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** Note - week 2 writing task also included here, as this wasn't uploaded last fortnight. CHAPTER 2 THE WORLD OF PANTYLOONY It was nothing like I had ever seen. I was confronted with a wide, open space that looked like it went on forever. It was coloured a deep amethyst and a brilliant shade of aquamarine. All the bushes and trees were shaped like irregular dodecagons. (That’s a twelve-sided shape, by the way.) Well, I think they were bushes. I couldn’t be sure. I could hear a LOT of crashing, honking and banging and could smell the smell of burnt undies. I suddenly let out a huge scream of fear: AARRGGHH!! A huge tabby cat had confronted me, its sharp, yellow eyes fixated on my face. I immediately recognised the feral animal: It was Fatty, the school’s cat. “N…nice Fatty…” I whispered nervously. “There’s no need to be scared, mate!” said a voice that sounded a lot like it was coming from Fatty. I was absolutely stunned. The school cat COULD TALK??!! 6F, the class next to mine was looking after him this week. I walked past him every 2 ½ hours! HOW THE HECK DID I NOT KNOW THAT HE COULD TALK????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fatty was a large, tabby cat with bright yellow eyes. He ALWAYS strutted instead of walking and his favourite food was… MEATBALLS!!! He could eat without any hands and could climb the walls up to the roof whenever he wanted. “Come with me,” he said. “O…kay…” I replied. I followed Fatty toward what looked like an ancient temple or something. As the building loomed closer, I realised I was correct! We were headed to an ancient temple! BOOYAH!! After a while, we came to the doors leading into the temple. They had words engraved onto them. This is what I could make out: Be warned, all who enter here, For what lies within will give you more than fear. Many who have entered this place, Have most truly ended their race. I was scared out of my pants now. At that moment, Fatty said something in a language that was DEFINITLY not English. I heard something that sounded like this: “Jarbeekishamoko.” (I know. Weird, right?) The HUGE temple doors creaked open on old, rusty hinges. Inside the temple was a large, spacious hall, with marble pillars holding the wooden roof up. From what I could see (which wasn’t very far), there was a man with a golden crown sitting on a large, ancient throne. I couldn’t be sure, for there was a guard with around 15 weapons in front of him, blocking my view. Fatty led me down the primeval hall, toward the guard. I assumed that the guard and Fatty knew each other, for at first glance, the guard stepped to the side, looking chief. The man in the throne leant down, for he was so gargantuan, that from his previous position, we would’ve looked like midgets! “What is it you want from me?” He spoke in a large, booming voice that reverberated around the hall. “King Bob, we have come from the far north of Pantyloony, near the Door,” Fatty spoke. “The Door? Hmm… Who is this… this human that you are accompanying?” “This is James Keller, from the world outside the Door- St. William’s Private School.” “Ah, yes. Most interesting,” King Bob boomed. “So, why have you come this far to see me, may I ask?” “Well, I was walking from the West Coast to your temple when I came across young James here. I was wanting to discuss the issue that has been occurring in Pantyloony for many, many moons,” Fatty lectured. I finally found my voice. “What problem?” I asked Fatty. “You see, human, there is this rule in Pantyloony, that my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great Grandfather declared many centuries ago,” King Bob answered. “The rule is that every person that sets foot in Pantyloony MUST bum-shuffle.” “Then why aren’t your guards and Fatty bum-shuffling?” I asked. “Oh, yes that. Animals and servants to the High King are excepted.” “With all due respect, sir, I’m still not seeing the problem.” “Well, since everybody has to bum-shuffle, their pants have been getting holes in them. And people really can’t afford to buy 52 million pairs of pants, now, can they?” “No, sir. They can’t,” I said, wondering what other weird and wacky things I might encounter in this strange, strange world.   