Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ghes Short Story Collection Book-65258
Ghes Short Story Collection Book-65258
Gloucestershire Hospital
Education Service
1
This collection of short stories is dedicated to the memory of
Alisha Rajeev
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Contents
Thanks …………………………………………………………… 3
Introduction ……………………………………………………….. 4
What is a ‘short’ story? …………………………………………... 5
Descriptive writing ………………………………………………... 7
The Fairy Tale ………………………………………………………. 8
Cat Story, Katy Bailey ………...………………………………….. 10
I am Scared, Alisha Rajeev ……………………………………... 13
A Day Fishing with My Dad, Jamie Twyning ……….………… 16
London Streets, Bonnie Betteridge-Drew ……….…………… 17
One Busy Day, Jasmine Norris ……...………………………….. 20
The Local Shop, Nathaniel Newell ……….…………………… 23
In Memory, Mikey Grimmett ………...………………………….. 26
Sacred Forest, Jake Merriman …………………………………. 28
The Adventures of Supertato, James Ellis ……………………. 32
1
Contents
2
Thanks
3
Introduction
4
What is a ‘short story’?
Like all literary genres, the ‘short story,’ has its literary
conventions and devices. Inevitably, a truly masterful word-
smith doesn’t always conform to an exact formula, but as a
rule of thumb, a short story should have at least some if not all
of the following devices:
Exposition
This is where background information is communicated to the
reader. It is the point of ‘world-building.’ It could be
information about the setting or the characters and their
backstories.
In medias res
This is a Latin phrase used by the poet Horace, meaning ‘in
the middle of things.’ This is where the writer begins the story
in the middle, so that the reader is sufficiently intrigued and
hooked to want to read on and to catch up.
Inciting incident
This is the point or event which brings about the problem or
complication in the story.
Rising action
This is where the problem escalates. Suspense and tension
builds towards the point of interest.
Climax
The crucial, decisive moment of the story; the most dramatic
and exciting point. Perhaps the exposure of the villain or the
point at which something which has been hidden is
discovered.
5
What is a ‘short story’?
Falling action/resolution
This is what happens when the conflict or complication has
been resolved.
Denouement
The final outcome of the story, where all the loose ends are
tied-up. All aspects of the story are resolved.
6
Descriptive writing
7
The Fairy Tale
8
9
Cat Story
10
Cat Story
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Cat Story
12
I am Scared
13
I am Scared
The cave was dark and gloomy but the family were not
scared because this was their only hope. They went into the
cave and saw the man. He was tall and very smelly, with big
blue eyes and sharp teeth. Despite his rough appearance he
was a kind man.
The family asked if the man knew the way out of the island.
He smiled, “Come with me.” The family followed the man
and found their way home on the man’s boat.
As a Thank You, the family gave the man the remaining food
and the blankets they had. The family got home safely and
began planning their next adventure.
14
15
A Day Fishing with My Dad
16
London Streets
17
London Streets
18
London Streets
19
One Busy Day
20
One Busy Day
21
One Busy Day
22
The Local Shop
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The Local Shop
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The Local Shop
25
In Memory
As shells hit the earth with deadly thuds, comrades fall to the
sodden ground everywhere they look. Anxiously, soldiers
further back watch their friends fall like bowling pins before
them. They smell the metallic blood from their brothers’
bodies. Soldiers hear the rat-a-tat of machine gun fire hitting
friends as they scream in pain, like wounded animals.
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In Memory
27
Sacred Forest
Jake Merriman
Sacred Forest
bark was black with a hint of grey and the branches were
thin and brittle, wailing like frightened children. They were like
skeletons whose flesh and identity had been taken away
from them. Observing their soulless shells brought a tear to my
eye.
The creature lay there, motionless. Its fur was matted with
dried blood. The metallic smell was so strong that I could
taste it. It seemed as if the creature’s spirit had been sucked
right out of it, leaving a torn corpse behind. The only life left
was in the form of the sons and daughters of the god of the
vile and grotesque: maggots. There was a whole civilisation
of them, feeding upon the rotten flesh of the deceased
beast. Even the sight of those pale, worm-like undertakers
made me shiver. I left the corpse in disgust. I was determined
to find the stimulus of this chaos.
