Read Previous Winners Works 2024 – Dymocks Beyond Words

The longlisted stories from Beyond Words 2024 are here!

Building Word

Rebecca,
Year 8 - NSW

As a kid, I’ve always held an awe for Lego. Its bumpy bricks and unlimited possibilities always entertained me and held my thoughts. One day, when I was 4, my Lego was hastily torn away and packed into suitcases and the smoky landscape of China bloomed into the golden expanse of Bondi, my new life.

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Squeeze

Emelia
Year 12 - VIC

I sit cross-legged and infant-like on the train, watching as the land becomes wider, flatter, and hotter. Something about coming home makes me feel like a child all over again, the edges of the doona tucked in under me; the methodical ticking of my mother’s heartbeat singing me to sleep. The landscape whips past me and I crane my neck toward the window, an excited child once again.a

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Icarus

Matilda
Year 9 - QLD

It’s dark. I am sorry- I know this isn’t the right way to begin a story. I wanted it to start with something far more poetic. Because, perhaps, you would have been more inclined to listen to my story if I had begun with beautiful words; words woven together as a magnificent tapestry, words that foreshadowed all that was to come and summarised all that happened before. I wanted to build a flawless first impression with touching themes and perfect prose.

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The Voice Inside My Head

Megan
Year 5 - NSW

Boom! Another bomb. Already my second day here, and I had tracked down every human scent I could find along the remains of fallen buildings. As I walked around the piles of rubble, I felt a rush of emotions flowing over me. Buildings that had once towered as high as the clouds had now tumbled to the ground.

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Beyond My Voice

Amelie
Year 3 - NSW

Eggs. Delicious, funny shaped thingies. You probably eat them every day. Though have you ever wondered what it’s like to be born from a chicken, then put into a fridge to be later taken out and eaten? You probably haven’t since you’re not weird like me. But if you did, I shall tell you a tale about an egg called Eggward...

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Noise Cancelling

Isla
Year 11 - VIC

She blinks. Audrey blinks back. She wears her polite-confused smile. Something sour pools in her gut, curdling her dinner and making her sick. The noise builds. She thinks she sees Audrey’s mouth move.

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Kitchen Set

Riya
Year 10 - VIC

*chapathi: (in Indian cooking) a thin pancake of unleavened wholemeal bread cooked on a griddle. *beta: an endearing Hindi term meaning “son” (but often used to refer to daughters as well) Hands covered in flour, bodies shaking with silent laughter, my mother and I behold the pathetic excuse for a chapati in front of us.

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La Douleur Exquise

Caitlin
Year 8 - NSW

Meeting Him I step into the hallway at my new college with a deep sense of satisfaction. I’m in one of the most prestigious colleges in London, 16,989 kilometres from home. There are so many students that he almost escapes my gaze, but once I see him, I see nobody else.

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Ellen’s Perspective

Cara
Year 5 - NSW

Last year, everything was different. I had a friend group that I hung out with daily, I was talkative and popular, to some boys I was even considered mildly intimidating or pretty. But during the Christmas holidays... that all changed. I slowly grew more and more sensitive to loud or disturbing noises, making it harder for me to focus, leaving me with a feeling deep in my stomach that made it churn until I felt sick.

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Super Horse

Olivia
Year 2 - VIC

This is Sally. She is the slowest horse. This is her story. There once was a horse called Sally. Nobody liked her because she was slow. One day she asked the sun for help. The sun said. “I can’t help, but Moon can.” So, Sally waited and waited ‘tll night.

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The World You Came From

Tasman
Year 10 - WA

He searches with a fervour so ferocious that anyone else on the train would have been worried had they not been held safely in the arms of mindless sleep. The man is alone in a full carriage, afraid and desperate.

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Winter Glorie

Evie
Year 9 - NSW

(Content Warning: Suicide) Glorie finds the cherry tree swings from their youth when she comes back to Ojai. It sits out of place as neat brushstrokes in the wild August afternoon. Little dandelions cluster around the little patch of bare ground beneath the swings. Bushweed gathers so tall and thick that the wooden bottom of the swings are invisible.

