

He walked up to it, unsure of what he was doing. He slowly raised his hand in front of him, shaking, breathing deeply and gently placed it on the side of the bomb. He walked around it, dragging his hand with him. He was amazed at what he was looking at. Then he noticed the brightly coloured control pad. Johnny was tempted to push just one button but was it too dangerous?

He leaned his finger on one of the buttons and gently but slowly pressed it whilst closing his eyes. Nothing happened. He slowly opened his eyes. "Nothing happened," he said.

He began to push all of the buttons as if he was composing some sort of song. But Johnny didn't realize what one of the buttons had written beneath it. A big red button: "Detonate." And Johnny pushed it.

Johnny was extremely confused. The bomb began to vibrate, beep and make funny clunking noises.

"What's going on?" he mumbled in a terrified voice. He decided to make a run for it but by then it was too late.

BANG! The sound of the explosion filled the air. Birds abandoned their trees and dogs barked. All of the villagers ran out of their houses to see the cloud of smoke filling the air. Johnny's mother ran out of the house and froze. She suddenly just sprang into action. She ran inside and quickly dialled 999.

"Hello there how may I be of assistance?" a voice said the other side of the phone.

"There's been an explosion, on a nearby beach. I think that my son has possibly been involved," his mother replied.

"We will dispatch a team as soon as you can pin point your location."

"Uuummmm, the beach."

"Do you know the map co-ordinates, or the name of the town?"

"The beach is about five minutes out of our village, map co-ordinates 32, 41," she answered. Helping out with local aid during the war had certainly paid off. That's how she knew the location.

"That's great, just hang in there and help is on its way."

Johnny's mother put down the phone and looked out of the window. She saw something that lifted her spirit greatly. All of the villagers were heading right down to the explosion. Some were taking First Aid kits and others were carrying blankets. She grabbed her coat and ran out to join them.

"Aauhh, where am I? Why can't I feel my legs?" Johnny only just worked up the strength to lift his head and he was horrified by the result. "Where have my legs gone? Where are they?"

The explosion had whipped Johnny's legs clean off of his body. He just lay there in a puddle of his own blood, with only short stumps where his legs used to be, not knowing what to do.

"I'm going to die," Johnny sobbed. "Without even telling my family I loved them, without even living."

Then suddenly a man called. "Johnny!" It was like the voice of an angel. "Johnny! Are you in there?"

Johnny barley had the energy to reply. "Y...y...y... yes."

"Just hang in there boy, we are coming in to get you."

Johnny took a deep breath and relaxed. He could hear the echo of the sirens in the background and the faint sounds of footsteps coming closer but he could feel himself getting drowsy and it was only getting worse.

The next thing Johnny knew he was in the safe arms of Vicar Clive. "It's alright lad, you're in safe hands now, just relax."
The Rising Knight [Extract]

###### Alex Williams, Tre Gib

In the dark ages of the Medieval times a multitudinous collection of monstrosities plagued land after land, devouring everything from small hamlets to prodigious kingdoms, leaving only the lingering remains of unlucky souls waiting to be swept away by the wind. But where there is evil ,good shall rise up against it.

Kevin was a mediocrely healthy boy with brown hazelnut hair that was relatively short for most of the boys that accompanied him in knight training, and blue eyes that lit up at the first sign of excitement. He lived in a keep that kept twenty houses inside the walls of Belemor, although some people were homeless and slept by the gate.

At the time of Kevin's initiation the land was covered with snow, blanket by blanket as blasts of cold air slowed down the progress of the keep. But somehow the king Fergus was unaffected by this; maybe because he had his weight's worth in food, drink and money helping him endure the harsh winter.

Kevin had reached the elite before his friends and enemies which made Fergus realise his potential. As the great feast started, Kevin was asked to speak to the king privately in his business room.

"My son. How would you like to cleanse these lands of the filth that infest them from this day?!" he exclaimed, gasping for air.

"It would be an honour my lord, but I couldn't do it alone."

"Yes! So I will appoint two of the best men in Morkey to aid you in your quest. Qatar, a master wizard; and Arkay, the finest archer in the land."

And so the quest began, climbing up mountains fortified with blistering wind, clambering into forgotten vales filled with spiders and goblins until they reached the evilest reach on the planet Karbugh.

Upon entering using Arkay's grapple arrow they noticed an unearthly silence. As they edged across with their backs to the gate they spotted another gate opposite which was open containing giant spider webs. As Qatar and Arkay stared at it horrified, Kevin saw an orc cavorting with a cloaked figure. ...Until it spotted them and all hell broke loose.

With arrows going haywire and swords cutting through flesh like scissors through paper, they fought brutally maimed but still carrying on. It was at that moment a giant spider devoured several orcs by the cathedral.

Each of them sent out sounds of anguish as the spider's fangs broke through bone and then proceeded to vanquish other orcs as they dwindled in numbers by fleeing the castle. The cloaked figure was nowhere to be seen...
The Little Princess Mermaid

Ffion White, Cwrt Sart

One morning the sun was gazing through to all the bubbly water where the meranimals live in the animers kingdom. They all have to live in merhuts and they fit only two meranimals per one. In one hut there are two meranimals. One is Princess Angel the mermaid panda, who is the daughter of King Triton. The other is Angel's best buddy Snowflake, who has no parents now because there was trouble on land which killed them when they went up to introduce themselves to friends there.

Princess Angel and Snowflake are very best buddies and they have friends on land but King Triton will not let them go up on land to see them. They have been told by the king that there is danger on the land and he doesn't want them to get hurt like Snowflakes parents did. But they would not listen. So the next day they arranged to go up and visit their friends.

When the girls went up to land to see their friends they asked them "Is there any trouble or danger up here anymore?"

"No, that was years ago," said Izzy, their elephant friend with her annoying brother Joebot the nerd robot.

After the meranimals went back home they went to see King Triton and told him that the trouble and danger was years ago and has stopped now so they were safe. And after that day they were allowed to go up on land to go and visit their friends for the rest of their life.

Dave the Deer

Samuel Lewis, Cwrt Sart

We started to give up hope on finding Mr. Weeney.

It all started when we were playing in the forest. Me - Rango the Racoon - Fred the Fox, Bert the Badger, Bob the Bear, Aaron the Antelope and Mr. Weeney

This was no ordinary forest. It had so many trees it was awesome. I climbed up a tree, grabbed a rope thingy, and began to swing like Tarzan! It was cool at first but not when my face was stuck to the floor.

Bob had the great idea of playing a game of touch on the other side of the forest. It was fun at first but then all of a sudden it turned upside down.

We couldn't find him anywhere! He was nowhere to be found. We looked in bushes, in streams and the oddest place of all... under rocks! It was still no use! So we all decided to spend the night there and look for Mr. Weeney in the morning.

Eventually night fell and we all drifted off to sleep. I had a terrible nightmare about Mr. Weeney. I thought that something really bad had happened to him... DEATH!!!

Finally morning came. The sun rose over the horizon. Hopefully it was the day we would find Mr. Weeney.

I woke up the others and we were ready to start our quest. About half an hour later we were brutally stopped by a herd of zebras. I fainted with shock! After a while I woke up but I was very unstable. Then the chief zebra stepped forward and said:

"What are you animals doing on our turf?"

We all burst out in laughter because his voice was really squeaky! You could see the anger in his eyes. He came up to my face and started grunting with anger. I wasn't having any of this so I slapped him in the face and he went down like a tonne of bricks. The rest of the herd scattered. After that drama we carried on.

We then came to another unwanted problem... a river. We were clueless and we didn't know what to do. Then Rango said:

"Why don't we build a raft?"

We knocked down trees, took rocks and leaves! One hour later it was complete! We manoeuvred it in the flowing river and hoped to God it would float! It did. We got on and started to drift downstream.

A while down the water we heard a funny noise and to our amazement came upon a waterfall. We couldn't do anything, so we just hoped for the best!

Before we knew it we were at the bottom, everyone was alive and safe. We were all over the moon. We climbed out of the water and sat on the rocks next to it. It took a while for us to come round.

This journey was not over yet. I looked around and something caught my eye... a road.

"I have found road!" I shouted.

Everyone looked at me and said "Where?"

I replied "OVER THERE!"

"Lets go!" I said, rushing over to the discovery.

We started to stroll down the street like gangsters! We were the part! After a ten minute walk we came to the end of the road but it lead us to a town, a small town that lit up the forest.

We slowly crept into the town. There were shops and restaurants everywhere. We were going to be here forever trying to find Mr. Weeney. We then stumbled upon a shop. It had a big glowing sign saying "Luigi's Ice-Cream Parlour"

The saliva was dripping out of my mouth. Rango went in through the letterbox and opened the door from inside. We all tiptoed in and switched on the lights. It was ice cream heaven. It had all the flavours you could think of. Coconut, Strawberry, Chocolate, the lot! Bob went to the freezer part of the shop and to his astonishment found Mr. Weeney eating a huge tub of ice- cream.

Bob shouted "I FOUND MR.WEENEY!"

Adam replied "WHERE?"

"IN HERE!" yelled Bob.

We went over to see. There he was. We were so happy we all burst into tears. I picked him up and squeezed him so hard he could hardly breathe. Joy and laughter filled the air, everyone was so glad to find him.

Reality

###### Sam Zucca, Bro Myrddin

My name is Joe Martins and I suffer from a condition which puts me into a preserved state of mind when I'm asleep, where I have extremely vivid dreams. It all started on the 9th September 2009 or 9/9/09 if you prefer. I woke up an hour late and only just made it to school on time.

It was a rough day and I was exhausted when I got home. I collapsed on the couch and immediately went into a deep sleep...

I heard birds chirping in treetops, crickets jumping around and all the other sounds you would hear in the Amazon rainforest.

"Hello! Is anyone here? Hello!" I heard a voice saying from behind me.

I turned to see a man in camouflage clothing and a sun hat carrying a shotgun.

"Hello young man, how jolly for you to turn up. I'm Gary Southwalk – Lion Hunter."

He put out a hand but I was too puzzled to shake it. Who was this person? Why was he hunting lions in the middle of the rainforest? I was going to ask but he interrupted my train of thought.

"I think I smell something." He ran over to a rock in the middle of a clump of trees and, reaching behind it, brought out a frying pan that was cooking eggs. "I hope you like them runny."

So we sat there in that clump of trees and ate our eggs in the shade. I tried to ask him about his job but he just diverted the subject every time. I fell asleep after a while (if you can in a dream) and woke to find Southwalk gone and a trail of blood on the floor.

Shocked from the scene I followed the trail and came to a river. It couldn't have been the Amazon as it was too small. I began to cross it when I heard a strange noise. I turned to my left to see that the water was flowing out of a large statue of a head. I walked closer when a sudden vision brought me to my knees. I saw terrible things – a war, I became an orphan, bombs dropping onto the land and then... It stopped as I felt a hand on my ankle. It was Southwalk.

"You saw it didn't you!" he said. I nodded.

"Is it killing you?" I asked.

"No, you are. I am an element of your imagination. You created me. Now you will end my life." His eyes rolled back and the landscape faded away and materialised into a dark blue sea.

I floated there for a while then trod water until my feet found the floor and I tried to wade to land. There was nothing. Every time I tried to get somewhere different I ended up at the same place. Or at least that's what I thought; everywhere seemed to look the same.

Suddenly I felt a hand grasp my foot. I plunged underwater and started sinking. The water now felt a lot deeper and darker. I tried to swim up but the hand on my foot held tightly. I was more scared than anything else. I felt two bubbles come from my mouth. I was about to let the water in when out of nowhere a person in an old fashioned diving suit appeared. They came up to me, tore away what was actually seaweed holding my foot and brought me up above the waves.

