The Jellybean Swap

• Ariane Williamson, Grade 3, Woodbridge District High School -
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Write Along 2018' competition

Alice Butterworth was a normal girl. She was generally healthy, a good height and reasonably smart. She had a mum, dad, cat and a dog and she was really happy at school with her friends and her teacher Miss Laws. But the only problem was…. jellybeans.

She was mad about jellybeans. Whenever she got jellybeans she hid them in very weird places like under the car seat or in her shoes so when she was desperate she went to one of the hiding spots and had a good munch on old, stale jellybeans.

One afternoon Alice was walking home from school when the shopkeeper in the sweet shop she always went to called to her from the shop door. “Alice, I have got a lolly for you” said the shopkeeper bequeathing her a small box painted dark blue. “Thank you” said Alice and she walked away.

That night Alice sat on her bed and opened the mysterious dark blue box. Inside was a single golden jellybean. Alice thought that it was too beautiful to eat but a jellybean is a jellybean and Alice was Alice. So she ate it anyway.

The next morning, she woke up and had breakfast. The muesli tasted better than it used to. In fact, it tasted like jellybeans. And that’s because it was jellybeans.

All the way to school Alice thought about her breakfast. Then she thought about the golden jellybean.

When Alice got to school, she tossed her bag into her locker and took out her secret stash of jellybeans and had a munch. It tasted like muesli. And that’s because it was muesli. That’s strange thought Alice as the bell went.

“Today we are going to have a maths test” said Miss Laws as she wrote 4 questions on the board. “Pen and paper ready?” “You may start the test” said Miss Laws enthusiastically.

Alice started straight away. At the end of the test Alice chewed thoughtfully on her pencil. It tasted a lot like jellybeans. Alice stopped chewing. That’s weird thought Alice.

I think I did well thought Alice as the children went to lunch. Alice got out her sandwich and had a chew. HORRIBLE! The cheese sandwich tasted like lead from a pencil. “Now this is getting ridiculous” said Alice and she decided to go to the sweet shop in her lunch time.

Maybe he has a kind of lolly that fixes this sort of stuff thought Alice.

“Alice! Alice” said the shopkeeper “I have got something installed for you.” “It’s a very special liquorice!”
“cool” said Alice “I’ll buy it” and forgetting all about her problems, she bought the liquorice and walked out of the shop door.

That night she opened the bag and popped the liquorice into her mouth and chewed…