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The Dragon

Parker
Year 1 - NSW

In a little village made of straw huts there lived a small boy. He was smart and brave, but he didn’t know... that a giant dragon with colossal wings was watching them! It had bright red eyes, and fire tumbled from his mouth as hot as the sun.

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Moon Moth

Evangeline
Year 11 - NSW

Despite the fire burning in the hearth, the study was cold and lonely. Lila’s trembling breath was the only sound that disturbed the quiet. Across the breadth of carpet, her husband sat behind his desk, watching her shaking fingers and her fearful eyes.

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Balancing Act

Natalia
Year 5 - VIC

An eerie cry pierces through the misty winds of the mountains. Hundreds of petals dance harmoniously in the cool breeze, like graceful ballet dancers. Was that a scream? I think to myself, as my arms heave over some rocks that are blocking my path. I’m probably hearing things.

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The Murky Tale of Joseph Caulin

Saul
Year 12 - VIC

It came as no surprise to anyone in the family that my cousin, Joseph Caulin, as far as we knew him, would be the first of us to land himself in hospital. He fell victim to a complex and utterly morbid memory-loss-based illness after a failed mountain biking stunt left him in a coma, his life lying stagnant for the three days he tried to conquer purgatory.

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Deep Win, Shallow Losses

Vedant
Year 4 - VIC

“That’s enough, Dev! You are not getting that video game and we don’t want any arguments,” Mum said sternly, shaking her finger pointed at me. Her eyes gleamed red.

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The Dragonfly’s Curse

Cameron
Year 11 - NSW

I elevate, my light body flying to the rim, about to score and finally prove I'm better than Harvey when – whack! My flying body gets hit, and I fall on my knee. Crackk! “Aghhh!” I shout, and as I lay there, my motionless body against the warm concrete, I see a dragonfly fly past and realise my superstition was true.

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The Mysterious Yellow Door

Josephine
Year 3 - VIC

“Ding! Ding!” the bell rang. Jack raced out of his primary school, droplets of sweat flying off his forehead. He ran across the lush oval as the glistening sun gazed down at him. “Wait!” shouted Mrs Ezperanza as she waved Jack's navy backpack in the air. “You forgot this, Jack!”

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Cash or Check

Adam-John
Year 12 - NSW

I’ve always been curious as to who would end up killing me. Knowing my life, it probably won’t be very interesting. I’ll probably get my leg chopped off by a saw that I dropped, or accidently nail my hand to the wall and die from blood loss. I won’t be lucky enough to be in a gunfight, let alone die in one. Only the swankiest and luckiest people in the world get to die in a gunfight.

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Bore Your Spades through the Bones of Your Dead

Serena
Year 12 - NSW

You were born on an auspicious day. You were born in the full harvest of Autumn, amid celebrations and toasts to the heavens, to the revolution, and to chairman Mao's boundless guidance and fruitful wisdom. The fields were dense with flowering corn, flocks of sparrows sailing the horizon in song. Born as a blessing, in an equally blessed harvest.

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I want white space

Victoria
Year 10 - NSW

In 1955, Albert Einstein sent a letter of condolence to the Besso family. He wrote, “Now he has again preceded me a little in parting from this strange world. This has no importance. For people like us who believe in physics, the separation between past, present and future has only the importance of an admittedly tenacious illusion.”

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A Survival Guide for a Mouse

Byron
Year 4 - VIC

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If Trees Could Talk

Soraya
Year 4, NSW

Ever since I was a little sprout, the neighbourhood has loved me. As generations passed, I have grown taller and stronger, my trunk able to hold young kids as they excitedly climb me and hang off my branches.

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The Peculiar Art Gallery

Caroline
Year 3, NSW

Lola was sitting at the back of the noisy chattering school bus with no friends. They were going on an excursion that 5M had won. Mister Jones, 5M’s class teacher, was very kind, but very strict about taking care of the environment, so that was how they had won the excursion.

