Task 2-Hugo Powell: The easter show

So there I was at the Easter show, holding forty dollars worth of tickets just to go on rides for my friends and I. We looked around at all the rides, line, line, even bigger line. ‘Well I just wasted forty dollars’ I thought. The only rides that didn’t have any lines were massive rides, and my friends and I didn’t really want to go on any of them. Finally, after a good twenty minutes doing nothing, I grabbed my friends Cameron and Archie and dragged them to one of the huge rides. It literally didn’t have a line. It was called the ranger. The people on the ride would be put into two carriages and they would spin all the way around. Archie was too chicken to go on, but that didn’t stop Cameron and I from going on. We gave in twelve of our tickets and walked onto the ride. We were strapped on and then waited for more people to come on. The doors on the carriages closed, and then we slowly started rocking. We were getting higher and higher, and faster and faster. It was one of the best feelings, it felt like my stomach was two steps behind me. As we were spinning, we saw Archie below us doing nothing, while we were laughing and having fun. But sadly the ride ended too soon, but before Archie could say a word, Cameron and I were back on the ride in a few seconds.

After having a taste of that ride, we went on even more rides. Roller coasters and spinning rides, while Archie kept making the excuse ‘I get motion sickness!’ which Cameron and I really doubted, but what were we going to do. After what felt like twenty minutes but was actually an hour, we had completely run out of tickets. So once again we had nothing to do, so we just had enough money to buy some food and drinks. Once again we were bored, except for Archie who had been bored the whole time. Luckily my brother came along and saved the day. He had another twenty tickets and he gave them to us because he had already gone on all the rides. So again, Archie waited for us to go on more rides while we had fun. Once again we were out of tickets, but this time we were satisfied.

After that we did what Archie wanted to do. Look at show bags, buy lollies and whatever he wanted to do because we left Archie waiting for an hour and a half. But it was his choice not to go on any rides, and plus he didn’t have to wait for us. But he didn’t go on any rides and he did wait for us, so I guess we had to do some of the things he wanted to do, it was the least we could do. I only had one regret that day. I didn’t save enough tickets for the sling shot.

Task 2-Hannah Rubinstein

SNAP!

I straighten the covers of my bed and pull the sheets back neatly. I crouch down to tuck in the edges and I see a strange, glowing object under my bed. It shimmers invitingly, so I pick it up and slip it on my wrist. The bracelet, I see, has a small round face on it, like a watch. But instead of numbers, there are small pictures around the face. Two small arrows are resting on the picture that should have been six.

I shrug, the worries dislodging themselves from their tightly packed positions on my shoulders. I smile at the new accessory and prepare myself for the day.

On the way to school, I pause. An old, unfamiliar man is sitting on a wall nearby. His eyes briefly take on a vacant expression, his mouth is slack. Suddenly, his eyes register and he swings round to face me. I break into a sweat as I see his wrist...

I run, away from that place, away, as far as I can go. My mind tumbles and twists. I push open the school gates, shaking my head. I walk to the reception, receive a late note and trudge slowly to class. Maths. I groan. An older student walks past. His eyes become unfocused. As I walk past, he swings round to stare at me and I notice the hungry expression in his eyes and I see his wrist...

I sprint down the corridor, nearly crashing into my English teacher who, unlike me, rounds the corner at an acceptable pace. I apologize, show her my late note and sprint away again, hoping she doesn't find me rude.

I sit at my desk, waiting for instruction. The maths teacher walks in, his eyes suddenly blurry. His limbs limp and his posture weak. He swivels determinedly to face me, and I scream, seeing the sharp, alert look in his before blurred eye. His eyes glint with malice as he makes his way toward me and I take in his wrist...

I glance at my 'watch'. The arrows swing wildly about, stopping on one picture, then another. I let my arm fall to my side in desperation. I run past the corridor, out into the courtyard at the back of the school. I am trapped. I can't go back, I can't go forward.

There is a large, stone wall surrounding the courtyard. The grounds are bare - no trees or shrubs, or anything to hide behind. All exits are blocked by a person - male or female, each person with  the same sharp look in his eye and the same object on his wrist...

I stop. I can't hide. It's pointless. I turn around and look one of them in the eye. A silent message passes between us, and I know what they want. They want the watch.

The old, unfamiliar man I had seen earlier steps forward.
    'The watch joins its owner to a secret group. It is a malfunction in our placing system. You should not have received the bracelet. It is not yours. If you do not give it back, the consequences could be serious. You have 10 seconds.'

