8 February 2023, Week 1: Hiding the extraordinary in the ordinary

The cars zoomed past the neat bushes. Doors slammed shut as the wind pushed us towards the wooden gates. Just another day at Roseinton Avenue. My name is Spring and I’m about to tell you the story of my neighborhood. It all started on a fine spring (get it?) morning. My pet dog ,Pop, bounced all over my body as I rose from my bed. My hair appeared as if a tornado had a dance party inside my brown locks. I changed into my favorite Sunday wear as I gazed upon the horizon. Birds chirping a melodious song, clouds floating in the clear blue sky, flowers blossoming across every garden. My feet tapped on the concrete along the path as I made my way to my best friend's house, Winter. Noticing her roses and sunflowers beautifully planted across her lawn I carefully leaped over each and every one. As soon as I reached her door it flew right open revealing her face. Long black hair hung down her head as she offered me to come inside. Her room was perfectly organised as I sat down on one of her cushions. Just before I could comment on her new flowers a loud BOOM interrupted me. “What was that?!” I questioned. “I’m not sure, Spring. But it sounded like it was coming from your ...

Unseen eyes feasted on the sight. Whispers were carried along the wind into waiting ears. A rushing stream gently crashed onto rocks as the current pulled it towards the lake. Trees created a dappled canopy as the last rays shone weakly. Through the dipping branches of the ethereal wood, a huddle of soldiers sat around a fire. They had created refuge in the forest as they fled from the rebellion forming in the city. The kingdom's emblem was printed clearly onto their uniforms and the soldiers had hoped they the trees shadowed their identities. "Find her." Two red eyes glinted hungrily in the moonlight. The hounds were getting impatient as they paced around the bare forest floor. "Find her and bring her back dead." The only sound of the forest now was the breath that caught in her chest. The tall, sloping mountains of her city was now enveloped in flames as the rebellion drew longer into the night. She ran towards the valley but her foot caught a loose rock and down she fell into a world of darkness. It swallowed her like a sinkhole, black was everywhere she looked and she could feel her limbs getting heavy as all her strength was drained into the abyss. As if waking ...

Chapter 1 Part I Hello. My name’s Charlie Harold Veilay. I am 10. I live on 379 Leyle Lane, Camellia Ville. It’s not exactly the best street. For example, kookaburras are always chattering at about 190 decibels. The solution? Earmuffs. But that’s not all. The scorching, boiling sun is always shining, making it physically impossible to go outside without getting skin cancer. And I’ve been lectured by Mum about it 65 septillion times. We also always have to park our turquoise Toyota really, really far away and trudge back home. This is strange, considering that about 80% of the houses are on sale, but after all, we do have a gargantuan store. We only have about 70 houses not for sale on our street, and l know 2 of their inhabitants. First, there’s Aunt Georgia, on 381 Leyle Lane. She’s a black haired, kind, forgiving person in her mid 40’s. The only weird (And not the only good) thing about her is that she gives free muffins to everyone on the street on Saturday afternoons. Then, There’s Paul, a bald, red-nosed, 67-year old couch potato from 380 Leyle Lane. He watches news 24/7 (Seriously, can’t they make more kid shows ?). Here are all of his eccentricities: • Hates ...

The salty air stung my eyes and the sea breeze whipped by hair. People hurried along paveways, their black cloaks like birds desperate to go with the wind. The stagnant air of the museum was stifling and I greeted the fresh air with pleasure. Grey clouds blanketed the sky and a thin fog started to gather. The sea was alive with waves that tossed sea foam onto the sand. I stared at the rickety houses and waved to our neighbours. Iris and Harold were frequent visitors of Addison's Hall of Quirks and Wonders. Iris would often bring us freshly baked goods and Harold would donate us interesting pieces of glass and shells he found at sea. I shook my head trying to get the thought out of my head. Something was happening. I could feel it. I squinted into the thick sea of people and I saw a limping man. A small silver box poked out of his pocket and I knew exactly who he was. Inside the box was a key. A key to the house in front of us. The new tenant had a sharp cane and everyone in the whole of Sardine harbour knew that to have a limp was nothing to be proud of. You wouldn't be able to work and feed the harbour.This man clearly didn't know his Sardinian ways.

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 ...

