‘Today is Monday and today I am going
to make my master proud! I am going to
peel myself for him!’ Potato announced
as he held his fist up high. All the other
vegetables ignored him and continued
playing hop-scotch.
Potato sighed and rolled over to the kitchen
drawer. Using the help of a fork, he carried
the metal peeler to his deformed sphere
body and held it high above his head.
‘I’m going to do it!’ he wailed which caught
the vegetables attention. Furiously, Potato
dragged the peeler down his skin. All the
vegetables stared in shock. Ten minutes
later, Potato lay there, panting heavily. He
had succeeded.
OVERALL WINNER
EMILY BLAGROVE
SKINNERS’ ACADEMY
‘POTATO’
I used to have a fish called King Lear, but
he died. Fish are stupid. When I gave food
to Lear, he always let it sink to the bottom
before he tried to eat it. He was a mad fish!
After we buried Lear, we played the
quotation game. Mummy says I’m really
good. She calls me the Duke of Burgundy. I
tell her that Burgundy is an idiot.
I said, ‘Thou art a fiend, a woman’s shape
doth shield thee.’
She laughed and said I could be Albany
instead.
I said, ‘Speak what we feel.’
She nodded, sagely.
RUNNER-UP
TALA MARTELLI
HOLLAND PARK SCHOOL
SCHOOL WINNER
SARA CHOWDHURY
FOREST GATE COMMUNITY SCHOOL
‘THE VOICE’
The parched grass turns moist under my feet as I approached the lake. Liquid
darkness spread wide before me. The raspy voice called my name. I spun around
and faced a tree shrouded in darkness. The figure of a girl stood under the tree’s
sanctuary. Taking a step towards her, she gave me an ethereal smile. I blinked and
she disappeared into the mist. I walked towards the tree, realising there was no sign
that she had ever set foot on that patch of grass. I heard a sinful voice behind me.
I turned around, terror running through me. ‘Phoebe!’
SCHOOL WINNER
SCARLETT STOKES
PIMLICO ACADEMY
‘CAKE’
‘Cake!’ she exclaimed, with the rapt innocence of a person barely out of nappies,
still attached to dummies and relying on the wisdom of mummy over which teddy
to take to the park. Her image was reflected dully in the glass, a pile of maybeblondish, maybe-brownish curls atop a potato face. A finale of features yet to be
grown in to. We were in the cake store, as our crayon contract stated. Me and
my niece: one the portrait of youthful wonder, the other, sullen, almost out of
adolescence. ‘I hate cake’ I mumble, avoiding the customers’ intrusive stares.
Barack surveys the board before declaring in awe, ‘Game over!’
‘This is mine, I believe,’ gloats Kayne.
He lands on The White House.
‘Yeaaah boooy!’ Kayne says, picking up the solid gold dog and
moving it swiftly along.
He throws them onto the board.
‘Cheers P-Bizzle,’ Kayne replies, picking up the two dice.
‘Your turn, Mr West,’ he says whilst passing him the dice.
And on the other side Mr West, yes that one.
On one side was the President, yes that one.
One day, on a Tuesday, a game of monopoly was set in the Oval
Office.
PLAYED MONOPOLY’
JAMES ROSE
NOTTINGHAM ACADEMY, RANSOM ROAD
‘THE DAY KANYE WEST AND BARACK OBAMA
SCHOOL WINNER
SCHOOL WINNER
LOUIS SAYERS
ACLAND BURGHLEY SCHOOL
‘A POINTLESS 100 WORD STORY’
Did you know that ink comes out of a pen? No? It does. Honestly!
This 100 word story is completely pointless. It is overpriced; Sale! – 10% off! Don’t
buy this 100 word story. It is a #1 worst seller. ‘Outstandingly terrible’ Buy six of
these 100 word story books and you get one free with our loyalty card! Just don’t
expect us to be loyal to you. Ask a member of staff for the price because it’s too
much to put on an advertisement. You might have seen this product on TV; top 10
worst things ever written. We smashed the record. We also smashed every chance
that we were ever going to forget this.
