TAF2020 | CHILDREN’S SHORT STORY COMPETITION AWARDS
Congratulations to all our amazing young writers!
Announcing the winners
The TAF2020 Children’s Short Story Competition was a resounding success.
Almost double the number of entries were received in 2020 compared to 2019. Close to 100 young writers living in the Huon Valley, wider Tasmania, Victoria, NSW, ACT, QLD, SA, WA and Georgia (the country) submitted stories.
The judges, Judi Rhodes and Sarah Thornton, commented that the general quality of entries was significantly higher than last year, suggesting a growth in the skills of our writers.
Given how disrupted the 2020 school year was, and that this was the first year of running the competition online, this is a fantastic result.
An extra feather in the cap of the Huon Valley’s young writers is how well their entries fared when the competition was open to all comers. See the list of winners and highly commended entries below.
Background to the Competition
The Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival (TARWF), established in 2019 in the Huon Valley, aims to encourage participation in literary activities by residents of all ages to support the literacy work undertaken by other organisations.
In 2019, a short story competition for children was offered as part of the festival’s children’s program. The program engaged with all schools in the valley, around 300 children in face-to-face talks and around 450 residents at the end-of-program party. More than 50 short story entries were received from Huon Valley children.
The valley’s ongoing need to improve literacy levels makes such activities valuable to the community. The level of engagement in our 2019 children’s program demonstrated community interest in literary activities for children.
In 2020, TARWF had intended to offer its children’s program again. The impacts of COVID-19 made this difficult. With the support of a Huon Valley Council Rapid Response Community Grants, the TAF2020 Children’s Short Story Competition was offered online as a pathway for students to stay connected to creative writing and remain engaged in reading and learning.
WINNING AND HIGHLY COMMENDED STORIES
Congratulations again to all our winning and highly commended writers. You did an amazing job!
CATEGORY - OPEN TO AGE 16
Winning Entry
'The Great Jupiter!?', Saila Perera, 12, Huonville
Highly Commended
'The Secrets She Left', Queenie Shi, 13, NSW
'The Murder at Bellenhoff Manor', Grace Winspear, 13, Tasmania
Honourable Mention
'The Case of a Lifetime', Brilee Lovell, 13, Huonville
'The Detective of Morn', Mailea Leary, 14, Dover
'Girl Detective', Amelia Paterson, 13, Huonville
'The Imposter', Veronika Tsvetkova, 12, Georgia
'Suspect Coffee Shop', Georgia Wiese, 12, WA
CATEGORY - YEARS 5-6
Winning Entry
'Garnish', Abby Pugh, 12, Dover
Highly Commended
'425 Avenue Street', Ruby Welstead, 12, Dover
'The Case of the Missing Dog', Lauren White, 11, ACT
Honourable Mention
'Elements', Dila Gokce, 10, QLD
'The Tale of the Missing Cherries', Indy Leonard, 11, VIC
'Prosecution', Zara Strong, 11, Geeveston
'Foul Play at Summerville School for Girls', Luca Szandala, 12, NSW
CATEGORY - YEARS 3-4
Winning Entry
'Great Grandpa’s Secret', Lily Clark, 9, Geeveston
CATEGORY - UP TO YEAR 2
Winning Entry
'The Mystery of the Silver Llama', Stephanie Shannon, 8, Taroona
Highly Commended
'Who Shot the Dog?', Summer Clark, 6, Geeveston
Honourable Mention
'The Lost Baby', Wren Miller, 8, Peregrine
READ THE WINNING STORIES
CATEGORY - OPEN TO AGE 16
Winning Entry
'The Great Jupiter!?', Saila Perera
WAITING…
PLACE: RED HOUSE…
TIME: 10:00…
“By any chance do you know why the President wants to see me?” asked Sanaya
“I don’t know anything ma’am, so please take a seat and I will inform you when you are allowed to go in,” said the Secretary.
As Sanaya sat down, more concerning thoughts filled her head. What happens if she embarrassed herself in front of the President? What happens if she failed the job she was entrusted with?
