Here’s a selection of work from some of the Write About Now students.

Copyright for these items remains with the authors.

Stories of 50 words or less

Once upon a time a boy went on this quest to save his village people who were sick and poor. He came back with the magic potion and everyone was happy again!
(Archer, 10)

The Rose
It was a gift, never intended to hurt her. She used to spend hours thinking about him.  Then she heard those three words that changed her life.  
The rose was placed next to his coffin, no longer bringing happiness, love and affection but tears and desperation.
(Rachael, 13)

Bob was a Gurglepop.  Gurglepops are small carnivorous creatures that now rule Earth.  They are usually intelligent and funny, but Bob grew sad.  He wanted to breed more humans to shoot in the face.  So Bob became a scientist.  After months he finally bred a human and lived happily ever after.
(Magnus, 10)

The Wish
That night the stars seemed to shine more brightly.  His arms were around my waist, my head on his chest.  I wanted the moment to never end.  A shooting star raced across the sky.
‘Make a wish,’ I said.
‘For you to always love me,’ he whispered.
(Rachael, 13)

The Game
The rules are simple:  in the dark of night wander, but don’t get caught.
Black and grey became my friends growing accustomed to my presence, but blue and green learned that I was trouble.  That was until my house became my prison and the flashing lights captured me.
(Rachael, 13)

‘Who stole the diamond?’ asked Detective Bob.
Bob had gathered in a room the worst criminals, Fred and Sally.
    ‘Why would I steal a diamond?’ asked Sally.
    “I hate shiny things,’ said Fred.
    ‘I’m sorry – I had to polish it!’ said the butler holding up the diamond.
    ‘Butler!!!!’ groaned Bob.
(Carl, 11)

Sunset
As the sun slipped behind the trees the orange, yellow and pink sky seemed to warm the land.  It tells you to thank the warmth, but embrace the cold.  It helps you reflect on life. Tomorrow is another day and another thousand memories can be written.
(Rachael, 13)

Love of Hope (an Acrostic poem)
Like the first rain of summer
Of every little whisper or mutter
Veiled by the hate and pride
Every person tries to hide
Of every waking hour
For every blooming flower
Hidden by the thunder
Obliged by everyone’s wonder
People do not hear or see
Each other’s plea
(Monique Golub c.2012)

Time Kills
Time is heavy and it pounds
It weighs high mountains down
One day tall hills will be on the ground.
All time needs, is time.
(Emily, aged 10)

The Man who Tried to Cheat Death

Humans believe they are alone, but they are wrong.  The gods exist also.  

In the beginning the Gods of Life and Death ruled.  One man had suffered terribly because nearly everybody he knew had died.  He asked his friend to go with him to the heavens to meet the gods – but that was not the real intention of Jeremy, The Deceiver.

Jeremy and his friend walked through the Halls of Death.  The friend introduced the God of Death of Jeremy.  Jeremy said, “May I shake your hand?”  The God of Death walked up to him.  Instead of taking his hand, Jeremy grabbed the God of Death by the neck and stabbed him!  Then he hit his friend unconscious and fled.

The God of Life felt what had happened and immediately teleported to the Halls of Death.  There he found the friend and the body of the God of Death.

A few days later the friend was charged with murder and found guilty by both low and high gods. (The gods had no evidence but they are often unfair).  The judgement was a ritual that always worked.  They would exchange the murderer for the God of Death.  Unfortunately the friend wasn’t the murderer, so the ritual failed , but the friend died nevertheless.

Back on earth, Jeremy was safe and sound.  He walked through his vastly overgrown garden into his house and plopped down on his couch.

‘Enjoying life, are we?’ asked a strange voice from behind him.  Jeremy turned around baffled by shock and saw the ghost of the God of Death.

Jeremy tried to run but he couldn’t.  The God of Death had paralysed his muscles.

The TV suddenly turned on.  ‘The world’s population has reached 15 billion people and nobody is dying.  House prices are rising and everybody is suffering.’

‘I don’t care what happens to the world,’ said Jeremy, struggling.

‘Your friend is suffering pain in another dimension because of what you did,’ said the ghost of the God of Death.

‘I’m not spending the rest of my life in another dimension because of that fool,’ said Jeremy.

Suddenly there was a loud knocking at Jeremy’s front door.  A stranger opened the door and stood there looking poor, hopeless in fact, and exhausted.  He was a begger.  ‘The world is running out of food.  There are too many people.  My family are starving and we have nowhere to live.  Please help.’

Then something happened in the mind of Jeremy, the Deceiver, and he realised he had to take responsibility for his actions.  ‘You can have my house,’ he said to the stranger and together with the ghost of the God of Death he disappeared to the heavens.

Neither ever returned.
(Magnus Bock)

The Solar System

‘Ah, the centre of the universe.  I always wanted to be perched there,’ said Lunarda, the god of the moon.  Lunarda was small, dressed in silver armour.  She had a grey staff topped by a silver swirl containing a smaller version of the moon.  Lunarda carried an aura of calm wherever she went.

‘Oi!  No way!  The centre of the universe is my position,’ roared Garog the sun god with a fiery look.  Garog was normal height and wore gleaming golden armour.  He carried a blazing sword which shot flares.  The blade was silver with a golden hilt.  In the middle of the hilt was a small sun.

‘No!  The centre is my place!’ shouted Earthis the god of earth.  Earthis was tall and wore brown, blue and green armour.  He had an impatient look and carried in his right hand a brown mace with runes carved on it.

