Writer of the Month Competition 2006

For three months from April through to June, Stories from the Web ran a Writer of the Month competition. Each month we chose a winning entry to become part of this story, made up of three chapters:

Elisa and the World in the Forest

Chapter One by Tania, aged 13, from Inverness, Scotland.

Imagine.
Imagine if you could do anything you wanted.
Anything at all.
Imagine if you had that chance. Would you just give it up?
I didn't, hopefully my story will make you grasp your dreams and hold on to them and hopefully fulfill them.
Okay, I was twelve years old and even though my mother told me for the umpteenth time not to venture into the woods behind our house, I did anyway.
I wonder what would of happened if I hadn't.

"Ssshhh." I warned my little brother, who was three years old and was playing with his toys. He smiled back at me.
I turned and ran to the edge of the woods and hid behind a big tree.
Why had I sshhed him? I had no idea it was not like he could tell on me.
I looked round the tree, saw my brother was ok and my mother still in the kitchen on the phone and started to walk further into the wood.
Ever since I had heard of the story about the secret world in the woods, when I was ten from my father, I had always wanted to look for myself and hopefully find the world where there was magic and adventure.
Why? You might ask. Because if you did find this world the person received five small stones. Five stones would equal to five wishes.
That was what I wanted the most, the five wishes.
I looked around.
I had come to the little stream, the furthest I had ever gone with out somebody. I would change that today and venture deeper into the woods. So, carefully I walked over two large rocks in the middle of the stream and was over to the other side. I smiled at this little achievement of mine.
I looked at trees in front of me, they were closer together than the trees on the other side of the stream, so it was much darker. But I wasn't afraid and carried on there. It was thirty minutes till, I noticed something strange.
Even though the trees were close together I could still see a small chink of the sky, and the sky was quickly turning dark.
I panicked and spun round, but I couldn't see the way I had come. Everything looked the same. I was lost.

Splash was as normal as an owl could get, despite his name.
He only came out at night like other owls and he loved to hunt and of course eat juicy plump mice. So it was very abnormal of himself, to wake up in the middle of his nap, even though the sun had just set it was extremely early for him, and decided to go hunting. It was during this hunt that he heard shouting and somebody crying.

"Help!!"I shouted spinning round on the spot.
"Help!"
I knew no-one would reply, being so deep into the woods but I hoped and prayed, someone would hear.
I heard the rustle of wings fly over me and I looked up to see that the sky had gotten darker. A tawny owl was perched on a branch in front of me, it turned its head and two huge eyes stared at me unblinking.
I shivered not just because it was cold but also I was freaked by the owl staring at me.
"Help," chirped a small voice.
I looked around, where had it come from.
"Help," again the voice whispered.
I spun round to look at the owl, was it just my imagination or was..
"Do you un-understand me?” I asked the owl.
The owl hooted in reply.
I took that as a yes.
"Please, help me. I’m lost and can't get back." I said to the owl.
The owl looked at me and took off; it circled round my head twice and darted off. Something told me, I don't know what, to follow the owl.
I did.
I ran to where the owl was perched.
It hooted and took off again.
Again I ran after it, but this time the owl didn't take off when I reached it waiting patiently in a branch. It hooted a couple of times then took off and landed on the ground in front of her. It jumped through a bush and disappeared, I followed and fell.
I continued to fall, not stopping. I screamed, but nothing came out of my mouth and then everything went black.

Chapter Two by Khadijah, aged 11, from Whitley, Reading, UK.