AWKWARD SILENCE
PLACE: HEXAGON OFFICE…
TIME: 10:25…
It was too late to turn back, the Secretary asked her to come into the President’s office. As the doors opened Sanaya noticed how amazing the office was. It had a beautifully patterned floor and paintings on each side behind the President’s desk. Sanaya loved art, it was something that always stood out to her. Sanaya couldn’t look for any more artistic details in the room because she was distracted looking around the room for the President himself.
A smartly dressed man entered the room and asked Sanaya to take a seat. This wasn’t the President, it was his advisor, Mr Longford.
Once Sanaya took a seat next to Mr Longford there was an awkward silence. No one said a word for a minute or two. Mr Longford was busy fiddling with a file. Suddenly the door on the left side of the President’s desk opened. Mr Longford immediately stood up and Sanaya joined him.
MEETING THE PRESIDENT…
PLACE: HEXAGON OFFICE…
TIME: 10:30…
The President was wearing a smart suit. It was perfectly tailored. It was navy blue and had a slight spiral pattern.
“Sorry for being late,” said the President.
“What should I say?” Thought Sanaya.
President Krummph broke the silence saying, “Thank you for coming Detective Sanaya, I have heard that you are one of the best detectives”.
Sanaya’s heart skipped a beat when the President said this.
“Thank you for inviting me Mr President” replied Sanaya.
Mr Longford then explained that everything they discussed at the meeting had to be highly confidential.
THE CASE
LOCATION: RED OFFICE…
TIME: 10:40…
Your case is to find a HACKER! said President Krummph.
“A hacker? You chose ME to find a hacker?” said Sanaya.
“Sanaya our country is in danger. This hacker, you are assigned to find, has hacked into one of my most important files to…uh….launch deadly missiles to start a nuclear war, and we want to arrest him before he does any more damage” explained President Krummph while staring at Mr Longford.
“You are putting a lot of trust in me!” said Sanaya excited.
“Yes, now move on, you will need to choose an undercover name. Normally we choose the name, but you can choose yours, Sanaya” said the President.
Sanaya thought for a while and remembered that when she read a book about The Planets organisation (her favourite group of detectives) the only planet that didn’t have a detective yet was Jupiter so with that she made her decision.
“Can I be, Detective Jupiter?” Asked Sanaya
“Of course, Detective Jupiter. This hacker may be very dangerous so you will have access to our weapons room. My secretary will show you everything. I would like you to start immediately,” said the President.
“Yes, Mr President. Sir, may I ask one more question?” asked Sanaya.
“Yes you may,” said Mr President anxiously.
“Why are you putting only me on this important case?” asked Sanaya curiously.
“Well…” Said the President pausing to look at Mr Longford “Because the more people that get involved, the more chaos there will be. Anyway, here is the file they hacked. The only thing I ask is that you don’t go into the chapter named “LET GO”, this is where the codes are. Don’t worry, this is in the last part of the file. We couldn’t take it out, so we put in a sensor. If you go into it, you will alert my agents” continued the President while handing over a hard drive.
“Thank you, Mr President,” said Sanaya.
“My secretary will show you to your room/office and everything else,” said the President.
Before she could say another word, Mr Longford hurried her out of the office and shut the door. When the doors closed, she couldn’t hear a thing because it was a soundproof room.
Sanaya had mixed feelings, excited, nervous but mostly scared, this was only on the inside.
The first rule of being a good detective, “Never show fear”.
After settling into her room/office and getting to know the building and the staff, she studied her case but found nothing important and so she called her foster mother, Lisa
CALL WITH LISA
LOCATION: HER ROOM… TIME: 15:45…
Sanaya knew that the case was confidential, but she called Lisa on a secure phone line. Sanaya trusted Lisa with her life.
