Safe!

• Joseph Morton, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2008

Safe!
I was running swiftly along the soft grass. The sounds of footsteps behind me were getting louder. I was getting puffed out when I heard the footsteps stop! Suddenly, I heard a helicopter over head and a banging sound. I quickly glanced up and saw a man in green, brown and black clothes equipped with a gun. He was shouting at me, I couldn’t understand his language it sounded like German but I was not sure...
That night I was at home, alone. I had not one idea where my family were. Maybe they have been caught by the soldiers. That night I decided to escape. I packed my bag. In the bag I put. : $20, some matches, some food (chicken, steak, lamb, mostly meat), shoes and socks...I quickly researched on the computer and was astonished at what country the soldiers came had come from. They came from Egypt!!!
That night I snuck down the street to the edge of the road keeping as much as I could to the shadows. The sound of rapid fire machine guns echoed throughout the whole of Sydney. The ground rumbled as the sound of tanks drove through the streets. I had watched the news before I left. American soldiers were being flown over to help Australian soldiers defend Australia against the Egyptians...
I had ventured about 1kilometre into the bush, and the sound of war was getting quieter. Then I heard a crash and the ground was shaking. I saw a glimpse of a tank’s rear end and heard rocket fire. I realized they had noticed me. I ran as fast as I could down the trail and heard the tank coming closer...and closer. Then I tripped over a trail bike jump.
I woke up in the bush lying down, but I didn’t know where I was... I walked onto the main part of the track and instantly got spotted by a tank. A man hopped out and yelled,
“Stop!!!”
I naturally turned round and walked over to him. He said, “Are you lost?”
I answered, “yes”. He signalled for me to follow him. I did what he told me. In his tank I saw my family...
A few minutes later he said, “The Egyptians have been forced back to Egypt and the land mines they set have been dug up. There were only a few.’
We thanked the army official and set off back to our homes. When we got back the damage round the streets wasn’t too bad and there was a big crowd walking around finding relatives and celebrating...

Joseph Morton age 10
Covenant Christian school
Grade 4