YEAR 4 CREATIVEWRITING
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Hidden World
The bubble was there too. Then he realised something truly wondrous: all around him, were mermaids. Real mermaids!
Jack earned his living on a farm, perched atop a cliff overlooking the vast expanse of the ocean. The bitter winds and salty spray ruined the soil. Sometimes Jack tried to fish, but recently the seas had become barren and empty. One cold morning, Jack left his beachside shack to make the arduous journey up the cliffs to the farm above. As he started to climb the ramshackle wooden steps, he noticed a glint in the sand; a bottle, washed up on the shore, with something inside. Lying in the old bottle, was a scroll. Jack removed the cork, and took out the parchment, which read: Underneath the mysterious scroll were the bearings for an island, apparently just off the shore, though he had never seen or heard of such a place. Jack was bewildered. Stranger still, in the dim light, the watercolour sketch portrayed a beautiful underwater world inside a colossal bubble. He held the bottle in his hands, and it trembled. To his amazement, and terrible fear, the ground beneath his feet opened. A flurry of faces emerged: female, and strangely beautiful. Then a deathly, skeletal face peered at him through the crowd. Its eyes bored into Jack’s head, penetrating his mind. The ground fell and so did Jack. When Jack awoke he was falling through a swirling vortex of light. Suddenly he was through the portal. He considered the map, still in his hand, and knew he was in the underwater world. Only thee who really helps, is worthy of claiming my treasure.
It seemed to be a place of great abundance. Everywhere, the mermaids were feasting on plates of marvellous looking seafood: fish of all varieties, crabs and lobsters, giant prawns. Jack looked down at the riddle and map in his hand. What did it all mean? Why was he here? He was underwater, breathing perfectly normally. How could that be? The riddle told of treasure. Now that was something! “What is this place, and how do you have so much food to spare?” Jack asked a forlorn looking mermaid. “Well”, said the mermaid, “a long time ago, when the earth was born, a mighty sea serpent gave us a treasure chest like no other; it produces unlimited quantities of food.” The mermaid looked back at him. “But, you humans have ruined these seas, so nowwe’ve made this air bubble to protect us. “You must help us!”, commanded the mermaid. “You were called to be our messenger. You have discovered the secret treasure of the ocean, the source of all its life. But we cannot live in a poisoned sea. Go back and tell the world above. Tell them to stop polluting our realm. Your reward is that we will then be able to remove the bubble and then provide for you once again.”
Jack did as he was told. Before long, he was a wealthy fisherman.
THE END
Robin Choudhury-Collins, 4C
10
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