“It has been three hours and I still haven’t found anything Lisa!” said Sanaya “I have read everything that I’m allowed to read, and all the hacker left me was a little picture of a red planet. Why can’t I just read THAT chapter? I’m hopeless!” Continued Sanaya gloomily
“You are not hopeless Sanaya! I feel like all you need is a little break. Since you were 9 years old, you wanted to go to the Red House and visit the bowling alley, sleep in one of the bedrooms and eat at the restaurant! But now that you are there, I don’t see you doing anything but stress!” said Lisa.
“So, are you telling me to relax while there is a dangerous hacker on the loose?” asked Sanaya.
“Only for an hour, it will give you a clean start and it might be an eye-opener for the case!” explained Lisa.
“Ok, you are right. I will go for a swim in the pool. It looked huge from the glimpse I got!” said Sanaya smiling “Thanks Lisa”.
“No problemo Miss Detective, you should go now and swim. Love you!” shouted Lisa.
“Love you too Lisa” laughed Sanaya as she cut the line.
THE HACK
LOCATION: RED HOUSE POOL…
TIME: 17:00…
Sanaya swam for an hour and she loved it. Her mind was free of the case. She got out of the pool and went to her room. After she had a shower, she felt refreshed and couldn’t wait to get back on the case. After a few minutes, there were loud knocks at the door. Sanaya rushed to open the door as it seemed urgent.
Five agents came crashing through and grabbed Sanaya by her wrists. Mr Longford walked in.
“I knew I couldn’t trust you,” Mr Longford said with a frown on his face.
“What are you talking about?” asked Sanaya scared and confused.
“We got an alert that you opened that forbidden chapter half an hour ago. We were busy and only saw the notification now,” said Mr Longford angrily.
“I HAVEN’T GONE INTO THAT CHAPTER AND I WASN’T PLANNING TO! HALF AN HOUR AGO I WAS SWIMMING,” screamed Sanaya in pain.
“DON’T LIE TO ME!” Shouted Mr Longford.
“I AM NOT! I WAS IN THE POOL,” said Sanaya.
“We have security cameras there. You two go check them” ordered Mr Longford to two of the agents.
Mr Longford kept on staring at Sanaya with his angry green eyes.
5 minutes later the agents came back and confirmed that she was at the pool.
“Oh. I’m very sorry. I take things too dramatically sometimes. I’ll just leave you to work” said Mr Longford with an awkward laugh.
Someone had hacked Sanayas laptop!
When she turned it on there was a message displayed…
It said:
Come count and the Find words Me for passage time: UNDER SECOND
If you understand, you will find the two passage of life and M.M of it!
It had a red planet! This meant that it was a message from the same person that hacked the Presidents file!
CRACKING THE CODE
TIME: 18:45…
LOCATION: SANAYA’S ROOM…
It was a hard code which meant it was going to take time to decode. Luckily her dad (Ethan) had taught Sanaya methods of decoding as he was an expert in the decoding field. As Sanaya started decoding the mysterious message, memories of Ethan and her practising decoding came flooding back. Tears started building up, but she had to control her emotions as Ethan would have expected her to, now that he was gone.
She worked on decoding through the night.
Sanaya looked at the clock and it read 23:30. She decided to pour herself a cup of coffee and while sipping it she started studying the message again and suddenly everything made sense!
The decoded message was “Come and find me in passage M.M. Count the words for time” Since there were 12 words in the important message it meant that Sanaya had to meet someone in M.M passage at midnight, but what did M.M mean?
Sanaya searched up what M.M could stand for and the first thing that showed up was the name of a famous singer called Marlin Macroe. Sanaya thought that it was a funny coincidence until she read an article about how Marlin Macroe was found escaping through a passage under the Red house. This passage was found under President Krummph’s bedroom which meant only one thing.
GETTING INTO THE PRESIDENT’S ROOM
TIME:23:32…
LOCATION: DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN THE RED HOUSE…
Sanaya didn’t have to sneak around the Red House because the Red House was always awake. Sanaya used her weapon advantages to borrow a dart gun, smoke shooter and an alarm muter. Sanaya planned to use the dart gun on the guards outside the President’s room, the smoke shooter was just in case someone walked in on Sanaya breaking in and the alarm muter was for the alarm that alerts agents when there is unauthorised movement inside the President's room.