CHAPTER 3 JOURNEY TO THE CAVE OF PANTS Me and Fatty exited the gargantuan temple. “What was that all about?” I asked. “I know what to do,” Fatty declared. “What?” “We must journey to the Cave of Pants and ask the dragon there to give the realm of Pantyloony UNLIMITED PANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” “Well said, Fatty. Well said,” I said. “Hold on, the Cave of Pants?!?!” “Yes. The Cave of Pants.” “What the hell is that??!!???!!!????!!!!” I yelled, my arms loosely flailing in the air like one of those weird, wacky, inflatable men you see at HUGE discount sales. “Umm…I think the name is self-explanatory,” Fatty said, uncertain. “Let me guess? A cave chock-full of pants?” I questioned. “Yes! Exactly!” “Right. So, when are we going on this magical, fantasy quest?” I queried. “Now.” “Uhh, okay? Oh, one last question. Do we have to bum-shuffle?” “I should think not, for we are now servants of King Bob!” Fatty replied. And with that, Fatty set off, and I followed him, uncertain of what may happen next. CHAPTER 4 THE DRAGON After a while, and I mean A WHILE, Fatty and I came to a lush, green forest, dense with trees, tall as the sky. We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and pressed on into the overgrown woodland. No light was shining through the tiny gaps between the trees. But luckily, cat’s eyes can glow in the dark! We carefully treaded through the hundreds and thousands of trees, our path lit by Fatty’s bright, orange eyes. In the very centre of the forest was a clearing, and light flooded around me and Fatty, hurting my eyes. Suddenly, from far, far away, I heard a roar, as though from a lion! “What's that sound?” I asked. Fatty had no time to answer, for a dragon had appeared out of nowhere, it's purple and green scales shimmering in the midday sun. Its wings were spread wide and flapping wildly in the air. “Ha! A dragon! Ya really think I can't beat up a drag... Uh, that's not good... AAGGHH!!!” I yelled, for the fearsome dragon had taken a large swoop at me! I ran and ducked, hiding behind a large pine tree. Fatty ran to near the dragon’s rear end. It turned around, looking fierce and scary. Fatty was not afraid. He raised a paw and roared, “STOOOOP!!!” The dragon flew away at once, never to (hopefully) be seen again. CHAPTER 5 OFF THE WALL “Wow. How the hell did you do that?!” I asked as I stared at Fatty in astonishment. “It’s called magic, bra. Get used to it.” “Riigghhtt.” We set off again, and it was around an hour or two before we came to a river, filled with rocks that the light blue water was trickling and weaving its way through. “I’m tired. And hungry. Can we sit here for a…” I was cut short, for a 6 400-metre brick wall had appeared out of the soggy grass! "WHAT DE?!!" I yelled; my face scrunched up. Then I started giggling. A lot. Then Fatty joined in. And before we knew it, we were on the ground in fits of laughter. It took us what seemed like FOREVER to stop guffawing. Fatty was the first to get to his feet. “Ah! No problem!” he yelled, dismissingly waving a paw in the air. He attempted to climb the wall, but as soon as he laid a paw on the wall, he was thrown back into the grass. “FATTY!!” I yelled, running to assist him. He was unharmed, yet out cold. “BACK OFF!” I yelled to the wall, somewhat hoping that it would go away. And to my surprise, it did! The wall had completely vanished into thin air! CHAPTER 6 THE CAVE OF PANTS The shock of me ridding the wall still hadn’t worn of when Faty came to. He sounded drowsy and somnolent when he spoke. “Whoa. What happened?” “A weird, damn wall appeared out of nowhere and we were driven off the wall (LOL) and you touched it and got knocked out,” I informed him. “Wha? Hold on. What’s that?” Fatty pointed to something on the other side of the raging river. “Is that the…” “CAVE OF PANTS!!” we cried in unison. We ran down the slope of wet grass, through the waterway and to the Cave of Pants, all without a care in the world. The cave looked uninviting and hollow as a log with a million termites feasting on it. Inside the cave was lit by something that looked a lot like fire. We prudently stepped forward and in to the dreaded Cave of Pants. As soon as we moved inside, a dragon (and a dragon that looked strangely familiar, at that) flew in, blocking our path forward. Then it suddenly dawned on me where I had seen this flying beast before. It was the same purple and aqua dragon that had confronted us in the forest a few hours ago! The dragon suddenly dropped out of the sky, as though shot by an invisible gun! I ran to it, concerned. I could see blood gushing out from its left wing. “It’s hurt,” I stated to Fatty. “Do you have any magic powers to like, help it or something?” “I'm afraid it’s all up to you, James,” Fatty said. “When I touched that wall that drove us off the wall (LOL), it confiscated my magical powers. In a way,” he added. I took a deep breath and lightly touched the dragon’s wound. I could feel a deep and warming sensation inside. I thought this must be what magic feels like. When I removed my hand, blood was pouring no more and the dragon looked right as rain. Now all we needed to do was ask the dragon for UNLIMITED PANTS!!!