I ran through this Forest of Hell to find its heart. It was a barren
wasteland, filled with darkness and despair. I covered every
nook and cranny, searching for the heart. My mind was
occupied with many questions: What had happened? What
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30
Sacred Forest
The taint had started to infect me. My skin turned white like
bone and the pulsating veins engraved across my body grew
thicker under my skin and were as black as the night. I
trembled in fear as my transformation began. I knelt in front
of a puddle and I looked at my reflection. My hair was grey
like the pelt of a wolf. My eyes were red like the fires of Hell
and my teeth turned to fangs that a beast would be proud
of. I cried tears of blood.
31
The Adventures of Supertato
Then, Vampire Pig Fox cut Mutant Creeper’s leg off and
Mutant Creeper fainted. Suddenly, Vampire Pig Fox got
Mutant Creeper’s gun and shot him dead. Rabby was
running around with super speed and saw Evil Stick Guy, who
was about to blow up the world. Rabby laserized him in a
flash. Evil Stick Guy blew up.
They all killed Zombie Spider together. The team rebuilt the
base.
32
I didn’t ask for a dragon as a pet…
“AaaahhHH” I shouted.
This dragon looked scary! It was the size of a car and it smelt
as though it had been living down in the sewers for 2 years. It
sounded like a broken violin and felt spiky and hard.
33
I didn’t ask for a dragon as a pet…
I had had the dragon for 1 week and decided to call him
Larry.
One day, out of the blue, there was a knock at the door.
Standing there, on the doorstep was a man in a posh suit with
10 other men behind him. He said “Good afternoon. My
name is Agent Zoil. I work for the government. I have been
informed that a dragon has been spotted in your back
garden and we have come to take it back to headquarters
where we will locate a new home for him as he cannot live
here.”
The men came in and tied the dragon down as a tear slid
down my cheek. The men in suits put Larry in an enormous
truck. As the men were getting in to drive away, I said
goodbye to Larry as it was for the best. I slipped my mp3
player through the metal bars of the truck so that Larry could
listen to music and hopefully be happy in his new home.
34
Camp Bastian
Camp Bastian
He got up, slipped into his uniform and crawled out of his tent
as he had done day in and day out over the last days and
months. The sandy ground danced in front of the sun while
the breeze wafted grains of dust and sand up to his knees.
Men were lining up at the food stand waiting for breakfast,
innocently chatting away. No-one would ever have guessed
that these men would end countless lives that day. Not least
John Watson.
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Camp Bastian
As his heavy boots fell to the ground, a low echo was sent
around the room. The church was barren. Eerily barren. The
Sergeant yelled, “Some help out here!” John hurried up the
steps and pulled out his gun. As he went to pull the trigger, he
was looking into the sniper’s eyes. He felt nothing. The life he
might have gone on to lead… Nothing. This was the moment
he realised he had become desensitised. John took a sharp
shot and watched as the sniper’s body flopped to the
ground, a lifeless lump of bones and flesh. John turned and
walked away, with eyes as dry as a desert stream.
Hannah was short and stocky. She had jet black hair, as dark
as the night sky. Her eyes were bright blue and blonde and
shone through her fringe of hair. As she pushed back her
sleeves to put her hands into the sink, she revealed two arms
stained with ink. Words were scribed, ‘Dad’, and ‘Baby
Amelia,’ also vivid illustrations of family and friends. She was a
soldier, committed to saving lives. She pushed her hair back,
wrestling it down with a mouthful of bobby pins. She gazed at
her reflection in the mirror and wondered how she had ever
got to this place of death, this graveyard.
After they climbed the stairs into the room with the bomb,
Hannah spoke first: “Well, we might as well introduce
ourselves.”
37
Camp Bastian
There was quiet. They stood in silence. All they could hear
was chattering from downstairs, from the lives they had to
save.
John strode towards the bomb and picked up the tool bag,
but the woman thought of nothing but his family at home, so
she ran and pulled him back.
“The body has been retrieved” said the Sergeant. “She was
carrying a baby.”
38
Stolen
Once over the bridge, the girls stopped and took in their
surroundings. Grass covered the vast landscape like a green
blanket and the woodlands were intimidatingly huge.
The girls argued continually as they found their spot on the
campsite and pitched the tent. Thankfully, Maddie’s
laidback nature prevented World War Three. Before the night
drew in, the girls decided they would explore their
surroundings. Everything appeared to be perfect. It was quiet
and peaceful. As they drank and ate happily around the
campfire they chatted the night away until Kayleigh decided
it was bed time. It was only the following morning that they
realised their tent was pitched upwards facing away from
everyone else’s.
Day one was an action packed day. Kayleigh, being athletic
and the Tom - boy of the group was going to thoroughly
enjoy this. Maddie on the other hand, walked with dread to
the equipment area. Zip wiring wasn’t really her thing.
