Tom's Magical Box

• Oliver Hooper-Clark, Grade 4, Risdon Vale Primary School
• Short Story
• 2015

Excellence Award in the 'Read Write Repeat 2015' competition

Tom’s Christmas tree was beautiful because it was next to the TV. It was a real tree with purple and pink leaves. There was a big gold star on top. The tree had ten decorations. They were round, pink, blue and yellow gold. The tree glowed in the dark.
There was a magic box under Tom’s Christmas tree. Nobody knew how it got there. Tom knew it was magic because it sparkled.
Tom couldn’t wait to open the box because he really liked surprises and couldn’t wait to see what was inside the magic box.
Tom left it on his bench because he went for a sleepover at his friend’s house.
On the day after, Tom went into the kitchen and looked at the bench.
The box was not there. He felt sad because it was his favourite box.
He looked everywhere.
First, he looked on the bench. Next, he looked in his bedroom and in all of his cupboards. He sat on the floor wanting to cry. Then he saw it, under the wooden table in the kitchen. Tom had found his magic box.
He opened it. There was spy gear inside. There was a magnifying glass and a spy robot dog with camera eyes. It was cute because it looked like a real spy robot dog. Tom thinks the dog walked the box off the table.
After he found it, he remembered he’d bumped it off the kitchen table.
Tom really liked the box so he kept it and put his special toys in it and he hid the box under the broken, brown floor boards in his bedroom so that nobody could touch or look at his special toys or box. They were his secret toys.
Tom safely placed his magnifying glass and spy robot dog inside his wardrobe so that he did not lose them. Tom was excited and looking forward to his friend Sam arriving so that they could play with them together.
Tom kept the secret box hidden under the floorboards forever and ever and it was his secret for his whole life.