“What is going on?” Thought Anastasia, peeking through the window. “Are you okay, Anastasia ?” Asked Rose, noticing her friend had suddenly gone quiet. “Bill’s house has become silent” muttered Anastasia absent minded. “So? That doesn’t matter. Does it?” Muttered Rose confused. “Give me your spy night gear” ordered Anastasia. Rose handed it and Anastasia adjusted the night up goggles. As she looked through them, she saw shadows through the curtains, sitting of what looked like table. She knew that those shadows belonged to Bill and Lilly, his little sister. Bill looked like he was talking to Lilly. “Um, Anastasia?” Asked Rose, startling her that she dropped the night goggles. “Yes?” She asked, impatient to continue her secret spying mission. “Never mind” mumbled Rose, frightened that she upset her friend. When Anastasia looked back through the window, the light was off and it was clear that Bill and Rose had gone to bed. Anastasia sighed. She really wanted to hear what they were saying. “Come on, let’s go to bed” said Anastasia, going into her sleeping bag. As Anastasia listened to Rose’s breath in and out while sleeping, Anastasia kept on thinking, why is Bill’s ...

The Mystery of the Neighbourhood Chapter 1 A week ago in Australia, Queensland, Oliver Bay, Beach Avenue, with its new and old colourful houses with big gardens and beautiful flowers. Nearby there were cafes, birds chipping, people gardening and chatting, kids playing and going to school. One sunny and quiet day, a family moved in. The family was composed of 4 people with their dog Tug Boat. It was loud, it was annoying, mostly for the people who lived in this street for about 14 to 16 years. It was always so quiet. Their names were Livie Canastra and Andrew Jonsen. Livie Canastra was 46 years old and she was kind and creative. She loved gardening and she was an artist. She did dot painting and wore creative clothing. Andrew Jonsen was 55 years old. He was funny, excited and curious. He worked in the bakery that was in the corner. He never liked green veggies. It got louder than ever until everyone grumbled and complained to say stop. But why were they loud? Andrew was curious so he went to check it out. Then he understood why they were loud. The dog was howling, the children were excited. He saw boxes with weird stuff in them. He couldn’t wait to tell ...

On Sunset Avenue, there lived lots of families and there were two families that were very close. Sunset Avenue is going to be the most peaceful place you have ever been to. Tom is the son of Bill and Amy and Sara is the daughter of Kate and Sam. Sara and Tom are friends and go to the same school. On Sunday, a newcomer moved in between the two close families at 3:00 in the afternoon. The day the family moved in, Sunset Avenue was no longer a peaceful place. Sunset Avenue became a loud and noisy place because the newcomers has pets. You would not believe what pet the newcomer had as a pet. Let me tell you what pet they had, they had pet chickens!!

CHAPTER ONE He was about 50 meters away from the bus stop, but still, somehow, Julian managed to spot me. “HEY, EARPLUGS!!” Yelled Julian from across the road. Oh no. Quickly, quickly. I yanked by backpack haphazardly back onto my back and began running away as fast as I could. Not fast enough. “WHERE YA THINK YA GOIN?!” Julian rammed a hand into my backpack, and before I could pull myself together to fall over properly, Julian and his goons were already rummaging through my stuff. One of them pulled out my earplugs. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrgggghhhhh! The noise, the sound, the yelling! All streaming into my poor ears. I clap my hands over them but it doesn’t work. My earplugs are the only thing that blocks it all out entirely. “OOH! WOT’S DISS??” Squeals one of them. They’ve found Grandpa’s muffin. I bought it at a bakery for him just as I was leaving Art Club. It was the house special and cost me a fortune. I can’t let them have it. I scramble to grab my earplugs and pop them back into my ears. The noise falls away, but my head is still throbbing. I make a lunge for the muffin, but Julian’s too fast. I miss the muffin, but I clip his arm, and the muffin flies ...

The sun started to drift down the yellow-orange sky and the clouds from the earlier rain had faded away. The sound of young children having fun in the Elderberry Gardens was still going on, with the sound of happy screams gusting through the trees and into the streets around it. Geraldine Parkway was one quite similar to any other. It had regular people, regular shops and regular housing. It was an afternoon just like any of the ones before it. The whole area around Elderberry Gardens were all townhouses, quite pretty and aesthetic ones as well. A cool breeze whisked through the air of the street and into Adhalia’s shop, she felt that cool chill she always loved on especially warm days. As the clock striked 5:01 on her watch and customers filed out of her shop for the end of the day - she started to close up. As soon as everyone had left, she walked over to the entrance and picked up the few display flowers that sat outside neatly in their pots. She heaved them up with both hands with all her might and placed them back inside. She did that with all of them. But before she could close and lock the door, her eyes caught a moving van that flew across the road. The van ...

