Schoolwork showcase: primary short stories

Just this week my grandma died but that isn’t totally true… the first day after she left us I dreamt of her and I was with her. She showed me an emptiness and a strange hole. She extended her soft hand to me and both of us together jumped into a swirling hole.

We entered the strange land! It was tremendous, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was a winding staircase with different rainbow colours, soft lights and fascinating music, all leading to doors. Each stair represented a year of my grandma’s life. Together we opened a gleaming white door, it was unimaginable - my grandma and all of her family were inside celebrating her wedding to my grandfather.

We made a deal - some nights I would visit the strange land with her, sometimes she would come to our world to feel all of the extraordinary experiences of the real world.

Yesterday in my dream my grandma asked me if I could keep a secret. She told me that she can foresee the future. She wanted to take the stairs to my future with me. Grandma led me gently by the hand… we reached a burnished gold stair and opened the door. The year was 2032, I was on the podium holding a gold medal for gymnastics at the Olympics!

I realised that with my grandma’s encouragement and my effort that dream was possible… in the strange land.

I love you grandma.

By Martina, aged 9. Sunny View School.

Judges' comments: “This is very imaginative,” said novelist Joan Fallon. Former editor Liz Parry found this story “very relatable”: “The last line ‘I love you grandma’ made me cry. Good opening and closing lines. Simple, heartfelt and charming. Well done Martina,” she expressed.

Once upon a time, there was a land called ‘Drawing Land’. Every time people drew something, it became real. One day, a family with two children moved in. The girl and the boy wanted to draw a monster, but, without knowing it will become real. So they drew the monster and went to sleep. The next day, they woke up and they were watching the news. When suddenly, they saw the monster they had drawn, destroying the land. So they got a rubber and erased the monster they drew out and the monster disappeared.

By Greta, aged 8. The International School Estepona.

“I chose this because I thought it was very imaginative,” commented novelist Joan Fallon.

Once upon a time in a sleepy town nestled between the hills there lived a boy named Sam. He was an adventurous soul, with a heart as brave as a lion and a mind as curious as a cat.

One day while exploring the woods near his home Sam stumbled upon a hidden path. Curiosity tugged him at his sleeve, urging him to follow it. As he ventured deeper into the path it led to a dense forest - it felt like stepping into a whole new world. The trees overhead whispered secrets, their branches swaying like friendly waves. And when he reached an opening, his eyes widened in amazement…

Before him spread a land of wonders. The sky was like a giant painting with clouds swirling like cotton candy. In the distance mountains stood tall and proud. But it was the creatures that caught Sam’s attention. Birds flew overhead, their feathers shimmering like precious gems. There were foxes with tails like flames, deer with horns that glowed in the sunlight and bears with fur as soft as clouds.

In this enchanted land, every rock and every stream seemed to hold a story waiting to be told. The rivers flowed with a melody as soothing as a gentle lullaby, butterflies fluttered from flower to flower, their wings painted with beautiful, colourful patterns.

Fish darted through the water like shooting stars in the night sky.

As Sam continued to explore, he felt like an adventurer in a storybook but soon the sun started to dip below the horizon. He knew it was time to head back home before it became dark. With a smile on his face and memories swirling in his mind he made his way home, already dreaming about the strange land.

Samir, aged 9. Sunny View School