PERFECTLY, UNPERFECT PLAN
TIME:23:45…
LOCATION: OUTSIDE THE PRESIDENT’S SUITE…
Sanaya’s “perfect plan” didn’t go as perfectly as Sanaya would have liked it too, but that didn’t hold her back.
The second rule of being a good detective, “adapt quickly to change”.
The guards spotted Sanaya and approached her before she could shoot them with her dart gun, so she had to improvise. Sanaya used her smoke gun to distract them. She then shot them with her darts. The darts had a formula which would make them unconscious for half an hour and forget everything that had happened 10 minutes before they got shot. Sanaya was nervous about what would happen if someone walked in on her since she had used the smoke gun, but it was too late to turn back.
FINDING THE HATCH
TIME:23:50…
LOCATION: IN THE PRESIDENT’S SUITE…
When Sanaya got into the apartment she covered the alarm. This part was easy. Now it was time for the hard part, finding the hatch to get into the secret passage.
When Sanaya got into the Presidents room, she checked under his desk, near his bed and on the roof and everywhere else but there was nothing. The last spot Sanaya had to check was the walk-in closet. The closet was HUGE! It even had a painting…..a painting? Sanaya found that suspicious. When she went up to it, she noticed that Marlin Macroe’s signature was on it! Sanaya used all her strength to lift it but it was too heavy. There was only three minutes left until she had to meet the mystery person. Sanaya felt hopeless. “Finally, I get a huge case and they are going to find me in the President’s closet! Not only did I trespass into his room, but I shot two agents” thought Sanaya. She leaned on the wall in exhaustion… and it moved! That’s impossible, right? No, it wasn’t. When Sanaya turned around the painting made a cracking noise. Sanaya pulled the painting aside and there it was, the secret passage!
Sanaya ran down the steps and hit flat ground….
THE MYSTERY MAN
TIME: 23:59…
LOCATION: IN THE SECRET PASSAGE…
Sanaya checked her phone for the time and saw that it was 11:59 pm. She started walking but she was still on guard. Sanaya suddenly noticed a strange figure behind her. The stranger grabbed her but since she was on guard, she was able to pin him down to the ground.
The third rule of being a good detective, “always be on guard”.
“Who are you?” exclaimed Sanaya. There was no reply.
“I asked, who are you?” repeated Sanaya
“I see you worked on your moves since the last time we met” laughed the mysterious man.
Sanaya was confused at how calm the stranger was. It was also strange at how familiar the voice sounded.
“Sanaya, help me up,” said the voice.
Sanaya was amazed at how the stranger knew her name. Her body had a mind of its own and started standing up. Once they were both standing up again, she asked….
“I demand you to tell me, WHO ARE YOU?”
The stranger took off his hood and mask. Sanaya recognised this face immediately.
“I thought you were dead?” said Sanaya weakly “You had a funeral!”
“Was the coffin open?” asked the man.
“No. I just assumed that, that was how a funeral was done” replied Sanaya.
“Well, it was staged. Anyway, why haven’t I got a hug yet?” asked the man.
Sanaya hugged him tight and said, “Why have you been hiding dad? I’ve missed you so much”.
I had no choice. I have been under the radar because the organisation I work with, suspected that the President was leaking private information about the country” said Ethan tearing up
“What private information?” asked Sanaya
“I can’t discuss it. All you need to know is, if he sells anymore, this country will be in a lot of danger!” explained Ethan
“The President gave me a job to find a hacker. Do you know what that is about?” asked Sanaya.
“What did he tell you?” Asked Ethan
“That there was a hacker who hacked a file that had nuclear launch codes and I had to find the hacker before it got too dangerous so the President could arrest them. I was also given a hard drive, but I couldn’t go into a file called “LET GO” because that was where the actual codes were” replied Sanaya.
