NaNoWriMo

This month I took part in NaNoWriMo. I had to write a novel in a month, I could set my own word challenge so I started off with the aim of writing 5000 words. My finished book has 8200 words! It's too long to put on this blog, but you can find it here: http://www.scribd.com/sophieqcwrites

Gracie and the Tiger by Sophie

Every evening, soon after dark, the air raid sirens shrieked through the silent streets of London. Then came the dreadful humming of enemy aircrafts approaching through the moonlit sky. Deafening explosions filled the darkness of the streets and huge orange flames suddenly burst out of tall buildings.

Gracie Cloudwood crouched in the corner of the shelter, cuddling close to her Mum. She clutched her tiger that her Dad had given her before he went to the war. It reminded her to be brave. Dad was fighting in the war whilst Gracie and her Mum spent the nights in the cold shelter.

The next morning, when the sun rose, Gracie and her Mum climbed out of the shelter and discovered that their neighbours house had been destroyed by the bombs.  Scattered amongst the ash covered ground were all their belongings and wallpaper. The windows were just small bits of cracked glass. “I have to send you away” whispered Mum, trying not to cry.

Later that day, Gracie’s mum had packed her bags and her suitcase.  Gracie was taken to the station where she was surrounded by strange, pale faces.  Gracie clutched her stripy tiger knowing she should be brave but she didn’t know how to. “You to have go, you’re going to be safer there” reassured mum as a tear dripped down her cheek onto her coat. Soon, Gracie was sat alone in the comfy carriage.  She shouted to her Mum, “Don’t leave me, Mum”, but the train was already moving. Sadly, she glanced out of the window and waved until Mum turned into a tiny dot in the distance.

After an hour, Gracie arrived at a big, magnificent house owned by Lady De Pop. “Well, you look cold, come on in” she said as welcomed Gracie and Jane, another girl, into the house and showed them to their bedrooms. Gracie was left alone in a tiny, damp room.  She flopped down on the bed and hugged her tiger tightly before falling asleep, stroking it.

After a worrying night, the evacuees went to the village school. Every day after that the children teased Gracie for sucking her thumb. “Cry, Cry!” they shouted as her eyes filled with wet tears. She pressed herself against the wall and wished for the bell to ring to go home.

When they had got home, Gracie was asked by Jane “why do you have that tiger?” Jane snatched the tiger off Gracie. Gracie shouted at her “give it back!” Gracie burst into tears just as Jane teased “it’s all smelly and old.” She ran off with the tiger.

Later on in the evening, Gracie still didn’t have her tiger back.  ‘That’s it!’ Gracie thought.  She hurried upstairs to pack her suitcase. Gracie sneaked out of the back door into the cold, dark night. When she got to the field she broke into a run, until a comforting roar halted her in her tracks. Something was purring under a leafy bush, she quietly walked towards it. It was her tiger, but alive and real. It sat proudly licking his stripes, she fell down beside it and went to sleep.

The next morning, when Gracie woke up, she felt braver than ever. The tiger had gone, she felt she had to go back to the house and face the teasing. She started walking on the stone path back to the house.

When she arrived at the house, she saw her suitcase outside. Sitting on top of the suitcase was her tiger, she smiled at it, just as her Mum came out of the house. Gracie ran towards her and gave her a hug. “Hi, Gracie. I’ve come to pick you up. Your uncle says we can stay with him” mum told her as they walked to the station together.

Percy's Story by Sophie, age 7

I shivered with coldness and tiredness as I wandered down the dark streets at midnight. I was so hungry and so thirsty that my tongue felt like old sandpaper. I released a pitiful meow. I asked myself “How did I get here?”, but I was drowned out by the noisy rumble of a car engine. Then I looked up and saw two large bright lights approaching me. I saw that the lights belonged to a van. Tired, I thought to myself “I should find somewhere to sleep” So I found a wall with some bricks missing and walked over to it.

Suddenly, strange hands were pulling me out of my den in the wall. I tried to meow, but no sound came out. I struggled frantically in the hands but… I was put into a cage and pushed into the back of the van. I felt scared and nervous. I felt I was being watched in the mirror to check I wasn’t going to escape, but, I couldn’t escape; there was no way out and I was just too tired to even try.  The rumble of the engine was too loud for me to go to sleep; though I was yawning with tiredness. The van drove along what felt like a bumpy road, I was thrown from side to side. I wished for the ride to be over.

When the engine was finally switched off I saw that we were at an unfamiliar building; it looked nothing like my old home. I was taken out of the cage and into the building. I was placed in a different cage which was surrounded by other cats. I could smell fresh cat food and cold damp fur. Suddenly I heard footsteps approaching. My cage door was opened and someone looked inside. I thought that they were going to stroke me. Instead, before I had had a chance to curl up and rest, I was whisked out of the cage and taken to the Vets. I was given pills that were hard to swallow and injections that filled me with pain. My teeth were checked, and then I was taken back to the room with cats and given some fresh cat food to enjoy and a bowl of refreshing water to lap.

I fell asleep dreaming of someone taking me to a warm home with a snuggly bed and owners that loved me.