THE ABANDONED CLASSROOM By Angus J A SHORT STORY BY GUS(# 10) CHAPTER 1- THE DOOR RIINNGG!! The lunch bell rang and all (well, almost all) of class 6T left the boring classroom in a stampede. Only James Keller and the VERY strict teacher, Mr. Thompson remained in the room. “Well? Why aren’t you going off to play on the bunky-mars or whatever they’re called?” spat Mr. Thompson, his moustache bristling. “Two reasons,” James replied, his voice nothing but sass. “A: I absolutely HATE playing on the MONKEY-BARS. B: I’m staying in here to look for my jacket.” Mr. Thompson looked at James disbelievingly and stomped out of the room flat-footed. James made sure that Mr. Thompson was completely out of the room before leaping up and starting to write some VERY rude words on the whiteboard. At that very second, Lily Evans, the teacher’s pet, walked into the room, humming Tiptoe Through the Tulips. Lily dropped her water-bottle and stared at the whiteboard, open-mouthed. James dropped the whiteboard marker and bolted out of the classroom, in fear of being caught and given a detention. James was a 12-year-old boy who attended St. William’s Private School. He suffered from ADHD and Autism and REVENGE issues. Let me tell you the REVENGE story. The date was the 13th of May, 2018 and James was in class 2B with Mrs. Bagman and the worst boys in the world: Bob and Bill- the Muscly twins. That day, the Muscly twins did something HORRIBLE: They stuck James’ head in a pile of leaves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once James could breathe again, James decided one thing that would change his life forever. He decided that one day he would get his REVENGE. Not just on Bob and Bill, but on everyone in the entire school!!!!! Anyway, back to reality. James was running down the 5th floor corridor when he realised that the school was deserted. Then he remembered that it was lunchtime and that the whole school was outside, eating their lunch. James knew that Bob and Bill would be outside for lunch as well, so James kept on running. After around 10 or so minutes, James came to a halt. He had reached the 10th floor. James had never been up here. He was always causing mayhem on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th floors. James walked slowly along the corridor until he came to a door with a large white sign that read: DO NOT ENTER OR ELSE!! The door was made of rotting wood and had a very old-looking iron handle. To James’ surprise, there was no keyhole. James turned the old handle and the door creaked open…

The noisy neighbour By Angus J Prologue- No cars drove by on the quiet street. A couple strolled by on the almost deserted pavement. Life in Gumnut Crescent was boring and miserable. For most people. Hi. I’m Carlos and I’m 16 years old. I live here at 22 Gumnut Crescent and I’ve lived here for 9 years, since I was 8. I looooooooove video games, technology and, of course, Harry Potter. I play cricket on Saturday afternoons for the River Glen Rosellas. And even though I love video games, I HATE Super Mario. I know. Weird, right? I live next to my BEST FRIEND EVER! His name is Hamish and we go to River Glen High School together. Hamish was the only person I knew in Gumnut Crescent. Up until the 10th of January, 2023… CHAPTER ONE- BOB The 10th of January, 2023 started out as a normal Tuesday. My alarm went off at 7:00am, I had my normal Weet-Blox and played a little bit of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. At exactly 8:03am, I heard a lot of crashing and banging from number 20. I took the Sonic SD Card out and sprinted across the posh carpet to my Mum and Dad’s bedroom window to see what the commotion was. All I could see was a Dooby’s Removals truck and a heap of boxes. Hmm… I knew that 92-year-old John had moved into River Glen Retirement Village 1½ years ago. This must have been my new neighbour! I dashed to the lavish front door and slipped on my purple thongs. I raced through the door and walked over to number 20. A man of about 52 turned his head to face me. He snarled and turned back to eating his sponge cake. Rude, I thought. I tried again. “Lovely morning, innit?” “I don’t care what the damn weather’s like,” the old man growled. As he did, I stole a glance at one of the 20 000 000 boxes on the front lawn. PROPERTY OF BOB BENNET. DO NOT TOUCH OR ELSE! it said. Best to avoid him, I thought. And with that, I sauntered back to my house.

The Midnight Hour Angus J. Term 4, 2022 Chapter 1 An Unexpected Visitor The clock had just struck midnight. Why on earth would a mystery door-knocker be knocking on my door?! I covered my ears and tried to ignore the knocks. But they just kept getting louder. I tip-toed down the stairs and opened the door. But no one was there. Just a piece of paper on the welcome mat. It read: Angus, Good things will happen to you if you meet me at the State Library tomorrow night. Good things such as lollies and love. Be there when the clock strikes midnight. See you there, Tobias B. Senyard. It was creepier than last Halloween when all the kids were dressed up as vampires and werewolves! But that was then. This was now. I had been left with a tough decision. Should I go or not? Should I trust my old schoolmate or not? It had been ten years since I had last seen him. Maybe I shouldn’t go. But I did… ****** The tall sandstone building of the David S. Mitchell library was staring at me. I suspected it was staring at me because I was staring at it. The library seemed to be saying, “Come inside. Come closer. You know you want to…” I started to get the feeling that maybe I’d made the wrong choice. But I had come to far to turn back. I took a step closer to the building. Then another. And another. Before I knew it, I had climbed the shallow