I panted quickly as the person unexpectedly went limp. "Thank you," I panted. "What were you doing down there? It must have been cold under the water." There was no reply.

..."Hello, are you in there?"

I waved over at his helmet but there was still no sign of life. In the end I decided to open up the suit. I undid the four buckles on each side and opened up the helmet. There was nothing. I tore the whole helmet off the suit. It was completely empty; nothing there. Confused, I remembered it pulling me out of the water. An empty suit couldn't do that. Or could it? I tried to think of a reasonable explanation but my thoughts were clogged up by the sound of waves churning. I saw in the distance a giant wave appear. It swallowed me up and I returned to reality.

My eyes opened to see my bedroom. I turned to my watch: 2:00am. It was going to be a long time before I got back to sleep.

Tuesday morning I got to school on time. I didn't talk to anyone on the bus. I was just wondering about what my dreams meant.

"Sometimes your dreams are like made out of things from your normal day," said Tim, a friend of mine. "Like that project you did on the Amazon rainforest and your swimming lesson."

"Maybe" I replied with a mouthful of mashed potato. "Or it might be that condition that I have. What is Slomny...? Somna... Somnipathy." I finally said.

"Why don't you ask the new girl – Zoe Thompson? Apparently she's studying Psychology. That could help."

"Yeah right, like I haven't heard it all before. My mum's taken me to all the best psychologists, doctors, therapists you name it. I doubt she can help."

"You've got a point."

That night I decided to make a little experiment. I got out a Margherita pizza (because that was about the only cheesy thing in the house) and a DVD about Greek myths. I was set for the night. Sure enough two educational hours later I was going up to bed and started my journey into a deep sleep.

I appeared to find a very odd moment. There were lots of people in the room. What was it they were doing? Praying, that's it. Praying to statues of gods. I was in a grand temple under a large mountain that seemed to draw me to it. I was standing near a fountain where people were rushing around collecting jugs of water and making the sign of the horns. A new force had taken refuge in Ancient Greece. I went over to one of the townsmen and asked "Do you know anyone who could take me up there?" indicating the mountain.

"No, not me sir. It is a dangerous road up there. Only one person is mad enough to danger the journey." She pointed to a girl arguing with the priest.

"Well, well, well," I said to myself. "Zoe Thompson."

"I think it's horrible," she said as we were trekking up the mountain. "The New Faith," she said. "What it's doing to these people. It's like an unstoppable force. Driving them. The old gods were best. And that is coincidentally who we've arranged to meet."

"Zeus?" I asked.

"Yep," she replied, "Him and the gang."

The rest of the journey was tiring but rewarding and we steadily made our way up the side of Mount Olympus.

Half an hour later we reached the top and came to the gates of the council. "I can't go up there to meet Zeus. Only you can. You're their master."

"Are you sure you'll be okay down here?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll probably do some knitting with Hera to pass the time."

So there I was on my own, going up to meet the King of the Gods. Not really my most confident moment.

Then the gates opened for me and I came to a magnificent view of the whole of Greece. It was beautiful. But for some reason my eyes came down to the townsmen and women in the new church praising the lord Jesus; giving disrespect to the gods.

"Terrible isn't it?" said a voice from behind me. It was, I presumed, Zeus. He was wearing white robes and his pure brown hair went down to his elbows. He scratched a trim beard.

"We gave them life, and they just start rioting and worshipping this new god. The least I want is respect. Anyway, let's leave my problems and move on to yours. We are in danger," he declared. "That new force that you saw in the forest, the hand that you felt in the sea and the new god they're praying to. It wants revenge on you. You trapped it in your mind. And now it's trying to kill you."

"What can I do?" I asked.

"There are certain rules that define it. For example, he is a shape shifter, but if you can see the truth he will show his true form. Another thing is that the laws of physics do not apply to you or it in this world. But be careful. Its most powerful weapon is fear. It can use that as an advantage against you more than any other type of pain. Although, everything is just signals going to your brain."

"But how will I know what is real and what is not?"

He tapped his nose knowingly." Look for the scratches."

We were suddenly interrupted by riotous shouting and banging on the door.

"They are coming. Quick, run. This is no place for you, here."

I ran to the windowsill and climbed onto the edge. I glanced down one more time to see Zeus unleash his deadly lightning bolt before I plummeted down to a new world.

Space. Endless Space. All around me I felt bare, even in this suit. It was scary how overwhelming it was. I turned around to see Earth. I'd heard many tales of that sight. That it was amazing, the most beautiful thing ever seen. But I just felt scared. Or maybe homesick would be a better word.

Suddenly I received a shock as a voice came into my head. "Hello," said the voice in a thick Russian accent. "Hello. This is a transmission from Moscow to Soyuz One, could you please report your position."

'Of course!' I thought. I must have come into the signal of a neighbouring spaceship. And I guessed from the technology this must have been 1961 at the latest.

I looked all around me looking for a spaceship but couldn't see anything. Still the voice kept nagging on. "Moscow to Soyuz One, can you read me? Moscow to Soyuz One, can you read me?" on and on and on. Then I looked up with a lump in my throat. I guess whoever had manned the Soyuz was a goner. His helmet and spacecraft were completely out of sight. So was his head. Strangely there were little treks of blood floating around, coming out of the ever-gaping hole in his head. I couldn't look anymore. I had to turn my head away and tell Moscow the bad news.

A black hole destroys everything that falls into it, including itself, time and unfortunately me. Yes I was heading on a trip with no end. I would be stretched like spaghetti and be eaten by this gigantic monster. I sort of felt that the monster that had been watching me was right there in front of me. A big hole in the fabric of space. Luring me in like prey and then eventually killing me. The worst thing about it was that I was helpless against its presence. There was nothing I could do to escape this demon. There was nothing to do but wait in fear.

I awoke to the strange sound of jazz. I knew it was 1948 in New York: a Miles Davis concert. I couldn't really concentrate and my head hurt. I swiftly avoided the cheering and dodged into a dark back alley. I started to turn to find another alley. I was lost. This was how it was going to trap me: in a maze.

I started panicking and the claustrophobia kicked in. I started breathing quickly and running through every passage, breathing heavily. I bumped into someone. It was Zoe.

"How did you get here?" I asked.

"Well I was just running from the riots when I suddenly appeared here. Is that usual?"

"It's been happening to me quite frequently now. Doing my head in."

"Maybe we should start looking for a way out."

I nodded in agreement.

We shuddered down the dark alleyway, eyes creeping from behind us in the street. We reached a dead end. I shouted out lividly and kicked at the wall seeing a jagged mark in my foot even though I felt nothing.

"There's no way out!" I exclaimed "This is a maze, an impossible maze."

We heard a voice coming from behind, a dark, disfigured voice.

"Free me!" it shouted.

We heard its breath churning, its feet stamping and saw a dark shadow in the mist. I swallowed and waited for its attack. But instead the mist opened to reveal a familiar figure.

"Mum!" I cried and ran towards her. But a hand grasped me. It was Zoe.

"You can't!" she said.

"We need to go, I can't stay here any longer"

I pointed to the tarantulas now chipping through the old brick wall.

"Look at her, Joe" she asked "Just look! She has no face."

I suddenly felt a rush of blood come to my head as I realised how stupid I was. The monster was a shape shifter and I'd forgot about the scratches. I turned to it seeing lightning bolts crash out of it.

"You know the rules." I said "Show me your identity!" I shivered as my mum deteriorated, becoming instead the form of a huge cloak holding two spheres of flame in its hands. In the hood I could only see two empty supernovas instead of eyes. This was the face of darkness.

"You cannot destroy me! I am the Water, the Fire, the Earth beneath your feet, I am Time itself. The only thing left to control is your imagination." It laughed a maniacal laugh at the expression on my face and began its attack.

I started laughing.

"What's so funny?" it said angrily.

"You've forgotten something very important mister. You fight me with fear and try to make me give in. But there's one thing stronger than fear. Hope. And also you've forgotten that this is my dream, my rules. And I control the gravity."

Its face suddenly went very dim and it flew away to crash into the sea somewhere. My surroundings disappeared one last time and my nightmare was over.

The next night I had no dreams. The next night was the same. And as time went by I didn't have another dream ever again.
The Chip [Extract]

Rhys Owain Evans, Bro Myrddin

Nick was trapped. There was no way past them. He stopped to think: what would Rickie do? All of a sudden he remembered the chip in his pocket.

"Of course! That's why they're chasing me, I still have the computer chip from the office."

They arrived where Nick had stopped. It was a dead end with a high wall above their heads.

"We've lost him!" said the first bodyguard into his sleeve.

"It doesn't matter anymore, our security camera came back on and now I know who we're dealing with,' answered Theo through the sleeve. "A Swansea supporter..."

Hi. My name's Nicholas Grimsby but every body calls me Nick. If that introduction was a bit fast for you then let me tell you how I got into that sticky situation.

P.S. I'm going to write about myself in the third person. Now it's time for the adventure of a lifetime, well for me anyway.

The alarm clock finally went, but Nick had been up for an hour reading his action novel: Rickie vs. the CIA. Nick loves football and will play it whenever he's not reading his footballer spy book which he takes everywhere in his trusty backpack. He never leaves his bag out of his sight and takes it everywhere. His mid-length brown hair is based on Rickie's hair and he wears similar clothes to him too. He supports Swansea City FC but lives between Swansea and Cardiff. Nick lives with his Dad, Mum and little brother Ben who is eight years old. Nick is twelve and is one of the more popular kids in Year 7. His best mate, Jonathan, also supports Swansea and they live on the same row of houses so they go to quite a few games together. Nick's very observant and uses most of the methods that are in his book to suss people out and guess their way of life.

"There's a big game on Tuesday versus Birmingham City, in case you didn't know," said Jonathan.

"And you didn't think I knew! I've got us tickets for it remember, you thicko," answered Nick.

"So have you done your science homework Nick? Nick? Nick?" called Jon.

"I'm in the supply closet," whispered Nick. "Rickie has just been captured by the CIA!"

"Well you better get out because you'll miss Drama,' reminded Jon.

Tuesday went by quickly, with Nick having simple lessons: English, Music, Geography, Art and IT and three out of five of those teachers didn't even turn up.

"Dad! It's 4 o'clock, we better go!" shouted Nick up the stairs.

"Is Jon here?" asked Dad.

"Yes, I'm right here Mr Grimsby!" answered Jon.

"Right then, let's go," said Dad, while putting his coat on.

It only took them forty minutes to get there and Nick was extremely excited. They gave their tickets in turn and as soon as Nick was in he smelt the air as he always did when he felt lucky. They asked the steward for directions to their seats and they sat down, exhausted by the journey.

"Hey, can I go to the toilet before kick off?" asked Jon.

"Yes sure, I need to go too. Are you ok being left here on your own, son?" said Mr Grimsby.

"Yeah sure, you go," answered Nick.

He watched them go and just as they were leaving the inside area a man rushed past them. He had short black hair and beady eyes. He kept on looking behind him while talking on the phone as if he was being chased. He decided to turn down the row in front of Nick. As he started to walk down the row, Nick could hear what he was whispering through the phone.

"Yes, I have a plan. They'll never know what hit them, Swansea have no chance versus Cardiff. Yes...Ah hu...Yes, see you boss. Bye."

He put the phone away, took one good look behind him, and began to sprint away. Nick couldn't believe his ears. Had that guy really just said that?

As he watched the guy disappear from sight, he turned to face the other way and there were two men searching the stand. He was staring at one and at that moment the guy looked straight at him. Their eyes met and for a few seconds fixed on each other. Nick turned away uneasily and hoped to God that the other guy was looking past him. Nick daringly turned his head slightly and noticed the man coming straight for him. They arrived with him some ten seconds later.

