This is a fantastic opportunity for our local Primary, Intermediate, and Secondary students to shine as writers!
The Kahui Ako o Kaipara is a Community of Learning that includes our local ECE centres and 8 local schools, all working together to support our tamariki across Kaipara. What follows is the story by Indiana Marshall year 6 who won “First place in the Primary Division”
The World Beyond the Slide
The park was supposed to be empty. The lights along the pools were off, the faint glow of the moon shimmered faintly showing the closed sign hanging gently, swaying in the cool breeze. Elana peers around for any whisper of life, nothing, but the silence almost seemed to be warning her to turn back.
Elana slips through the gates smirking to herself as her feet patter against the wet pavement. She looks around, folded umbrellas and towering stacks of chairs are slumped in the corner, as if waiting for the light of morning to arrive. Suddenly, she hears the delicate swish of water whispering down the slides, a silent smirk creeps along her face. She creeps up the damp boards, yet every step they still find a way to whisper a creak.
Finally she finds herself at the top of the slides – before she can even catch her breath, she whispers down the cool water of the slide. As she swishes down, a strange feeling grows on her, the slide seems to be getting steeper and steeper. Suddenly, the slide violently ends, she shuts her eyes and screams, but nothing comes out. Soft clouds wrap around her as she falls faster and faster down. Elana glances around, noticing the soft feeling of warmth wrap around her – daylight? It was night-time just before?
Suddenly Elana jolts up.
“Welcome” A soft voice says to her. Elana’s eyes drift toward the figure, a human, but not quite. Tiger stripes traced her skin, and dreamy wings curled gently around her body.
“Welcome to Parakai’s biggest secret…” The tiger-human whispers.
Elana glances around with thoughts swirling up in her head, All her thoughts suddenly disappear as her heart skips a beat, around Elana dozens of animal-human creatures fill the pool. Like the seeds filling up a watermelon. They laugh and splash as the wind bristles softly through their fur. The light of the sun shimmers upon the creatures making their coats shimmer delicately. Suddenly, something moves behind her. She spins around frantically nearly tripping over herself, she almost screamed when a long, fluffy tail almost whacked her in the face.
“WHAT, WHY DO I HAVE CAT-PARTS?!” She screams to the universe as her heart beats louder and louder. The sleek black tail majestically sways behind her. She just stares at it for a long moment.
“...It’s actually kinda cute,” she whispers. Then it wiggled. “NO. DON’T YOU DARE. I’M NOT CALLING YOU CUTE,” she yells at it like it wasn’t herself.
The tiger’s smile disappears
“The longer you stay here, the more it claims you…” She murmurs silently. “Each new part binds you here, it starts with the tail… then the claws, eyes, ears, and then the wings…”
She whispers with fear in her eyes. “The final part, the fur, and after that, there’s no way out, you’re trapped in this world forever…”
Elana glances up, wide eyed and voice trembling. “W-what?” “Before the fur, is there a-any way… of g-getting out?” Elana trembles.
The tiger’s voice is serious but calm.
“No time… you’re trapped here forever”. The tiger human says as she watches the wings sprout and the ears twitch on Elana.
A drop of water slides down Elana’s cheek.
“Well, there’s only one chance of escaping this world. The tiger leans in closely.
“The storm… It holds this world together. No one can pass it. No one can leave. Except… Maybe you…” The tiger whispers sternly.
“My name is Lunara, by the way.” Lunara says with a soft smile.
Elana gets to her feet, heart racing, and asks, “W-where is the storm?” Lunara’s eyes glint softly as she replies.
“It’s high in the sky, I wish you luck.”
Elana nods, whispering a thank you, before she sets off with her newfound wings. Elana’s wings flap wildly as she dashes towards the storm – the only way home.
Her new ears twitched violently as distant thunder rolled in around her. Suddenly, a prickling shiver ran down her spine. She brushed her arm against her leg – and froze. Fur, soft and impossibly thick, coated her skin.
“N-NO!” Elana screams, as her tail flicks frantically and ears twitch at the booming thunder and cracking lightning.
Suddenly Elana’s eyes flick towards the storm – dimly glowing against the dark. The storm then rumbles louder as Elana almost falls to the ground in shock.
“You will not pass.” She hears a grumbling voice say. The storm grumbled once again.
“I made p-per-perfect…wooooooorld…heeeere… Why…why would you… NNNNot STAY?–” The storm hummed like a broken record.
“I don’t want to stay in this horrid world, I want to go back home!” Elana screams, batting back tears.
The storm suddenly travels higher into the air booming.
“YOU… W-WILL STAAAY…” Elana watches the cloud of fury and death travel closer and closer to her, willing to do anything to stop her from passing.
Right as the storm travels closer, a crevice opens up, on top of the cloud, a small hole tearing through reality itself. Elana uses all her might, she swoops up dodging the storms’ attacks as she glances towards the tunnel.
“I’m almost there!” Elana pants as her hands, covered in sweat, brush the edges of the tunnel peeking into another world.
Elana clambers in the floating tunnel, glancing back one last time, muttering.
“Well, I got past you didn’t I…” Elana tumbles into the tunnel, but then feels something strange, like reality itself tearing apart. As Elana falls she feels like time and space is pulling itself apart. Her heart was thumping in her chest, she was small and lost in the chaos of existence itself.
Right when she thought it was all over, she found herself at the bottom of the very slide that took her to that world. It was early in the morning and Elana could hear the faint noise of birds chirping in the distance. Elana glanced around, happy to be back in her own world, and she’d never leave it again.