steps toward the State Library. I jumped in fright as the clock tower across the road rang twelve loud bells. It was midnight. The tall wooden doors in front of me had old, chiselled images on them. They looked as if they were… alive. Okay, definitely the wrong choice. I wanted to run back to 99 Cook Street, but my feet were glued to the ground! The old doors suddenly creaked open. By themselves! I could see a vast tiled floor with a weird looking map on it. Above it, there was a railing with a clock on it. A pair of double doors stood right in front of me, only about 5 metres away. I had no idea whatsoever where they lead. I gulped down the huge lump in my throat and tip-toed cautiously to the doors. Old dusty writing was carved upon them. It read: 'David S. Mitchell, Reading room'. I pushed them open and I was greeted with thousands of dusty old books all lined up neatly on the huge shelves. There was old frayed carpet underneath my feet, a perfect home for cobwebs. I swallowed hard and walked forward nervously. I had only walked a few paces when, “Oi! Look where you’re goin’!” Chapter 2 The Discoveries “What the?” I asked, more confused than a polar bear playing (or trying to play) tennis. “Can’t you see me? I’m literally right in front of ya!” said the deep male voice. “Uh… no…” “Oh yeah! I totally forgot! I’m a ghost!” the voice said, and a misty figure appeared in front of me! “AARRGGHH! Who in the name of Taylor Swift are you?!” I screamed. “Why, I’m David S. Mitchell, the founder of this magnificent library!” the ghost announced proudly. “Riiiiight… why are you still here?” “I got trapped in the freezer,” David said cheerfully. “Okay…” “Yeah.” “Right.” “Uhh, why are you here?” asked David, more curious than a beaver in a hotel. “This,” I said, pulling the note from Tobias out of my shirt pocket and showing it to David. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’d go home ASAP if I were you.” “Why?” “All people who have entered this library because of mysterious notes requesting them to come here, are in their graves!” said David, creepily. GULP! “A…a…are you sure?” I stammered. “100%.” “Oh, help me LORD!” I said, falling to my knees. “Um…okay…” It took what felt like forever for me to get over it, yet it was only 20 minutes. “Um…would you like me to guide you through this glamorous library?” David said, his voice raising proudly. “Uh, sure!” I said, my hopes raising a little bit. “Alrighty, so first…” *** 30 MINUTES LATER *** “…And here we have some ancient diaries from well-known people, such as Dorothea Mackellar, Henry Lawson, Roald Dahl and more!” “Hold on! Can I please have a look at one of these diaries?” I asked, more excited than the King on his 105th birthday. “Knock yourself out! Not literally.” “Thanks!” I walked over to the diaries and picked up the one marked ‘Elwyn White’. I flicked it open to a random page. In unusual cursive writing, it read: ‘YOU’RE DEAD MEAT! Signed, Tiobas’ I read it out loud to David. “Who’s Tiobas?” I asked. “Who knows? It could be Lady Ga-Ga for all I care!” said David. “Tonight, I die!!” I cried. “Stop being such a baby!” exclaimed David, as he pushed me into the wall. Suddenly, I was at Tobias’ house! “What the…?!” The old building looked heart-stoppingly creepy in the moonlight. How did I get here? I turned around and walked forward. Then, I was back in the library! “Where’d you go?” asked David. “Tobias’ house!” I said, a little dazed. “Aaahh…how?” “The wall.” “Riight.” Chapter 3 Blood & Death “What’s that sound?” I asked David, dreading the answer. “Oh, ploomfizz!” he said. “What is it?” I asked, more frantic than a worm in a bird’s mouth. “It’s the Blood and Death!” “What in the name of Taylor Swift is that??!!” I screamed. “Shushy!! If it finds you, it’ll rip your limbs off one by one like me!” “Riiiiight…” “Oh, for the love of Hank Marvin! It found us! RUN IF YA WANNA LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” David screamed. I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me. David was floating along beside me. “Where in the world do we go?!” I half-asked, half-screamed. “The basement! Blood and Death never goes down there! It’s too wet!” “Right. Where’s that?” “Right below us! Duh!” “Hmm. Makes sense.” We both ran… (well, I ran…. David floated) … to a sandstone stairwell which was darker than a Dementor. After about 10 or so minutes of jogging down the stairs, we came to a room lined with empty white shelves. “Hallelujah!” cried David. RAAAAHHHH!!!! “I spoke too soon, didn’t I?” “Yep,” I said. The grey, terrifying creature advanced down the stairs with its arms outstretched. “So that’s what it looks like,” I muttered to myself. “Luckily for us, Blood and Deaths aren’t the fastest movers in the world,” said David. DRIP! DRIP! DRIP! DRIP! “What’s that?” I asked David. “Oh, there’s been a lot of rain this week. Leaky roof.” “But, aren’t we underground?” David shrugged. “Beats me.” “Whatever,” I said. I picked up the three-quarter full bucket up and threw it on the Blood and Death’s face. All the hair melted away to reveal… Tobias B. Senyard! “You!” “Me,” he said calmly. “Yes, you! How could you do this?!” “To kill you,” Tobias said. “To kill me?” “Yes. To kill you. And every being who sets foot in this building.” “But why?” “Well, I once cut myself on page 97 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and ever since then, I’ve been destroying all books and book-lovers! Including you. You’re dead meat, boys!” “AARRGGHH!! What do we do?!” whispered David. “We call the police!” I said, as I whipped out my mobile phone. “Don’t be so sure!” said Tobias, and he stomped on my phone. “Rats.” “There’s a telephone upstairs!” said David, more frantic than a worm in a bird’s mouth. “But how do I get