The Big Flood
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Aleena Rassolley, Grade 3, Australian Islamic College of Sydney -
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Short Story
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2018
Excellence Award in the 'Horizon of Dreams 2018' competition
The rain fell gently, onto the dry land. Grass grew and trees thickend. It was strange not to play outside. The rain turned savage. White sheets slashed the sky too much for the ground to hold. A giant wave swept across the whole land.The rain stopped, but the wall of water surged into the river. Hour by hour the river rose. In some places water only nibbled at the banks, but in others it burst across the river bends up into the streets. It sounded like a helicopter. It sounded like a big flood happening. Volunteers filled sandbags to hold the big river back. Night fell, as lots of heroes searched the water. Daylight finally came at last. The river was the big enemy. It swallowed everything, then wanted more things to swallow. Trees and sofas sucked and swirled into the torrent. Boats tore from their jetties. A cafe, wrenched from its foundations, was captured in the river's surge. But then the cables of the boardwalk snapped. A kilometre of wood and metal became a weapon of the bid flood. Nothing in its paths was safe at all. Then a small tiny tugboat bobbed across the river out of nowhere. How could a tiny small tugboat help in this type of big flood? The big river's power got more mightier by far. But the little, tiny small tugboat kept on going. It nudged the mighty boardwalk. Back and forth it shoved and guided then it let the river sweep the monstrous wreckage out to sea. There were so many heroes now that you couldn't even count. Strangers offered shelter. They even offered hands and homes. Slowly, the big flood crept back into the river . The extreme kindness of strangers bloomed like beautiful flowers after rain. Tens of thousands cleaned and mended, roaming the streets with mops and shovels, baskets filled with apples, sweet fresh water and plates of cakes. It was a big town of mud and friendship. Then came a whole lot of people from all over Australia and people even came around the whole world just to help people from the big flood. The river shone under the blue beautiful sky, a friend again. It was all an Australian spirit even though people came from all around the whole world. THE END