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Earworms

Luca
Year 7, TAS

“Come on down, join the fun, don’t miss out, get in the sun. Please don’t fear, joy is near, come and join with everyone!” It’s getting scary now.

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Impossibility

Maya
Year 7, VIC

Do you remember that day when there was just nothing to do? Of course, you should’ve been folding washing. You could’ve been doing chores. But instead... You sat. Dreamt. Pondered.

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The Socratic Method

Jacinta
Year 11, NSW

A billion. That’s a really hard number for people to comprehend. Of course it exists, we have billionaires, billions of people, billions of animals, billions of plants. Infinity, however, is virtually incomprehensible.

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Roadkill

Lucy,
Year 12, WA

Content Warning: Suicide. There is nothing ceremonious about a fall. Grandeur has no place in the pressing of your overbearing shape into thick air, the rapidity of it all, the inevitability. It is, simply, the pillars of consequence: cause and effect. You jump. You drop.

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An Unexpected Adventure

Huxley
Year 4, NSW

The two men led me down narrow alleys and winding roads until we came upon a dock with huge ships waiting. The salty air stung my nose as I watched the officers have their last coffee before the ships were to leave for Albany, and then Gallipoli.

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The Passage

Amber
Year 9, QLD

The journey between Bribie Island and the mainland was one not easily navigated. The dark, coiling water was a bed of serpents, hissing and biting at the sides of their kayak. Frank had been at it for a while now, and the burn in his arms had seeped everywhere.

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Requiescat in Pace

Pratyush
Year 11, NSW

Have you heard of the “Tribunal”? Well, I’m not sure if it still exists, and even if it does, if it still operates under that name. Somehow, I would not be surprised if it does. An organisation like that...

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The Lost City

Clarence
Year 7, QLD

Achilles was a busy man. As mayor of the city, it was his obligation to be busy. He enjoyed the busy life, but some days, he relished the feeling of collapsing into an armchair in his airy living room and calling to his wife for a steaming cup of seaweed coffee.

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Full Moon

Zachary
Year 6, VIC

Two days ago I was bitten by a creature I had never seen before. It had then said, “Free all others who walk when the full moon is high,” before running away into the night. I could not believe it, Van Helsing the famed monster hunter was after me.

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A Much Needed Talk

James
Year 9, VIC

“Jericho,” Venus said hurriedly, leaning on the door frame while panting. “Do something, Kali said that she’s coming over and she expects me to be here – and I can’t tell if she’s going to commit a murder and she needs me for an alibi, or because she just wants to hang out – and you can never tell, honestly-!”

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Meditations in a New Orleans Sunset

Ben
Year 12, NSW

A spotlight shone down. The artificial beam of light cast a searing glow on his skin. Heavy droplets of sweat trickled down the side of his cheek. As he dampened the reed of his instrument, readying himself to perform, the murmurs and whispers began to die down.

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Gilded Shadows

Emilie
Year 10, NSW

I'm not sure what compelled me to join the knights. It certainly hadn’t been loyalty to my kingdom who allowed the wealthy to grow fat on the poor’s craven backs. There was nothing for people like me, an underwhelming girl born into the lowest sector of the Kingdom. My future already spun; a nameless criminal.

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Unforgettable

Lacey
Year 6, QLD

The sun beat down on Yarrow Ranch, cracking the dry earth and scorching the plants that remained. Scarlet shaded her eyes against the sun and waved to her Mama. “Goodbye!” Mama called.

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Don’t Open the Door

Ellie
Year 7, NSW

You open your arms wide, taking in the beautiful building that you now call home. You had only moved in one week ago, the living room still pristine and untouched. What a job you had done to renovate this empty shell of a building.

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First Time in a Long Time

Olivia
Year 6, VIC

A heartwarming story of believing in yourself and not judging others.

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We'll Repeat 'I Love You' Until the Mirror Breaks

Jenny
Year 10, NSW

Perhaps it was the sunset and the way its swelling streaks of red and orange seemed too big for its skin that made me think of you, but tonight for the first time in months, I open up the drawer in my desk where I hoard all my unfinished drafts and pick up a pen.