Maddie sat with her sore feet up as Eva screamed at her to
get off her bum and to do something for a change. “Get the
plates out, ready for tea.” Even Lacey congratulated Eva on
the beautiful chilli-con-carne she had put together. Lacey
then made a joke saying that Maddie should break the habit
of a lifetime and do the washing up, followed by Eva and
Kayleigh voting yes in agreement! In good spirits, Maddie
picked up the dish cloth and waved it around her head.
Everything was soon to change.
40
Stolen
Lacey lay awake feeling lonely as the rest of the girls had
fallen asleep. But it wasn’t until a few minutes later that she
looked out of the tent’s open door and realised she was not
alone. About one hundred yards away, there stood a
woman wearing a ripped black dress. The woman was
fixated on Lacey. She was scared and wished that she had
never made a joke about something coming for them in the
night.
Lacey woke the girls to tell them what she had seen, but no
one believed her and she was told, firmly, to get to sleep.
Lacey decided, finally that it must have just been her
imagination - seeing things as she had been so tired and she
shortly fell asleep.
On the second day, it was wood skills scheduled for the day’s
activities.
It was on that day that, during their activity, the girls found a
rope tied to a tree and lying beneath it, a pair of old
fashioned baby shoes. The girls went on to untie the withered
cord and took the shoes with them.
It was not until the second night that Maddie also saw the
mystifying woman this time, getting sight of the woman’s
features, which Lacey had not managed to do. Eyes of
brutal darkness stared into Maddie’s terrified face. Rooted to
the spot, Maddie began to shake like salt falling from its
container. The woman had a rope burn around her neck; this
was when Maddie realised that the rope that was hanging
from the tree must have belonged to this shadowy woman.
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Stolen
Maddie awoke the girls with urgent attention and told them
what she had seen. The others, apart from Lacey, struggled
to believe her. It wasn’t until the next morning that Kayleigh
and Eva had their suspicions confirmed that Maddie and
Lacey were playing tricks on them when they realised that
the baby shoes that they had found during wood skills were
gone. Despite Maddie’s and Lacey’s protest that they hadn’t
taken the shoes, Kayleigh and Eva laughed it off. Although
Kayleigh and Eva found this hilarious, it was clear that
Maddie and Lacey didn’t think the same and their mood was
lowered.
On the third day, Lacey and Maddie stayed behind while
Kayleigh and Eva carried on with the activities that had been
scheduled for the day (rock climbing and a nature walk)
which Kayleigh thoroughly enjoyed. When Kayleigh and Eva
returned back to the campsite, all four girls decided to pack
their bags ready to leave the following day. Unaware of what
was to come, the girls breathed heavily in their sleep. The
blood stained woman arrived with a sudden chill. In such
deep slumber the girls ignorantly dreamed on. Entering the
tent, the woman angrily returned to seek revenge on the
young women who had dared to remove the only remains of
her baby boy. Wearing a tightly fitted bodice and a skirt that
flowed like the blood from her next victim, the twisted
woman swept all of the four sleeping girls into her arms. All
that could be seen was the dirty hands and mud packed
nails clasping her blood seeping mouth, as if she was
demanding quiet for her get away.
42
Stolen
The twine that hung from the tree was where the woman had
hung herself and the baby shoes had belonged to her little
boy who had been brutally murdered by her jealous step-
daughter. His tiny, compact body was found floating, head
down in a nearby lake.
As dawn appeared, the coach pulled away, its passengers
unaware of the missing girls. There was laughter and joking
from the passengers as they heard screaming in the distance,
assuming it was the next group zip wiring.
But was it?
Far in the distance, where the girls’ tent had stood, all that
remained was a pair of each of their shoes – the only
evidence they had ever even existed.
43
44
Cinderella and the Glass Slippers
45
Cinderella and the Glass Slippers
walked inside.
Ella saw a large, golden envelope on the seat beside her
with her name on it. Nervously, she opened the envelope to
find an invitation to audition for the new series of Britain’s Got
Talent. Her godfather must have remembered her passion for
glass slipper tap dancing that she had been doing since the
age of five. Although she had won loads of talent shows, she
had never dreamed of being on TV.
From the moment she arrived at the theatre, she knew it was
going to be the best night of her life! She got through each of
the stages right up to the final and even won the show.
Simon Cowell told her that her feet were as fast as a
hummingbird’s wings. He said she was an incredible tap
dancer and that he loved her glass slippers.