"Hey kid, what did you see or perhaps hear from the guy," the first man showed him a photograph of the man from the phone call. "Because he's on the FBI top ten most wanted list."

At that point Jon and Dad came into the stand from the right.

"We'll have to talk later, my Dad and friend are coming back," whispered Nick and pointed to the right. Both men turned their heads and saw Dad and Jon approaching the row.

"We'll find a way," answered the second man. They walked quickly to the left.

"So what did I miss?" asked Dad.

Oh, if only he knew.

The game went very well for Swansea with them going into the tunnel at half time 2 - 0 up. If only it had gone so well for Nick. He was extremely nervous and Jon was starting to get suspicious of his behaviour because he didn't celebrate either goal. When the whistle went he let out a sigh of relief. At least nothing had happened to him yet.

"And now it's time for the seat prize!" announced the stadium announcer. "The seat is in the south stand."

Wait a second, Nick recognised that voice.

"It's in row W!"

It was the first man from the search. And that was his row!

"The seat number is..." he paused for effect. "1734!" he blazed through the microphone. It was his seat...

My Football Fantasy

Mitchell Tristram, Cwrt Sart

One day I went to the park with my friend Sam. We both started to walk down the street looking at the different types of houses. We got to the park and started to take shots against each other in the rusty goals that looked like they were going to fall over.

While we were playing I noticed there was a guy sitting in a shabby old white van watching us. So we carried on playing. Just as we were going to leave he got out. He was dressed in a thick leather coat with jeans as skinny as a carrot and Dr.Martin shoes. He was also wearing shades, and his hair was in the shape of a Mohawk's!

He walks over to us. At this point we were petrified. He said "Orite mate?"

Sam replied "Hello."

He said "I am a scout for Wales and I have been watching you for the last hour and I think you have potential. So I would like you to come training for Wales tomorrow."

So I said "Ok" and ran home as fast as I could.

When I got home I told my mother all about it. She was so happy for me and baked me a cake.

The next day I woke up and immediately got ready for the big day. I walked down stairs and before I new it I was in the car going to the trials.

When I got there I was a nervous wreck. I walked into the stadium and right in front of me was Gareth Bale. I was so excited to be training alongside him.

A few hours later the training finished and I thought I had done pretty well. Just as I was about to leave Gary Speed came up to me and asked would I like to play Saturday against Sweden. Before he could finish the sentence I had said yes.

So I played Saturday and I defended really well and that is my football fantasy.
My First Football Goal

Rhys Williams, Cwrt Sart

Rhys is a very bright and athletic teenager. He has short black hair with a hint of brown. His eyes are as blue as the ocean. His teeth are as bright as the stars glistening before your eyes.

Rhys is five foot and eight inches tall. He was the tallest in his school. He has size 7 feet and has a very high test score rate. He is also one of the smartest teenagers in the area.

As it approached 10 o'clock, Rhys's friends arrived to leave for football. There was Jamie, the shortest one but one of the most skilful players. Mitchell, who was also very short but very athletic. Then there was Madi, the one with all the angles and moves. And of course me, the goalkeeper, who had been there for many years.

It was 10:30 when we arrived at Briton Ferry with teams from Swansea to Cardiff. There were four fields for forty teams, and there was four pools - A,B,C and D. Rhys's team were pool D. As the first game approached the players were on the field warming up.

"My team are going to win," said Rhys to his mum.

Kick off was at 11 o'clock. The time now was 10:59. He was counting down the seconds, waiting for the manager of the club to blow the horn to start the tournament... three, two, one (bang!!!!) the crowd went wild....
The Dream Job That Ends Tragically

Emyr Waters, Bro Myrddin

In North Wales there lived a boy called Steve and he wanted to play rugby for Wales but he never thought he was good enough. Steve was very short and thin. He had a ginger Afro and his teeth were all out of shape. The only reason that he didn't think he was good enough is because people always bullied him saying that he was a terrible rugby player and that he'd never get married.

One day at school he heard there were trials for the District on Friday so he thought he'd go and try out for the team.

When Friday came he was so excited. There were hundreds of people at the trials and out of all the people to bump into he managed to bump into the bullies.

"What are you doing here? You might as well go home because you will never get in," the biggest one told him.

So Steve just turned around and walked away.

During the training session they had to do four laps around the pitch and Steve came in the top ten. The bullies came close to the end. The other stuff involved sprinting, tackling and a game at the end. By the end they had chosen a team. Some how Steve wasn't in it but the bullies were, so Steve ran home crying.

During the next few months the bullies had progressed to County and they were getting all of the girls. One more step and they would play for North Wales.

The following Sunday, Steve was playing for his usual team and he heard there was a scout there for North Wales. So Steve played his best and at the end the scout came over and asked him to play for his team. He just ignored the bullies.

From then on Steve was playing Centre every match and he was getting all of the girls; but the best thing was the bullies started showing him some respect and were nice to him.

During the years Steve progressed to play a higher and higher standard of rugby. He won the Heineken cup three times with the Ospreys and the RaboDirectPro12 four years in a row. But Steve's biggest test so far was about to commence because he had been chosen for the World Cup squad. And he wasn't a favourite to start in his regular position.

The preparations were hard. They had to go in a freezing machine to get harder and they went to Poland to get their fitness better. Eventually they were on the plane on the way to New Zealand. He thought to himself that their qualifying group was hard, but he was quite confident. During the few weeks they beat Samoa 35-10, Fiji 24-5, Tonga 40-0 and France 20-18. In the quarterfinals they had to face Ireland who were on form. It was an easy game for Wales with a 20-3 lead at half time. In the second half Ireland seemed a much better side with the score getting tighter. With a minute left on the clock the score was 27-27 and Wales had a penalty on the halfway line. The crowd went silent except for a few Irish fans.

Billy West ran up to take the kick. He paused then kicked. It looked good but when it got closer it didn't look so good and it landed on the crossbar. It was moving from side to side until eventually it went over on the right side of the posts! Everyone cheered. Billy West was definitely the hero of the day.

On the next day they found out they were playing Namibia in the semi-finals. They had been training all week even though there wasn't much point because Namibia weren't very good. When the day arrived, Steve was nervous running on to the pitch. Eventually the whistle was blown and he got stuck in with some lovely runs. By the end the score was 70-7 with four tries coming from Steve.

To their disappointment they had to play New Zealand in the final and people were obviously faking injuries because they were scared to play the greats of rugby. On that Saturday they were going to the stadium and he had to play wing because of all the injuries. He didn't mind much because it's not much different to playing in the centre. When they were running onto the pitch the roar from the crowd was amazing. But when the All Blacks came out there was an even bigger roar.

The referee was Scottish and when he was ready he blew the whistle to start the match. Bobby Jackson caught the ball and made a powerful run. In the twentieth minute of the match it was 6 all, so it was a very boring match. At half time it was 12 – 9 to Wales.

During half time the coaches were shouting like mad. You could hear the coaches from the stands. When Wales were running out to the pitch Steve thought to himself that he only had one chance so he was going to put his body on the line and play amazingly for his country. The kick was taken and Bobby Jackson caught it again. The ball got out to Steve on the wing and he was through. He chipped it over the full back and scored. The noise from the crowd was amazing. The fly half converted.

Ten minutes into the second half it was 19 – 15 to Wales but New Zealand weren't giving up with some strong driving from the forwards and some outstanding pace in the backs. And because of the hard work, New Zealand were awarded with a try and a conversion to make the score 19 – 22.

In the 78th minute the score was 28 – 25 to Wales. Unfortunately, New Zealand ruined their dreams by getting another try and conversion to make the score 28 – 32. Wales had to re-start with a minute left on the clock. New Zealand were pushing ever so close to the line when Steve made an interception. He had to get past their full back so he barged him onto his butt. The problem was that their winger was catching up with him. Steve stopped and the winger fell on his face, then he carried on running and placed the ball under the posts. Every Welsh supporter in the crowd screamed and cheered.

The clock had gone red when they took the conversion so that meant that Wales had won 35 – 32 in a very close encounter. The squad lifted Steve up. It felt like it was Christmas morning, but some crazy Welsh fan ran onto the pitch to celebrate and pushed one of the players that was holding Steve. He fell on his head and his neck bent backwards. He was unconscious and they had to call an ambulance.

He was rushed to the nearest hospital to get a scan. It didn't look good. The doctors unfortunately had to break the bad news to him that he was paralysed. He had broken his neck, cracked his head open and had been bitten by something so he had an infection to his leg that had spread. To safe his life, he had to have both of his legs amputated. He had to go ahead with the operation if he wanted to see his family again, so they took him to the theatre.

When he came out, his legs that were now stumps felt sore. Eventually the doctor came in and told him that the operation was a success. A few days later he was discharged from the hospital.

When he arrived home there was a big trophy waiting for him that read "Player of the Tournament", and there was another two huge medals: "Man of the Match" and "Rugby World Cup Winners". But the best things were the two prosthetic legs, one white, the other red. On the white one it said the score and the scorers in the Final. On the other was the date, the stadium, the location and the names of the squad. Steve thought this was the best day ever. Then suddenly loads of his family jumped out and said "Surprise"! Steve jumped in shock and started to cry a bit because it was the first time he'd seen his family in a very long time.

Thirty years later his neck had healed, his head had healed and he had learnt how to walk again on his prosthetic legs. By now he had got married and had three children. These days he coaches the Ospreys.

He has been placed in the "Hall of Fame" for overcoming his fear, succeeding in the World of Rugby and becoming one of the greatest players ever to wear the red shirt. But more than that, he had overcome his tragic accident on the rugby pitch and turned out to have a wonderful family of his own, and show his children that they can succeed in anything they have a passion for. He is a great ambassador for rugby and for the Injured Players Association.
Getting Adopted and Saying Goodbye

### Ellie Davies, Bro Myrddin

When I was born, my mum and dad adored me. They bought me cute dresses and they took me to places swimming, for trips to the farm - all sorts. But as I grew up it all went wrong.

When I was one year old, Mum would always ignore me. She was always telling me to be quiet even if I was crying; and if I was hungry she would tell me to go away and go and fetch something to eat. I couldn't walk properly due to the fact that Mum would hurt my legs whilst abusing me, so eventually I grew slower.

When I was two years old, three, four and so on, Mum carried on abusing me. For dinner every day I had nothing. I looked anorexic, but sometimes when I was lucky I got leftovers. When I started school I usually went in everyday with cuts and bruises all over my face, arms and legs and sometimes a black eye. As I was so young I didn't understand what was going on, and I didn't know what to do.

One afternoon when Mum came to pick me up from school the headmaster called her to his office.

"I'm not trying to be nosy but since your daughter has started in Ashton Primary she has come in with cuts and bruises all over her, almost every day. Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" he.

"No," Mum replied aggressively. "She likes to go out on her bike and falls off quite often", and with that she left the room.

The teachers didn't know what to do, the headmaster only had one choice and that was to call Social Services.

Over the next few days, Mum would never let me out of the house. She locked all the doors and windows and every time Social Services came Mum pretended to play hide and seek with me. She always used to hide me under the quilt and she tried to suffocate me and stop me speaking so when Social Services were there I couldn't speak.

After a week Social Services decided to call the police. They came and broke the front door down. Mum tried to hide me but she had no chance. The police were in before she knew it. Social Services worker Stephanie took me away from Mum.

At home, Social Services worker Doris and the police stayed to interview her. She was arrested and taken to court a few days later. Mum was found guilty in court of attacking me.

I was put up for adoption and one day a family came in.

"Hello, I would like to adopt a little girl," said the lady.

"I really want a sister," said her daughter.

I was perfectly attractive to people. I had big bright blue eyes. The lady said:

"We would like her to be between four and seven years old."