up? Tobias is blocking the stairs!” “Then climb over the shelves!” I did as David suggested, climbed up the sinister stairwell and darted over to the reception desk. “Darragh! These old telephones!” I said, as I spun the numbers on the porcelain receiver. Finally, I got through! “Can I please get a police squad at the State Library ASAP?!” I yelled into the phone. “Thank you!” I slammed the phone down. All was silent. All except for sirens in the distance… Chapter 4 Back To Normal All was well. Tobias (AKA Blood and Death) was thinking it over in jail cell 476 at Sydney City Prison, and the State Library had been repaired. For some reason, on the 5th of December, I decided to tease Tobias in prison. “Tobias Senyard, please,” I said to the warden who was dozing in his chair. “476,” he murmured sleepily. I climbed up to the fourth level and walked past the thousands of cells. “474, 475, 476!” I exclaimed. But something was wrong. And that something was that jail cell 476 was empty… TO BE CONTINUED…

Chapter 2 The Discoveries “What the?” I asked, more confused than a polar bear playing (or trying to play) tennis. “Can’t you see me? I’m literally right in front of ya!” said the deep male voice. “Uh… no…” “Oh yeah! I totally forgot! I’m a ghost!” the voice said, and a misty figure appeared in front of me! “AARRGGHH! Who in the name of Taylor Swift are you?!” I screamed. “Why, I’m David S. Mitchell, the founder of this magnificent library!” the ghost announced proudly. “Riiiiight… why are you still here?” “I got trapped in the freezer,” David said cheerfully. “Okay…” “Yeah.” “Right.” “Uhh, why are you here?” asked David, more curious than a beaver in a hotel. “This,” I said, pulling the note from Tobias out of my shirt pocket and showing it to David. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’d go home ASAP if I were you.” “Why?” “All people who have entered this library because of mysterious notes requesting them to come here, are in their graves!” said David, creepily. GULP! “A…a…are you sure?” I stammered. “100%.” “Oh, help me LORD!” I said, falling to my knees. “Um…okay…” It took what felt like forever for me to get over it, yet it was only 20 minutes. “Um…would you like me to guide you through this glamorous library?” David said, his voice raising proudly. “Uh, sure!” I said, my hopes raising a little bit. “Alrighty, so first…” *** 30 MINUTES LATER *** “…And here we have some ancient diaries from well known people, such as Dorothea Mackellar, Henry Lawson, Roald Dahl and more!” “Hold on! Can I please have a look at one of these diaries?” I asked, more excited than the King on his 105th birthday. “Knock yourself out! Not literally.” “Thanks!” I walked over to the diaries and picked up the one marked ‘Elwyn White’. I flicked it open to a random page. In unusual cursive writing, it read: ‘YOU’RE DEAD MEAT! Signed, Tiobas’ I read it out loud to David. “Who’s Tiobas?” I asked. “Who knows? It could be Lady Ga-Ga for all I care!” said David. “Tonight, I die!!” I cried. “Stop being such a baby!” exclaimed David, as he pushed me into the wall. Suddenly, I was at Tobias’ house! “What the…?!” The old building looked heart-stoppingly creepy in the moonlight. How did I get here? I turned around and walked forward. Then, I was back in the library! “Where’d you go?” asked David. “Tobias’ house!” I said, a little dazed. “Aaahh…how?” “The wall.” “Riight.”

1 An Unexpected Visitor The clock had just struck midnight. Why on earth would a mystery door-knocker be knocking on my door?! I covered my ears and tried to ignore the knocks. But they just kept getting louder. I tip-toed down the stairs and opened the door. But no one was there. Just a piece of paper on the welcome mat. It read: Angus, Good things will happen to you if you meet me at the State Library tomorrow night. Good things such as lollies and love. Be there when the clock strikes midnight. See you there, Tobias B. Senyard. It was creepier than last Halloween when all the kids were dressed up as vampires and werewolves! But that was then. This was now. I had been left with a tough decision. Should I go or not? Should I trust my old schoolmate or not? It had been ten years since I had last seen him. Maybe I shouldn’t go. But I did… ****** The tall sandstone building of the David S. Mitchell library was staring at me. I suspected it was staring at me because I was staring at it. The library seemed to be saying, “Come inside. Come closer. You know you want to…” I started to get the feeling that maybe I’d made the wrong choice. But I had come to far to turn back. I took a step closer to the building. Then another. And another. Before I knew it, I had climbed the shallow steps toward the State Library. I jumped in fright as the clock tower across the road rang twelve loud bells. It was midnight. The tall wooden doors in front of me had old, chiselled images on them. They looked as if they were… alive. Okay, definitely the wrong choice. I wanted to run back to 99 Cook Street, but my feet were glued to the ground! The old doors suddenly creaked open. By themselves! I could see a vast tiled floor with a weird looking map on it. Above it, there was a railing with a clock on it. A pair of double doors stood right in front of me, only about 5 metres away. I had no idea whatsoever where they lead. I gulped down the huge lump in my throat and tip-toed cautiously to the doors. Old dusty writing was carved upon them. It read: David S. Mitchell Reading room I pushed them open and I was greeted with thousands of dusty old books all lined up neatly on the huge shelves. There was old frayed carpet underneath my feet, a perfect home for cobwebs. I swallowed hard and walked forward nervously. I had only walked a few paces when, “Oi! Look where you’re goin’!”