Used with persistence
and made with resistance,
if I am responsible for your death,
I am sorry for my existence.
I will be used, abused,
hidden in your shoes.
Pull me back.
Another heartbeat we will lose.
They will use me to end your life.
I’ll hit you sharper than a knife.
Are you a friend? A daughter?
Perhaps someone’s wife?
LUCY TIRAHAN
CRANFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SCHOOL WINNER
SCHOOL WINNER
GUNVEEN KAUR
BERKELEY PRIMARY SCHOOL
The ruby red jewel glimmered in the green grass and a girl called Gunveen and
her friend, who has a name which is Tamanna, found it. They told their parents that
they would be back by teatime. Meanwhile, they saw a lot of wildlife. They saw their
favourite animal, a cat, so they decided to keep it as a cute pet, but they forgot that
their mum said: ‘Do not get anything from outside, unless it is a snack, or something
to do with education.’ So when they went home they got told off very badly.
SCHOOL WINNER
CAITLIN CHARLESWORTH
NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY SAMWORTH ACADEMY
Deep breath in, deep breath out. Run faster, you have to get out of there. No
matter where you turn, you are lost and can’t escape, no matter how hard you try.
Pathways twist and turn and leave you confused. Deep breath in, deep breath out.
Try to calm your nerves and clear your mind. ‘You can escape,’ you tell yourself. You
turn and retrace your steps, but you reach a dead end. Loud footsteps reach your
ears, leaving you frozen in a terrifying place. A shadow walks around the corner,
then suddenly you’re on the ground. ‘Get up!’
SCHOOL WINNER
FATEMA BEGUM
KING SOLOMON ACADEMY
‘THE BOX’
My grandma gave me the box for my tenth birthday. It was beautiful, small with
gems along the lid. I was curious as I reached for it, but Grandma had a condition.
‘Do not rush, young one. It is yours to keep but it mustn’t be opened till you are
eighteen.’ The box stayed on my bedroom shelf for eight years. When the wait
came to an end, Grandma was no longer with us. With shaking hands I opened the
lid to find a small parchment. ‘Patience is the key, young one.’ A mantra my grandma
had followed her whole life.
SCHOOL WINNER
ARCHIE ELLIOT
BURLINGTON DANES ACADEMY
‘MY WORST NIGHTMARE’
Lying in front of me, those things. You know the two things that do not go together.
Like jasmine tea and five tablespoons of salt. Actually you wouldn’t know; it is a
unicorn with a slit throat. This is the worst thing that has happened to me since the
salty jasmine tea.You see the reason these don’t go well together for me is because
I’m in the rainbows club. That means no red. It reminds us – the rainbowians of
blood – of King Alfred, the God of all rainbows, leprechauns and unicorns.
This is my worst nightmare.
SCHOOL WINNER
BARIRAH ASHFAK
FEVERSHAM COLLEGE
‘WHO TAUGHT HER’
I heard cheering from the playground, where everyone seemed to be congratulating
a little girl who was the last to be found in their rather heated game of Hide and Seek.
Of course she won, I thought, she’s the only one who can climb trees.
‘…grades shouldn’t be as low as this. I just don’t get it, her classmates are on decimals
and she can’t even understand what halves are!’ Her mother exclaims.
I taught her shapes, I taught her paragraphs, I taught her the order of the planets, I
catch myself thinking, but who taught her Hide and Seek?
I breathe.
‘Time’s up! Exam’s over, girls.’
Now there’s a pen clicker, the worst kind, synchronizing with
the tick of the on-going clock.
A woman walks up and down. She glares at me, then moves
along the line to the next victim.
