Our 2022 Student Writing Competition Winners Series continued!
This week we celebrate Linnea Jean Bender from Upper Moutere School, who won First Place in the Year 5-6 writing category. Linnea’s story ‘The Hidden Deep’ is fantastic, and highly deserved its first placing, awarded by author and judge Anna Kenna. Linnea received a full bag of stationery from PaperPlus, as well as the novel ‘Storylines: The Anthology’ by Tessa Duder, as her prize!
You can read ‘The Hidden Deep’ and see Linnea’s Stylefit result below!
The Hidden Deep
Murky Water whipped the dark sand. Coral swayed in sync with lush seagrass, and a huge, rough, amber scaled creature stalked its prey.
Gallant waited patiently; his golden scales dulled from the salt tanged water that washed past his ribs. He would live up to his name, even if he had to feed an entire tribe with silver whales.
“Tense your hind legs, check. Flare your gills, check. Sense that your prey doesn’t know you’re present, check.”
Years of training flew into Gallants’ mind as his claws sank into tough whale flesh, and he felt the muscle tense in his panicking prey.
“ARGHHH!” Gallants’ webbed claws tore away from his escaping prey.
“To Davy Jones’ locker with you!” he cursed after the disappearing animal.
A muffled whale grunt followed, and it fell back, limp.
“Wha-” Gallant started to say.
A purple head poked up from behind a rock.
“Oh! Sorry! Was that your prey? If silver whales bled, I wouldn’t have killed it! Sorry! I really am!”
Gallant looked up to see another one of his species.
She was a beautiful violet, her webbed talons a velvety indigo, her eyes cerulean blue. She had a graceful, glistening tail that waved around in circles. Refined smooth brown horns poked out of a triangular head. Everything about her was like shades of purple on her smooth scales.
“Uh… It’s ok.” Gallant replied.
“I’m Violet! What’s your name? Oh wait, are you secretive? Most people are. Oooo. Maybe I should be more covert! What do you think?”
She poked her nose into his face.
“She’s weird but cute,” he thought.
“AAAAAAA. What am I doing- people will NEVER agree if I make friends with her.”
He thought and sighed. Think for yourself, Gallant.
“Good catch. I’m Gallant.” he replied. She let out a snort and a giggle. Then a serious expression appeared on her face.
“Ugh. Gotta go! You can have the whale- my mother freaks out when I don’t eat her sloppy salad!”
And then she was gone. As quick as a flash. It could have been a dream.
I’ll see her tomorrow. Better bring the whale back to the den. He thought.
As he chewed on his whale, he was deep in thought.
“Whatever happens, I’ll be friends with her. It’s what makes me live up to my name. Whatever happens, I’m Gallant. And this is MY life.”