Mac Galbakkii, the world’s most daring and courageous 11-year-old explorer ventured off to the edge of what was known. Beyond uncharted mountains and across a thousand rivers, he trekked across the land… “Mac Galbakkii!” screams Mum from the other half of the house, cutting short my daring narrative. “You’d better be in the shower already!!” “Yes, Mum!” I say, sarcastically. I get undressed and hop into the shower. As I do, I wonder why Mum just can’t appreciate that I want to be an explorer, not some famous rockstar. Wait just a minute! I’ve just had an idea! But I’m gonna need the help of my li’l bro, Stevie. ……… I exit the bathroom dramatically in a cloud of steam. I pretend I’m a real-life explorer, narrowly escaping the deadly Yetis of the Icy Mountains. I head to my room and get dressed and then knock on my 9 year-old brother Stevie’s bedroom door. I open the pure white door and Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ reaches my eardrums. “Hey, Stevie!” I yell over the blaring soul music. Stevie presses pause. “Yeah?” “Ya wanna go exploring the unknown?” I ask. “Like, yeah!” he says. “Although I don’t think Mum’ll let us go.” “Ha! Don’t you worry Steve! You just start packing your bags! We leave in 2 weeks!” “Sure! Can Cornelius come?” (Cornelius is our cat). “You bet! You know what they say...the more the merrier!” And with that, I exit Stevie’s room. “Hey Mum!” I say, entering the kitchen. Mum’s busy cooking bacon and eggs for brekkie. “Yes darrrrrrling?” she says without looking up. “Uh, music camp’s in two weeks, and what’s more – it’s only 50 bucks!” I say. “Music camp? With Ms. Jones?” she replies. “Yeah, the money’s due in on the 22nd, the day before we leave.” “Sure! I’ll pay tomorrow sweetie pie!” “Thanks!” I exit the room, feeling bad about lying to Mum, but feeling sort of excited at the same time. *** 2 weeks later *** Our bags have been packed. Mum’s wasted $50 and Cornelius is tagging along, feeling just as excited as we are. I’ve packed a cassette player, a photo of our family, a map, water, tools, BOOKS, and everything else we need to survive. All Stevie’s bringing is his teddy bear – Coco – and …FOOOOOOD!!! “Ready?” I ask Stevie. “Ready!” he says. And with that, we’re off!

The Greatest Grandfather Clock By Angus J 2022 Icklebogg Manor was as cold as a frozen yoghurt in the world’s coldest freezer. The faint sound of a tap dripping could be heard from where Isla Icklebogg was standing. At 12 years of age, she would rather write a book or eat than explore a creepy old family mansion. This mansion gave her the heebie-jeebies! Isla suddenly felt tears well in her eyes. She had spotted her grandfather’s urn from last year. Isla’s grandfather, William Icklebogg had died from skin cancer at only age 66. With the death of a much-loved relative on her shoulders, she wasn’t sure she could continue this exploration. Isla pressed on. After approximately 10 minutes, she came to a dead stop, for an ancient grandfather clock confronted her. Isla stood there, fixed to the spot, staring at the ancient grandfather clock that stood about 1 or 2 metres from where she was standing. The clock itself looked old enough to have been around when Buckingham Palace was built! It was only then that Isla realised that one of the cogs had stopped working! She wondered if she could try and fix it. She leant toward the door of the clock and opened it. CRREEAK! Isla’s eardrums rattled with the impact. She put one hand to her ear while the other remained on the door handle. Sounds and lights suddenly burst from the old clock. Isla was now not only focused, but utterly intrigued. She stepped inside the clock, not knowing what was in store… ***** As Isla wandered around an unfamiliar dusty old road, a filthy fragrance tickled her nostrils and she sneezed a few times. A weird old machine rattled past and she quickly bounded across the road. A couple of women dressed in long, straight dresses glanced at her with a strange and curious look in their eyes. Distant jazz music reached her eardrums. It sounded jazzy and fun. The song sounded familiar, like something off one of her grandfather’s old jazz records from the 1920s. The Town Hall clock nearby chimed 12 and Isla jumped nearly a metre in the dusty air! She landed with a soft thud and a crunch on the gravel below and looked down at her sneakers. Isla’s heart skipped a beat. Nobody else was wearing lace-up sneakers! In fact, nobody was dressed like her at all! She swallowed hard and suddenly realised: “I don’t belong here!” Isla noticed an old-fashioned shop and as she walked slowly forward, she overheard some fancily-dressed women speaking about her in hushed tones. “Look at that girl!” “Oh, I know!” “How bizarre!” Isla began feeling very unsettled, when she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She jerked around, expecting to see a fully grown man wanting to