Aussie Grains

• Brooke Kleem, Grade 6, Murwillumbah East Public School
• Short Story
• 2015

Excellence Award in the 'Read Write Repeat 2015' competition

A little Australian boy called Peter lived on a farm who was raised by his Grandparents.
He lived with his three sisters and four brothers, and soon one to come. In 1923 his parents were Merchants and travelled around the world selling handy products such as tools, furniture, oat grains and fruit & veg which was the only money that the family received.
Peter was four years old and was the youngest of the family. Of course they had chickens, goats, cows, 2 horses, geese and ducks.
So it was the children’s job to feed them. And of course the household was crazy in the mornings, duck and chicken poo gets trodden all through the house. Peter runs out to feed the horses carrots. He runs into the pen. The horses were standing on their hind legs, rearing up. But Peter wasn't afraid; he stood there until the horses calmed down. He was very determined to feed them since he never was allowed to and was immediately in trouble and dragged back out by the ear.
Dinnertime, he slurped up Granma's pasta then got smacked on the bum. How dare you Peter, you know how to eat at the table and you did exactly the
opposite." Granma glared at him as she spoke. "To your room!" She yelled sternly, pointing her finger at the stairs. He thumped his feet the whole way then turned back and grabbed his dinner and pulled the death stare at Granma. When he came to his room, then took the mashed potato and smeared it all through Granma and Grandpa's bed. His grandparents thought he was finally in his room but he was waiting in his room for his grandparents’ expression of finding mashed potato in their bed. Soon they yelled "Peter!" He giggled as a he laid in bed hugging his teddy tight as he stared at his locked door.
The next morning was as hectic as ever so was every morning. One night, a week later he was fast asleep dreaming of his parents to come back. He thought as though they would never come back, he often cried himself to sleep, but there was a hard knock on the front door. It was his parents, his grandparents came to greet them. Soon they came to Peter’s door, they gently pushed it open and came and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Everyone was glad to see them but they had to go at lunchtime again.
The next morning he sat and folded the laundry with Granma while the others fed the animals.
Years past and he was eleven years old and his baby sister was finally the favourite.
He decided to wander the farm. The farm was 20 acres long and he almost reached about 6 acres by sunset! He fell asleep by an apple tree with the book 'Moby Dick' in his lap and when he woke he wandered a little further and found a field of oats growing that had been abandoned. He filled his arms with the long grass full of oat grain. The next day he was back and the first thing was, "Peter where have you been?" Granma hissed and grabbed his ear, he showed her the grain and a massive smile came to her face and she said, "Where did all these oat grains come from?" "I found it all on the farm," Peter answered. Granma smiled and Grandpa smiled as well.
Peter’s parents never had to work again and they were never hungry. It was just like their own fairy-tale and all their wishes came true.
Peter and his siblings grew happily and healthy for the rest of their lives.