Matthew's Adventure

• Will Atchison, Grade 3
• Short Story
• 2015

One beautiful morning, Matthew, as usual, went on his morning walk. He was walking to the park to play cricket when a crane unexpectedly picked him up and flung him into the clouds.

When he got up there he was very surprised to see massive ladybirds eating sausage rolls off trees, and little giraffes eating pavlova! When Matthew had finished pinching himself to see if he was dreaming, he realised where he was and he was surprised. He was in the Land of Surprises! Exactly thirty nine seconds later, a plane flew over three metres from the ground. Wow! That was close! What a surprise!

He was a little worried if he ever was going to get back home, that the land would move on and he would be stuck here forever. As he was thinking, a loud crack of thunder broke the air. Matthew knew he didn’t have much time. The cloud started to shake and move. Matthew didn’t know how to leave and CRASH the land moved on.

“No!” Matthew screamed. Matthew found a place to stay that was run by an elephant. The elephant told him in exactly seventeen days, five hours and twenty eight minutes the land would go crash again. He wondered what to do for the next seventeen days, five hours and twenty eight minutes. Should he play rhinoceros bingo, or do the ant hokey pokey? He was surprised when trees grew out of the ground and started singing “We Wish you a Merry Christmas” to him, even though it was April. Then an echidna rode past on a bike with triangular wheels!

He was thinking what to do when he bumped into a tiny hen. The hen said “I know you”. Matthew looked puzzled. He had had a chicken but not one that small. He loved his chicken but it had died. Matthew looked a bit closer and recognised him. “I know you”, said Matthew, “you are James!”

James, who surprisingly could talk, told him everything he knew about The Land of Surprises. He knew where to get the crane back home. They talked for sixteen days, eleven hours and twenty two minutes. Matthew checked his watch. They didn’t have much time. So he grabbed James and got to the crane in exactly fifty nine seconds. He jumped in the crane and when he heard the CRASH, he and James were lifted back to Matthew’s home. His parents were very surprised to see him after more than seventeen days. They were even more surprised to hear about the Land of Surprises! The chicken, that Matthew was still carrying, was the old pet that he loved. When Matthew went to bed that night he took James with him and was grateful he wasn’t sleeping at a hotel run by an elephant who liked to sing in the shower!