Grace Mitchell
school: Te Kowhai School, Hamilton | | - i.Site, 1st Place, Personal Experience Writing Competition | | |
Drury Lane Concert
“I’m so nervous,” my friend Ella says nibbling her fingernails. I agree and we both squeal as we hear our tap dance is just five minutes away! “Girls, let me redo your makeup” Mum says from across the room.
Our little dressing room is crowded and the smell of hairspray is choking us. I squeeze past a clothes rack stuffed with crazy costumes. Mum tuts “Look at you! I just apply bright red lipstick and now it’s everywhere!” I giggled. Mum can’t help giggling too when she sees my red nose.
Eyeliner, mascara, foundation, eye shadow, lipstick, glitter, powder and ribbons crowd the table while a last minute make-up frenzy goes on. “Mum, that’s enough!” Mum’s fluttering around, fixing up this and pinning down that as my stupid, silver Santa hat leans to one side. We’re doing a tap dance to “Jingle bell rock’ an intense beat for an intense dance.
“Jingle Bell Rock girls?” Kerry asks peeking around the door. We line up and Kerry leads us down the corridor, up the stairs and through the double doors. Half of us line up at this side and my half line up at the other, our hearts beating furiously. We’re all very excited at performing at Founders Theatre but nervous because everyone paid $30 a ticket!
We’re riddled with butterflies but luckily there’s a little skit first. “Where’s the Christmas tree?” someone asks. I gulp – almost my part. “Little helpers,” Santa Claus calls and a girl called Olivia and I stride on stage. We smile broadly and pull back my side of the curtain revealing the largest and most beautiful Christmas tree. Then the music starts. The rest of our tap dancing group skips on stage. My heart is beating rapidly. The music slows and my nerves make everything freeze. I can’t see the crowd. That’s a plus but colourful lights are blinking, changing, everyone is looking at us. How do you picture them in their underwear when you can sense them but not see them? But I could feel everyone’s attention turn to us waiting and expectant.
Applause breaks out and suddenly my panic and fear washes away and I feel as if I’m practically oozing confidence. I jump into dance mode, dancing to the music like it’s the rhythm of my heart.
My feet grow a mind of their own, tapping away, twirling, skipping, and prancing along the stage. We work together as one, my feet, the stage and me. This makes me remember just how much I love dancing. It’s literally in my blood, as easy as the breeze flowing through my lungs. I’m smiling and fulfilling my heart, dancing is me, dancing is my whole.
But I’m suddenly angry. That was it? I thought, and wish I could do it a million times. The audience are cheering and it’s amazing what simple claps can do for your confidence.
No doubt, dancing is my heart.
|
| Katie Ditzel
school: Henley School, Richmond Nelson | | i.Site "Wild Weather" story | | |
This is only the EDGE of the storm????
As wind was swirling round our classroom, we were having trouble concentrating on our work.
‘We were playing bingo at…’ I wrote. The lights flicked, it was hardly light enough to see our work. “Don’t do that!!” someone yelled in distress at the unspottable person switching on and off the lights. One bulb blew out completely. Luckily the other lights were bright enough to cover the space of light that one provided.
Out the window a tree was bending forward and back, leaning over as though trying to reach the other group of trees. Water was spraying against our windows uncontrollably.
I glanced around the rest of the class; all 60 eyes glanced back at me one by one.
Everybody, when explaining wind, says that it howls and cries. For the first time I could relate to that. VERY easily!!!
The wind circled and circled our classroom; I was expecting us to get ripped off the ground any second. Everybody looked worried, although about all different sorts of things. Me, myself and I were all worried about my cat - Holly- and my rabbit –Snowy. I was hoping all I could that our cat hadn’t gone outside and Snowy was been sensible and was inside his hutch.
I watched as kids outside ran back to their classes from either the library, A.V. room, or the Computer suite. I noticed one boy holding his library bag on his head. I couldn’t believe it, everybody else was holding their books underneath their sweat shirts and this one kid had it on top of his head in wind and rain like that!!!
Out the glass door the basketball hoops were bending F O R W A R D A N D B A C K ever so slow, almost reaching the ground. Well… maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration. Either way, they were still bending which I don’t think I’ve ever seen.
At the end of the day it was still chaotic and we had to give my friend and her little sister a ride as our teacher and her sister’s teacher complained that it was too dangerous for them to walk. We cruised along Salisbury road . Police and other adults were helping school students along the road. I peeped in the college bus bay and felt terribly sorry for the person that’s Ute was there. The Ute had a tree gracefully balancing on the bonnet; it was completely crushed under the weight. The left mirror was being held on by a few wires and looked as though even if you breathed near it, it would come crashing to the ground.