As she left the theatre, Prince, one of the singers from the
Royal Four- Piece Opera Quartet, found a glass slipper on the
stage. He stopped the limo just as it was pulling out of the
bay, opened the door and asked Ella if the slipper belonged
to her. He slipped it onto her foot and everyone cheered, as
they exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch.
From that day on, Ella and her prince were the most popular
couple on Dursland.
And of course, they lived happily ever after!
The End
47
Fairy Pea and the Hawaiian Duck
49
Diary Entry – The Soldier
50
Diary Entry – The Soldier
“I need to cross the bridge.” Her voice was broken but she
51
Diary Entry – The Soldier
sounded determined.
“Please don’t shoot me.” She started to cry but there were no
tears left in her eyes to support her emotion. She began
walking towards me, faster and faster until I had no choice.
Bang.
There was a silence as she dropped to the floor. I looked
around. The sound of birds was no longer that of gentle song
but of a panic to get out of the area. Eyes began peeping
through the dark windows of houses and I looked at her
body. She was dead.
I can never look at the beauty of the sky the same way.
52
Destination Paradise
53
Destination Paradise
54
Destination Paradise
10 years later…
55
The Magical Ancient Woods
56
The Magical Ancient Woods
it. The dragon tried and tried to set fire to it, but he couldn’t.
Fortunately, a bit of fire came back at him and got his foot,
so he had to go back to his mountain.
The animals only realised the woods were on fire when they
felt hot. The unicorn family and Pegasus got together and
went over the special tree. They got Caladrius and ran out of
the wood. The special tree was still undamaged though.
Two hundred years earlier a magical elf had planted many
talking trees. Every other night, when all the animals were
asleep, the old magical elf came to talk to the home of
Caladrius. He came every other night because he wanted to
know what happened in the woods so that he could protect
it. The elf added a little bit more magic on the tree and then
it had an invisible protective bubble around it.
The next night, the elf came along and he saw the woods
burnt down! Also, he saw the animals perched outside the
woods. He snuck around them and carefully found his way to
the special tree. After he found what happened, the elf went
to the dragon to see if he could heal his foot. The elf picked
up the dragon’s food that he had dropped and went up the
mountain. The dragon recognised the elf from flying over
every night, so he let him heal his foot. The dragon explained
why he was so mean and wanted to say sorry. So they went
down to the woods and the dragon said sorry.
The elf was so pleased that he went to the woods and
planted some flowers and some more talking trees. The elf
and the animals waited for an hour and the forest grew. The
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The Magical Ancient Woods
elf sorted out homes for all the animals and the dragon.
Caladrius talked to the animals about the dragon living with
them because she knew it was the right thing to do. She told
the other animals that if there were any problems, she would
sort them out. The animals agreed to have the dragon live
with them. They all went into the woods.
They were so happy. All of them got along. All the animals
were so much happier. They were good friends forever and
all lived happy ever after.
The End.
58
Conversation in the Mountain
59
Conversation in the Mountain
60
Conversation in the Mountain
61
Conversation in the Mountain
62
Conversation in the Mountain
63
In the Beginning
64
The Big Adventure at Blackpool
65
The Big Adventure at Blackpool
They stopped off at Burger King and got some yummy lunch.
They were looking at the ride in front of them called ‘The
Pepsi Max,’ which is what they decided to go on next. It was
one of the tallest, fastest and most forceful ride in England.
The wait was on.
They joined the queue for ‘The Pepsi Max,’ feeling very
anxious but of course, excited. They were about to get on
the ride but they could not find Lily anywhere. Everyone was
shouting her name but there was no sign of her. They were all
so upset they just didn’t know what to do with themselves.
“Lily, Lily where are you? Are you ok?”
They looked everywhere but no one could find her. So they
all went to the toilets and they were all about to head home
to tell Lily’s parents the dreadful news.
“Hey! Wait up!” said a voice coming from the toilets. “I said
wait up Amy and Emily. Wait up!”
“Guys, look its Lily. Where were you? We were looking for you
everywhere and we were about to go home and tell your
parents that we’d lost you,” said Emily.
“Let’s go on The Pepsi Max then. Come on!” said Lily.
So they all rushed back to the queue ready. They climbed on
to the ride. Up and up it went slowly and slowly then
suddenly…. WHOOoooSH!
“Down we go. Wow, that was so fun. Let’s go on it again!”
And so they did over and over again, until it was time to go
home.
