Just Imaginary!

• Emily Forsyth, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2021

“Alice, Alice!” Luce is nudging me. “Mrs. Green is asking you a question!”
“Huh? What was that Luce?” “Mrs. Green is asking you what you will get if you had 3 pigs, 2 cows and 14 chickens and you sold 2 chickens and 1 pig to a bloke and 5 chickens to a woman and her 14 year old son. How many will you have left?”
“If you take 2 chickens away and that plus a pig and 5 more chickens you might have… Ahh! Um… you would have 7 chickens and 2 pigs and add on the 2 cows. So you would have 7 chickens, 2 pigs and 2 cows.” “Correct! Miss Alice but you really have to pay more attention and get your head out of the clouds! If you daydream in my class one more time, you’ll get detention!”
Whoosh! A paper plane with gum in it just got stuck in my hair! It will take forever to get out! “Mrs. Green, Mrs. Green! A paper plane just got stuck in my hair!”
Mrs. Green turned around, “Miss. Alice you shouldn’t have been playing with paper and gum!” I can’t believe it! She’s only seeing this as my fault. This diabolical plan was obviously created by an evil mastermind, out to get me!
Then I spied Mia Lefold over my shoulder sniggering! She has hated me from day one!
On the first day of school in year one I accidently ran into her, spilling my lunch all over her favourite dress. Well, it is practically my parents’ fault for forgetting to teach me to tie my shoelaces!
At lunch Luce said in a whisper, “What were you daydreaming about?” I always dream about the most curious things, well so everyone tells me! “I was daydreaming about Trufflent and a pixie called Poppy!” “What’s a trufflent?” asked Luce. “Not a what but a who, Luce. Mr. Trufflent is a spikey, cute, angry animal. A cross between a hedgehog, bunny and weasel and he’s very fussy! We have adventures all the time, me, Poppy and Mr. Trufflent who is always being angry and worried about elves! But not just any elves, hunter elves! Hunter elves are one of those whooshes you hear at night that you think are owls or other night-time predators. They are OK, they’re just a bit rough around the edges but they keep the forests on the edge of the cleansing meadow safe!”
“Alice, you have the biggest imagination!” “I know, Luce.”
“After school we are meeting at the big, old, twisted tree near the old shack. It’s said to be haunted! So, no unwanted visitors come, I just have to pack my inhaler and some snacks and I’m all set!” Alice said that she’d meet me there. I arrived at the old tree at evening, Luce wasn’t there yet, I beat her yet again! I leaned back, and started to eat, then all of a sudden, I was falling, sliding into a dark abyss!