Ruby's Lost Imagination

• Ella Cooper, Grade 6, Ainslie School
• Short Story
• 2017

Excellence Award in the 'Spread The Word 2017' competition

Ruby HATED homework! One day her teacher, Mr Taylor, told the class to use their imagination to write a story about ANYTHING. That night, Ruby tried really hard to think of something to write about, but she couldn’t come up with anything. She had lost her imagination…
Ruby asked her Dad if he knew where her imagination had gone. He told her it might be in the garage. She didn’t find her imagination there but she did find some gloves and a rake. She pretended to be a knight, saving a princess from an evil dragon.
Ruby asked her Mum if she knew where her imagination had gone. She told her it might be in her bedroom cupboard. She didn’t find her imagination there but she did find a sparkly dress and matching glittery shoes. She pretended she was a tap dancer on stage performing in front of the Queen.
Ruby asked her sister if she knew where her imagination had gone. She told her it might be in the cubbyhouse. She didn’t find her imagination there but she did find a toy microwave and plastic chicken. She pretended she was a gourmet chef cooking for hundreds of hungry people in a fancy restaurant.
Ruby was disappointed not to finish her homework. At school, she told Mr Taylor her story about losing her imagination and that she’d looked for it everywhere!
But Mr Taylor smiled and said ‘sounds like you didn’t lose your imagination after all… You were using it that whole time!’