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One Step at a Time

Portia
Year 6, VIC

My eyes begrudgingly open, even the slightest light coming through the sides of the windows blinds my eyes. I can’t express how much I want to stay in bed. But then I remember what is happening today, and I jump up eagerly and turn my alarm off.

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Charlie’s Beast: A Fairy Tale

Jaslyn Yan Ching
Year 6, NSW

Deep inside a haunting, ivy-ridden forest of creepers, was the crumbling ruin of a labyrinth. The labyrinth had once been the prison of a monstrous Beast, as dark and merciless as darkness itself, with a bitter spirit and ruthless heart.

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The 33 Million Dollar Heist

Jessie
Year 9, NSW

I don’t understand why everyone says to start their story at an exciting part, a moment where the main character might live, might die.

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Fire Girl

Angela
Year 11, VIC

“Josie, honey, I think it’s okay to come home now.” She takes a breath in, holds it for five, and breathes it out in the form of a sigh. “It’s not safe,” she answers him, phone tucked into the crook of her neck, head at an awkward angle, just enough to keep the phone from falling.

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One Witch, Two Witches

Charlize
Year 10, VIC

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss her. Like all toxins, she took over, poisoning my mind, my blood, my soul. Like an alcoholic to a bar at 1 am, I let her. Felt pulled towards her.

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Race Cars

Teresia
Year 6, VIC

“And just remember-” “Dad, when can I just go-” “Like, ALWAYS remember-” “FOLLOW THE RULES!” Diane and her dad yelled simultaneously. Well, not exactly. Diane’s dad didn’t yell. Diane was so impatient to be gone.

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To Death, From Mirth

Kelsey
Year 9 - QLD

Deities exist everywhere. Every culture, every country. Some people believe in God, while others believe in multiple gods. They all have one thing in common: they are not bound by the human mind. Infinite beings, they are. Goddesses of love and fertility, deities of the underworld, gods of war.

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Aftermath of ‘Dear Mum and Dad’

Micah
Year 12 - WA

Every time I think about my coming out letter, I remember its weight. It was one I imposed myself to make it beautiful. Not to make it overly grandiose and liberate myself from the professional judgement of my writing as “too ornate, indelibly forced”, but to construct something that had magnitude incapable of dismissal.

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Meeting Nanny Kaye

Katie
Year 4, NSW

I never got to meet my Nanna. She died before I was born. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about her that I know her loss is huge for those who loved her. I think she would have been a truly amazing Nanna, but sadly that’s not a joy I will ever get to experience.

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A Wolf’s Last Howl

Celine
Year 4, QLD

The wolves padded silently to the lake, and, as I watched, they lowered their heads, and drank slowly, until their thirst was quenched, when they lay down contentedly, snuffling. Except two.

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The Earth’s Child

Sanuli
Year 9, TAS

ADIONA_248_: DAY 2: 09:17 P.M._EARTH _TIME An wiped the sweat off her brow. The crew had spent their first day back updating centuries' worth of data on the geological composition of the planet.

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Opportunity

Stella
Year 8, NSW

Darkness looms in the absence of light. Only when light itself appears does darkness dissolve into defeat. So, it applies when it comes to opportunities. Opportunities are present in every situation but the choice that is selected decides the fate of that chance.

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A Job Half-Done

Hannah
Year 8, QLD

The knock on the door echoed in the hallway like a tolling funeral bell. Heart trying to beat out of her chest, Kaelia knew she’d never been surer in her life that she was done for.

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Ships

Nina
Year 7, TAS

A metallic box, a shiny key and a white paper note addressed to me. With a simple twist of the key, I discover a voice recorder, a piece of sticky tape with the name ‘Chance Covyn’ scrawled over it.

