Facing History

• Jasper Mutimer, Grade 3
• Short Story
• 2009

We have our new history teacher coming in today, because the old one was stubborn and cruel. It took a while until the principal Mr Tint noticed that, because she baked him chocolate chip cookies and made him tea with whipped cream every day. At recess Speck (he is my best friend and he’s called Speck because he’s tiny) questioned if I thought the new teacher will be kind and forgiving or completely psycho and cruel. “It just depends how much Mr Tint is paying him or her.”
“I never thought of that,” answered Speck. Just at that moment Riley (the school bully) came towards us.
“Oh-snap” murmured Speck.
“What are you two dweebs doing here on my private four square courts?” yelled Riley.
“We were just going,” said Speck. We ran off because if you argue with Riley you’re going to get in to a fight and the last kid who had a fight with Riley had his neck, ribs and jaw broken.
After recess we had history, the whole class was nervous even Riley, because, she could be nice or psycho and mean. When she came in she wrote her name on the blackboard.
“My name is Mrs Wenstern,” shouted the new history teacher. “Today we’re going to learn about Sir Edmund Hillary. What famous thing did he do?” Leon (a smart show off) shot his hand up like lightning.
“Yes, young man, what’s your name?” said Mrs Wenstern.
“Leon and he was the first man to climb Mount Everest,” wailed Leon, he had a loud voice.
“Did you know it took him 1-2 years to climb the huge mountain?” said Mrs Wenstern.
“Come on! I could climb that silly old mountain in 3 days!” I whispered to Speck.
“So why not do it?” said Mrs Wenstern. Whoa! She must have hearing like a bat I thought to myself.
“Well go on get going,” called Mrs Wenstern.
“O-o-o-ok,” was all I could get out of my mouth. The whole class was shocked except for Mrs Wenstern and History the hamster (we’re not sure what he’s got to do with history) happily munching on some food.
The next thing I knew I was in Melbourne airport ready to go on a plane to Nepal to climb Mt Everest. After the most boring flight in my life, after having to do at the airport all the things at the airport like getting your luggage and going through customs; I went straight to Mount Everest. There were news crews from America, New Zealand and Spain, from everywhere really! When I looked up at the huge mountain it looked unclimbable.
I started to walk up it, puffing and panting already. I forgot that oxygen gets really low as you climb higher. The oxygen tanks were so heavy and as I got to the top I had one tank left of oxygen. Finally at the top, I saw Giant hornets. They chased me all the way down. I couldn’t believe that I climbed the it in 3 days!