say how weird she looked. But she didn’t… Instead, she saw a boy about the same age as her, dressed in a tweed jacket and bow tie. “You look strange!” he said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. “I get that a lot,” Isla said, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. Isla wondered if she should ask the boy where (and when) she was, exactly. But how? She couldn’t just say, “Hi! I’m Isla Icklebogg and I just walked through an ancient grandfather clock and arrived here! I suspect it could have been time- travel! If so, where & when am I?” NO WAY! NEVER! NOT IN A MONTH OF SUNDAYS!! Suddenly, an idea came to her! “Umm… I’m sorry. I don’t know your name,” Isla said. “Colin,” he replied. “Colin Carter.” “I’m Isla”, she said. “What’s the date today, please? I’ve travelled a LOONG way and I’ve… lost track of the time! Where and when am I?” Colin chuckled a genuine, high chuckle. “Fair enough. The trams out here are mighty unreliable! Today is Wednesday, the 15th June, 1929. And the answer to your ‘where’ question is George St, Sydney, NSW, Australia.” 1929! WOWZA! Now Isla knew she had time-travelled! And then it dawned on her… the 15th June, 1929 was Isla’s deceased grandfather’s birthday! Maybe, just maybe, she could write a letter to her great-grandmother saying to take good care of her new baby! “Hey, Colin?” asked Isla. “Do you have any idea where Icklebogg Manor is?” Hoping that Colin would know, she held her breath. “Pfft! Of course! Who wouldn’t?” Colin replied. Isla let out the breath that she was holding. “Well, where is it?” “It’s in the Eastern suburbs, and there’s a tram leaving for there in…” Colin looked up at the clock on the roof of the Town Hall. “5 minutes!!” Colin and Isla ran in the direction of the nearest tram stop. As she was running, Isla caught glimpses of people pointing and staring at her, and she suddenly realised that it was probably her denim shorts, tie-dyed t-shirt and bright blue-sneakers that were drawing people’s attention. “Umm…Hey Colin?” she asked as they were waiting for the tram. “Yeah?” “Do you mind if I borrow some of your clothes?” Isla knew this seemed like a stupid thing to ask, but she thought it was worth a shot. “Sure! I’ve got some spare clothes in my satchel!” said Colin. “Really?? Why?” Isla couldn’t believe her luck! “Listen, don’t tell my mum. Okay?” “Okaaay…” “I’m actually meant to be at school, but I think it stinks! That’s why I’m wandering about Sydney, looking for something to do.” “Right…” Colin got out his spare clothes and shoved them in Isla’s face. Isla quickly put on the button-up, collared shirt, and long cotton shorts over her own 1990’s outfit, and tried to rub some dirt onto her sneakers, in an attempt to disguise how brightly coloured they were. As the tram rattled to a stop just in front of where they were standing, Isla hesitated, wondering whether she would be safe on this strange, out-dated form of transport. But Colin grabbed Isla’s hand and pulled her up onto the tram, and led her to a hard, wooden bench seat right at the back. Isla suddenly wondered where and when she would write the letter to her great-grandmother. After a minute or two, she decided to do it right there and then! “Hey Colin, do you happen to have a pencil and some paper in your satchel? I just want to write something down.” “Sure!” said Colin, as he reached into his satchel and retrieved a strange looking pencil, and tore out a page from a leather-bound notebook. “Wow, thanks!” exclaimed Isla, surprised again at how incredibly useful her new friend Colin was proving to be. As the tram bumped along the noisy tracks, Isla somehow managed to write the following letter to her great-grandmother: Dear Mrs. Sally Icklebogg, Congratulations on the arrival of your new baby boy! I am just writing to warn you about something called ‘skin cancer’, which is a very common thing that can happen if you spend too much time in the sun. To prevent skin cancer, I highly recommend NOT leaving your child in the sun for long periods of time. Avoid direct sunlight, especially in the middle of the day, and in summer. It is also wise to encourage your child to wear a hat when playing outdoors. Kind regards, Ms. M. Morgan (Midwife & Child Health Nurse) Isla folded the letter and put it into the deep pocket of Colin’s long cotton shorts. As she handed the pencil back to Colin, she wondered what impact the words she had written could have on history… Isla’s thoughts were interrupted as she suddenly felt Colin pulling her by the hand, saying “Quick! We need to hop off here!” The tram had barely stopped when Isla and Colin jumped out of the open doorway, onto another dusty road. But the surrounding buildings were different this time. Several large, grand-looking houses lined the street, and each had a beautiful garden. For the first time since she had arrived in 1929, Isla felt slightly familiar