I glance around the circle of menacing people. I hesitate, then fumble with the strap of the watch. The old man watches with a greedy look in his eye. I hold out my hand with the watch laid carefully in my palm. The man takes the watch reverently, then the circle fades ever so slowly, and I'm left standing there, breathing hard, alone.

                                                                                                                                By Hannah Rubinstein Year 7 2011

Task 2 Jordan Domingues

The boy, the thief and the scrapped knee

It was a stormy night, “so much for that perfect holiday!” John said to his sister Jules.   Jules  giggled to herself, but to John this was serious. His mum had offered him the best holiday ever if he did well at school and with Christmas looming it was time to collect his winnings (afterall he had bust a gut studying, especially for his science final) and he wasn’t going to let a bit of rain spoil his fun.

As John got ready to turn in for the night, squeezing a blob of toothpaste onto his toothbrush he reflected with his sister “I wish, I only wish my life was more interesting… nothing exciting ever happens to me”.  (John does not know it yet but he was going to regret that thought). He continued “Bob Oliver’s Romantic Island Near Ghana is just plain BORING, this is going to be the worst family holiday ever, I just know it!”  The pair said their goodnights and went to bed.

It was about 1:00 am when John woke to a thumping noise, wiping his eyes he jumped out of bed to investigate. As he opened his bedroom door he caught a glimpse of the thief who was about to run off with his mother’s 24 carat  gold necklace (the one his father had given her for their ten year wedding anniversary). Without out further ado John courageously threw himself onto the thief who was twice his size, they both fell to the ground landing on a bean bag so managed not to wake anyone. The thief scrambled from under John and made his getaway, pistol in hand.    

John knew what had to be done, he reached for his phone, grabbed the skateboard that lay by the door and chased the robber. The road was still wet from the storm, it was so slippery he struggled not to slip as his skateboard skid from side to side. The thief shot his gun three times when he saw John on his trail. Luckily all missed.  They were both headed for “The BIG ONE.”

Everyone who visited Bob Oliver’s Romantic Island Near Ghana knew about the hill the locals nicknamed “The BIG ONE”. The hill was notorious for accidents. John knew that skating down “The BIG ONE” was seriously dangerous but he was up for it (he would do his mum proud). At first John thought it wasn’t that bad until he picked up speed. In no time at all he was approaching the thief’s posterior. In haste, John jumped from his skateboard and tackled the thief to the ground only this time there was nothing to soften the fall, the gavel scrapped John’s knee badly.

John wanted to cry, his knee stung and was bleeding badly but he kept a firm grip of the thief. He was so relieved to see the police sirens flashing in the distance as they raced down the hill.

Conclusion:

John: returned the gold necklace in mint condition to his mum and was issued a bravery award but he does have a scar on his knee for life! (BTW he has settled for an uneventful life)

The thief: was locked down in a maximum security chamber for 8 years but he was later seen fleeing Ghana.

THE END

By Jordan Domingues

Noah Abulafia, Assessment Task 2 " The Incomplete Fairytale"

 THE HEARTBREAK:

We were shattered. The buzzer had sounded, it was all over,the season was over. The reality had sunk in, we had gone a whole season without winning a game. This must be some kind of record I thought to myself.

I had remembered this feeling very distinctively, the feeling of failure. It’s all coming back again, the same feeling I got when we lost the semi final, but this time it’s was worse. There was a sense of shame in not winning any games throughout the entire 26 round season. I just wanted to dive into a deserted place where my face would be hidden for no one to see.  To place the final leaf of misery on us was the loss of our two key players. How would we survive now? What will next season bring of us? All these questions were fluttering through my head. Already the self doubt had taken its toll, 6 weeks from next seasons kick off.

6 WEEKS LATER, GAME 1:

I woke up in the morning with a sense of freshness. What lay ahead of us was either a new beginning or going back to our treacherous old habits. I got to the ground and every one had put a brave face on, but I could tell everyone had a sense of nervousness within.  It was clearly evident though that the new signings of Hope Green and Tony Lyp, who were brought it to replace our old halfbacks, were clearly the most distraught out of the lot. They were world class players, but they had the heavy weight on their shoulders of being the dynamic duo that could turn this club around from its bad ways.

We got out on the field and we all knew it would be a tough battle. We were playing the Raging Rhinos, last year’s grand finalist. I caught the ball and ran it up 10 meters. They were charging at us in defense, screaming and very intimidating. We got the ball with 15 seconds on the clock before full time. It was the last play; Hope Green put in a little chip kick, everything seemed to be going in slow motion. It bounced straight into George Urals arms, he was away sprinting away. TRY! TRY! TRY! TRY! The whole team yelled in unison. The minimal fans that came to the game were going nuts! WE WON! We actually won a game! Already in the first game of the season, we had done better than the whole of last season.