My eyes fluttered open.
I blinked and the sun's hot light burnt into my eyes. I squeezed them back shut afraid that I would get blinded.
With my eyes still shut I slowly moved my hands away from my sides and felt the floor.
It was rough and a small sharp rock poked my hands.
I guessed I was lying on gravel. It wasn't a very pleasant place to take a nap on and I could feel the small pebbles and stones that I was laying on. Only then did I realise that my back was killing.
I turned on my side and opened my eyes and saw that ahead of me was a long gravel path.
The first thing that came to my mind was the "Path of Wisdom".
When my father told me the story he had mentioned a "Path of Wisdom".
The path that took you to the magical world where you'd get five wishes!
He never described it properly, and if he did I couldn't remember, but I knew it had to look something like this.
Slowly I got on my feet and looked at my surroundings.
Around the gravel path were lots of trees, now more apart from each other than they were before. And, unlike before, the trees actually looked nice and clean, and the grass too. It looked like it had just recently been mowed.
I looked up.
The sky had turned into a light orange with streaks of red moving across.
Suddenly my mind snapped away from the scenery and focused on the past.
Where had the owl disappeared to?
If I were to just carry on with my journey to magical land without owl than if I got lost, who was to help me out of trouble again?
Then I thought why do trust the owl so much? He could be a creep.
The path I was on now might be the path to my death, not magical land.
But for some reason my brain told me that I should trust little owl.
"Owl, hello? Are you there?" I called turning round and round, looking everywhere, on the spot.
"Little Owl!" I called again. Then I heard the flapping of wings and saw Owl just landing on a tree.
"Hoot" it hooted.
I just nodded.
"I'm not little. Do you know how old I am?" It asked.
I shook my head.
"108" It replied, "You don't call that little do you?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
"I'm looking for the magical land somewhere in these woods... can you help me find it?"
The owl hooted.
"Why, you are already there!" The owl answered sounding like it was teasing me.
"Well...." I said.
The owl started flapping its wings and then took off again, up the path.
I ran up behind him, following it all the way.
If he were really taking me to magical land than I was really greatful and so excited.
How would the magical land look like? Would the ponds be full of shimmer dust? Would I get a wand?
All these wonderful thoughts tumbled into my mind as I ran, following Owl all the way, to Magical land.
And when I looked past owl I saw a large swirling circle in different magical colours. I was glittering and I had the biggest feeling that that would take me to my destiny!

Chapter Three by Raimunda, aged 11, from Heversham, Cumbria, England.

Suddenly, the swirling stopped. I was in front of rolling hills, and huge swaying willow trees. The sun was shining, but it wasn't too hot--just right, a warm, glowing temperature. Surrounding me were blue lakes, with crystal blue waterfalls gushing into them. Mountains off in the distance jetted into the clouds, and the tops were sprinkled with white confetti snow.

I took a step forward. There was a splash. I looked at my feet. There was a stream, and my bare feet were bathed in warm water, as it ran over my feet.

But where were my shoes? And--hold on! I hadn't been wearing a pink dress before! Where had my jeans gone?

"You're in a magic land now. It makes sense for you to be magical, don't you think?"

The owl!! He was perched on a branch on the nearest willow.

"Owl, how do I find the magic stones?"

The owl hooted.

“You still want the stones, then?"

I blinked. Of course I wanted the stones. Three magic wishes. I could wish for anything I liked. New clothes, eternal happiness, money, even possibly more wishes. Though there would probably be a rule about that. There always was in stories.

"Owl, what a stupid question. I came into the forest to find the stones. I have come to a magical land where I could find the key to eternal happiness. I have probably come further than a human has ever come before. How could I not want what I came for, when I could so easily get it?"

The owl hooted, and flew down off his branch, and landed at my feet.

"Look around you, Elisa. What do you see?"

"Trees. Hills. Sky."

"Is that it?"

"Yes!"

Why was this owl asking me these questions? He was going completely off subject. He was talking about scenery. As if scenery mattered. It was the stones which mattered. The magic stones which could give me five whole wishes all for myself.

But then the owl spoke to me.

“See? You do not appreciate the simple beauty of this place! The streams! The hills! The sun! This is the most beautiful place you will ever see! Yet you ignore them, for the desire for five measly wishes!

Many humans have come here, after the wealth and glory these magical stones can bring. I led them all here, helped them in their desires, led them to the stones. They made their wishes. I got nothing in return. But did these humans get joy from their wishes? No. They didn't appreciate the simple pleasures in life anymore. Whenever they had a thought, it would be an angry little thought, telling them that they should have wished for this, not that, then their lives would have been so much easier.

They became twisted by greed, unhappy, discontented. They wasted their lives. But all these people were adults. You are the first child to come here. And I am giving you some advice: don't take the stones. Magic is magic. Life is life. They are separate things. Let them stay separate. Elisa, for me, don't ruin your life. Just turn around, walk away, go back home. "

"But..."

I was dumbfounded. I needed these wishes. I couldn't just throw away this chance. Yes, the previous people who had come here had been greedy. But me? Greedy? I wouldn't become greedy. But, still......If adults couldn't stop becoming greedy, could I?

And what if I did become discontent? I wanted to have a happy life as much as anyone else. I wanted to be a farmer, like dad. Multimillionare? I thought about it. Me? Rich? But then I realised. Money wasn't something that appealed to me. I'd much rather have happiness.

I looked down at my pink dress. It didn't suit me. I'd looked better in my jeans. I wasn't a fancy dress girl. I'd rather just muck about.

So I looked down at the owl in the eye.

"Thankyou." I said. He blinked. So I turned around, not noticing that I was suddenly wearing my jeans again.

And so I walked away from riches, wealth and power. But I didn't care. I was running. Running toward happiness.

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