“I knew from the day you were hired that you would be put on this case and that’s why I sent the coded message” said Ethan, “ I knew you would decode it!”, “ I was the one who opened “LET GO” but it doesn’t include nuclear launch codes. That chapter has information and agreements the President has with the groups, but we need more evidence to arrest him” said Ethan while looking at his watch. “It’s 00:15 Sanaya, you should go because the President normally settles in his room at 00:30. I love you” said Ethan while tearing up again.
“No don’t leave- but before Sayana could finish her sentence a cloud of thick smoke covered him and by the time the cloud was gone, Ethan was gone too. Sanaya found a note on the ground. It had a phone number on it. Sanaya put it in her pocket and looked at the time to see that it was 00:19 which meant she didn’t have much time. Sanaya ran back the way she came.
THE EVIDENCE
TIME: 00:21…
LOCATION:PRESIDENTS CLOSET…
When Sanaya got back to the closet, President Krummph was already in the room but he wasn’t alone, he was with Mr Longford! Sanaya felt sweaty and didn’t know what to do. She then heard them talking and decided to listen. While listening in she realised that they were talking about what her dad had just told her, selling information! At that point, Sanaya felt that recording the conversation would be great evidence for her Dads organisation.
Mr Longford left the room after the conversation and the President went for a shower.
Sanaya then ran down to the secret passage and called the number her Dad had left her. Her Dad answered and told her to send the recording to that number immediately and to wait where she was until he showed up.
After a while, she heard a lot of footsteps coming towards her. It was her Dad and his team.
“You have been a great service to us and I’m so proud to be able to call you my daughter. We finally have enough evidence to arrest Ronald Krummph and Nathan Longford and it’s all thanks to you” said Ethan.
“Who do you work for Ethan?” asked Sanaya as she heard helicopters and other vehicles.
“Have you heard of The Planets?” asked Ethan.
“Of course I have! They are my favourite detectives!” replied Sanaya. “Well let me introduce you to them,” said Ethan.
One by one Ethan introduced the detectives who were there and explained that he was apart of it. Sanaya looked at her dads’ jacket and spotted the logo of the organisation and saw it was the same logo from the hacked files, a red planet. This confirmed that it was her Dad who had hacked everything.
While all of this was happening The Planet’s security team rushed into the Presidents Suite and arrested Ronald Krummph while a second-team arrested Nathan Longford.
Sanaya finally sat down and noticed a female figure walking towards her. The lady then said,
“How come I haven’t been introduced to the hero?”
Ethan said, “Sorry Marlisa. Sanaya, let me introduce you to Detective Mars. I know she is your favourite detective”.
Marlisa hugged Sanaya and cheerfully said, “Thank you so much for helping us! You know what, why don’t you join the organisation? We have an opening for one person or as we say one more planet”.
Sanaya froze. Her dream was finally coming true.
“so…?” asked Marlisa
“I would love to! Thank you, Marlisa!!!!” replied Sanaya excitedly
“I am extremely happy! What will your name be?” asked Marlisa
Sanaya replied, “Can I be, Detective Jupiter?”
CATEGORY - YEARS 5-6
Winning Entry
'Garnish', Abby Pugh
I dug my fingernails into the leather steering wheel. I had never imagined myself coming back home, yet here I was, driving down the main road of Daineville, my hair sticking to my lips and the radio softly playing rubbish. I didn’t know what brought me here, not exactly. Perhaps I was homesick, perhaps it just felt right. But I think I was looking for a new mystery, a new mystery that I would find here.
The world had evolved so much at this point, yet Daineville was stuck in the 80’s, full of little motels, trashy old school buildings and a common enemy: Luke’s Diner. Every time I had eaten there as a child, I had to stay home sick the next day, food poisoning every time. But no matter how many times I had fallen ill, we always ended up eating there one way or another. “It was probably something you ate last night possum, perhaps Mum will stop cooking that for you.” My father used to say. It had always, and still did, drive me mad. Yet I pulled into the bumpy, half empty carpark anyway.