At that time I was five - the perfect age - but I was still a bit young to understand. What was going on and why was I in care? I was also trying to understand the fact that I would never see my mum again.

The family took about three months to adopt me because they had loads of paperwork to do and had to find out what Mum did to me in the past. Every night until I got adopted I had dreams of the type of house they lived in.

I remember the dream I had a few nights before. I had a dream they lived in a really big house and I had a multi-coloured room and a massive bed all for me and all my toys and dolls.

The day came. I was finally getting adopted, going to a new home with new people. As we left I waved good-bye and blew a huge kiss to Stephanie for all she had done for me. After we went through the gates the lady said:

"We're going to take you to the shops and buy you a new wardrobe of clothes and then tonight we'll take you out for a special treat."

I had a huge grin on my face and I said: "I love you all."

We were on our way home from the shops and I was really excited. They had a massive house and it was the best moment of my life. As I stepped into the house I hugged them all and said:

"Thank you very much Mum and Dad!"

They cried with joy at me calling them Mum and Dad, and my new sister gave me a tour of the house. I loved it.

"For the first few days you can sleep with your new sister 'til you get used to things," Mum said.

I changed out of my scruffy clothes and changed into a fairytale dress. It was big and pink. We went for food in the nicest restaurant in town and I got to pick anything I wanted. Before, Mum, my real mum, just picked me a bowl of free salad but that was the only time I had ever gone out for food. (It was my mum's friend's birthday and Mum couldn't afford to have a babysitter so I had to go with her).

It was the start of summer and I had the best time of my life. We went to Disneyland Paris for a whole month and for the rest of my holidays I met all my new family. There were loads of them!

Finally, I started Riverbank Primary. I had a brand new uniform; I was scared and excited at the same time. We got to school and Mum took me to meet my brand new teacher. I recognised her face as Mum was talking to her but I wasn't sure from where, then as we started class the teacher introduced me... I still wasn't sure who it was.

In the morning we did painting, (every time in my old school we did paintings and brought them home Mum would rip them up), and in the afternoon we did some English.

Mum came to come and pick me and my sister up from school and I said:

"This is for you."

It was a painting of my new dad, mum and sister and me outside the house. Mum loved it. When we got home she put it on the fridge door and said:

"That painting isn't going anywhere near the bin."
The Day I Met My Crazy Best Friend!

Bailey Garner, Cwrt Sart

It was the night before my first day of comp. I was so scared because I was coming from a primary that wasn't close to the new school. I didn't know anyone who was going there and I had never been there before. All I could think of was getting lost or being late or getting in the way of the big boys with their hoods up walking around school! I thought starting a new school was fun and a nice change but all I wanted to do was lock myself in my room and throw away the key. The only things keeping me away from doing that: my door doesn't have a lock and my mum was cooking a roast dinner.

After dinner my mum made me go and get my new uniform and my school bag ready. The night seemed to go very fast after that. I guess that's just my luck since I was dreading school anyway!

The next day came and I was so nervous but I put my uniform on, had my breakfast and left for school. I was walking when all of a sudden I fell and hurt my ankle really badly. I was on the floor for about thirty seconds when I heard a girl's voice asking if I was ok.

I looked around and there was a girl about the same height as me and she wore glasses like me. We looked so alike it was weird.

She ran up to me and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Lauren Burfitt. Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine thank you. I'm Bailey," I said, getting up.

We started talking on the way, just about family and stuff, and then we got into school. I found out that she was coming to this school on her own too so we agreed that we would stick together for the first couple of days. We were in the same form and had to go in pairs and go on a treasure hunt. It was loads of fun and we bonded really well. The teachers thought we were sisters because we stuck together all day.

After school Lauren came over and we had loads of fun, then me and my mum took her home and met her parents. Then she asked me if I wanted to go to Tenby with her in a couple of weeks and I said yes. Tomorrow we are going to plan it and I cant wait!
My Cousin

Lauren Burfitt, Cwrt Sart

My cousin is the World's best cousin I could ever have! Chloe is always there for me. She is amazing, funky and cool to be around.

Chloe is happier than a laughing hyena.

Chloe's eyes are a twinkly brown like mud.

Her skin is as white as snow and her hair is black like a raven.

She is slim and small as a branch.

She gracefully walks into the room. Then you will know how delicate she is.

Chloe is as tall as a twenty year old but can be shorter than a six year old; her shoulders are very relaxed. She stands straight like a pole.

One thing Chloe always does is come to our grandmother's house and we always help her out. People always say we are like two peas in a pod.

Chloe always says to me when I am down "Don't cry Lauren it will all be ok." After Chloe says that I feel much better then.

When I see Chloe I feel like the bright sun on a bright summer's day. I feel she lights up so brightly she can blind you every time she sees you.
The Zargonian Gift

Sam Harris, Bro Myrddin

Tim Luckdale was walking his dog, Rover. Rover was a very old but quite energetic Jack Russell who loved to walk on the beach. Tim was a sixty something year old widower with no family and was retired.

He was walking Rover on the beach but it was not your typical beach weather. It was drizzling and there was a slight mist around. Tim felt that there was something strange or out of the ordinary about the day. As he was walking Rover he was chucking a ball as well. He chucked the ball into the mist and he could not see where it landed, but Rover didn't hesitate and ran after it. Tim waited for five minutes for Rover to return, but there was no sign of him.

Suddenly, a loud barking noise came out of nowhere. Tim followed the barking to find Rover barking at a.... well... you wouldn't think anyone would know what it was. It looked like some kind of crashed spaceship. It had no wings, smoke was coming out of the spaceship and it was small.

"Down boy", said Tim to Rover. Tim stepped on to the spaceship; it looked like it was a spaceship for one person. He stepped in to what looked like a control or engine room because it had about a million switches and a big chair. In the chair there was a creature the like of which Tim had never seen before. It was an alien. It had green reptile skin and stood about three foot tall. It looked very tired and hurt. It had a very deep wound in its chest with green liquid oozing out. It was quite obvious that the alien was not going to live for much longer.

"My. Name... is. ........Zargon. I am from the planet Zargonia. I am on a mission to give an object to humankind because our race does not know what it is," said Zargon. "There is a box behind you..."

Tim looked behind him to find a small black box. It was small enough to hold with one hand.

"Take it and go," said Zargon. Then he screamed in pain and he was no more.

Tim sprinted as fast as he could with the box in his hand until he arrived at his house.

"What do you think is in the box?" Tim asked Rover

"I'll open it shall I?" Rover barked in excitement.

Tim opened the box and inside was a whistle.

"It's a whistle" he said, disappointed. "Wha-hey!" he said sarcastically before he blew it.

But when he blew, smoke came out of it. When the smoke faded away there was a man standing there. He was wearing an ordinary top, jeans, flip-flops and a baseball cap.

"My name is Joe and I am a genie. I am here to grant you three wishes. Take your time ok! You do not have to take them all today ok! I must go through the rules ok!"

Tim stood silent, too shocked even to manage an ok of his own.

"Rule One – Never tell anyone about this ok? Rule Two – You are not allowed to wish for more wishes and if you do a wish will be taken away from you, I'm afraid. That's all the rules," said the Genie, "and if you want me to go for now just blow the whistle ok."

Tim was just standing in complete shock and then he blew the whistle. It was only 8:30pm but he was very tired. The day had shaken him out. So he went to bed with the whistle. He dreamt about what to wish for. He dreamt about having a spaceship or becoming as famous as Simon Cowell and owning a helicopter. He did not need any of these but he could not think of anything else.

He woke and looked at the clock. 9:00am, Saturday. He went down stairs and made himself some toast and gave Rover some dog food. As he was eating his toast he stared at the whistle.

He blew it. In an instant Joe appeared out of nowhere.

"My first wish is to achieve World peace," said Tim to Joe.

"Wait a minute, it's not as easy as that. You must now do the Hakka!" replied Joe.

Tim started doing the Hakka half-heartedly.

"Come on a bit more effort!" said Joe.

"Is this good enough?" asked Tim.

"I was only joking, you didn't have to do anything, your wish is granted. Two more to go man!" said Joe, and then he vanished into thin air.

Tim went back to his toast and put the television on, it was the news. It went to a reporter in Syria who said enthusiastically:

"Breaking news! There is now peace throughout the World, we don't know how long it will last but we are hoping for the best.".

Tim turned the television off. He went upstairs to change into his clothes and then took Rover out for a walk. Today he chose to walk on the path that takes you to the village of Pilkton.

He walked into the Trout Inn, the local pub, leaving Rover outside.

"The usual?" asked Jeff, the owner of the pub.

Jeff had known Tim for years, he even went to school with him.

"Yes please" replied Tim. Jeff got out a pint glass and poured many different liquids into it. It looked like he was making a potion.

"One Fishermen's Special. That will be three pounds please," said Jeff.

Tim handed the money over.

"Let me ask you a question," said Tim. "Just out of curiosity. If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?"

"Well I would probably wish for a new car and to have my own golf course because the people on our course are as slow as slugs!" answered Jeff.

"Aye to that one! But the third one?" asked Tim.

"I would probably wish for a new house," answered Jeff again.

"Ok then!" said Tim. Then he drank all of his potion-like drink, went outside to get Rover, and went home.

When he arrived home he got his whistle out and blew it. Joe came out of nowhere.

"I wish to have a new house," said Tim.

"Ok, I'm just saying that this will not take effect straight away. You will need to go to sleep first. You have one wish left ok?" said Joe and then he left.

Tim looked at his watch. It was 11:00 am. To pass time he watched telly all day until 9pm because he was so excited! At last bedtime arrived and he went to bed and dreamt about what kind of house it would be. Would it have a cinema, maids, swimming pool etc. etc.?

When Tim woke he was in a small room with a small window and an old black and white television. He was lying in a single bed and on the floor on a dog's bed was Rover. He got up and checked for a door; there were three. He opened one and it revealed an ordinary bathroom, with a toilet and a stand-in shower.

"Very nice en-suite" Tim said to himself.

He left the bathroom and opened another door; there was a hall with many doors. all with numbers on them. He shut that door and looked through the other one. It was a kitchen; a small kitchen. He shut that door and feared for the worse – it was a flat!

He looked outside the window and there was a view over a road and a lot of shops. There were three tanks and about thirty soldiers behind them with a rifle each. Confused, Tim put the telly on. The trusty reporter was in Beijing.

"Breaking news! World War Three has started. China and Russia are at war with the rest of the world."

Still confused, Tim blew his whistle and out came Joe.

"What happened?" asked Tim.

"Well you have a new house," said Joe.

"No! The World peace thing? Plus, I asked for a new house, not this!" replied Tim in a snap. "The World peace only lasted one day and you've started World War Three!"

"This is a new house! You didn't ask for a nicer house," replied Joe. "And as for World peace, it's not my fault you lot always want to fight!"

"OK," said Tim. "What a mess! I wish everything could go back to normal; and that this never happened; and for this to happen right now!"

"Ok!" Joe clicked his fingers and said "Lets go!" The both of them and Rover vanished.

Tim was walking Rover on the beach. "The less said about this the better... let's go home," said Tim. And they did.
The Preacher

Aled Lloyd, Bro Myrddin

This was the end and I was done for because he had found me. He laughed at me as he destroyed my soul. As he looked at me, there he stood, crippling my emotions as he made me think of the unfortunate events of my life. For he made all our nightmares; for he makes us all want power; he makes us fight and kill for it; he makes us break the rules as he vows to wreck our lives and the planet we live on. Of course, I'm talking about The Preacher!

My name is Sam. I live in a normal house with Mum, Dad and my dog Mabli. Or I thought I lived in a normal house, until the events that happened that day changed my life forever. Here's where it all begins.

