Galloping over the hills,
the child watched from the window sill.
The horses neighed and tossed their heads
and the other child jumped out of bed.
"I want to ride with them, all over the ranch,"
the one child said still in a trance.
"I want my own horse, to groom and to ride,"
the other child said, her head to one side.
"You'll have a horse someday, you two girls,"
their mother said, patting their curls.
"I want one now, so I can watch it grow,"
the children said, imagining so.

by Emma

Mr Chimper was a tiny, hairy man. Not a man actually. He was a gorilla. A genius by gorilla standards.

The gorilla wore an unconvincing disguise; shades that covered his tiny face, and a coat that covered his body, legs included. So he passed as a miniature chimp in kindergarten. But he was not in kindergarten unless kindergarteners could steal the Crown Jewels of England, amazingly bankrupt a billionaire and steal a wallet without touching it. He was anything but a kindergartener. He was a criminal. A very dangerous one. And now he is up to his most infamous scheme yet.

It was a dark night. Nobody paid attention to the tiny figure creeping past them. Chimper smiled while going through his plans for the tenth time. Plans that would help him become the President of the United States of America. Once he had the limitless power of the president, he would make all monkeys VICs (Very Important Chimps).

So his plans were simple but effective. He took a banana and ate it. Then he ate another. Then he ate two more. Immediately they stuck firmly onto his hands and feet. Chimper grinned admiring these gadgets he had pinched during his visit to MI6 (Monkey Intelligence 6). The inner part of the peel had suction holes so he could climb with ease.

He stole a car and parked it across the gigantic mansion that humans called the 'White House'. A security guard who stood with a machine gun, stood forward to stop him. Chimper knocked out the guard and climbed right up into the president's window. The tiny chimp grabbed the window with his bananas.

Then he sucked his thumb and the spit dried on his thumb harder than any diamond. The bullet proof glass cut through like paper. Now there was nothing that stood between the snoring president and the insane monkey.

Chimper took out a vial of liquid and poured a drop into the president's mouth, wide open and snoring. Tomorrow the presidant would make an important speech.

And what would they see?

Would they see a leader worthy to rule America? Or would they see a fat, hairy gorilla?

by Karrthik

The High Ropes

On the 22nd of March, the ferry set out at approximately 9:30 in the morning. Everyone knew the reason: Group Two of BBI were headed straight to Motutapu Island camp. The gray water splashed against the side of the ferry. Choppy waves hurled themselves forward, only to turn into ripples that melted into the gloomy water.

At last, after thirty minutes the ferry boarded onto the wharf at Motutapu. Snatching a few bites and a refreshing drink of water, we started to trek our way up to the camp.

One hour later, two hundred tired students flopped down on the ground and started gobbling down lunch.

After a brief explanation about the camp we grabbed our gear bags an walked to our dorms.

Several minutes later, we gathered together on the deck where we ate lunch and began walking off to our first activity with our group. Our was high ropes. The proud yet simple construction loomed over us, casting a long, black shadow stretching across the grass. The instructor handed out harnesses and helmets. The first person started to climb and we held our breath and waited for out turns.

Finally, after patiently waiting, not to mention almost letting the rope be dragged along the ground because I was distracted by the flying kiwi, it was my turn. The handles were slippery from other people's sweat but I managed to haul myself onto the log. Blood was pounding in my ears but I refused to climb back down. I wanted to see the scenery and have a breath-taking experience. This would be the first exciting activity I had one in months. My feet firmly clung onto the log as I clambered over to the other side, but it wasn't over yet. Making my way towards the middle, I can't help but grin in triumph.

The day came and went quickly. After dinner one thought kept popping up in my mind. If the high ropes were challenging enough, then what do I have to face in the next few days? As I thought this over, my best friend's words came back into my mind. "You can never do your best at something. When there's a triumph, there's always room to improve."

A breeze blew past and I shrugged. I was ready for anything.

by Judy

Dead and Beyond

It was a cold morning in September 1982. There was a new toy store opening on this very day, but the ad advertising this toy story said r16, so there was not much of a turnout.

The toystore was called 'Dead and Beyond'. It was filled with toy figures with guns and swords. There was only four of us in the store and we were all aged between 16 and 17. The other three were nerds. I was the only one disappointed with the shop because it didn't have anything I liked.

The lights flashed off for a minute and I heard gunshots and the screams of other people.

When the lights came back on the man who was at the desk in the corner was gone and I found the other three dead.

I turned around to see a gun pointed at my head. The last think I heard was a gunshot and my head hit the floor.

Darkness fell upon me.

by Luke