There were chainsaws everywhere there was a tree. All of a sudden our car was knocked by the wind; it felt as though a fully grown Rhinoceros had crashed into the side of our car. There were two more crushed cars along Salisbury road. And we were hoping the college students had insurance.
We didn’t have any problems at our house unlike other people students in my class know of. We were lucky here in Nelson. And, that was only the edge of the storm!!!! I sure hope my extended family throughout New Zealand were as lucky as us.
|
| Will Foubister
school: Paparoa Street School, Christchurch | | WISH | | |
Do you ever think wishes can come true? Well if you don’t you could be
pleasantly surprised! My Mum always says “if you wish really hard, and you
are deserving, your wish will come true…eventually”.
I am here to tell you wishes do come true. My story begins like this…..
My younger brother Tom and I had lots of discussions about having a little brother or sister in the family. We desperately wanted another sibling. We even spoke to Dad about it. He wasn’t interested and didn’t appear to be listening. Months passed and there were no further discussions about the matter. Our wish was forgotten about, or so we thought.
A bolt from the blue! It was on an ordinary February day when we were all sitting around the dining table. Dad announced he had some news. He produced a strange looking photo called an ultrasound. It showed a little head with a stubby nose, a round chin, chubby body and a delicate little ear.
My brother was confused but I knew immediately Mum was going to have another baby. I couldn’t believe it! It was so exciting.
The 6th of July couldn’t come fast enough for me. The weeks seemed to drag along just like the countdown to my birthday. Mum’s tummy was getting bigger and bigger and when I put my hand on her tummy I could feel the baby move and kick and sometimes hiccup.
Finally the big day arrived that we had all dreamt about. We dropped Mum off at the hospital and helped her unpack. Then we had to go to a school holiday judo class.
Four and a half nervous hours passed by and I was starting to get really anxious. Dad finally came charging into the Dojo like a stampeding rhino, a big cheesy smile all over his face. I knew the baby had arrived!
We jumped into the car and raced up to the hospital. As quick as a flash we were riding in the elevator to the second floor of the maternity ward. I had butterflies dancing in my tummy and I could barely talk because I was so excited. We got to Mum’s room and barged through the door to find Mum in bed holding a tiny bundle of blankets which just happened to be my new little sister.
I was so amazed, just what Tom and I wanted, a little sister at last. She was extremely tiny and very sleepy. She looked just like my brother Tom except she was pink all over. She was absolutely exquisite. I was totally exhausted, what a day, my head was buzzing. Dad took us home so Mum could rest and I really needed one too.
Mum had to spend a week in hospital and it seems like ages. It was up to Dad, me and Tom to choose a name for our little sister from a list that Mum and the rest of us had agreed on. Eventually we chose Alexandra.
We visited every day, sometimes twice. We could see Mum at her window waiting for us. Most of the time Alexandra was asleep. We had to be really quiet because other babies and new mothers were sleeping too. It was really hard for my little brother to be so quiet so Mum would take us to the lounge and we could all talk there. Sometimes we arrived at Mum’s mealtimes. A tray would be brought with plates with silver lids on them, and there was always soup which my brother usually ate.
The night before Mum came home we all screamed around the house and tidied up. Grandma came and helped too.
I love having a little sister. She is the most adorable little person I have ever met and I feel very lucky to be her brother. At the moment she is 13 months, 3 weeks and 6 days old and I can’t imagine life without her.
Now when I pass the hospital I look up to Mum’s window and smile, remembering that exciting day in my life. So you see wishes can come true, so go ahead, make a wish…you may get an incredible surprise just like me.
|
| Ashton Clark
school: Enner Glynn School, Nelson | | The teeth had to go | | |
The day was looming. I had been sentenced to have two perfectly good
teeth extracted from my head. These teeth were very capable of doing things
that teeth should, like eating lollies, cakes, chips, Mum’s baking and the odd
healthy item. I had found no deficiencies in their ability to perform the duties
of teeth over my ten years on this planet so I was a little confused by the decision made by my orthodontist to remove them.
My orthodontist is an OK guy. I had an appointment with him the other day and was trying to imagine what sort of person would want to make a living out of rearranging and pulling teeth out of people’s heads. To my surprise he was quite friendly, no white coat, milk bottles spectacles or moustache, but instead a round-faced, bald-headed guy with a big grin who talked to me like an equal. He explained that he was going to make my teeth look great but I thought they did already so I wasn’t really sure what he was getting at here! I think he presumed that I really cared what my teeth looked like. Not one bit! As far as I was concerned as long as they did their job and I could eat what I wanted…what was the big deal?
