A Long Way Home
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Abbie Gilchrist, Grade 3, McAuley Catholic Central School
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Short Story
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2011
Excellence Award in the 'Step Write Up 2011' competition
It is Saturday afternoon, 5 o'clock, and Percy the racing pigeon is having his favourite meal. porridge and wheat, for tomorrow is a big day for Percy and his owner, Old Tom. Tomorrow is the big "Coast to Mountains" Pigeon Race. Old Tom had always wanted to win the race but had never been lucky enough. His hopes were very high with Percy. He had raised Percy by hand from a baby and he was Tom's favourite bird.
Sunday morning asrrives. At 5am, just as the glow of the sun was starting to peck over the mountains, Old Tom and Percy leave home and walk down to the park where all of the other racing pigeons and their owners were waiting. They were waiting for the big trucks which takes then to their racing start point over at the coast.
"Good Luck, Perce," Old Tom whispered into his cage ," "I'll be here waiting for you when you return." He gave Percy a little scratch on his head and loaded him in with all the other recers.
At 9am the race was underway. Percy and three hundred other pigeons are all racing home. Pery was flying well but was rememembeing the obstacles that could be in his way. Thoughts like thunderstorms, Henry the Hawk and gettinig lost were running through his mind. "I'm doing ok," he thought to himself, "If I'm keeping up with the others, we have already travelled one hundred kilometres and this is my first big race." He was feeling pretty happy with himself when all the other pigens scattered everywhere. Percy is confused. He looks up and sees Henry the Hawk coming in fast!" Percy dives, turns and dives again. His heart beating so fast! He Remembers what the old pigeons say about hawks attacking. "Fly as fast as you can and don't look back," they had said, so that's what Percy did.
Before long, Henry was nowhere to be seen, but neither were the other pigeons. Percy could see a huge thunderstrom looming in the distance. Now he had to go through that alone as well!
It was dark and for a normal bird this would have been terrible to find their way through. But Percy, being a homing pigeon, it was pretty easy as his brain just knows which way through the clouds in the distance, and so he could see his beloved Snowly Mountains! He flew as fast as he could, no other pigeons in sight! He looked down and could see Old Tom waving with a huge grin on his face. He swooped down and landed next to Old TOm. "We won, Percy!" he shouted. Percy smiled as he hopped into his carry box. He lay down exhausted and Old Tom walked home a very happy old Man!