Quest In The Park

• Chelsea Lee, Grade 3
• Short Story
• 2012

Bess and James were in the park with their nanny, Hannah. They were rather mischievous children and were interested in the hollow tree. Their friends Charlotte and Lilly were also curious about this tree. At the park, Bess, James, Charlotte and Lilly would watch other children drop toys such as Barbies in the tree. But miraculously, they would always disappear.

One day, when all the children were at the park, they decided to put their hands in the hole. This was a grave mistake. As soon as the children put their hands in the tree, they were suddenly whisked into the tree themselves. "Ahhhh!" they screamed. Barbies, unicorns, toy cars and other things surrounded them.

All of a sudden, the place was filled with screams. The whole tree was silent and empty, except for a wizard who was coming nearer. "Who have we got here?" screeched the wizard as he cackled meanly. "Well, I shall make you my slaves."

The mean wizard made the children work for him all day. When the wizard went to bed, they were supposed to wash the dishes but instead they made a quick dash for the window and escaped. They came close to a cave looking house and knocked. An old, wise looking gnome answered. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. "We would like to escape," the children cried. "Well, you must collect the stone of determination," the gnome answered. "It hasn't been found for years."

The children rushed quickly out the door and began looking. They soon came to a row of caves and decided to look in them. "James, Charlotte!" Lilly called. "I've found something!" They entered the cave and looked on the wall. It read:

I'm in way too deep,
I'm struggling to stay alive,
I'm wet and cold,
And begin to swim,
But I really want to hide.

"The river!" shouted James and they all trailed behind him. When they reached the river, which was only a dent in the tree filled with water, they found the stepping stones. "Oh," the children sighed. But then they realised that the stones were trying to spell something. This is what it read:

There's walls surrounding me,
I'm trapped in,
I must crawl,
To reach the daylight within.

"Tunnels!" the children cried as they were sliding down a tunnel. The children soon reached the ground, landing with a thump. The children expected a message, but all they could feel were bumps. Suddenly Lilly cried, "Braille! The language blind people use!" Luckily Charlotte knew Braille and translated the poem.

I have two hearts,
One pulsating with blood,
And one with determination
You will soon realise there is no stone because it is in you!
Say the magic word and you will be home.

"Determination!" they cried and they were back in the park. There was Hannah, sitting on a bench. "Oh, Hannah! We've got an amazing story to tell you!" the children cried. And so it was.