the children's story

POINT FEAR

The German battleship got closer and closer, bobbing up and down on the grey waves. It was often engulfed but resiliently it resurfaced each time. I had to sink it before it opened fire and destroyed the town and killed hundreds of innocent people.

"FELIX!"

I ignored the order; my mission had to be accomplished.

I threw another stone at the tin can floating in the waves. I missed. The battleship was rocked by the ripples but ploughed on.

"Felix, we're leaving now, I'm going back to the car!"

I was determined to sink the can, putting all my strength into a ferocious effort. I sent my arrow-shaped torpedo towards the enemy. My body span round with the force of the throw. I stumbled. I lost my footing on the rock. Grabbing at thin air, I landed in the sea five feet below. Almost immediately a wave swamped me.

I took a mouthful of water, spluttered, and stood up. The cold water was round my ribs. Embarrassed and cursing, I searched for a way back up the rock.

A second wave hit me and knocked me off my feet. As I was flipped over I took another mouthful of water. I tried to stand but I found that the water had turned treacherously high. I started swimming, an angry crawl. After a few minutes I looked up. The rock was smaller. I swam harder. The tide was pulling me back.

For the first time I became scared and called for my mother.

"Mum, please, help me!"

I could see our car; it seemed just like a toy.

"Help, somebody, please!"

Some spray hit my face. My eyes stung. My hands thrashed frantically for something to hold on to. I felt something in my palm; desperately I pulled at it. The tin can crumpled in my fist. I flung it away. Ironically, it sank.

Salty tears rolled down my face. I could feel them on my lips. The tears would not stop; they filled my mouth and their bitterness washed over my tongue. Soon they gushed down my throat. I gasped and coughed and vomited. The salt water refused to stop. It filled my lungs. The whole world was salt.

Felix Meller, 13,

King Edward Vl School, Southampton.

THE EVIL DIARY

Sarah Miller had just got her pocket money, and she wanted to buy something good with it, so she went to a store and looked around. She found just what she needed, a diary. There was only one left, and she hadn't seen it there before. She had just enough money to buy it. She got it and went home and wrote down what she was going to do for the next day in it (go to the zoo) and slept.

The next day she got up and got ready to go to the zoo, and went. When she got there she noticed that no one else was with her in the zoo. She walked around looking at the animals, then the cages all opened and the animals got out and they escaped from the zoo. The lions pounced on her but she dodged them, and ran home.

She went to her diary to change what she had written, but when she saw what she wrote she was horrified, because it said "I went to the zoo and got killed!" Sarah burned the file and never got one again.

Camilla Padgitt-Coles, 10,

Monmouth,

Gwent

MY FRIEND THE GIANT

One day I went for a walk in the rain forest. I saw some trees moving, then out came a giant hand and it picked me up. She was as big as a block of flats. Anne told her to put me down. But I told Anne that she was a friendly giant. She picked up Anne. Then she told us that she was called Lulu. I told Lulu that I was called Rebecca and that Anne was called Anne. She said that she would take us to India.

When we got to India we saw the temple where the king of all the giants lived. The king had a four-mile long beard and a six-mile long moustache. His hair was like a mad professor.

Then we said to Lulu that we had better be going. Before we went she gave us a present each. My present was a round shell which you could hear the sea in and Anne's present was a shell as well. Then we went home and went to our grandma and grandpa's house. It was snowing.

Rebecca Cummings, 6,

Appleton, Cheshire

Stories should be no more than 400 words. Send them to: The Children's Story, Section Two, the Independent, 1 Canada Square, London E14 5DL.