A regular Monday and I wasn't feeling myself, almost as if something had happened to me. I got into class and we read a book about a creature from the reckless lands of Hell called The Preacher – a creature made by Satan himself, who could control your mind and make you do things you didn't intend to and could change your soul to make it dark, twisted and evil. Obviously it didn't scare me! But while I was in school everyone looked at me in a different way. Even John the school bully wouldn't approach me.

On the bus everyone would look at me as if I was the new kid on the block, though no one would dare speak about me. I was like a ghost of some sort which everyone could see but would have a curse if they spoke about.

I came home to sense a smell of spices. I thought about what it would be and quickly realised it was curry! After the scrumptious meal I did my homework, watched some TV and went to bed. As I drifted off, I saw a figure. I got scared so I shut my eyes and tried to go to sleep, but the figure cried "Sleep! Sleep and it will go away." I ignored it and despite my fears I fell asleep.

All of a sudden I woke up. I found myself in a hot place surrounded by rock with yellow, orange and red gems and I saw lava pools in the distance.

"Where am I?" I said.

A voice behind me said "You're in my domain, Sam, Satan's domain: you are in hell! Now, you are thinking why you are here? Yes. You are here because you carry my mark!"

At first I thought he was joking but I felt my forehead and what felt like a mark in the shape of a cross and a number six was on my skin! I suddenly realised that he had taken control of my soul and I realised that I was now his servant. I would now do actions that I couldn't help doing with no way to stop him or me.

I woke to find myself standing in my parents' bedroom holding a knife that was covered in blood, warm blood. My mother was screaming, "How could you? You have killed your father!"

I heard police sirens outside and my mother ran out to them, frightened for her life, screaming, "He's in there! He's in there!"

I suddenly realised that he'd framed me for killing my own father and all of a sudden a great flash appeared!

I woke up in a vehicle with a figure in the corner. He whispered to me "This is just the beginning!"

His voice had a low pitch and to my horror he laughed and cried "See you in hell Sam!" and vanished as the van door opened and two policemen grabbed each of my arms. They dragged me through the crowd and what I didn't realise is that they were dragging me in to a court where there were press constantly taking photos, reporters from all over Australia and a crowd of rioters screaming "GUILTY! Off with his head!"

The police didn't do much. They were trying to keep the mobs away from me.

I walked into the courtroom. I was put in a box with metal bars and it was locked. A man called out "All stand for your judge, Dallas Preacher!"

I couldn't believe it, The Preacher was the judge. So with no hope I cried "Guilty, Guilty, I killed him, I killed my dad. It was I."

The Preacher smacked down his hammer and shouted "Guilty of the murder of David Sam Montgommary!"

Two men grabbed me and tossed me into a van and all you could hear was the mob screaming and clapping with joy, and all of a sudden I saw a flash again.

After coming round I felt a hard surface as cold as ice. I groaned as I opened my eyes to see I was in a courtyard. I was wearing an itchy uniform just like all the figures around me. I looked up to see a very tall man with a big build gently say "Fresh blood, eh?"

"What?" I said confused.

"You new to this place? Welcome to Blackheart Prison."

I got up and said, "Where are we?"

He laughed and said, "In the middle of Mount Hendre!" which did explain why there was no natural light and only hot air.

"Has anyone ever escaped from here?" I asked

"No. We are in the middle of this mountain. Below there is lava everywhere and scaling the inside of the mountain is impossible."

Since there was no way out I introduced myself.

He replied: "My name is Donovan but everyone calls me D, so just call me that."

"Watch out!" D shouted. A group of prisoners started throwing stones at us and we ran for cover.

"Who the hell are those guys!?" I asked.

"That's a gang called CD (Chinese Dominators), and you have woke up on their territory."

I ran back to D's cell and there was a spare bed so he let me sleep there for a while.

The cell had two small beds and a toilet, and bars on the windows of course, blocking a hole which gave us a view. There were ten floors, each with a balcony which had the courtyard below. I asked if anyone had ever jumped before and his reply was, "Yes, too many. And if you want to die on impact you will need to jump off the tenth floor and land head first like a lad did a month ago. He survived the fall, screamed loud, then died seconds later."

D stared at my head and said "You've got the Mark! The Preacher Mark which means you have ten days of your life left!"

I panicked and asked "How do I destroy the mark?"

He said there was only one way to do this. Word has it that the waters of the heavens fall into the lake at the bottom of the mountain, so you have to escape the world's most impeccable prison and scale down the world's tallest mountain... all in ten days!

"Where's our belongings?" I asked.

He mentioned that they were kept by the lift which is heavily guarded. I thought it would be better to die trying to get out of this hellhole instead of dying in it.

Days passed as I watched the guards, monitoring the times they went by. There was only one time every day that remained the same - 5.45pm.

The next day, 5.45, I waited behind a metal locker. D thought I was in great debt to him but I had decided to make this journey on my own.

All of a sudden the guard patrol left the lift area. I had two minutes before the guards returned so I ran from behind the metal locker to the lift, reached the surface and a small part of the mountain opened up as if it was a secret escape – as if someone had tried this before! It took me to the bottom of the mountain.

There was the lake! I ran towards it, but as I ran I felt weak, as if my body was shutting down. My legs felt dead as I fell to the ground and my eyes started to close, but as my body got weaker a figure grew stronger – a black, dark creature with a bright purple left eye and a weaker dark green right eye. It was The Preacher! And with no time to react, he grabbed me by the neck and drew out a knife with dark red blood on it. I realised that it was the very blade that he had used, through me, to murder my father. He then stuck the blade deep into my stomach. It bled like a swollen river, the pain unbearable, and then he slit the knife across my throat. And then, once more, I saw a flash!

I was back in hell but with no emotion, no body and no soul.

This was the end, done for because he had found me. He laughed at me as he destroyed my soul. As he looked at me, there he stood, crippling my emotions as he made me think of the unfortunate events of my past life. For he made me think of all my past nightmares; for he makes people want power, which makes us fight and kill; for he makes us want to break the rules and he vows to wreck our lives and that planet we live on. Of course, I'm talking about The Preacher.
Strange Beginnings

Liam Quiros, Bro Myrddin

As he sat on the diamond shaped rug in front of the fire, he turned his head left and then right. Outside the window the lights were being put out and the shops were closing.

You could hardly see through the window. It was frosty and the frost was making icy patterns dance on the glass.

"You must be cold," said the lady soothingly as she came through the door and put a blanket on his shoulders.

I must be in the front room, he thought to himself, glancing out the window as he did. For some unknown reason he couldn't remember a thing that had happened before. All he remembered were snippets. Him running, a gunshot, and then... darkness.

He could only remember two things: his name, Tim Hun, and lying on the floor as still as the darkness that fills the night sky, the lady slowly walking towards him like a slow but steady tortoise.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of the tortoise lady's voice.

"You need something to eat," she paused, "lying on the road like that," she continued.

He looked at her strangely with his head tilted to the side like that of a dog in confusion. She looked him in the eye then walked out and called back "I'll make soup."

Tim was wide awake at twelve o'clock. He told himself he had to go to bed so he made a bed with what he found: a beige sofa, a red blanket and a pink dressing gown which he scrunched up to use as a pillow. He settled down and closed his eyes...

He was running through the streets, a man was shouting "Tim, run!" over and over. There was a gunshot, then he heard the tortoise lady scream.

Tim woke with a start. He discovered cold sweat on his forehead and he felt feverish. He then had a sudden urge to see the tortoise lady. He ran to every room.

He suddenly came across a door that was slightly ajar. He ran in calling "Ma'am, Ma'am!" but no reply came. He turned on a lamp but he wished that he had kept the light off because the gruelling sight that lay before him would make even an undertaker's stomach lurch.

He saw the tortoise lady's face as pale as the snow white sheet that lay on top of her. There was a vast patch of crimson red in the middle of the blanket. Tim knew straight away what had happened to poor, frail and kind hearted Arabella Stoneheart. Her heart had indeed became as lifeless as a stone.

#### One Way Journey [Extract]

Gemma Davies, Bro Myrddin

When it snows in the middle of July you know there is something wrong. It's not normal but nor is my life. I have never lived a normal life. I'm not a normal girl, but that's just me....

My name is Kayla. Kayla James? Kayla Williams? Kayla Evans...? I don't actually know what my surname is. I don't remember my mum, dad or my twin brother Keyn. They were in a car accident, and as far as I know they all passed away.

It was a very sad time in my life but as I was only three I didn't know much about it. They were going for a swim, and I was left with my auntie. I think my auntie Lola regrets saying yes to babysitting me. Auntie Lola has always had something against me ever since her babysitting session turned from three hours to many, many years! I was born on April Fool's day so I guess my whole life has been a joke.

My Auntie Lola and I live in a one-bedroom council flat. Auntie Lola hasn't got a job or money. She walked out on her parents and quit school when she was just fourteen. Because of that she now can't afford to do anything and hasn't got the qualifications for a job. We share an old dirty mattress on the floor with mice living inside it. There's no television or couch, just a few mouldy cardboard boxes to sit on. We've got no carpets or heating and we live off the light of the sun and the odd flicker of the light bulb. To top it all off, Auntie Lola is a nasty, lazy, smelly old hag with no sense of humour and no care in the world for anyone but herself. She only fostered me for the money and to have a free servant!

Then we've got my school. Ducy High it was originally called, but as it stands today it's not hard to see why everyone calls it "Dumpcy High School." It's better than my auntie's little flat but it is still an absolute dump! My mum and dad were both wealthy and well respected people. They were both heart surgeons and earned a great deal, but they spent it very carefully. If the accident hadn't happened I would have had my own bedroom, my own furniture, clean water... but it did happen and here I am. They left all the money to my auntie.

Auntie Lola has a drug addiction and a smoking addiction which is leading her to death. If she had spent the money wisely she would have a house, a life, a future. But now she is heading to the graveyard with me watching it all.

I am fed up of being her servant. Auntie Lola never does anything for herself. She is going clubbing tonight yet again. Leaving me on my own. I can't stand her anymore, staggering home in the early hours of the morning. Tonight I am going to pack my bags and leave. But I'm not leaving until she gets what she deserves...

"Remember Kelsey," Auntie Lola shouted up the stairs.

"It's Kayla!" I shouted back cheekily.

"I don't care what your name is, just remember to put a FRESH glass of water by the mattress for me when I come home." And with that she slammed the door behind her. As if I would forget her "f-r-e-s-h glass of water". It was the most important thing to do today.

It wasn't very hard to put the oven cleaner in the glass. It was see-through so you couldn't see a difference. Especially if you were drunk drinking it! That was the easiest part of my plan. After that I hid behind the cardboard boxes until my auntie came home.

I was terrified watching her gulp down her "water", terrified in case she spotted what I had done. I started to panic about it. Was I really going to let the person who had looked after me for the last twelve long years just disappear...?

By the time these thoughts had come into my mind I saw my auntie shiver and then sit down. My legs were trembling as I watched her, I saw her eyes roll back and she collapsed. That was it. I heard no breathing. That's when I realised I had actually killed my auntie.

That was a few days ago. Now I don't have anywhere to go. I've got my skateboard and my rucksack. I don't fancy turning myself in for care, it would be much better than where I was living but I don't want to feel locked up again.

I had no food, but then again I hardly had any living in the flat. Thinking about it now, I am glad I did what I did to Auntie Lola. I still feel very guilty but she deserved it. After all, she should have been very glad I didn't phone the police on her!

I am just walking and walking and walking. I swear I must have walked the same route over and over again. I honestly don't know where to go, but there is no turning back now. I have just got to keep – on – walking...