Now the orthodontist wasn’t the person who actually pulled out my teeth. A man called Hunter Robb – no not Rob Hunter, Hunter Robb, was given the task of removing both my eye teeth. He has a great strategy – in the waiting room of his office is a fantastic fish tank with heaps of really cool fish – the water is so clean and they look so happy that I had quite forgotten why I was there at all. So when it came time to get into the reclining chair I was still blissfully engaged in fishy thoughts. But the smells of the dentist’s room penetrated my peace of mind and I began to get nervous. My palms were sweaty, my muscles tense and I was really expecting the worse.
“You won’t feel a thing,” he said. I didn’t believe him. He talked about an injection and there isn’t any injection I know of that won’t hurt! And that was true for this one. A needle was inserted four times into the gums of my top jaw and the pain was excruciating. So mush for not feeling a thing!
Sure enough within a few minutes I felt like I had swallowed a bag of cotton wool, kind of like I’d stuck my fist in my mouth and left it there. I tried to take a drink but couldn’t feel the cup with my lips so the water went everywhere. We had to wait for the numbness to really set in before Hunter set about the real business of the day.
First he tested my gums by poking them with a sharp metal prod. I didn’t feel a thing at that point. But then he put his knee up on the chair next to me, rolled his sleeves up and began to heave and tug vigorously at my open mouth. I could hear some scrunching, cracking and ripping noises …. It was very physical. He pushed and he pulled and twisted and then yanked. “OK, I’m half way there on this one,” he said. I couldn’t believe it. It seemed like he had. He continued to wrestle and I lay there horrified at the proceedings. Finally he smiled at me and in his tweezers was my beautiful huge white tooth. Blood was pouring everywhere and he stuffed cotton wool buds in the blood-billowing hole to prevent a huge mess. I wish I could say I was relieved but I knew I had to go through it all over again.
The second tooth was no better and he heaved and tugged for ages before triumphantly holding up his prize. Before long I had a mouthful of cotton wool buds that were bright red and I was dribbling everywhere. I couldn’t speak, not even to say thank you.
The trophies of the day were placed in a plastic bag for me to take home. What an earth was I going to do with these teeth in a bag. The fairy didn’t visit our house any more.
When I got home I had to have a look in the mirror. All I could see were two enormous gaping holes where my beautiful teeth used to be.
Mum and Dad said it looked fine but they were just being nice. I still had no feeling in my mouth and spent the next couple of hours dribbling and prodding my lips and cheeks waiting for the feeling to return,. I wonder if it was really worth all the pain and hassle. It was a big day for me but I guess I was just another kid in a long line of gullible students who are directed to have their perfectly good teeth removed.
|
| Rhys Dunn
school: Verdon College, Invercargill | | That Bridge… | | |
The previous owners must have been mistaken, heavily mistaken.As if a ghost would haunt that bridge, but I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind.
The ATV was weighed down by my fat female overweight tiger-coloured dog; we both enjoyed getting the cows in usually, but not this time.
The cows bellowed from across that bridge, waiting to be released from the paddock.
That bridge was getting on in years. An eel-infested creek lay beneath me; twisted willows shaded that bridge from the early morning frost.
The bridge itself was wide, with long railings on each side, and haunted. No, block that thought!
Just one paddock went off that bridge, which contained the second herd of cows.
I slowly approached the bridge, every move of the wind, every sway of a branch, I was alarmed. I crossed the bridge blocking all bad thoughts.
I sprung off the bike like nothing was wrong, but still avoided looking at that bridge. I attempted to open the top gate for the cows to do their everyday routine, when something went wrong, something was missing. But what?
My eyes scanned the ATV in desperation; a violent scream occurred from the knotty willows, the tall willow shook like an earthquake. I was oblivious to getting the cows in, I was scared, so scared I could have died right there, right then. But somehow I managed to keep my heart going. I spun the ATV around to face the willows; fear shot through my body like fireworks.
The cows ambushed the gate, giving loud bellows. Two, no, four eyes glowed, one pair lower than the other. Sweat trickled down my face, destroying the coldness.
I didn’t know what it was, could it be? No! I blocked the thought.
The violent scream died down, but was quickly replaced by the cows.
There was a faint sound.
One pair of glowing eyes exited the willow; it looked around and started heading my way. Fear shot through my body like a bomb. The figure’s eyes were low to the ground. I couldn’t make out the body.
The thought was racing through my mind. No, No, it couldn’t be; they don’t exist.
The figure was approaching; I sat frozen on the bike, frozen with fear.
Finally the figure reached me.
A large possum sat dead in her mouth. Lucky gave a few loud barks and started tearing at the possum. I was so relieved, I thought it could have been, could have been that…
I wiped my forehead with my overall sleeve. I gave Lucky a few light pats on her head, avoiding the blood. Lucky leapt on the bike and we finished the job.
|
|
|