I pushed open the door and let the little bell ring. A few eyes looked curiously over their milkshakes at me as I walked up to the counter.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Kara Brookestone, Daineville’s own little Nancy Drew. How’s the detective work going?”
Luke pulled his sinister, sarcastic smile as the words slipped through his teeth and started getting on my nerves. I tried to shake him off and tossed my coins onto the metal counter, clink, clink clink.
“I’ll take a beer, Luke.”
He scoffed and dragged the coins towards his chest. Then, something on the menu caught my eye, an intriguing new item. I slid a $5 note towards him,
“Oh, and add the new spaghetti to that, would you?”
He snatched the five dollars out from under my fingertips, stuffed it in his pocket and proceeded to say,
“Sorry Love, that’s only available after six. But thanks for the tip!”
I glanced up at the clock: 5:56. Wow. I slammed my fist on the table, a few hundreds in my hand.
“Pardon?”
He looked up at me and placed the five dollars back on the counter, clearing his throat.
“I- I said I’ll add that for you,” he stuttered.
I smiled, picking up the five and placing a hundred down. He looked at the hundred, then back at my hand.
“What happened to the other three?”
I placed them back in my pocket and swallowed a lump in my throat. Whether I chose to admit it or not, Luke still intimidated me; I felt like I was a little girl.
“You lost them for being ignorant. Watch your sticky fingers next time buddy. I’ll be at Table Five.”
Flabbergasted, he let me walk off, as he should. I pulled out my chair and flicked open my notepad as I sat down, wondering if I’d ever actually stood up to Luke, or if I ever would. I stabbed my pen into the pages repeatedly, trying to find a way to occupy my mind. The sour smell of hot spaghetti and boiling blood tickled my nose, it smelt like a mystery. The plate of food was dropped in front of me, along with my drink being placed so close to the edge it almost spilt onto my lap. The scrawny waiter gave a “humph” under his breath as I caught the tipping glass and pushed it back towards the centre of the table. I noticed $100 hanging out of his oversized pocket, so I snatched it back as I dipped my finger into the golden liquid and flicked it up into his eye.
“Have fun telling Luke you failed your little mission, darling. Buh bye!”
He turned his back and walked off as I slipped a plastic bag from my back pocket. I sneer back at him,
“Let us see what is really going on here.”
I watched Luke’s eyes dart back and forwards from me to his customer. I smiled and picked up my fork, trying to make him believe I was actually going to eat my meal. He mouthed “eat it” and I nodded, swirling my fork in the pasta. I couldn’t believe I was going to do this. I stuck the fork into my mouth and pulled the pasta off. The instant, underlying taste of blood was disgusting, and something to be suspicious about. I looked up at Luke with a mouthful, smiling weakly. He nodded in confidence that this would be my last meal. Ugh, pathetic. He turned his back and rounded the corner, the customer’s order scribbled onto a yellow sticky note. I dropped my fork onto the table and leant over the nearby bin, spitting out my food. I had never tasted anything more fake and disgusting in my life! I stared down at the indent I had made in the swirling dish, sauce, well what I assumed was supposed to be sauce, dripping down. I pulled the plastic bag from my lap and wrapped it over my hand, staring at the little green garnish on top. Its purple-tinted edges were something I hadn’t seen before. I had to nab it before anybody saw! I picked up the little plant and flipped the bag inside out, trapping the peculiar green. I sealed it and shoved it back into my pocket, being cautious that I didn’t damage the plant too much. I swigged my beer and walked out the door, drink in hand and the extra $100 I stole back from the waiter. I felt the little garnish rubbing against me, making my curiosity and craving for mystery a lot more real.
“KARA!” Luke called from inside the store as I sat in my car, holding the steering wheel with a satisfied grip.
I backed out and began driving towards the motel as he burst through the door, shaking his fist. I glanced over at the car’s clock: 6:14. People were out on the sides of the road, drooping down the walkways with a pale, dead look on their faces. They had all come from the direction of the diner, making me speed up, eager to get to my room. I pulled into the motel’s pothole-filled carpark and grabbed a black case from the boot. I sped past the reception desk,
“Room 24 checking in!”