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Lucky Charm

Tiana
Year 8, NSW

Out of the corner of my eye, a raven hops, illuminated in the soft glow emanating from the lantern on the gate, dark feathers fluffing around its neck. It’s a pretty, sleek thing. Given more time, I would stop to admire it. People say they bring bad luck, but I’ve been through enough already.

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The Strangest Monkey

Brody
Year 2, NSW

There was once a peculiar monkey called Ben. Ben lived with his tribe of monkeys in a ripe jungle full of colourful fruits. Ben was not like any other monkey.

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The Frames of Memory Lane

Amalia
Year 6, NSW

The car let out a low rumble. We slowly started moving, picking up speed. I glanced out the car window, watching the trees rush past me. A long, six hour drive lay ahead of me.

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Clouds Can Be Silver

Maya
Year 10, NSW

The sky was ocean-blue, with clouds like pillows of cotton candy. With Michael beside me, this was the perfect way to spend my fifth birthday. I see a bird, a bunny, an elephant. A horse-drawn carriage with a princess inside. An ice-cream cone. What’s the flavour? Strawberry.

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Mountain’s Peak

Jacob
Year 5, VIC

“Second gear!” screamed the mechanic. “I’m trying,” replied Nick. He roared around the tight corner going 170km. Nick was racing at Mountain’s Peak, and he had just turned a tight corner.

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Amidst the Stars

Oliver
Year 6, NSW

Painted against the backdrop of space, a small shuttle flew towards the towering space station before it. The passenger of said shuttle coiled their snakelike tail, stretched out and flung out its four clawed arms as it arched its back. This was to survive what was to come – standard military procedure.

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The Silent Spectator

Hazel
Year 5, VIC

The sun is dawning on Washington Elementary, the hot May heat rising early and not a cloud to be seen in the sky. I’ve got a few hours to myself before the four hundred children invade my territory. Great.

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In Motion

Owen
Year 12, VIC

According to one of Newton's Laws "an object in motion will stay in motion, until acted upon by an outside force."

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Deliverer of Despair

Harrison
Year 12, QLD

I never really gave the thought any merit; “what if I had to deliver a telegram to Timothy, Elizabeth or Horton?” I should’ve seen it coming. I should’ve seen it coming a mile away every time I rode up to only say “hello.” Their mothers saw it every single instance I approached their houses.

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Ripples

Emily
Year 6, VIC

“Hey, wanna go to the cafe, to escape the rain for a bit?” “Let’s go do karaoke, until the rain’s gone.” “Can we study in the library a little, until the rain stops?” Lucky stood in the centre of the bustling classroom, full of students packing their bags and chatting at their friends’ desks.

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Pearl

Chengjia
Year 12, NSW

When Kaito finally surfaced, he was smiling. Lungs searing, he unclenched his two sludge- smeared fists. A bountiful harvest – ten plump, mottled oysters, each with a glossy sheen of mother of pearl; perfect for the buttons which the quaint coastal town of Broome was so famous for.

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Go to Sleep

Megan
Year 12, NSW

There was a windmill that looked out on the estate, tired looking, a lone undulation on an otherwise one-dimensional lot. It was eerie and obsolete, so utterly alone out there on the trodden-flat dirt horizon. But on the flipside of street view, our house was straight out of a picture book.

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The Fort

Lucy
Year 10, VIC

Mrs Schmidt lived down the lane. No one ever went down there though; for one thing, it was a long walk, and for another, she didn’t exactly have a comforting track record when it came to being friendly with the neighbours. And, besides, who would ever want to associate themselves with someone like her?

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Six Wings

Cynthia
Year 10, WA

She thinks back to when Cassiel became a part of her life, and the many times she’s been genuinely scared since then. Sol wasn’t scared when she left her parent’s house for the last time, her life in trash bags and the door to her childhood slamming shut behind her.

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The Night Listener

Jenny
Year 12, NSW

In the quaint apartment building in the centre of the bustling heart of Saigon, a charming garden is tended. Situated at the top bare floor of the building, the garden resides in the care of the community.

