Vanirum Creek

• Hugh O'brien, Grade 1m
• Short Story
• 2016

It was believed by the fish in the ocean and the deer in the woods and the leopards on the Savannah that Vanirum was a blessed place. The animals agreed with them, and for the first three years of their life they came annually to Vanirum creek, to get blessed. 
Fast as a cheetah. The deer said.
Leap like a leopard.  The leopards growled.
Swim like a fish. The fish granted.
Animals from the outside didn't receive the blessing. They were much weaker, slower and far worse swimmers. So the animals believed that their blessings were reality, and practiced swimming, jumping and sprinting every oooday to keep their blessings alive. The blessings didn't really kick in until the animals started practicing, and so they were urged to practice as hard as they could. It was labour, but their bodies were strong, well-bred and therefore, were used to it. But the blessings were real.The practices were only there to activate them.
    
                                         4 YEARS LATER 
The Animal Olympics were on at Vanirum Creek this year. The animals trained harder than ever, even the mice, although their competition wasn't very serious. Team Vaniru had won the Olympics for the past five years. They had to win this one to claim the record.
The day the other teams arrived, there was a huge feast. Team Vaniru sat at one table, Champolympia at another, Shotneale at one and finally Jumprun at the last table. Team . had to be wary of Shotneale, because the only difference between the teams 4 years ago was 59 points. That was a very small amount by Vaniru standards. The big question was who would win the Animal Olympics?
By Alex O'Brien