 The spirits in the sheds were amazing. Never, in my 12 years of Rugby League, have I heard a team chant and sing the victory song so loud. “WE ARE BOUNCERS UNITED, THE MIGHTY, MIGHTY, MIGHTY BOUNCERS UNTIED! IF YOU DARE TO PLAY US, WE WILL BRING YOU DOWN! WE ARE BOUNCERS UNITED, THE MIGHTY, MIGHTY, MIGHTY BOUNCERS UNTIED! IF YOU DARE TO PLAY US WE WILL BRING YOU DOWN!”

A WEEK LATER:

As I awoke to play the second game of the season I felt a sense of confidence. Could we do it again? I thought to myself. Or was it just a massive fluke? The sheds were also very different; the catchphrase “A New Beginning” was on posters all around the room. The brave faces everyone had on were actually genuine faces this time round. We got out on the field and annihilated our opponents 60-14. A spark had been struck, we were away, no one was to stop us!

ROUND 15:

It was the biggest winning streak ever recorded in Rugby League history, 15 games! We were unstoppable, but this was all about to change. We were playing the ferocious team that edged us out of the semi finals just two years ago, the Babylonian Rams.

We got out on the field and were simply outclassed. We dropped the ball from the kick off and let in a try. Our defense was sloppy and so to was our attack. We got wiped of the park loosing the game 48- 14.

A single loss didn’t affect us. We were one game away from being guaranteed a playoffs birth, 11 games away from the end of the season.  

A single loss may have not affected us but 10 consecutive losses had. We were the talk of the game. Everyone thought we would go from ‘Zero to Hero’ but in the position we were in now we may not even make the playoffs. The headlines had change from the ‘Dream in the Making’ to ‘Sleep Time Is Almost Over’.

8 position and above was the cutoff for playoffs.We were currently in 7th spot on the ladder. This did not matter though, due to the fact that position 10 through to position 6 were all on the same amount of points, all that mattered now was the points differential.

ROUND 26:

I woke up this morning and thought to myself, “Just last year we were last, today we would be playing for a position in the playoffs. The playoffs didn’t matter to me because the fact that we had turned the club around was enough to satisfy me.

We got to the ground and it was the same as round 1. Brave faces on the outside but a sense of nervousness on the inside. We all knew it was make it or brake it. We got out on the field and make it, is exactly what we did. We got out there and found our form again; we brushed aside number 1 on the ladder, the Blistering Bullets, 50-6 and secured 6^th spot, which guaranteed us a playoffs birth.

THE PLAYOFFS:

The first two rounds of the playoffs were a breeze for us. We charged into the semi finals with 22-0 and 36- 12 victories. We were the force to be reckoned with. The fairytale was back on track.

THE SEMIFINALS:

I looked out the window and took a deep breath. We were in this position just two years ago and were left shattered. I was determined to make it different this time round. This fairytale WILL be complete I said to myself.

We got out on the field and were blown away by the sheer determination of the Conquerors Dolphins. We got annihilated in the first half 24-0 and if we wanted to win this game, and go through to the big one, a miracle will have to happen, and so it did. We got out there and within the first play we got the ball and raced to score a try. With 10 seconds left on the clock we were left with possession. The ball flew across field to Tony Lyp. The siren had gone with one more play left to go. If he got a field goal here we would win. He dropped the ball, lifted his foot, and BAM the kick went straight through the posts. We won! We were chanting like made! We were through to the big one! One more win and the fairy tale would be complete!

THE GRANDFINAL:

It was a cold, wet and rainy day, but this didn’t stop the fans from tumbling into the stadium. The fireworks were going, the fans were cheering, and the atmosphere was AMAZING! The self doubt was back. I kept questioning myself, “Am I asking too much of our team? Are we really good enough? Could we actually pull of the comeback that would be talked about for centuries?”

I ran onto the field, the sidelines were freshly painted and the scent of wet grass got me going. We sang the national anthem and now it was OUR time to shine!

We kicked the ball off and my heart was pumping like never before. I made the first tackle of the game, he dropped the ball as I tackled him and I promptly picked up the ball, I scored! The crowd went wild! They had fumbled the ball and we had scored! 10 seconds had gone and we were up 6-0.

When everything seemed to be going according to plan, they got back at us, and scored a 100m try within the dying seconds of the first half. We went into the sheds with our heads held high as we still knew we had a fighting chance.