I stayed in an old bus stop. There were mostly old men there and I didn't feel very safe so I only stayed for a couple of nights before I found the "grafts". It's called the "grafts" because every wall is covered in graffiti. It's an old tunnel that hadn't been used for years before Matthew and Sam found it. Matthew and Sam are the gang's leaders. There are ten of us living in the 'grafts'. I was very lucky to have found the place, and I was the tenth and final person to be allowed in.

I got a very warm welcome. First I got introduced to the third, fourth and fifth people to find the 'graft', the triplets Sarah, Chris and Hannah. They have all got bright ginger hair, cute brown freckles and always have a cheeky smile on their faces. They are only five years old and very short. They are so cute.

Then I met the sixth and seventh people to find the place, Harley and Elis, two brothers who are only seven and nine. Mischievous characters with a great sense of humour. As soon as I met Harley and Elis it made me feel a little upset knowing that I would never again see my brother... Then I met Emily, the oldest of us girls. She is seventeen going on twenty-five. She is very mature and very helpful. She always seems to know when there is something wrong and always has the right words to cheer you up.

Then I was introduced to Keyn. I was shocked. Completely shocked... Could this be the Keyn I thought had died twelve long years ago? My own twin brother?
Glyndwr's Crown [Extract]

###### Garmon Dyfri, Bro Myrddin

Jade is a new student at Taff Valley School in Cardiff. After travelling from Carmarthen, she is placed in the House of Glyndwr. When a mysterious old lady gives her a rather secretive amulet, all sort of things begin to happen for her and her new friend Rhys. Will they beat the headmaster and the caretaker to the Crown? And will they discover who they are in their quest to find Glyndwr's Crown?

##### Chapter 1

Jade, a confident young lady, stood quietly on platform two staring at the wintry looking scene of the train station. The quickly pouring rain covered the large rough area that was owned by the Cardiff Train Station. The fast flowing wind brushed the rain towards all corners of the deserted station, especially towards the fourteen year old girl who was as still as a statue. The station was like a painting. A great painting by one of the most recognizable artists the world had witnessed. There was nothing happening. No trains were leaving. No trains were arriving. No one was moving. There was just stillness with drops of cheeky water spoiling the great picture.

Jade looked around to see if there was anyone else there as the place was surprisingly quiet. There was, but they all looked a bit like the weather – gloomy, miserable and surrounded by the cursed winter. All of the other travellers were wearing raincoats and you'd have to be quite stupid not to be. They pulled up their sleeves every now and then to stare angrily towards their watches, predicting when their train would arrive to carry them to warmth and dryness.

Jade was wearing a purple coat covered by the lightly coloured silver stripes which were glow in the dark. Her expensive looking navy jeans were losing colour quickly as the selfish, brutal conditions stole their identity. Her purple, glowing shoes looked rather confused with the weather after seeing months of warm sunshine and no gusty wind. They looked dismal as the sparkles glared at the dark sky above them. Jade didn't bother to pull her heavy sleeves up for a quick glance at the time. For all she knew, her taxi would be waiting outside the train station for her wet body to rise from the soaked stairs.

She entered the indoor area and dragged her heavy, precious pink case, which had a flag of Wales proudly all over it, through the surprisingly large space. Inside it looked like the whole population of her beloved country had turned up to cheer her on.

They had all parked themselves randomly in a chosen spot and had parked their luggage out of the way of the large drops of water which were finding their ground outside. Jade felt and looked miserable as she filed carefully through the smallest of gaps in the large audience. She kept having to say 'sorry' awkwardly to innocent travellers who had done nothing to her due mainly to her heavy bag that dragged over their feet or bumped into their muscled legs.

When she finally arrived at the main entrance, her taxi wasn't there. The only scene she saw through the large automatic doors was a quiet looking Cardiff city centre. Countless buildings shivered strongly against the gusty winds that dominated Cardiff. There wasn't a single vehicle on the rough roads and everything looked like it was preparing for the worst natural disaster Cardiff and Wales had witnessed, that would undoubtedly kill everyone and everything.

Jade made the difficult decision to step through the identical sliding automatic doors, out into the coldness. She waited, shivering quietly, quiet in the middle of the storm, waiting agonisingly for a black car with a yellow sign flying above it.

She hadn't seen such weather for months, but the daily forecast had predicted that there was a bad storm travelling its way through South Wales and deeper into the country. After another minute of frustration whilst she was biting her nails anxiously, the loud roar of a weak engine echoed all around her.

She looked surprised by the cry of the painful sounding engine that was brutally withstanding the bad weather. Although the engine was by far not the strongest, loudest engine Jade had ever heard, it topped the wind's blustery song as the vehicle dragged along carefully and strongly along the Tarmaced road.

As the taxi approached the designated area for drop offs and pick ups, Jade noticed the windscreen wipers fluttering painfully, clearing the fast hitting rain from the driver's view. It danced along the glass, waving the drops of rain to the side where more and more water was piling up surprisingly quickly.

As the taxi pulled over to make it easier for Jade to enter, the front passenger seat window slid down, squeaking its way past the edge of the door. Hiding behind the window was the driver. This sluggish looking man was big and wide and was held tightly against his large seat by an annoying looking black seat belt. Most of the hair on top of his head had disappeared but there were a few of the lucky ones hanging proudly, easily cared for, and flying in the wind. They all looked like they were wishing they had their old friends battling the battle with them.

He wasn't short of facial hair though, that was certain. He had a beard in the shape of a banana from the bottom of one ear to the other. He had dark horrifying eyes that stared towards the girl and a rather long nose. He had the smallest of ears but the largest of frowns. On his large body was a simple black t-shirt with the question 'Taxi?' written in white on it. He wore a black leather jacket and on his fat looking legs were beautiful looking black trousers. It was sure that no one would try to mess with this man. He definitely horrified Jade. But Jade had a nice shock when his first words were spoken. His kind voice spoke:

"Are you by any chance Jade Thomas?"

"Yes. I am Jade Thomas!" she answered instantly.

"Jump in then, we don't want you to get a cold now, do we! Especially when we are less than twenty minutes away from your new school!" he laughed.

With all her muscle, Jade lifted her bag onto the other seat in the back row of the taxi. Then she jumped in and strapped herself into the tight fitting seatbelt. The driver pressed the accelerator and drove off.
What Year is It?

Mared Owen, Bro Myrddin

The rain pitter-patters against the window. The wind shakes the window pane, sending cold draughts of air down my back, making me shiver every now and again. Our teacher drones on in his dull voice about someone called Elizabeth. Not that I care an ounce about history lessons. What's the point of learning about things that have happened, that have lived, that have died? Why should we suffer, sitting here learning about pointless stuff? Science is much better. At least there is a point to our suffering on that particular subject. At least it affects us, the present and the future...

"Lucy Abstract! Did you hear what I just said?" our gaunt old man of a teacher shouted. Another question for you: why are teacher's so annoying? And how do they find a way to squirm into your daydream every time you doze off? I'll bet you that I was on my way to a brilliant scientific discovery or something, but he interrupted me during my reverie... And who knows? Maybe my to-be amazing idea is lost forever.

"Umm...Yes! Of course I did Sir!" I replied, crossing my fingers behind my back while I smiled sweetly.

"Then why is it taking so long for you to answer?" he asked impatiently.

I must advise you to think carefully before daydreaming in class, especially in history lessons. You MUST have a reply at the ready. Even if you have a sharp tongue and a quick mind, always be ready with an answer (unlike me!).

"Er, I was waiting for you to repeat the question, Sir...?" I mumbled hopefully. NOT A GOOD IDEA. If you have sensitive feelings (sounds familiar) and hate getting hurt (heard that one before), then don't EVER answer with my pathetic reply. Because he just laughed nastily!

"Detention for you," he sighed while scribbling a note. "Lunchtime tomorrow, Lucy, my classroom." He eye-balled several other troublemakers. "And to everyone else. Take heed of this punishment!"

Why do history teachers, especially ones specialising in the Tudor era, speak using the outdated version of the English language. I mean, GET WITH THE PROGRAMME! But as I was just about to exhale in relief he turned around.

"I thought better of you Lucy. You're usually one of my best pupils." And with that he spun on his heel.

Huh! Best pupil, really? I guess I am usually a goody-two-shoes and always pay attention in every single lesson, whatever the subject or topic. But today I had something on my mind.

I glanced at my open bag. It would be risky to even think about reading the book now, but what's the worst that can happen? I've already received detention, and the book is about the size of our history work books... I quickly scanned the room. Everyone was either dozing off or gazing dully into the distance. No one was even looking in my direction.

While our teacher had his back to us, writing something on the white board – probably summarising the lesson or his totally pointless rant – I reached hastily for the book and in a flash it was lying open on my desk. Then I hurriedly tried to make it look like my open work book, putting my personal planner and my two pencil cases at the front of my desk, hiding the edge of my book, which unfortunately was an old, tattered hardback. Phew! Just in time. Because our teacher had just turned around to face us once again.

I saw that he was glimpsing at me now and again out of the corner of his eye. I smiled angelically up at him, trying my best to act as innocent as possible, and when he asked a question... Oh boy! I put on all of my 'teacher's pet' qualities on show and my hand shot poker straight up into the air.

He chose me immediately, probably pleased that I had once again become his 'favourite pupil' and I answered perfectly, even if I say so myself. My plan worked perfectly as well and I could breathe easily once again, with him off my back. Now I could get to work!
Going to Aberavon Beach

###### Natasha Wood, Cwrt Sart

"The sun is shinning, it's a lovely day, what can we do?" asked a young girl whose name was Ed.

Ed was in her teenage years and as you know them years are pretty stroppy.

"I know! Why don't we go cycling?" suggested Eddie's brother Noah.

"Maybe not," said their mother.

"Well, what else shall we do?" said Noah.

"How about we go to the beach?" exclaimed their mother excitedly.

"Yeah! Can we get some chips and ice-cream as well?" replied Ed.

"Well, I guess I can make an exception for once!" said their mother.

"Thanks Mam, you're the best!" replied Noah with excitement.

Off they went down to Aberavon beach, when suddenly their car broke down!

"Oh no! The car's broke down!" they all said.

"Are we ever going to get to the beach?" asked Ed.

"Yes we are, and I'm going to make sure of that, I promise!" their Mam replied looking very concerned.

She climbed out of the car. She couldn't think what was wrong. So they decided to call the RAC. The closest RAC is in Swansea.

"Hello, how can I help you?" the RAC lady said.

"Well, my car has broken down," she said with shock.

"Where are you?" asked the lady politely.

"I'm by Aberavon beach," she answered.

"Well, I'm going to have to know the street name," she explained.

"Wait one second, I'll be right back," she said tiredly. She went off looking for the street name still holding the phone to her ear. "Ah found it! Is it Roland street?" she exclaimed.

"Yes that's it. We'll be there in about ten to fifteen minutes, is that okay?" said the RAC lady.

"Yes that's fine," said the mum with joy.

In the next fifteen minutes they finally came.

"Hooray!" shouted the kids with excitement.

"Hello. My name's Ben. I'm here to see to your car," he said.

"Yes okay," the mum replied.

"Mmmm. There's nothing wrong with your engine. But I have noticed that you are out of petrol! Did you check your petrol light?"

"No ... well ... I don't think so," she replied shamefully.

"Okay, I will replace your petrol but it'll cost five pound," said the RAC man.

"Okay."

So in the end they finally went to the beach

A Strange Tale [Extract]

Gwen Lewis, Bro Myrddin

"I don't want to!" Jack protested all night long, but his mum would not give in.

"Sam doesn't have to leave and travel all the way to some backward country full of sheep to live with strangers. Why do I have to?"