66
A Very Royal Occasion
67
68
The Plughole People
than his good looks and Brian - his giant snail. Oh, and yeah,
he also had his best friend Bubbles, who was never up for an
adventure. Paddy had never been anywhere or seen
anything since his mother died when he was younger, so he
just wanted an adventure. He was only going to go for a day
to the outside and not tell anyone as everybody always told
him it was dangerous, but it would be the best thing he’d
ever done. Paddy packed his bag and put the saddle on
Brian and set off. He couldn’t go very fast as Brian wasn’t only
the biggest snail of all time and he was the slowest too.
Paddy was trying to keep his head down, but then, round a
sharp corner, he came across someone he didn’t want to
see. It was Bubbles.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he said.
“I’m having an adventure,” Paddy replied.
“Where are you going then?” asked Bubbles furiously.
“To the outside. D’you want to come?”
“It’s far too dangerous, and no I don’t – there might be
beasts!”
Bubbles was right. There were beasts and animals out there,
but that wasn’t gong to stop Paddy.
“Alright then, see you soon” Paddy said.
“I’m not letting you do this.”
“You can’t stop me!” and so Paddy and Brian set off until
they just became silhouettes.
Several hours later, Brian and Paddy reached light. They had
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The Plughole People
never seen light before – it was luminous. It hurt their eyes, but
it was worth it. There was only one more obstacle to pass until
they touched ground – they needed to slide down. It was like
a slide and a tunnel and a rollercoaster rolled into one. It was
so much fun, although it did make them feel dizzy and sick!
But, eventually Paddy’s cold feet touched ground and Brian
was glad to be back outside. It was a cold winter morning
and white snow gathered across the back garden of a house
whose bathroom had been home to Paddy and Brian and
their friends and family for all those years. All the leaves from
the trees were on the ground. Paddy wondered where they
had all come from. He looked up into the bare tree and saw
a nest with two blue eggs in it. They were hungry and needed
something to eat, and as they weren’t used to the outside
world, well they didn’t know that there were two baby chicks
that hadn’t even hatched yet inside those eggs. Paddy got
off Brian’s shell and he started to climb and Brian began to
slither up the tree after him. They climbed up into the tree like
two people climbing Mount Everest.
Meanwhile, back in the pipes, Bubbles started to worry about
Paddy and if he should tell anyone. What if something
happened to Paddy? He would be blaming himself for years
and his great family name, Bubble Bath Soap VIII would be
ruined. He would let his family down. How could he live with
himself? He knew a secret which must be told. He ran to
Queen Plughole’s castle, which was a beautiful castle made
out of toothpicks.
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The Plughole People
72
The Plughole People
75
The Plughole People
of tug of war.
“Hey bird, you can have your chick back but I want my
friend, and if you disagree let’s play tug of war with the snail.”
The robin seemed to like this idea, so she took Brian’s shell
and Paddy took his body. It was going to be difficult as she
was giant and he was only the size of a fingertip, but he
needed his friend back. Paddy pulled and pulled and pulled.
He was now using all of his weight against a giant robin for a
giant snail. Then, he pulled so hard that he flew up into the
sky and fell down on the ground on his back.
“Oh Brian, please tell me you’re alive?” asked Paddy. He
then gently opened his hand and there was Brian, alive but
shell-less.
“At least you’re alive!” Paddy looked behind him and saw
the robin. She wasn’t happy. She flew and tried to catch
Paddy and Brian, but she couldn’t. They were fast. When
Brian lost his shell, all that weight went and now he was quite
fast - not supersonic, but faster than he was before. They
quickly climbed up the pipe until they saw some familiar
faces.
“I’m glad to see you guys!” exclaimed Paddy. It was the
Queen, Bubbles and Patrick.
“We’re glad to see you too,” said the Queen looking a bit
disappointed with Paddy.
“You told them! Why?” asked Paddy, very annoyed with
Bubbles, but before Bubbles could answer back, the Queen
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The Plughole People
77
The Plughole People
“And last, but not least, this knighthood goes to the second
ever Plughole person to step foot in the outside. He was
brave battling a beast. This goes to Paddy. I knight you Sir
Patrick Puddles Junior of the Plugholes for braveness.”
“Thank you, Queen Plughole, but what is my punishment?”
Paddy asked.
The Queen then replied, “Oh yes, I forgot. You’re going to
clean this whole pipe from top to bottom on your dad’s
behalf.”
“Is that all? And something else…you said I was the second
person to go to the outside world. I thought I was the first?”
The Queen didn’t answer but she just looked at Patrick.