‘Why don’t we take turns?’ suggested Lunarda calmly.  ‘I will go first, Garog will go second and Earthis can go third.’

‘I’ll only agree if I go first!’ stated Garog.

‘I should be in the centre!’ screamed Earthis.  He swung his rune mace in Lunarda’s face and as the mace made contact a crater appeared on the moon.  Furious because of this violent assault, Garog thrust his sword at Earthis causing a tsunami and sending flares at Lunarda by accident.

After a week of fighting, Gargo, Lunarda and Earthis stopped because they felt another
presence.

It was Versalord the god of the universe.  He had misty blue ocean eyes which felt like he could see right through you and wore blue armour and carried a blue scythe.

‘You have been fighting over a mere position in the sky,’ stated Versalord.  ‘Garog will take the central position but you are all equally important. Earthis will orbit Garog so the sun can create light for the life on earth, and Lunarda will orbit the earth to create night and tides for the sea.’

Versalord then vanished and Lunarda, Garog and Earthis went to their places.
(Carl)

The Magic Box

I will put in the box
The white of the snow as it falls in winter,
Light from the poor family’s lantern,
The jump from an excited child before her party.

I will put in the box
The wings of a fairy who has lost her ability to fly,
The lips of a loving mother
A baby’s first cry.

I will put in the box
A puppy with huge loving eyes
A lost panda bear
The green grass in spring.

I will put in the box
Underwater gold
Waves from the wild Pacific
A baby elephant’s tusk.

My box is built from icicles, grass and diamonds,
With feathers on the lid and the sides. Round
Its hinges are the teeth of sharks.

I shall soar in my box
In the open airs of the Atlantic space
Then drop down low to the great pastures of Spain,
The colour of limes.
(Cerys Hudson)

POTTER PRANKS – a play

Characters:  HARRY, SNAPE, RON, DUMBLEDORE, PROFESSOR McGONAGALL        
[A CLASSROOM AT HOGWARTS. SNAPE, HARRY AND RON ON  STAGE]

SNAPE: I am Snape, the potions master.  Now, what you’re going to do today is very, very, har…

HARRY: DONE, Sir!

SNAPE: How did you do that?

HARRY: I used my imgoingtoreadyourmind-enator!

SNAPE: 800 points to Slytherin.  I’m sure Malfoy made that machine, not you.

HARRY: WHAT??

SNAPE: Minus 70 points from Gryffindor.

HARRY: Oh, Voldermort’s nipple!

SNAPE: 800 points from Gryffindor for swearing in front of a teacher!  Dismissed.

[EXIT SNAPE]

HARRY: Ron, I know what we’re going to do today.

RON: What are we going to do today?

HARRY: We’re going on a pranking streak!  I’m going to put this Whoopee Cushion on Professor Dumbledore’s chair!

RON: Harry…someone could get hurt.

HARRY: It will be okay, Ron.

(ENTER DUMBLEDORE AND PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL)

DUMBLEDORE: Dum, dee, dum, dum.  (HE SITS DOWN)  Ppppppllllllpppp!!! Woah!  Sorry Professor McGonagall.

HARRY & RON: Hee, hee, hee.

THE END
(Archer, aged 10)

Blue

it reminds me of the summer breeze,
but still cold enough to freeze,

this is not a thing and has no shape,
but when you see it you can’t escape,

how i see it will differ from you,
but it will always be a midnight blue.

Butterfly

i can sense it’s elegant dance through the trees,
it sways and twirls with the grace of the sea,

and then it brings it’s suave dance near,
it portrays such charm, i hold it dear,

but for it’s beauty you see, has a price to pay,
this butterfly would be lucky to live for a day.

Time

writing itself as it goes
you can change it when you chose
like a novel with a magic pen.

Chance

you open the doors
and left them open for me
this chance is like a betrayal
(New New Cai)

Shades of Grey
Chapter One

A tear glistened in the woman's eye.

She bent down next to the stream and splashed the crystal clear water up her beautiful face.  Her dark, long curtain of wavy hair rippled in the slight breeze. She stood up gracefully and took a step away from the stream. From the other side of the muddy bank there was the rustling of leaves.

The woman quickly stepped behind a large oak tree and watched as another woman appeared, panting slightly.  She had little pink patches on her cheeks as if she had been jogging.

She looked exactly the same as the woman behind the oak; except that she had gleaming blonde hair, wore white and had blue eyes. The woman behind the oak had long, wavy, chocolate coloured hair, wore black and had warm brown eyes.

Apart from these differences, the women had the same face shape, ears, nose, rosebud mouth, length of hair and figure.

‘Carsissa!’ called the woman on the muddy bank. ‘Carsissa! Where are you? You promised you would come...’ her voice trailed away into the dimly lit forest.

The woman who wore black swiftly stepped out from behind the oak. ‘Here, Carnina, what took you so long?

‘I was followed, Carsissa. I had to go behind all the shops and come down Arckian Way, then past Riddle Grove and I finally arrived at Ticker's lian-pass.  You know what a lian pass is, don't you? It’s a small mud puddle that you climb into, then you appear at the other end of the puddle, which can lead out anywhere, but I knew where this one went so--"

‘I know what a lian-pass is, Carnina, we have them on this side of the Zeala as well,’ interrupted Carsissa, ‘ I am more interested by the fact that you were followed. Who by? Why? How did they find out that you left your domain? Or do you know who is following you? O-or-‘ Carsissa stopped, ‘-was i-it them?’

Carsissa shuddered.
To be continued…(Samara Dowell)