Young Writers in Action: Thing’s Lighthouse

Thing’s Lighthouse by Emmy, 10, VIC

“Mr Sappa will never know that we’ve snuck off to explore the lighthouse.”

Tim and Annabella were supposed to be putting up the other sixer’s tent. “It’ll be interesting, so let’s go!”

Soon they were dismounting their horses in front of the old, creaking, ramshackle ruin. Venturing in, Tim spied a ‘thing’ on the wall that looked like a mix of black liquorice and clear jelly. Annabella tried in vain to stop Tim scooping the ‘thing’ into a jar.

“Don’t Tim, it might be dangerous.”

“Auuuh, you worry too much. It’ll be fine.”

Annabella suddenly realised what time it was. They had to rush back before it was noticed that they were gone!

One wild horseride later they were huffing and puffing outside the stable. Tim ran to place his jar full of the ‘thing’ under a pillow in his tent while Annabella unharnessed the horses. Just before the others arrived they started to put up the other tent again. A line of proud cubs trotted in on their horses showing off a new badge on their sleeves. That night after dinner, Tim tried crawling into bed. The ‘thing’ wasn’t in its jar, it was on his pillow! Tim’s face turned white. He felt an icy hand around his heart. Arh! He jumped up and ran outside.

Annabella looked up from helping the younger girls get ready for bed to see Tim waving wildly through the window of her tent. Annabella ran outside. The look on Tim’s face told her everything.

“OK, let’s go” was all she said.

Twenty minutes later, after stuffing ‘the thing’ into a much larger jar they snuck past the front gate of the camp to the road, went up to the top of the hill, around the KEEP OUT sign of the lighthouse and through its creaky wooden door. They opened the lid of the jar and the ‘thing’ slithered out onto the floor and quivered. BOOM! the lighthouse shook and the ground seemed to tremble beneath their feet.

“RUN” screamed Tim to Annabella, “RUN get yourself out of here and RUN, I’ll handle things here, you go. I’ll make sure the thing doesn’t escape.” She seized his hand, “Tim you’re a great mate,” and with a quick kiss on his cheek she was gone.

Tim turned to face the now heaving black mass. He tried dodging the hissing poison being shot at him. After a while the shots seemed to be getting closer and closer. While he was dodging, Annabella arrived, puffing, with some policemen close behind. A shot of poison flew at her.

“NO” cried Tim. And with that he threw himself right into the ‘thing’. The poison froze and then dropped to the ground at Annabella’s feet. There was a fizzing, boiling sound, and the walls started cracking and falling down in chunks. Then the roof started falling. As Annabella ran out the door the last of the roof fell. She watched in amazement as Tim pulled himself out of the even more ruined lighthouse, cut and bruised but otherwise OK.

“Let’s go back” he said weakly.

“Yeah” said Annabella.

–

This is one of a selection of stories we have featured from Carey Baptist Grammar School in Victoria over the last week. Thanks to all the students for sharing your talents with us!