The next morning, as sunlight poured through the window into my cage, I woke to find strange and unfamiliar people staring into my cage. I scanned the cluster of people and spotted a little girl who asked to come and stroke me. She stoked me gently and lovingly until I dribbled and purred with happiness and delight. The little girl said “I want him”. I was so happy to be wanted.  I was taken to the little girl’s house; it was not how I’d expected it to be, it didn’t have the cold dark rooms and dusty beds of my previous house. Instead, it had bright warm rooms and comfy beds. I thought that my dream had come true and it really had when the little girl went to bed, we snuggled into each other and I fell asleep feeling loved and cared for.

Burning Fire (written at 7 years old)

One morning in New-Leaf season, Bouncepaw woke to go hunting with his mentor Cherryfur.  Bouncepaw mewed to him “Where will we hunt?” “Near the ShadowClan border,” Cherryfur replied “there’s lots of prey around there.” They silently padded over to the border and caught the scent of a mouse, immediately Bouncepaw posed himself into the hunters crouch and sprang. He killed the mouse with one sharp bite and took it back to Cherryfur. Back at the camp, the Clan were either eating some fresh-kill off the pile or sunning themselves on some rocks. Suddenly, the Clan Leader emerged from her rocky cave and let out a commanding yowl “Cats of ThunderClan. Meet at Highledge for a Clan meeting.” Below her, all of the cats slowly began to congregate under Highledge.

Bouncepaw spotted the Clan’s Leader, Shimmerstar, and ran over to her and asked “when can I be a warrior?” She purred and told him “tomorrow you can.” Tomorrow! He was finally going to be a warrior!

After a restless night of sleep Bouncepaw remembered something; he was going to be a warrior today. He scrambled quickly up in his mossy bedding, messing it up. Other cats were already awake and eating. He raced over to the pile of food and plucked out a plump sparrow. Sitting by the apprentice’s den were two cats waving their tails to him. They were telling him to eat with them. So he padded happily to them and told them that he would be a warrior today. They congratulated him by excitedly squealing because their best friend was going to be a warrior. Shimmerstar leaped on to Highledge and let out a caterwauling yowl “cats of ThunderClan, meet under Highledge.”  Their leader, Shimmerstar, spoke again “we will be making Bouncepaw a warrior today. He will now be called Bouncepelt.” The cats cheered “Bouncepelt, Bouncepelt”. Bouncepelt felt proud. Maybe he could have an apprentice. His friends leaped over to him and said “congratulations”. To the side of the Leader, a black kit was standing there with its shiny fur sleek. “This is our new apprentice Batpaw” announced the Leader, “his mentor is Bouncepelt.” Bouncepelt let the apprentice sit down with him.

Batpaw slept peacefully only to by woken by Bouncepelt. He was shouting “Wake up we’re going training.” Batpaw followed Bouncepelt out of the camp to the training hollow, “first we’ll do some hunting, then tomorrow I’ll teach you some fighting moves.”  Soon Bouncepelt found the scent of a vole and crouched down waving his tail for Batpaw to copy. “Batpaw, leap into the air and catch it,” Bouncepelt quietly instructed him.  Batpaw did as he was told leaping into the air and catching the vole with his paws. He gave it a bite and carried it away to Bouncepelt. He purred in amusement at the prey, then purred “let’s get back to camp before the prey is devoured by the other cats.” His voice was hurried and fast. He clearly wanted to get back…for he had seen a long fierce cobra with eyes as green as sparkling emeralds. When it materialized out of a green bush it released its big jaws, revealing red sharp fangs.

 “RUN!!” Bouncepelt yelled through the loud hissing from the cobra. They fled as fast as the wind, the cobra right behind them, scarily clamping his jaws on thin air right behind their tails. Out of breath they rushed into the camp leaving the cobra behind. The cats dashed straight into Shimmerstar and reported to her about the cobra “We met a blood-thirsty cobra and it chased us all the way here but luckily we lost it.” Unfortunately a noisy hiss made everyone freeze. It was the cobra again.  As the cats rapidly fled, the cobra slithered into the camp and headed towards the warriors den. Shimmerstar let out an angry hiss at the scaly cobra from her den.

With a flash, Bouncepelt leapt and ripped at the cobra’s smooth scales with her claws. Another cat darted to help, signalling with his tail for all the other warriors and apprentices to fight. But the cobra lashed out with its big head, the huge red jaws exposed. It was going towards Batpaw. Bouncepelt’s ginger pelt glistened in the warm sunlight that was shining down on the noisy battle. Suddenly the cobra changed directions, lunging at any cat in it’s way making them squeal with terror.

The cats snarled at the slippery cobra. Shimmerstar ordered Bouncepelt and Batpaw to chase the cobra away with a flick of her caramel coloured tail.  They immediately obeyed her and followed the fast cobra out of the grassy camp. They were almost at the steep rocky mountains when the big snake disappeared with one frustrated hiss. The cats halted, panting from chasing the cobra, almost crashing into a bramble bush. They turned and ran back home with their fur rippling in the gentle breeze.

A Gathering was called for to talk about the attack of the cobra. Once they were all settled near the crumbling cliff, Shimmerstar began speaking to her Clan “We will need to rebuild the camp from the damage that the snake caused. Look for items to build up the walls and den, fetch some moss, sticks and brambles to rebuild this camp. I will also need some for my cave.”.” The cats scattered amongst themselves and finally reappeared a few minutes later carrying sticks, moss and ferns.

Slowly, they built the camp with the materials they’d found. When they were finished they went to their nests and settled down to go to sleep for it had been an emotionally exhausting day.