I heard Darla, the reception lady’s pencil tick me off as I raced up the stairs. I fumbled for my key card as I approached my room. I had only been home for two days and I had already lost my key card.
“Great,” I said sarcastically. “Oh, wait-”
It fell out of my pocket and I ducked for it, shoving it against the sensor. Beep! I flew through the door and tossed the case onto my bed, pulling the plastic bag out of my pocket and slamming the door shut
“Keep it down, Love!” Darla’s voice echoed up the stairs.
“Sorry!”
I opened my laptop and researched before anything. What does it mean if the edges of your plant are purple? The search results were scarce, but I found an article with everything I needed and more. I stared at the screen, analysing every little detail as my stomach swirled.
Mistopocatia-The Purple Death
The Purple Death, scientifically known as Mistopocatia, is a deadly plant that has been proven to have a zombie-like effect on anybody who may come in contact with it. The name ‘Purple Death’ came from the plant’s strange lilac edges and stem, containing the toxins. If the plants stem is broken, crushed, or opened in any way, the poison will secrete. If bare skin or the digestive system comes into contact with the poison, people have been known to go into an undead state at 6:15pm, a state they cannot escape until they die 24 hours later. Mistopocatia has a strange taste, nearly identical to thyme, making it almost impossible to distinguish between a dinner garnish and an untimely death.
Click here to read more
My heart sank. That’s why everybody was slumping down the pathways! They had eaten the purple death! I dashed to my bed and flicked open the case, a mini laboratory emerging. I open a little drawer, grabbing the gloves and slipping them on. Carefully, I opened the plastic bag and took out what I assumed was Mistopocatia, sliding it under the mini D3CRYPTER. I waited for a good fifteen minutes for the results.
“The D3CRYPTER at the lab works better,” I say, annoyed.
Finally, I got my results.
“You’re in trouble now, Lukey!”
D3CRYPTER
Mistopocatia: Status-deadly
I dived for my phone and dialled the police, all the evidence I needed right in my grasp.
“Hello? Yes, this is Detective Brookestone. I’ve found evidence of Mistopocatia used as a garnish to the spaghetti at Luke’s Diner. Yes, I can prove that. Alright, I’ll head to the station now.”
I hung up, clipped my case and shut my laptop. Within seconds, I was down the stairs and out the door, Darla barely catching the tail end of my checkout. I sped to the station and burst through the door.
“I’ve got the proof; your turn to get the guy!”
I held up my evidence and they nodded in approval. They sped down to the diner behind me. I had finally done it! We parked in the now empty carpark and stormed through the door, disregarding the ‘closed’ sign.
“We’ll take the spaghetti, Luke,” the chief said with his gruff, professional voice.
Luke’s face was priceless! He looked up at the officers, then to me, swinging a pair of handcuffs around my finger.
“It was Kara. She told you, didn’t she?”
I smirked. All those years…
“Luke Letsport, you are under arrest for the endangerment of others and serving poison to customers.”
He started whining pathetically, making my ears sore.
“Please, I did it for the money! If my brother hadn’t offered me the big bucks, this would have never happened! Please!”
But it was too late.
At 9:24pm, Saturday 5th July, Luke Letsport was arrested, likely to be a life sentence for first degree murder. I slid my hand into my back pocket and watched them drive away with him. Something felt… wrong. My pocket…it felt…wet? I pulled out my hand and stared at the purple liquid seeping into my skin. I remembered the small snap in the stem, the small hole in the bag, and my heart stopped. I had just infected myself with the Purple Death, and there was no going back.
My throat swelled up, my veins went deep purple. I felt exposed. I felt unsafe. I felt dead.
CATEGORY - YEARS 3-4
Winning Entry
'Great Grandpa’s Secret', Lily Clark
Katie and Sophia were upstairs in their attic reading on their great grandfathers old bed. Sophia had fallen asleep and was snoring loudly, as she rolled over she knocked Katie out of bed. As she was getting up off the floor she could see something carved into the wood of the bed. Written below an old metal key.