II shuffle into the room. Dead silence. Nervous energy moving
rapidly. Someone constantly taps the floor with the heel of
her shoe. It is unbelievably irritating. The clock’s hand creeps,
second after second. Will I have enough time? My hands shake
with terror and anxiety. My breathing gradually gets deeper,
heavier with each tick of the timer.
JESSICA KRASNIQI
FULHAM CROSS GIRLS’ SCHOOL
SCHOOL WINNER
SCHOOL WINNER
JULIA CHILMON
DIXONS ALLERTON ACADEMY
I walked in. It was bright. Very. ‘Ugh, disgusting,’ I whispered to myself.
I’m the odd one out. Girls dressed in but short shorts and crop tops. Unlike me. I
wore jumpers up to my legs covering the fat underneath. ‘One blueberry cone.’ I
stared at it – blacky blue, like my soul.
I suddenly noticed girls laughing at me. I shrugged. Then, without hesitation, one
girl nodded, pulling the unnoticeable string next to her. A tonne of cream fell over
me. I nodded. As usual, it’s always me. I whispered ‘Okay,’ under my breath, then
walked away. Feeling ashamed.
SCHOOL WINNER
VIKTORIA VARGAS
ARTS AND MEDIA SCHOOL, ISLINGTON
‘FLOWERS’
We got a message saying that people were attacking us, so we picked up our
guns to fight, but they were stronger than us. One of our soldiers got shot in the
head. The next day we dressed up, then we brought some beautiful flowers, ready
for the funeral. The sky was beautiful, bright blue, and everyone was sad. The
family members were heartbroken. Everyone was dressed in black, except us, we
wore our uniforms out of respect, and after the funeral, we went back to fight for
the person we loved.
SCHOOL WINNER
CHARLOTTE BROWN
NOTTINGHAM EMMANUEL SCHOOL
‘MISTLETOE’
I empty all the boxes filled with Christmas adornments. It’s that time of year
where people are happy and love one another. Everyone I see wears a smile but
not me. This was his favourite time of year. We would cuddle up in blankets and
watch some old cheesy Christmas movies. I would wake up laughing the next
morning at all our inside jokes. Now I’m on my own and I can only wish him the
best Christmas with his new boyfriend. I’ll hang the mistletoe and stand under it,
waiting for his return.
SCHOOL WINNER
JAMIE FOSTER
ABBEY MANOR COLLEGE
‘TRANSFIGURATION’
The little caterpillar wriggles about soon to be locked up. The brown, hard shell
swarms around him like a nest of bees. Alone, dark, no one around. Finally, the
time has come. The shell cracks. The light goes in the cocoon. He knows the time
has come to be free again. He opens his wings, flies into the air circulating the
sky, feeling happy to know he’s a butterfly. Now he’s finally accepted. Now he is a
butterfly, opening his red, vibrant wings and spreading them without fault.
SCHOOL WINNER
JOHN MEDINA
WEMBLEY HIGH TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE
‘MORE THAN JUST ‘GLASSES’’
As dawn approaches, he breaks the grip of the covers that bind him to slumber.
Suiting up, a robe of bath protects him from the vile winds of morning cold. His
lifestyle calls for sacrifice, so leftovers must do for nourishment. Preparing for
another struggle, he places on his head the helmet, covering his ears in velvet
padding, comfort over utility. Mouse unsheathed, keyboard at the ready – tools of
mass destruction if used correctly – he enters the battlefield via username and
password. Fighting the war no normal citizen either knows or cares for.
My box is made out of pure titanium
And uses magic to gain access and
Is guarded by three loyal souls
I will put in the box
The world’s endangered animals
A purely good soul
And a squeak from a door
I will put in the box
Confidence of a lion
Immortality of a vampire
A smile from a fish
I will put in the box
Crispy bacon with smooth sticky maple syrup
The happiness from a holiday
A trip to the Catacombs
MATTHEW ISAAC
FARNBOROUGH ACADEMY
‘THE MAGIC BOX’
SCHOOL WINNER