"Because I'm your mother, and I say so! Besides, who is this Sam you keep talking about? He can't be very smart if he's not going. Anything could happen in this stupid war. You don't want to die now, do you Jack?"

"No", he mumbled, recognising the fear in her voice.

"Good, now pop into bed. You've got a big day tomorrow don't forget."

"Night, night mum. I'll miss you"

"Night Sweetie. Sleep tight." She kissed him on the forehead and walked slowly out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Jack listened to his mother sighing on the other side of the door before settling down to sleep.

The noise at the station was deafening. The screams of children refusing to let go of their mums, the laughter of others and the rumbling and screeching of the train as it arrived at the station, stopping in front of the thousands of children waiting to board and about to embark on a life-changing journey.

Jack walked unsteadily to the back of the queue, constantly glancing in the direction of his tearful mum who stood behind the huge station gates alongside hundreds of other mums, all bravely trying to hide their tears.

As Jack boarded the train, he glanced back one last time and noticed Sam rushing towards him, pushing and shoving his way through the crowds. As the train doors were closing, Sam finally reached the front of the crowd, throwing a parcel through the closing doors as he did so. The parcel landed at Jack's feet just as the train doors slammed shut.

Jack quickly retrieved the parcel from amongst the many pairs of feet and walked down the packed aisle, winding his way through brothers, sisters and friends chatting excitedly. Jack had no one.

He eventually found an empty seat and sat down with a sigh, feeling lonelier than he'd ever felt in his life. Throughout the journey he fingered the parcel, trying to guess what might be inside. It seemed very hard, extremely heavy for its size and a very odd shape. He couldn't decide whether to open it immediately or hide it away until he arrived at his destination. After some debate, Jack became so intrigued that he decided to have a quick peak at what was inside his mysterious parcel.

He tore off a corner slowly and peered inside but all he could see was a white piece of paper, a note he guessed, and something shiny that he couldn't quite make out. He decided to read the note so stuck his fingers into the parcel and carefully pulled out the white piece of paper.

Dear Jack,

I am so, so sorry that I will not be travelling with you to your destination, wherever that may be. Please take this gift to remind you of our friendship. I have a feeling that it may be useful in the future and could come in handy some day.

Sam.

"A key? How could that come in handy some day?" Jack thought to himself. Sam had always seemed different. He never went to school and Jack had never met or even heard him talk about his parents. He had always been there though, whenever Jack felt lonely or down. But why would he want to give Jack a key?

He had no time to ponder the mystery any further. The train came to a sudden stop. They had reached their destination. This was the part he had been most dreading. He quickly stuffed the key and the crumpled note into his pocket and prepared to meet his new "family".
The Wrong Choice

Alice Morgan, Cwrt Sart

One day a Mermaid and a Merfather were taking a daily swim through the Great Barrier Reef. They enjoyed it. Annabella Lirmar was seventeen and personally loved to explore the wide and beautiful aspects of the corals and reefs but often her strong and not easy to please father Jackson would watch over her.

"It is Saturday so I think I'll go and feed the clownfish with some left over bread crumbs from the Mermarket Downtown," whispered Annabella to herself.

"Bye Father. May I go and feed the clownfish by Flynn reef?"

"Of course. Just be back in time to eat dinner, my special beef and tomato soup," replied Jackson.

"Really! How did you get the ingredients?" asked Annabella curiously.

"There's a myth of a boy who can both live above land most of the time and swim exceptionally well," said Jackson cautiously.

"Well he sounds interesting and talented but I must now go as they must be getting peckish," Annabella said as she bid farewell to her last remaining family, and went off, flipping her tail, out into the deep blue reefs of extreme beauty.

Maybe not many fish will be around as the crown of thorns starfish are usually dominating the reef, thought Anna to herself.

When she found the clownfish she smiled and started to sprinkle out the breadcrumbs from her small floral clutch bag. Then she noticed that they were all gradually moving away and swimming towards a delightful smell. This confused her. She fed them every week. So, true to her nickname Adventurous Annabella, he decided to take a closer look.

Swimming franticly upwards, Anna hit the top of the crystal clear water and found a poor teenage boy feeding her clownfish BISCUITS! Yes, you heard me right!

"Hello. Are you okay? What's your name? I'm Annabella by the way" shouted Anna.

"Shaun. And I'm fine thanks," replied the cold Shaun.

"Do you need anything, are you okay with water?"

"Swimming and adventure is my life!" replied Shaun positively.

"That's amazing! So what is your favourite animal Shaun?"

"Probably a Duck. You?" answered Shaun.

"A what? Is it like a land animal because I'd love to see Australia or a bit of it anyway but my Dad would never let me!"

"So I'm guessing yours is a kind of fish?" grinned Shaun.

"Well this chat was nice and awkward but I must be getting back to my father."

"We could see Australia together?" said Shaun out loud, out of the blue!

"Okay! Maybe I will talk to my dad. But where will you go and how will we ever meet again?"

"Well I've been kicked out so I live here, there and everywhere. I'll be at this very spot at ten thirty sharp tomorrow and good luck persuading your tight dad Anna!" replied the cheeky Shaun.

"My Dad is great company as it's only me and him now. Just trust me Shaun, I'll be there. I wouldn't miss this opportunity for the world."

Waking up Anna rubbed her eyes and prepared for her dad to go crazy about her decision to travel with a perfectly appealing stranger.

"Father, I'm going away for about two weeks to finally travel Australia. Well, in the East anyway," mumbled Anna firstly.

"What! I don't want you to go Annabella because you know how awfully lonely I get."

"I'm really sorry, but the opportunity came so you'll just have to put up with it. I'm nearly eighteen."

Kissing her father on the cheek she swam out the door and watched a tear run down his eye.

"I'm here but what next?" asks Anna.

"Well we swim to Bondai Beach firstly and get an ice cream for the both of us with the remaining fifteen dollars I have."

"Okay, but you better know I've never ever been anywhere other than the reef," she said, warning Shaun.

"Oh, well its worth the risk!"

They swam on for miles and arrived at the sunny luxury of Bondai Beach. Anna began to daydream and stared in shock as the boiling sun beamed upon her legs.

"So one Mint and Bubblegum cone with a flake in each?" asked the portable ice cream van owner.

"Yes mate," said Shaun, giving ten dollars to the ice cream van owner.

"Oh thanks Shaun, you didn't have to spend a lot of your remaining money on me," smiled Anna.

"But I wanted to," replied Shaun.

As the day went on they rode donkies, drank orange juice and sat on a local park bench and Anna reflected on whether leaving her Dad was the right or wrong decision. The sun began to come up over the amazing beach as they walked hand in hand.

"I've had a lovely day," said Annabella with glee.

Before Shaun could reply she lost her breath and fell to the ground like your first over fed fish.

"What's going on? ANNA!"

Shaun picked her up as people started to rush towards them and dropped her into the sea. The he ran off into the night.

It was now 11.41pm and Anna continued to float through the water and bumped into the Mermarket where she woke up and with a stroke of her scaly tail swam home to her now depressed father and apologized for her arrogance and decision.

"I made the wrong choice and paid for it. I will always listen to you because I know that as my dad you know what's right and wrong."

She fell asleep watching her favourite film, Ariel the Mermaid. This is where she wanted to be.
Strange Eggs

###### Bailey Price, Cwrt Sart

DING DONG went the doorbell to my house. It was my sister's birthday and the last guest had just arrived.

My name is Harry and I'm eleven years old. My sister and all her friends went outside. They were going to have an egg and spoon race and my sister, Lily, was very excited. They were all ready to go when suddenly someone shouted "EGG FIGHT!"

Eggs flew and splattered against t-shirts and trousers, my sister got hit right in the forehead. I laughed as the yolk slid down her face.

I picked up an egg from under a bush. When I looked at it I noticed it was large and a shade of blue! I saw red veins that streaked across it like bolts of lightning. It was throbbing and beating like a heart. I ran inside and tried to show my parents but they were busy trying to stop everyone throwing eggs. I rushed up to my room and stuffed the egg into my sock drawer. It had turned red.

When I woke up the next morning I checked the sock drawer. The egg had a crack in it and a strange ectoplasm had oozed out and ruined all of my socks. Then, as I watched, the top half jumped off to reveal a small creature. Horrified, I backed up onto my bed and thought "Be brave, it will be ok."

I slowly stepped towards the drawer and peeked inside. The creature was actually quite cute. It was a blue colour and appeared to be somewhat scaly. A sound like a dying cat came out of it.

All of a sudden it jumped at the closed window. It splatted against it and slid down, landing on the windowsill. I slowly stepped towards it and reached my hand out then it revealed a row of gums. It put its mouth on my finger as if it was trying to bite me, but it had no teeth. I picked it up gently and placed it in a cardboard box.

"I should take this to the science labs," I thought to myself, "my parents won't listen."

I sneaked down the stairs and hid the box under my coat.

"Where are you going?" my mother asked.

"Just going to the shop," I replied nervously.

"OK," she said and walked up the stairs.

I jumped on my bike and sped over to the labs. I could hear sounds coming from the box but I ignored them and kept going. I arrived and propped my bike against the wall and knocked on the steel door.

No answer.

I knocked again. Still no reply.

I looked around and saw a scientist.

"Please, open the doors, I have something."

The scientist looked at the box and said "Sorry son, we don't help birds."

"No, it's not a bird. I don't know what it is."

He raised an eyebrow. "OK, come inside." He unlocked the door and I entered. I placed the box on the counter.

"Now, let's open the box" the scientist said. "Oh yes, another one of these..."

"What do you mean?" I said

"I thought we rounded all these up." He opened another door to reveal an ice cold room filled with the creatures. "They are dragons."

"They seem to like the cold," he said. "Oh, and in case you're wondering, my name is Dr. John." He shut the door, locking me in!

"What are you doing?!" I shouted

"I'm sorry, but you have touched a dragon. You have ectoplasm stains on your fingers. You could be contaminated."

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

He closed the window shutter but I could still see him. I slumped to the floor and stared at the dragons. Their black eyes stared into mine. It was so cold in the room I didn't know how they could stand it.

Suddenly they started to move towards me. "No, no, no," I said to myself. I closed my eyes as they swept over me. There were at least eight of them. I was so cold... but as they came onto me they were warm. I felt like going to sleep. It was like a cosy blanket. I dozed off to sleep...

I woke up to a familiar voice. Dad! I jumped up and threw the dragons off of me. He must have come looking for me.

"Are you sure he didn't stop here?" my father said.

"Yes, I'm sure" Dr. John said with a smile.

"HE'S LYING!" I screamed and I bashed against the glass. My dad entered the room and looked at me. "I'M SAVED!"

"I'm sorry for wasting your time doctor."

"WHAT?! NO, NO, NO!"

My dad left.

"Did you think he would see or hear you? The room you're in is soundproof and shatter resistant and the glass is unable to be seen through."

I had an idea. "What?"

"I said..."

"What?"

"I SAID..."

"What?"

He opened the door in a rage. "I SAID..." I pushed past him and started to run. He made a run at me and grabbed me, but the dragons were helping! They jumped on him and he released me. I ran outside. I had a hunch. Yes! My bike was behind the bins!

I got on it and rode faster than I ever rode before. I arrived home and opened the door. "MUM? DAD?" My dad came to me, followed by mum.

"Where have you been?"

"I was kidnapped at the labs! I was calling you Dad!"

"I'm sorry..."

The next day everything was back to normal. My mother called me for a barbeque. I went into the garden, sat on the grass and laid the biggest egg you've ever seen!
Agent Billy [Extract]

Ioan Ings, Bro Myrddin

Hello, my name is Billy Yorkshire. Or should I say my name is Agent Billy Yorkshire? I'm thirteen years old. Here is my story.

