Back In The Day

• Tully Freeman, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2015

Tully
Back in the Day
“Land ahoy!”
When Wilbur heard those words, he silently shivered in fear. All he had done was steal one single apple. And now, he was sentenced to live in this new land until he was 30! Poor Wilbur only had one friend, and that was his dog, Jack. Jack knelt beside him, trying to comfort him. Wilbur smiled and patted him on the head. He hoped that he would stay out of trouble, because just one stuff-up could cost him his dog’s life. He would be all alone.
“I hope,” he said.
When he got out of the boat, Wilbur was too scared to look. He thought it would look like hell, with lava everywhere, demons flying around and just looking plain nasty. But he decided that he had to be brave. He slowly, but steadily, opened his eyes. It was the exact opposite of what he had imagined! The birds were singing, flowers were blooming everywhere and vibrant colours exploded everywhere. In fact, it was so brilliant, that Wilbur actually thought it was an incredible stroke of luck that he stole that apple. “It’s beautiful!” yelled Wilbur. “I’ve never seen anything like it! Wow!” His big, penetrating blue eyes stared at the gleaming sun. As he did, his soft, brown hair felt warm, something he wouldn’t feel back in England, because the brilliant sun never shines there. Wilbur was so excited that he decided to rush into the deep bushlands to explore further. “No, Wilbur!” shouted some other convicts. “Don’t go in there! It’s probably dangerous!” But, Wilbur was as ignorant as he was poor, so he rushed in anyway. He looked in every hole, in every pond and up every tree. Then, when he looked in one peculiar rock pool, he saw the strangest thing he had ever hoped to saw. It had the bill of a duck, the fur of a dog, and when Wilbur fed the Thing a fish, he realised it had the poison of a snake. Then he heard soft giggling. “Is that you?” said Wilbur to the Thing. “No, it can’t be. Animals can’t talk!” He decided to venture on, and eventually, he found out what the giggling was.
It was a young girl named Djetna. And she wasn’t like him. She had the darkest skin Wilbur had ever seen. The two soon became friends, and they had no problem with each other.
Meanwhile, back at the campsite…
“Alright men,” said Captain Phillip. “I have had it up to HERE—“he raised his hand “—with those Aborigines!” The soldiers muttered for a bit, then resumed standing like statues. “So I, your brilliant Captain Phillip, have devised a brilliantly cunning plan to wipe out those so-called ‘Dark Devils’ for good! All in favour say AYE!” “AYE!!” shouted almost everyone on the beach. The soldiers grabbed their muskets. Captain Phillip grabbed his ‘holy’ blunderbuss. And soon they were destroying the local Aboriginal camp.

TO BE CONTINUED*...




*next year.