with her surroundings. “This way!” shouted Colin, as he led Isla in the direction of Icklebogg Manor. Around 5 minutes later, they had arrived at the huge double doors of Icklebogg Manor. Isla’s knocking boomed loudly, and the huge doors were opened by a woman dressed all in white (who Isla assumed was the maid). “Yes?” she said in a delicate voice. “Colin,” whispered Isla out of the corner of her mouth. “Create a diversion while I sneak inside and deliver this letter.” “Sounds good!” Colin whispered back. “Hey Gladys! How long has it been? Must be about 10 years now!” said Colin, sounding like he had known the maid once. “Uhh…Do I know you?” the maid asked cautiously. “Perfect!” thought Isla, as she slipped inside. Isla shivered, feeling a familiar sense of cold as she stood in the grand hallway of Icklebogg Manor. She noticed a door to her right, and through a crack in the door, she could see a midwife’s suitcase on the floor. “Perfect!” she thought. Now she could slip the letter under the door and go! But just after she finished delivering the letter, Isla caught sight of the same grandfather clock that had allowed her to time-travel over 60 years into the past! “Maybe…” she thought, “just maybe I could get back home via that clock!! But first I have to say bye to Colin!” Isla darted to the front doors, where Colin was standing there cracking awful jokes. “You know…I’ve always wanted to juggle, but I’ve never had THE BALLS for it!!” The maid cracked up. Isla grabbed Colin by the arm and yanked him to the side. “Hey Colin…it’s been really nice to meet you, but I’m sorry, I need to go back home now.” “Oh, okay,” said Colin, disappointed. “Do you want me to catch the tram with you?” “No, it’s ok.” Isla said. “I can go alone.” “Okay. Goodbye then. I guess I’ll see ya ‘round.” “See ya.” And with that, Isla walked back into the grand hallway where the ancient grandfather clock stood. Isla opened the not-yet creaky door and WHOOSH!...she was gone. ***** “Where am I?” asked Isla, slightly dazed. “Icklebogg Manor, of course!” replied an all-too familiar voice. Isla looked up to see…Grandfather Icklebogg! Isla’s grandfather pulled her into the tightest hug of all time and said, “Come on! It’s my turn to hide, and your turn to seek! We don’t have any time to waste!” “No, not at all.” THE END

My heart skipped a beat. Nobody else was wearing lace-up sneakers! In fact, nobody was dressed like me at all! I swallowed hard and suddenly realised: I didn’t belong here! I noticed an old fashioned shop and as I walked slowly forward, I overheard some fancy-dressed women addressing me in hushed tones. “Look at that girl!” “I know, right!” “She looks SOOO weird!!” I didn’t think I looked weird. I thought I looked totally coco-bananas!! “Hello!” came a voice from behind me. I jerked around, expecting to see a fully grown man wanting to say how weird I looked. But I didn’t… Instead, I saw a boy about my age dressed in a tweed jacket and bow tie. “You look strange!” he said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. “I get that a lot,” I said, trying to hide the annoyance in my voice. I wondered if I should ask the boy where (and when) I was, exactly. But how? I couldn’t just say, “Hi! I’m Isla Icklebogg and I just walked through an ancient grandfather clock and arrived here! I suspect it could have been time- travel! If so, where & when am I?” NO WAY! NEVER! NOT IN AMONTH OF SUNDAYS!! Suddenly, it hit me! “Umm… I’m sorry. I don’t know your name,” I said. “Colin,” he replied. “Colin Carter.” “I’m Isla. What’s the date today, please? I’ve travelled a LOONG way and I’ve… lost track of the time! Where and when am I?” Colin chuckled a genuine, high chuckle. “Fair enough. The trams out here are mighty unreliable! Today is Wednesday, the 15th June, 1929. And the answer to your ‘where’ question is George St, Sydney, NSW, Australia.” 1929! WOWZA! Now I knew I had time-travelled! Hold on! The 15th June, 1929! That was my deceased grandfather’s birthday! Maybe, just maybe, I could write a letter to my great-grandmother saying to take good care of her new baby!

As I wandered around an unfamiliar dusty old road a filthy fragrance tickled my nostrils and I sneezed a few times. A weird old machine rattled past and I quickly bounded across the road. A couple of women dressed in long, straight dresses glanced at me with a strange and curious look in their eyes. Distant jazz music reached my eardrums. It sounded jazzy and fun. The song sounded familiar, like something off my granddad’s old jazz records. Hmm… The Town Hall clock nearby chimed 12 and I jumped nearly a metre in the dusty air! I landed with a soft thud and a crunch on the gravel below and looked down at my sneakers. My heart skipped a beat. Nobody else was wearing lace-up sneakers! In fact, nobody was dressed like me at all! I swallowed hard and suddenly realised: I didn’t belong here!