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I Have Survived

Alice
Year 6, VIC

My name is Esther, and I live in Haiti, a small island in the Caribbean Sea. My country is poor, but we are tough. I’m here to tell you about my experience during the 2010 earthquake. I was only fourteen, and I had no house and nowhere to sleep. This is my story.

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Exodus: Chinese New Year 2012

Angelina
Year 11, NSW

Too noisy, too humid, too sterile. “It's too noisy,” I mumbled. No one heard. Mothers chapped lips fervoured with frivolous gossip of Auntie YanYuan. She's not really my auntie, of course. “好爱!” mother exclaimed, her left eye swallowed in the blackening cavity of her tired eye-bags, her right shoulder jaunty and folded on her silver Nokia.

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Transformation

Shivaansh
Year 4, QLD

In the small town of Willowbrook, nestled between the whispering woods and the chirping fields, there was a boy named Tommy. He loved to imagine things. His favourite toys were his wooden set of trains, and he loved to pretend they could turn into anything, like rockets, dragons, or pirate ships.

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Another Life

Tania
Year 6 - VIC

It was a winter night. Icy winds blew up the drive. People gathered around the church. The black of their clothes blended into the darkness. Their hearts were heavy as they gathered inside the church. The priest stood at the altar, his face stone, while silence overtook the church. A mourning family sat in the corner trying to muffle their cries

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Discourse After a Disappearance

Elyse
Year 7, NSW

After the disappearance of Bridget Foster, several protocols such as the AMBER Alert were instigated within hours. A police force has been assembled to handle the investigation, whilst volunteers are welcome to help to search the surrounding area for the child. Her parents are under suspicion for the girl's disappearance.

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Robots Don’t Eat Bread

Valerie
Year 9, ACT

The bread cutter concocted deathly sounds, only slightly drowned out by the television broadcasting the induction of the next ‘innovative!’ new politician. Every week like the rubbish collectors, a new face flashed on the only light shining in the dim factory Jackson worked in.

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Black Cat in the Rue Morgue

Ashley
Year 11, NSW

Content Warning: Suicide. Little black cat, you stroll through the streets. You flit around the electric poles that frame the sky with black lining that connect from house to house, like the tendrils of an octopus.

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CX-5102

Benjamin
Year 5, NSW

“It is like something is... growing inside of you, like a creature,” she said, her eyes darting to the window as if people were watching, “Cells aren’t multiplying, they’re mutating.”

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The Seven Maids

Yixuan
Year 5, NSW

Quinn rode his horse through the village, ignoring the curious stares of the passing villagers. He weaved his way through the staring crowd until he stopped at a lodging. It had a rickety sign that read: 'The Horn Of Dawn' in faded letters.

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Operation: Save the Park

Saanvi
Year 4, NSW

Maya's eyes were drawn to a large sign plastered over the entrance wall. She squinted at the small print: THIS PARK IS BEING CLOSED DOWN FOR THE BENEFIT OF A NEW SHOPPING MALL. Maya's heart sank, quickly replaced by a surge of anger.

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The Day Granny Forgot She Was Old

Kobi
Year 6, NSW

One fine day, an elderly woman has just woken up from her concussion. That elderly woman, is.... well, she is my granny.

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Sun, Smoke and Steam

Oliver
Year 8, NSW

The beating rhythm, squealing wheels and whaling whistle of a smoke-dirtied iron horse, something I wake up to every morning. The gentle orange tinge of smooth sunlight seethes through the small weave of my cloth curtains, while the repeating drum of cicadas pierces my ears.

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Haute Couture

Elle
Year 11, VIC

The cold city of Lille seemed even colder that night, the biting November rain rhythmically pattered against the misty windowpane of my boutique, ‘Mademoiselle Jeanne’s’. The burning candlewick began to dwindle as the moon hung low in the sky, and with steady hands I continued to glide the shears through the delicate cloth.

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The Interpiece

Natalie
Year 8, NSW

I steadied my spear, attempting to gather all the strength I possibly had into my right arm. My eyes narrowed at the dainty creature. As it bowed its head down into the creek, I bent my elbow, and launched the spear at the figure.