They are gone. Taken away by men in navy blue business suits. Probably never to be seen ever again. I have so many questions. But no one has the answers. *********************** Monday, 29th August 2016 Knock. Knock. Knock. “I’ll answer it!” I called out. I got up from my bed where I was texting my friends. They were all having a fun time to together in Hawaii while I was stuck at home with my Dad who only cares about one thing: That I don’t ever leave his sight. Ever. When I opened the door I was surprised that it wasn’t Mr and Mrs Smith from unit 4 delivering dinner. You see, Dad can’t cook. And even if he could he’s on his computer 24/7 trying to earn enough money to pay the rent for this apartment. Anyway, the person who was at door was the landlady, Maria. Who owned this apartment. She’s short, about a foot smaller than me. She looks like a principle, a strict one, with pointy glasses and everything. But she’s really kind. “Hi Maria, is everything alright. We weren’t expecting you to come today.” I said calmly. But that was not how I felt, she might have come to kick us out. I took a deep breath and crossed my fingers. Maria smiled and looked me up and down. ...

Forest hill street was always the most normal place in the world. There was no nonsense and no peculiarities. The sun glazed the smooth tiles as the blazed high above them. Rows of fine and handsome houses lined the street. It was Saturday and many neighbours were labouring at their green lawns. Today was the best day of the week. One, I did not have school two,I would spend the day with my favourite neighbour Mrs Schwartz. At nine o’clock I hurried next door. Mrs Schwatz seemed oddly strange. Something was out of place. I knew she was elderly but something was DEFINITELY wrong. “How is your Monday going dear?”she wheezed. “But it's Saturday Mrs Schwartz.”I exclaimed. Then things got worse. Mrs Schwartz began shaking, she fell to the floor. The shaking intensified.It looked like she was a alarm on a old-fashion clock. Her chest was heaving up and down up. She was having a seizure. I phoned the ambulance hurriedly. Mrs Schwartz had already passed out. When the ambulance arrived, a paramedic winked at me and said “You have done a good job.” News of the incident spread quickly around Forest Hill street all thanks to the nosiest neighbour of all, Alice Romanov. Then a ...

In Bella Heights there were two lovely families in Cloud Parade. Bill is the son of Kate and goes to Greeners Public School with his friend, Jack. Kate is a single mum because her husband died of excitement when the baby came out! Jack is the son of Izzy and Colin. Jack was friends with Bill. Colin and Izzy like to chat with the neighbours. Once their apple tree fell and they gave some helpful advice on how to put it back up. No matter what type of talking it was they would talk. One day a newcomer came in town. Every day her number of cats gets doubled. On day five she already has 32 cats! Wait a second… she isn’t feeding normal cat food!?!?

Chapter 1 Banktown Avenue was a cosy, rundown sort of place. There was a park filled with trees nearby, and the houses all had circular windows in their attics, but other than that, the houses were all different. This was how the people in Banktown Avenue liked it. the Avenue was dusty and well ridden on, by people in big cars going on business trips, who just happened to ride through, and kids on skateboards who threw rocks through the windows of number 14 Banktown Avenue, which was said to be haunted, and smelled like lemons. The rest of the Avenue smelled like eucalyptus. But aside from all the weirdness, Banktown Avenue was pretty quiet…in most of the houses. Number 12 Banktown Avenue was different to all the rest. Not because it was weird, no, all the houses were weird. Number 3 Banktown Avenue even had a large chicken farm in the front yard with a miniature rocket for the chickens to sleep in instead of a chicken house. No, number 12 was weird because of the girl who lived there. The girl, whose favourite hobby, was playing with daggers and swords. Leena Tavin stared out of the circular attic window, taking careful aim with her dagger. Leena was a tall 12-year-old ...

A car raced by Maya, splashing her in cold water. It was always busy in Bedford Avenue. She looked at the traffic building up, smoke filling the air in a grey fog. Rain seemed to love Bedford Avenue she thought, bitterly regretting not bringing her umbrella. She checked her phone, mindlessly scrolling through messages and found her friends taking a lot of space in the group chat. She groaned and kept her phone back in her pocket. Harley and Diana, her neighbours, had been best friend ever since she could remember. She always felt like the third wheel whenever she was around them. And they were always talking. Normally just the two of them. It would go on for hours and Maya was sick of it. She secretly wished she was Harley, at least then she'd not feel as left out. As she walking she glanced over at her new neighbours house. All the lights were off and the curtains were drawn but her neighbour was inside. She heard him. Her new neighbour was always a tad bit weird. She saw him wearing a very expensive Rolex that her teacher recently lost and he always shut the curtains and the lights. In the night, much to Maya's annoyance, there would be strange loud noises coming from ...

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 ...