“No! Your dad went to the outside world, just like you.”
“I did son. I was just about your age, but let’s never do it
again – me or you!” said Patrick.
“Alright, I promise,” replied Paddy. They then returned home
and Paddy did his punishment and they never went outside
again. For now.
THE END
78
The Concrete Scar
Evie Bennett-Stone
The Concrete Scar
The concrete scar of a bypass tears its way across the once
innocent faces of grassy knolls and flower speckled hilltops;
like some parasitic growth, feeding upon its unsuspecting
host. It is the flag bearer of modernisation’s mechanised
legions.
Every little human is sealed up in their seemingly, invincible
exoskeletons: suddenly a mere step away from fully fledged
flight. Yet, despite their superhuman powers and
revolutionary advancements, they are rendered helplessly
inanimate by the smallest of adversaries; the flashing bulbs
and monochrome paint work of the zebra crossing.
A cacophonous drone emanates from the beneath the lids
of these industrial scale music boxes, the tunes of which
many might wish were inaudible to the human ear. It is a
sound that could be likened to every factory assembly line
and blacksmith’s workshop, performing as one truly
horrendous orchestra.
Erupting from behind these metal monstrosities, great plumes
of gritty smoke, that is as far as possible from the plumes that
embellish certain elegant birds. These grim and acrid clouds
rise to form overhead, grotesque mirages of tortured
landscapes.
Each passenger is isolated in their own metal, double glazed
little world, entirely oblivious to the world hurtling past their
window, charging onwards as if life itself were dependent
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The Concrete Scar
upon it.
A carriageway, like the uncompromising canal, cuts with
maximum efficiency through the nation’s garden, its still
surface not muddy waters, but entombing tar. But, through
this all-encompassing menace struggles the slightest
seedling, raising its shrouded head to the pale sun in one
more act of defiance - an emblem of nature’s revolution
against its mass produced oppressors.
80
The Four Hundred Million Year Story
Lauren Arnold
The Four Hundred Million Year Story
A long time ago, 400 million years ago to be exact, a little
piece of sand named Simon was enjoying the beach life. It
was blissful and he was not thinking of his future and what
little pieces of sand go through in their long lives, but he was
about to find out. Soon, he was going to be left with the
memories of being a sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous
rock before finally returning to sand - but with a big change…
Simon’s journey started when a tiny piece of sand lay down
on top of him. It caused great discomfort to him but luckily
not a lot of pain. The new sand was a lot younger than him,
meaning it did not weigh very much and did not press down
on him. Sadly this would not last. Over time, more and more
sand piled on top, pressing down on Simon. It was becoming
unbearable, when suddenly things changed.
It was high tide and a whole new group of sand had just
piled on top when the water started to almost solidify
between him and the other sand. Simon started to notice
that the other sand was moving slowly closer and closer to
him. It was as though walls were pushing in on him slowly.
They were so close that if they’d had noses they would have
been squashed flat against each other.
Slowly, they compacted into an almost solid rock, but along
with the water crystallising between the gaps (cementation)
they did, in fact, become a sedimentary rock. This rock was
81
The Four Hundred Million Year Story
82
The Four Hundred Million Year Story
83
The Four Hundred Million Year Story
Simon could tell that winter was drawing near as the trees
looked dead without their leaves and he shivered as the
nights got colder. Being cold and wet and squashed by the
ice crystals forming around him made Simon miserable. He
was fearful of the future as all around him, the cracks
creaked and groaned and the rock surrounding him split.
Suddenly he and only two of his friends were wrenched away
from the rest of their rock and sent hurtling further down their
hillside home. As they knocked into other rocks in their
downward tumble, they were separated. Simon had no time
to think about what being alone would mean to him as he
landed with a soft thud on to the beach below.
At first, Simon thought that he had returned to the home from
where his journey had begun. Thinking back over the last 400
million years and the many changes he had been through,
Simon realised he must be mistaken. His first home had been
many miles from the nearest volcano.
As he settled down into the embrace of the sandy beach,
Simon relaxed and began making friends with those around
him. They shared their stories and wondered what new
adventures awaited.
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Produced by the students of National Star College in their social enterprise
StarPrint, facilitating the development of IT and employment skills within
a real business environment.
For more information and to browse StarPrint’s products, visit our website:
www.nationalstar.org/starprint
National Star, National Star College and StarPrint are working names of National
Star Foundation which is registered in England and Wales, company number
522846, charity number 220239. Registered office Ullenwood Manor, Ullenwood,
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL53 9QU
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