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Expectations

Charlie
Year 12, NSW

About a year and a half ago, you booked the ticket. You’ve never been to a stadium concert before. You’ve known the group since childhood, and while you never stuck their picture on your wall, you could sing almost all of their songs.

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The Nocturna’s Lament

Alisanne
Year 9, NSW

From the Big Top, suspended midair, Yuzhou feels safe. Her legs hang off the trapeze bar, contorted into a position that was technically inhumanly possible. Yet Kaldetta’s government likened the circus to diseased animals, so she supposed she wasn’t too far off.

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Lady Varley

Aurora
Year 8, NSW

“‘There is something so eternal about the music, Marguerite. It would play forever if no one were to stop it. It plays even when the musicians aren’t near their instruments: it is an infinite river that one can touch with the finger or the voice, and deliver its beauty to the world. It shall play even when we are gone.’”

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An Afternoon With a Nine Taled Ailurophile

Feiyang
Year 8, NSW

When I opened the door, the thick, peppery scent of burning incense was like a punch to my face. It had been months since New Years, yet fiery crimson scrolls with the golden embroidery of complex Chinese characters still adorned Ms Wu’s dainty abode.

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Praise

Lucas
Year 6, NSW

On the evening of March 18th, at 7:59 PM, Daniel was frantically taking in everything around him. The garden intermittently echoed with a ‘tap, tap, tap’ sound, mixed with his sister Emily's screams.

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Ḏenaxé

Ella
Year 6, NSW

The winter wind was cold on my back, and the cobblestones threatened to catch on my ridiculous high heels. The purple dress scratched me, and the sleeves slipped down constantly. I wasn’t sure that indigo was my colour, but Gran had assured me that I looked fabulous before I left.

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We Were Here

Andy
Year 11, NSW

You stood there, beside the kitchen stove. A familiar scene. That sanguine glow, your soft olive skin so thoroughly browned from years of desert sun.

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The Purrfect Case of the Butterfly Effect

Claire
Year 6, NSW

The crowd cheered, whooping at the wondrous sight. This surprise birthday party sure was a colossal contrast to her boring lesson in school earlier, in which she had to learn about THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT. Like, seriously; no one even understood what it meant.

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Ad Finem

Ella
Year 9, NSW

Content Warning: Suicide Thrashing against the speckled beach, the waves begged Rowan to drown his burdens in their churning embrace. Rowan could only disassociate in response, and in his frozen anxiety, his arm spasmed and the pistol he clasped fell to the ground, sinking into the greedy sand.

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The Monster

Marin
Year 5, NSW

As a child, I used to do lots of experiments, and if you ever passed my room, you would probably hear at least eight explosions a day. Now, I was a teenager, I had more access to things I would use. I got A+'s in science. But one day, everything went wrong.

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Surviving Heaven

Evie
Year 5, SA

“SCREEEEEEEEECH!” Tyres skidded across the wet, asphalt road. Out of nowhere, a bright red double decker bus full of panic-stricken passengers collided with our car. Everything was a blur and I didn't know what was happening.

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Connecting Bridges

Sophia
Year 9, NSW

It’s been two years, three months, and six days since I moved away, and I’m hanging on to every happy memory I have of Hong Kong – the beautiful city I once called home. “Cara, tell me about yourself,” people say, and I tell them about everything I remember about home.

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Mutant in the City

Francis
Year 4, NSW

“Caw! Caw!” a crow called in the distance. It was flying to its owners, Mary and Jack Loadergader. “Come here, Demolisher, and drop that rat out of the sky!” shouted Jack, who was merely pretending that Demolisher was alive.

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Gold is for Wattle Flowers

Isla
Year 9, QLD

The faint outline of cliffs will paint the horizon, shadows weaving in and out of the canvas with shades of red, orange and yellow dripping down the sides and peaking through the mass of bushes and stony outcrops lining the slopes. It’ll be a pretty sunrise — a real ripper.

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