The second half had come and gone. No points were scored. Both teams were severely struggling to get through the slippery conditions. 

A tied grand final meant only one thing, golden point! The first team to get a point would win. It was round 1 all over again. We were going to use the same tactic that won us that game, 'the chip and chase'. We chip kicked it, like in round one. Everything seemed to be going slower than usual. The ball landed on Bob Bears chest, he was away! We were about to win the grand final!

 Everyone went silent…. Bob tripped on the slippery surface and dropped the ball. No one could believe it. The Red Rockets were away with the ball and about to win the grand final. We lost. The fairytale was incomplete.

The feeling was back, the feeling of failure. This time it was worse. I believed in myself, and my team, but we had blown it. I lay flat on the floor, heartbroken and devastated. Tears rolling down the whole teams face, we felt like failures. We knew we had let our fans down and none of us could bare the thought. I took a deep breath in and a deep breath out. All I could hear was the Red Rockets fans cheering and screaming. That could have been us I thought to myself. I buried my face in the grass and could not face my team or my devastated fans, the fairytale was incomplete... 

The Suspicious Shadow

Monique Belovukovic

It was a ridiculously sweaty hot day, maybe the hottest in the last century. It was to hot to play sport, to hot to watch TV and way to hot to even go to the beach. I know the beach is usually the best place to be when the temperature is over forty-five degrees but since it was so terrifyingly hot, if you were at the beach for more than one hour anyone would turned to dust. So what I thought would be the best thing to do would have a cold bath.

Made a decision to go and have a cold bath, turned on the water to get ready.  When I returned the water was just about to over flow but thank god I was there in time to turn off the tap. Otherwise I would get grounded for flooding the bathroom floor.  It looked iced cold but really it was actually pretty warm. After a while it was getting very boring just sitting in a bath doing nothing, so I decided to do a little experiment. Compare outsides temperature to the temperature of the “apparently” cold bath. So I opened up the window feeling a warm breeze past by holding my thermometer when all of a sudden I saw a huge shadow pass my head and across the bathroom wall. I quickly slammed the window shut in huge a rush. Now I was really anxious but suspicious, I crossed my fingers hoping it wasn’t a scary bird like a crow or magpie that has suddenly flown into the bathroom. Meantime my thermometer dropped out of the window when it was slammed shut. I wanted to go down stairs and collect the thermometer but I was petrified of what could have been the shadow as I was home alone.  I tippy toed down stairs only to hear a “Boo”. It was my sister Stephanie, she just got back from the beach. Stephanie really wanted to scare me.

When I calmed down I looked at Stephanie’s face and it was dripping wet with sweat. I asked Stephanie did you run home from the beach? She replied “yes”, she was so hungry and wanted to come home to eat.  I went back to bathtub while Stephanie made us some toasted sandwiches. She returned in about ten minutes with the best toasted sandwiches we ate together in the cold bath.

Now that I got my thermometer I managed to finish my experiment. We measured the air temperature and it was forty- two degrees out side and our cold bath was twenty-one degrees.  Would you believe, the difference in temperature was twenty degrees, absolutely crazy.

Soon Mum and Dad arrived home and they came to greet us in the bathroom, interested why we were getting on so well on a hot day, which are usually really stressful for me. It ended up to be a great day even though my younger sister nearly gave me a heart attack by being a giant shadow but she made up for it by making great toasted sandwiches.

