Forest Pupils introduce their own books

This is the third year that the Forest School have been running a mini book competition, here are four small extracts from our favourites

TIME OUT By JOSH McMENEMY

I used to think life was unfair.

How come some kids get all the luck? There are the smart ones that get full marks in tests without even trying. There are the good looking, cool kids that have all the friends. There are the natural athletes who can run super-fast with hardly any effort. I am the smallest member of the Bumble family and sometimes I feel I got the short straw when it came to talent. Don’t get me wrong, we get by fine. We live in an average sized mid-terrace in London which is probably best described as a madhouse most days. I spend my time constantly being told to hurry up, being tripped over by my big brother, being rushed from football to swimming to music to tennis.

But there is one thing we all have in equal measure… TIME. We all have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year… except me, Joe Bumble.

THE CANDLE TREE By NICHOLAS KAPPOS

I looked in front of me and saw another boy younger than me strut into the arena. Stitches covered him making him look like a rag doll. His skin looked like paper, it did not fit him right. As I watched, his jaw popped and disconnected. His teeth grew long and thin. His skin ripped like a cocoon, it slipped off him revealing a blue pale zombie like creature. His eyes were milky white like spiders eggs. Without warning, he lunged at me. I yelped and dodged. Nevertheless, he was too fast. He caught my cheek leaving behind a gaping hole that ran with blood down my face.

He ran at me again, but this time I was ready. I shoved my burning hand into his face. He flew back into the seats above. I could not believe my luck. He tore at the crowd. I felt no sympathy for them. I felt like a big vat of concrete had been poured on me. I lumbered for the exit, Just as my hand reached out I fell. Everything went black.

THRONE OF ELVES By CALLUM HUMPHREYS

Thurin was running through the woods with his sword and shield, feeling his own heart beating like a drum. He could hear yelling from behind him. Thurin knew that if these people caught up with him he would be decapitated in an instant. He kept running. The voices were getting louder and he knew that he would soon be caught. Thurin paused for a moment, taking in his surroundings. He then grabbed a brown pearl from his bag and rammed it into the bottom of the hilt of his sword. There was a clicking sound as it attached. The sword was now turning into stone, The boy gazed at it, admiring his own handiwork. He thought to himself: “no more running, time to end this”. He brought the sword high over his head and brought it slashing down, As soon as the sword made contact with the ground, the whole earth shuddered violently. The stone in his sword had disappeared, but the earth was still shaking. This, my readers, was a disposable earthquake spell.

THE HAUNTED TRUTH OF JOSEPH By JACK CAMPION

It was the night of Hurricane Jayden. Francis was sat on the sofa waiting for his TV show to start. However, he noticed that there was some breaking news on the screen. Images of a supposedly haunted mansion emblazoned the screen. The news reporter claimed most of the dead could be resurrected by being taken to a certain mansion. There was a warning telling everyone to not, under any circumstances, go to the mansion.

Although he was warned at least twice not to go he had to resurrect one of his friends named Joseph Bourne, who had died in a car crash one year ago. However, he knew he couldn’t go on his own so he had to call his friend, Lucas Farklin, to explain the situation and to get a friend to go with him. “Hello, is this Lucas?”

“No, this is Luke’s cat?”

Luke, be serious. You know how last year Joseph died in a car crash?”

“Uh, yeah, who doesn’t?”

“Shut up. I found a way we can resurrect him, but it’s really risky.”

“Why, is it the haunted house that was discovered earlier today?” “How do you know…”

The power went out.