Kayla's big challenge

• Jessica Lynn, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2005

The crowd is cheering, they are all yelling the name, “Kayla! Kayla! Kayla!”
“Kayla get up or you will be late for school!” Kayla rolled over in her bed and moaned. “How can I be late for school? I go to school here because you won’t let me go to a normal school like a normal teenager!” Kayla yelled back to her mum in a groggily voice. “What a wonderful dream” she muttered under her breath. As she got up to have breakfast she said to her mum, “Mum I want to be a pro ice-skater.” “But honey that means that your dad and I would have to drive you to Brisbane every week.” “Well I am in year 12 I can drive a car, but I don’t have one.” “Yes but you could use mine.” “Would you let me?” “Of course I would, anything for you.” Kayla felt so happy that finally she could go to Brisbane to become an ice-skater.

Next week Kayla woke up at 4:00am, she was so excited. “I’m going on a road trip, and I’m going to be an ice-skater.” She sung to herself. By the time it was time to leave she was wide-awake and ready to go. She said her last good-byes to her family and left for Brisbane for a week.

When she got to the unit she was staying at the first thing she did was made sure that the TV worked. When she was satisfied with the TV she packed her skates into a bag and drove off to the nearest ice-skating rink.

When she got to the skating rink she started slipping and falling over. The instructor came over to her. “Are you ok?” “Fine.” She replied. It was love at first sight. “I-I-I-I have t-t-to g-go.” She sputtered to him. She rushed off with bright red cheeks.

That night she had a dream. “Boo, Boo! Get off the rink!” The crowd was yelling.” She woke up quickly. Maybe skating isn’t my thing. She thought. She fell back to sleep in no time, and had another dream. It was about the instructor. He was about to kiss her………… then the alarm clock went off. Kayla went straight back to sleep and skipped ice-skating practice because she thought she wasn’t good enough.

When she woke up at 11:00am she packed her bags and drove back home.

She explained to her parents that ice-skating wasn’t the thing for her. And from now on she has started a new sport. Surprisingly she is quite good at it. It is called badminton. Except every now and then she gets the occasional hit in the head with the shuttle-cock.


By Jessica Lynn