Our class innovation story based on C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This is before any redrafting and improving. A whole class effort!
On one
summer’s afternoon, torrential rain was pelting down outside which meant only
one thing to the Gifford family. Hide and seek! Catherine was the youngest of
four sisters, she had long brown hair and as the smallest of her sisters, she
could fit into the smallest of spaces. On this particular day, the trap door
which leads to the cellar had been left open so Catherine cautiously clambered
inside and shut it behind her.
Slowly, she
tip-toed further and further into the old cellar, it began to feel colder and
she began to feel a gentle breeze on her skin. Then, quite suddenly, she felt
the prickly pine needles brushing against her face as she frantically struggled
through the trees. It was no longer dark, the light shone brightly as it
reflected on the crunchy snow beneath her feet. She was in a snowy forest.
Out of the
corner of her eye, she saw a figure. It was enormous. This figure was at least
four times the size of little Catherine. The figure moved. It was moving
towards her. Catherine felt frightened and she felt her hands trembling.
“Hello,”
said the figure in a soft deep voice. “My name is Bruno.” He was yellow with
two small rounded horns on his forehead and a spectacular curly tail.
“Pleased to
meet you, Bruno,” stuttered a nervous Catherine in reply.
“You don’t
need to be scared of me, young girl. This is Turpinia, the land where dreams
come true,” replied the gentle giant.
Bruno and
Catherine became good friends as they talked for hours about the magic of
Turpinia. It was then that Bruno told Catherine all about the Evil Wizard. The
Evil Wizard ruled over Turpinia, he was a miserable and jealous man who
despised happiness. Birthday parties were forbidden and this deeply upset poor
Bruno as his 250th birthday was only two days away.
Two days later,
Catherine returned to the trap door with her rucksack packed full of party
food, balloons, streamers and party poppers. She was a mischievous child who
had never cared much for rules. In her eyes, Bruno deserved a party so he shall
get one.
Once she was
back in Turpinia, she trudged through the thick snow to get to Bruno’s cave and
she surprised him by exploding a party popper through his letterbox. It
startled the gentle giant before he let out a deep roar of laughter. After some
party games, eating and dancing, Bruno knew the party was not allowed and this
troubled him. However, he was distracted by how much fun he was having.
Unfortunately,
Bruno’s worst fears were soon realised. The Evil Wizard had spies all over
Turpinia, including the snowy forest where Bruno sleeps at night. A crow tuned
in to the laughter coming from Bruno’s cave and flew directly to the wizard’s
lair to inform him of this act of treason. Angrily, the wizard slammed his
staff against the ground when he heard the news and with one quick flick of his
wand, both Catherine and Bruno were instantly transported to his underground
prison.
Long before
the reign of the Evil Wizard, there was a good king called King Louis. King
Louis was known for his flamboyant birthday parties with great feasts and
stunning acrobatic jugglers. The Evil Wizard had turned King Louis to stone
many years before but when Catherine exploded that party popper, something
happened. The stone statue of King Louis had gone.
After a few
hours in prison, Catherine and Bruno were beginning to feel cold and hungry.
There had been no sign of the Evil Wizard but out of nowhere, a little mouse
crawled under the steel bars. It stood up on its hind legs and chirped, “The
King is alive!” Even though she had no idea who the king was, the hairs on the
back of her neck jumped up. Bruno gave Catherine a reassuring wink and said,
“We’ve got a chance of getting out of here now”.
Later that
evening, they heard a commotion from the floor above. Upstairs in the potion
room, a window was smashed and a man holding a mighty sword had the Evil Wizard
pinned up against the wall. It was King Louis. The King was alive! The Evil
Wizard pushed King Louis back as he reached for his deadly wand. Just as the
Evil Wizard clutched his wand, King Louis felt a warmth go through his entire
body. He used this feeling to plunge his sword deep into the heart of the Evil
Wizard. The wizard fell dramatically to the floor and the wand rolled away from
his fingertips on impact. The Evil Wizard was dead.
For the
first time in many years, the snow was melting as the squirrels scurried down
from the trees, the birds tweeted merrily and the bright flowers began to bloom
again. Bruno and Catherine were relieved to be out of the grimy prison as King
Louis led them to his castle. As they walked through the roads of Turpinia,
they were greeted by elves, fauns, dwarves, giants, imps and every sort of
animal imaginable. They were heroes.
That
evening, the King hosted the most incredible party ever seen in Turpinia. Entertainment
ranged from fire breathing baby dragons on trapezes to a marvellous chipmunk
singing quartet. Smells of freshly baked bread filled the air and sounds of
children laughing were heard in Turpinia once again. While King Louis was
shaking his moves on the dance floor with his tie wrapped around his head,
Catherine solemnly looked at Bruno. Although she was having the best time of
her life, she knew it was time for her to go home. So, Bruno walked her back
through the woods to the trees and led her straight to the trap door. With
tears in their eyes, they said their goodbyes and Bruno affectionately patted
her on the head with his enormous hands and turned away. Slowly, Catherine
moved through the trees and into the cellar of her house in England.
She was
home, safe and sound. Bruno and the land of Turpinia would stay in her heart
forever. It would be her secret. Nobody would believe her story anyway, would
they?
By 4T
