The Strange Friendship Of Myrtle Turnip And Norman Bout

• Jaidah Fergus-Mackie, Grade 8, Mt St Patrick College
• Short Story
• 2015

Excellence Award in the 'The Write Track 2015' competition

The snow fluttered through the air like a delicate white dove; however the mood in the Oxley home for orphans was not so nice. A puny, but intuitive and witty child had just been deemed the dire status of orphan, her name was Myrtle Turnip. Her chilli red hair framed her grey sunken face perfectly and created a sort of vulnerable look about her. This was most definitely not a good thing for as soon as she walked through those stereotypically gloomy iron gates she was being shoved up against walls and picked on.
A nimble orphan, who went by the name of Norman Bout, was not in the mood for being beaten up himself, but could not bare the thought of standing by while a newly red eyed orphan was being pulverized by an enraged mob of spiritless wolves.
Now of course this is the part where the courageous Norman Bout would dash to the every need of the damsel in distress (Myrtle Turnip) and valiantly save her from the malicious dragons, and this he did, well at the very least tried to do. Unfortunately the wee princess and her measly squire were not the least bit muscular or ferocious enough to save themselves from the hurried trip in the ambulance to the emergency department in the local hospital, and then eventually and ultimately to death.
The question is though, if Myrtle and Norman had of lived to tell their ill-fated tale would they have become inseparable companions or star crossed lovers. Would they’ve grow old together or would they loathe and neglect each-other never to make contact again. Who knows, I certainly don’t and surely you don’t either, we never will because the story of Myrtle Turnip and Norman Bout is clearly written above and conclusively ends in the untimely departure of them both. Or does it….