It was just an ordinary school day. It won't seem that ordinary to you. Nobody actually knows this except the headmaster: I'm the school spy. I brought up the idea in a school council meeting. Now I've come to think of it, five other people know. Bobby Jackson, Robin Rogers a.k.a. Reliant Robin, Steven (nobody knows his last name), Franck Frankson and William Williams. All I do is if I see somebody do something bad I take them down. I live in a secret underground base off the A1. It's actually signposted. You were not meant to know that. I do that sometimes - accidentally tell people my plans. Did you know my real name is actually Billy Bond. My dad is James Bond. Sorry you weren't meant to know that. Sorry again.

Anyway back to the story. like I was saying, it was a normal day in school. I took down three people. So I got back home, told my dad about my day. Then I noticed something. It looked like he'd been crying. He told me that he'd been fired from MI6. That they said they wanted me. I asked why he was so upset. Then suddenly he perked up a bit and said that I was going to be the next 007. I asked him why he got fired. He told me that he shot his boss accidentally.

'You shot your boss!', I exclaimed. My father went on to say that his boss was fine.

'How?' I exclaimed.

He went on to say that his boss created a gun that automatically fires when there is a bad person. I took the gun and it automatically fired it at my boss. I stood there, astounded. Then I said 'When do I start?'

I arrived in London at 8pm at what looked like a big deserted house. All the windows and doors were boarded up. I walked slowly towards the boarded up door, then suddenly the floor gave way. I fell for what felt like days before landing on a nice, soft bed. I quickly stood up – I was in a massive lab.

A man walked up to me – he looked very familiar. Then I realised it was my head teacher.

"Greetings, Billy Bond," he said.

I told him I preferred Agent Billy Yorkshire.

He was showing me around the lab. There were all these gadgets, or as head teachers would say, gizmos. There was a grappling hook and a deadly remote control helicopter and, my favourite, a self-controlled Aston Martin.

When he finished showing me around, he gave me an envelope. On the front it said ' CLASSIFIED' stamped in red ink. I opened it carefully:

'Dear Billy, nice to have you on board. Your first mission – spy on the Queen of England. We think she is up to something. P.S. Don't kill her, whatever you do!'

I was hoping to go abroad to America or Italy or somewhere. I guess England will do. The plan was that I would be the Queen's new bodyguard.

We arrived at Buckingham Palace in record time with my new Aston Martin. The palace was huge.

'How are you going to keep track of her?' I hear you ask. Well, first of all, I can't hear you, because this is a book and second of all, you have to wait and see. Actually at the time, I had no idea.

The Queen came out all smiley and happy. She seemed a very nice lady. OK, I'm going to stop there. To get the next bit you need to listen very carefully.

When I was in the lab, I saw this little black thing on the table. It looked important. I later found out that it was a tracker. If you didn't get it from the name, it tracks people. On my laptop it shows someone's every movement.

Right, so where are we? I met the Queen. I went in for a hug and placed the tracker on her back. So far it had been a piece of cake. Then suddenly she pushed me away! She claimed that she didn't like hugs. Then she went on to say that she prefers a good, firm handshake.

So, we made our way inside. Inside was wonderful, it was golden. It was full of chandeliers and antiques. Then along came what I can only describe as a butler. He had a nicely trimmed moustache. Anyway, back to the story. He asked me if I wanted him to take my suitcases. I said yes – biggest mistake so far of my life. You will find out why in a minute.

So the Queen asked me if I wanted a cup of tea. I accepted. Then I realised that in my suitcases were all my gadgets. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could. I reached what I assumed was my room. Then I opened the door. I couldn't believe what I saw. All my gadgets spread out across the room. The butler turned to me and then he said that I knew Her Majesty's plans. He drew his gun. I had no choice. I took out my gun from my jacket and shot him.

Believe me, it wasn't a pretty sight. I hid him in my bathroom and put a sign on my door: 'No Room Service'.
My Dog

Carys Mason, Cwrt Sart

My dog is a short black and white Jack Russell. His name is Gus and I got him when I was five years old. My mother and father said "We will be back in a bit. We are going to pick up our Chinese." But really they went to pick up my dog.

When they got back they had an orange sheet in their hands. Me and my sister looked at each other and wondered what it could be?

As soon as they put it down and took off the sheet we saw the dog. It was the cutest little thing ever. He had big brown eyes and a short little tail that would wag if he was happy and go down if he was sad.

Within one hour of having him we could tell he was a naughty dog because we were all playing with him and he bit my dad's ear!

Even today he is still a naughty dog. Every time you open the door he would be gone, up the road and out of the drive.

One time we lost him and he had been lost all night; but luckily we found him in the Pound.

Other than running away all the time he's a lovely cute dog.

That night when he went missing it felt like there was a piece gone from my heart. I felt like I was all alone in a dark shadowy tunnel.
It Wasn't Me!

###### Grace Chard, Cwrt Sart

It was like a normal day. I was woken up at 7:30 by my alarm clock as it beeped so loud that I had to put my pillow over my head to try and block out the noise. It wouldn't go away so I got out of bed and turned it off.

"Your breakfast is ready," shouted my mother from downstairs. I went downstairs in my pyjamas, my hair like Jedward.

I ate my toast then went back upstairs to get ready for school. When I was finally ready I looked at my clock: 8:15! "I'm going to be late!" I ran downstairs, grabbed my bag and was out of the door like a shot.

I sprinted down the street and just about made it to registration before my teacher.

"Right everyone, take your seats please," said my form teacher Mr. Spart. No one liked him because he was strict and loud. When the bell went off for first lesson we were all glad to get out of there.

Our first lesson was science. I didn't mind as long as we were doing something fun or making something explode. But today we were going to the I.T room which was good because we never listen to the teacher. All we do is play on games or look at pictures of celebrities.

"Ok, make your way down to I.T3 please," said our science teacher, Mrs. Hynes.

Everyone went downstairs except me, Lewis and Mike.

"OK, so what are we going to make explode today then?"

"Ummm how about some matches or a lighter to help?"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? YOU CAN GET HURT OR GET INTO SERIOUS TROUBLE!" I thought I should tell them.

They got some petrol that the teacher was keeping out the back for an experiment and poured it over a little bit of the floor. Then they lit a match and were just about to drop it when I shouted "No stop!"

"OK, OK. We were only having a laugh. We weren't actually going to do it," replied Lewis.

I took the match off him and was about to blow it out when a teacher walked in!

"What are all of you doing up here?"

She gave me such a fright that I dropped the match and then BANG!!!...

I was in hospital for one month after that because I had lost two of my fingers on my left hand and had to have an operation on my back because I was so badly burnt that I had hardly any skin left.

That will teach me not to play with fire: because you will get burnt!
Durvey's Adventures

###### Madison Davies, Cwrt Sart

Durvey, Magne and Kalista ran through the alleyway.

"Come on guys," shouted Kalista. They were running from a group of thugs who were trying to mug the teenagers. Kalista came around the corner.

"That was close," she said. "For a moment, I thought they had us." She was breathing hard.

She turned around and saw Magne sprinting towards her.

"Wh–where is Durvey?" asked Kalista. Magne was panting. He shook his head and pointed to the alleyway.

Bang! Bang!

Undeniable gunshots were fired.

Her best friend was dead!

Magne slowly paced towards her and hugged her. There was quite a lot of noise coming from the alleyway. Not like a limping sound, more like a wriggling sound.

All of a sudden the thugs came around the corner with their collar up to their chins.

"Wha...?" questioned Kalista.

Magne spun around only to see the thugs being pushed by policemen holding guns behind their back.

"Where's Durvey," asked Kalista.

"I don't know, I think he is quite lucky to find the police behind him," answered a voice coming from the alleyway.

Durvey came around the corner without a single hair on his head harmed. Kalista leaped on him with joy.

"Oh my God! I thought you were dead," screamed Kalista.

"You got me good, man," chuckled Magne.

~

Kalista, Durvey and Magne were in Raging Ralph's Raving nightclub.

"PARTY!" screamed Ralph.

Everyone in the club started busting a move, the ground was shaking, eardrums exploding.

Upstairs was the quiet area, settees, a bar and tables. Magne, Kalista and Durvey were sitting down playing blackjack.

"Hit," said Magne. He had an ace and a two. He was given a seven. "Stand," Magne answered with delight.

"Drop," replied Durvey.

Magne had twenty, but Durvey and Kalista both had a king and an ace.

"Blackjack," said the couple.

"C'mon, can we leave now?" asked Magne.

"Just 'coz I'm winning," replied Kalista.

"...And I'm tied even with you," Durvey added.

"Fine, I'm leaving," said Magne.

He left the room with a slam of the door.

The whole lounge started counting. One... Two... Three... He always came back. Six... Seven... The door opened and in came Magne looking as pale as a ghost.

He entered the room of three hundred people.

"YAY!! Wait, what?" Gunshots were fired. Everyone screamed and dived to the floor.

The four thugs were back with police outfits on, luminous green coats and black hats. But they brought more friends.

"Where are they!" screamed one thug, scanning every single teenager.

"There," shouted a tiny thug, pointing at Durvey.

"You," said the leader. "You set us up to the police."

"Who? Me!?" shouted Durvey.

"Yes you!" screamed the leader. "You have just created a problem for us."

He took his hat off and revealed a scar from his forehead to his nose.

"The police have our fingerprints and will have posters around the whole country."

The short thug took his hat off too. He had a squint in his right eye. "We're going to take you hostage and wait 'til every single parent pays us £1000 ransom for you," explained Squinty.

"While we go and get supplies for ourselves, you can be babysat by our new friends, 'the Six Stones'," said Scarface.

The six bulky men stepped forward and pulled out guns to emphasise how big they were. There were two AK-47s, one Desert Eagle and three Skorpians.

A smell of fear and dust filled the room.

Kalista was just staring at the guns, making sure a trigger wasn't pulled.

"You're not going to get away with this," said one of the Evan brothers. There were five brothers in all. Every one of them was into karate and kickboxing. The two eldest were twins, both on their brown belts, the middle two were purple belts and the youngest a blue belt.

The youngest three took on the Six Stones and the oldest two took on the four thugs. A fight with guns against fists is predictable, but when they are skilled fighters, that's a different game. The youngest three had knocked out two of the Stones and the oldest two were having quite a fair fight.

All of a sudden ... Pew!

... A suppressed gun shot two of the brothers, one of the older ones and the youngest son. "Ahh," screamed the youngest as he was hit.

"Timmy!" screamed the other three brothers.

Timmy was rolling on the floor, clutching his right arm. "Ahh! J-Jonathan," he shouted.

The four brothers looked over their shoulders to find Jonathan lying there with his eyes wide open and a bullet straight through his chest.

Magne stood up and started walking over to Jonathan. The eight conscious crooks stood up and pointed their guns at Magne. He stopped and put his hands behind his head and started walking again.

"What are you doing!?" asked Scarface.

"I'm closing his eyes!" screamed Magne.

He was quite close to the twins. He lent over Jonathan and put his hand over his eyes.

Kalista walked over and hugged Magne. She told him to walk back to Durvey. But where was Durvey?

Was he taken by the thugs?

Had he escaped?

Had he gone to find help? ...

Find out in the next book: Durvey's Adventures - The Escape

#### Cynan Jones

Cynan Jones is the author of three novels, The Long Dry (Parthian, 2006), Everything I Found on the Beach ( Parthian, 2011), and Bird, Blood, Snow published this year as part of Seren's 'New Stories from the Mabinogion'.

His work has also appeared in New Welsh Review and Granta magazine, and in various anthologies.

Some work from the 2011 DylanEd project – "Telling Their Own Story" – is also available on Kindle from Amazon.

For more information on the project, visit http://www.dylanthomasprize.com/dylaned/