Task 2- lucas brown

TASK 2

I am now lying on my death bed, still not a breath, bullet stuck in my flesh that is soon to be gone. I will now tell you about the most interesting event of my life and it could also happen to you, but right now I’m going to tell you all my beginning.
Stuck… stuck in my mummy’s womb can’t move, wishing I was smaller so I could move. All of a sudden I see a white light and it’s blocked by 2 giant things, what were they? All I know is that it’s coming for me! I try swimming away but it’s got me, all was gone I got taken out and I see this big place. I WAS BORN! I then start to see other people and I knew who they were. There was my loving, caring mother who bought me into this world and my strong, happy father, my playful brother (but not now of course) and my (English) loving baby sitter. I open my eyes wider and I can now see my whole family, grandparents, aunties, uncles, and other family members. I knew they would guide me throw my life for better or worse in sickness and happiness I would have a mixed life of happiness, sadness and the rest, but right now I needed some sleep…
I am now 23 and I’m walking down the street to have my regular cup of coffee. I enter and I see this girl, lonely and looking sad so I approach and ask if I could sit with her. She said “ok,’ in a sad voice and then I was wondering, ‘why is she so sad?’ I then asked what was bothering her. She said sadly with a tear in her beautiful blue eyes, ‘my mother just died of old age.” And then she started to cry. I was so sad myself and I didn’t even know this girl but it is such a tragedy when one of your relatives dies. I felt so sorry for her I offered to buy her a cup of coffee and some banana bread and she kindly accepted. Whilst we were drinking our coffees and masticating the banana bread we were getting to know each other, and she was cheering up a lot. After one year of getting used to each others lifestyle and having lots of fun, we realized that we were both in love. One day during a helicopter ride, whilst kneeling I asked her a question in these exact words, “Josie Marian Goods will you marry me?” She was shocked, gobsmacked even, she just didn’t know what to say. Worried and confused my smile went down. As I was lowering my smile she replied happily with a Yes. I was so happy my smile covered my face and I was delighted, I couldn’t wait for our wedding!
I am now ready for the most important day in my life where I get married. Me, Lucas Daniel Brown is getting married to his 'smoking hot woman' Josie Marian Goods (soon to be Brown). The marriage celebrant stated the vows that I should keep, and then the same to Josie. The marriage celebrant then said “if anyone objects to the union of this couple speak now or forever hold your peace. When no one answered that segment she finally said to finish the ceremony. “You may now kiss the bride,” happily I did just as she said
I am sorry but I have now reached my limit but hold your horses cause the next edition will come out soon (I get shot in the back) but I will tell you my ending.
Now lying here, almost bones I hope you learnt that one day you will find someone you love, and you might get married, but right now I need you to go so I can drift off to a wonderful happy death.

By Lucas Brown

Eric Zykov Task 2

THE JET SKI

I woke up early that morning. The Tahitian sun welcoming me to another adventurous day.

Tingling excitement was jumping in me, because I knew that today was going to be a great day. Perhaps the best day of my holiday yet!

I got out of our beachside bungalow and stepped onto the soft yellow sand. There, awaiting us, were six bright yellow jet-skis, slowly drifting in the calm shallow water. Yes, my dad and I were going on a jet ski trip around the tropical island of Moorea. Thinking about what I was just about to do was very exciting.

Some other lucky tourists were also eagerly waiting to be seated as well. We had a local instructor that would be helping us with our journey.

Finally we got on the jet ski. Of course riding on a jet ski is very risky, therefore the instructor shared with us the safety tips. I was sitting at the front and my dad was sitting behind me, but he was driving. My mum was filming us from the shore.

The motor roared as my dad pressed the starter button and we slowly started to make our way out of the shallow resort waters.

After about two minutes of gliding on the water, we reached the end of the coral lagoon; this meant that we entered the wild, open ocean with big waves. Our jet ski was going out of control. I believed we were going to capsize. My dad thought that to make the jet ski stop wildly rocking, you needed to take your hands off the acceleration, like you would do in a car. Luckily the instructor came and told us that to keep the Jet Ski stable you needed to maintain the speed and ignore the waves. We were back on track.

I really liked the feeling of zooming through the water and droplets of water, cooling my face. From the jet ski I saw the beautiful green mountain ranges that towered over us. I really appreciated the beauty of this small island. Moorea has a number of beautiful coves. We went to the first cove. We stopped there and the instructor told us some interesting history about this cove.

After that we were once again zooming our way across the water. We saw the Intercontinental resort that had dolphins swimming around in the water.

Then came the destination we were all waiting for. The shark and sting ray lagoon. This lagoon was just a place where there were loads of two metre sharks and immense stingrays. I cautiously slid of the Jet Ski, making sure I would not accidentally step on one of the rays. It was interesting to see the way the stingrays were moving through the water. They looked like giant black birds gliding through the water. They were the size of a dinner table!

Then the instructor started feeding the rays with bits of fish. I was having a great time patting the rays. Surprisingly they quite liked it. The rays were smooth and slimy. The instructor also invited people to kiss the ray that he was holding, but I did not love the rays that much, but still I felt like I made a bond with them and I was sad to go. The sharks kept away because I think that they were scared of the tourists trying to kiss them.

That was our last and the best stop. We quickly drove the jet ski for the last time, but this time I was driving. I was quite reluctant to drive at first, but I wanted to give it a try and it turned out that I really loved it. My driving was very smooth and quick, in my opinion better than my dad’s.

Soon we were just metres away from our resort. When we smoothly docked along the sand, I quickly came running to my mum telling her how wonderful the trip was. I was very happy, this was one of the best days of my life, and that is probably why I wrote about it.