Published writing

Amary yawned as her alarm beeped noisily in the background. She groaned and went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face. As she pulled on a light set of clothing, she grabbed her earbuds and plugged them into her ears. She jogged out the door to find Lydia in her work outfit with a basket. "Good morning, Am," Lydia said cheerily, waving enthusiastically. Amary smiled, waving but saying nothing, walking ahead and bobbing her head in time to the cheerful music. As Amary walked past number 18, she noticed the curtains were drawn tightly and a red stain was dripping down the curtains. Amary frowned and rubbed her neck awkwardly. She shook it off. It was probably nothing. Maybe the stain was jam, or tomato sauce? The second strange thing happened before Amary had even passed number 18. The black cat with glowing red eyes crept down the path and its eyes glowed eerily as it looked at Amary. Amary shivered and looked away. When she looked back, the cat was gone. Amary tilted her head, confused. She was sure the cat had been right there... Amary returned to her house, panting and red-faced. She was about to go inside when she heard a door slam. She saw the new neighbour creeping out of her door cautiously and looking around. She turned her head in Amary's direction and Amary quickly ducked behind the door. When Amary peeked out again, the new neighbour was gone. She crept stealthily to number 18 and she saw a whirl of grey disappear behind the side gate of the house. Amary peeked over the gate and saw the lady fiddling with a cape. She put on a pointed witch hat. Amary gasped. Her new neighbour was a witch! Then Amary remembered. She had the welcome tea with the new neighbour!

Palm Drive was eerily quiet, which seemed very strange. Usually Palm Drive was bustling with people and noise. Suddenly all the curtains in every house were drawn open and soon Palm Drive was in full swing. People in smart outfits walked across the pedestrian crossing with their eyes glued to their phones. Cars started pouring in like water being poured into a cup, and they rushed across the road, tires squealing. Amary woke up to the sound of car horns and her alarm clock next to her bed. "Beep, beep!" The little clock beeped and vibrated. Amary groaned and pressed the clock to turn off the alarm. She buried her head under the covers. Half an hour later, Amary woke again to the sound of a van reversing into the driveway opposite her house. She forced her body up and glanced at the neat grey brick houses all in row, with matching hedges all neatly trimmed by Megan, the florist and gardener who worked at the flower shop in the collection of corner shops. Amary breathed in the fresh air and sighed. Living in Camellia Gardens was like a living dream. CHARACTER PROFILES Lydia Age: 26 Length of time in the street: 5 years Lifestyle: Works part time at the bakery in the corner shops Personality: Bubbly, confident, reliable Eccentricities: She likes to give cookies to everyone in the street 3 days a week Samuel Age: 72 Length of time in the street: 46 years Lifestyle: Retired, doesn’t go out a lot only for shopping Personality: Loves to talk about the olden days when he was a young boy Eccentricities: Only buys old technology and old furniture only The white van pulled into the driveway with a red Mini closely following it. The red Mini parked on the side of the street and a woman in her 40s clambered out of the driver's seat. "That's it," she yelled at the moving workers. Amary watched closely, noticing the workers hauling out strange pieces of furniture. There was a whole stack of books with strange symbols written on the cover, a box that said in thick black marker, pet spider stuff, and a pet carrier with a black cat with glowing red eyes inside. Amary frowned, but decided not to impose.