National Archives Hobart Library 1782 Page 3 Pearl Necklace
What does that mean? asked Sophia. “I remember Grandma telling me that her Mum had a valuable pearl necklace stolen” said Katie. As the library was open they hopped into their silvery blue car, Katie was driving and her 14-year-old sister Sophia was the passenger.
The drive took 2 hours to Hobart from Southport. When they arrived Katie asked Sophia if she had written down the words carved under the bed. “Of course, did you think I would leave that knowledge at home?” said Sophia.
Both girls decided to look in the old newspaper section hoping to come across something.
After about half an hour searching they found the microfilm newspaper reel for 1782, “Let’s put it on” said Sophia. Page 3 showed an article of a suspected jewellery thief with a picture of an ugly man with what appeared to be a pearl necklace tucked into his swag bag. The article said that he may have hid his treasures in a cave around Hastings, but none were ever found.
“I wonder if we could find the cave and Great Grandmas pearl necklace?” asked Sophia.
“I’m pretty sure there is a cave at Hastings that collapsed years ago and isn’t open to the public because it’s dangerous” said Katie. Do you think we can go? Asked Sophia. “Yes, so long as we got some gear to keep us safe”. The girls needed to go through Dad’s shed.
“Wait in the car while I grab some stuff” said Katie, “Fine but be quick” warned Sophia knowing her Dad wouldn’t be happy.
When Sophia was sitting in the car all the things that could go wrong were racing through her mind.
“What about getting lost? Yelled Sophia. “I’m bringing white chalk” said Katie
The girls looked around the bush for 2 hours before they found the overgrown, long forgotten cave. They cautiously entered the cold, dark cave. I hope there are no bats, whispered Katie. Wide eyed she could make out something ahead. As they got closer they realised it was an arrow carved into the stone. Pushing where the arrow pointed made an entrance to a room carved out of rock open. Inside was an old rusty locked trunk. “Wait, Sophia cried, this is what the key is for!” The lock squeaked but opened with the key.
Inside was a beautifully preserved letter. It read:
Congratulations, you have followed the clues and shall be rewarded. This letter gives the finder all the treasure I have taking for this cave, and stored at the Old Bank Geeveston.
Signed Stanley Alfred Petersen.
Our Great Grandfather!
CATEGORY - UP TO YEAR 2
Winning Entry
'The Mystery of the Silver Llama', Stephanie Shannon
Dedicated to my friend Caitlin
Gloria was awakened by her sister rolling on top of her. It was a lovely morning in the Llama
pen. Gloria the llama overheard two humans talking about a stolen Incan Silver Llama.
Gloria loved to solve mysteries and was quite the detective around the farm. The next day
she snuck out of the llama pen and started on a journey to find the thieves. She travelled
through the Andes Mountains and finally reached Quito in Ecuador. She went into the city
and started looking around. A sparkle from an open window caught her eye, a cat sat next to
a pouch, Gloria was sure it had the missing Incan Llama in it! The cat started to run and
Gloria tried to catch the cat but she was too quick. Night came and Gloria fell asleep, tired
from her long journey. The next day she woke with the sun shining through the open
window. She remembered she needed to find that cat. She went back to see if the cat was
still there. She was! Gloria caught her, she hissed and scratched. The bag she was carrying
fell and the missing Llama rolled out. Gloria let her go and picked up the silver Llama. The
cat came and introduced herself, her name was Sabina and she was trying to return the silver
Llama to the museum where it had been stolen from. The next day they returned the silver
Llama. They became very good friends and told each other all their stories. Sabina told
Gloria how she had seen the bad guys who had stolen the silver Llama and knew she had to
get it back.
When they arrived back at the Llama pen all the other Llama’s welcomed Gloria and her new
friend. The next morning was different, Gloria woke to a fussy fur ball on her back, all
curled up in her warm fur. They were ready to start a new adventure together…