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Hi everyone! When i am older i think i might be an author. I am going to give you one of my chapters of the story i am writing. Please only post imaginative ideas, to help me progress.

Chapter 16


The terrible screeching, the red and orange flames and the distorted face that looked over him were terrifying. He couldn’t move, it was as though he were stuck in freshly laid tar and that he would never ever get out. He woke as the cold sweat dribbled down his trembling face and noticed that he was panting like a dog. He looked around him and everything seemed normal. Getting out of bed, his wet feet touched the cold wooden floor of the sick bay. He got out of his pyjamas, with much fumbling and fiddling about, and finally managed to slip into his tight trousers, dirty white shirt and woollen blazer.
He peered out of the dusty window; the ground was covered with a thin layer of frost and the sky was smeared with clouds. Dull weather for the summer holidays he thought. There was a sudden banging on the door.
“Hurry up in there, are you awake, you’re late…” said the Matron with utter disgust. “If you don’t come out of there right now you will not be getting breakfast at all!”
“Oh, what a shame!” thought Alex Royal, though he didn’t dare say it out loud. He reluctantly walked out of his room and followed Matron to the dining room.
When he got there, he was relieved that Matron was not going to cook breakfast; the Headmaster’s wife was already busy at it. She was tossing the pancakes in a pan whilst listening to her Opera. Alex sat down at one of the tables (trying to sit as far away as possible from the radio!) Matron went off to sit with the Headmaster, who was reading the morning newspaper. It read, “Local football team win, win, win whilst the Saints sit back and watch”. Alex knew the Headmaster would be pleased about that!
The Headmaster’s wife came in with a plate full of bacon, scrambled egg and baked beans. “You’d better eat up child, it took me a while to make it!” She placed down another plate with 2 slices of toast, which were rather burnt.
“Thank you,” he said “please may I have a drink?” The headmaster’s wife turned around and looked straight into his eyes, scowling. Alex suddenly changed his mind and said he would be fine without!!!
After he had eaten his breakfast, Matron escorted him back to his prison. Once he got there Matron threw him in and again she locked the door. At first Alex sat on his bed wondering what he could do next. He couldn’t escape out of the window and go outside because it was raining and he didn’t want to get wet. He finally decided to explore the old country house. He had to get out of his prison first though. He walked up to the dirty door and kicked it as hard as he could. It slammed open with a loud bang, so loud that Alex wondered whether Matron or the Headmaster had heard. He waited for a minute but he heard no one come up the stairs. He was careful not to shut the door, but just in case Matron should walk past he pushed it back and laid a stone between the wall and the door so it would not close and prevent him from getting back in.
He wandered down the stone corridor and started by looking around the science labs, to see if he could amuse himself. Coming across an old shelf, he noticed some test tubes and a worn-out stopwatch. The bailiffs certainly hadn’t left much! He slipped the stopwatch and a couple of test tubes into his deep jacket pocket, just in case they were of use. Mickey began to scratch around in his other pocket, probably after something to nibble, as it had been several hours since his last meal.
“How strange to be at school with no pupils at all except for him,” he mused as he wandered towards an old vending machine, in the hope that there might be a stale packet of biscuits left. He was in luck! Fumbling around in his trouser pocket, he came across a few coppers, just enough for the packet of Cream Crackers that lay in the bottom of the machine. Mickey eagerly gobbled both biscuits, then disappeared off up Alex’s shirt sleeve. Alex was grateful for his mouse’s company, as otherwise he might have felt a little depressed and lonely.
It was getting on for 11 o’clock, when Alex heard the patter of footsteps on the stone floor. Mr Grim was coming towards him along the walkway!!! Mr Grimm, in his usual absent-minded way, urged him on to his next lesson, completely forgetting that the school was now shut and that Alex should be locked in his room. Alex stepped to one side and then quickly hurried along. It felt so strange that Alex was the only pupil in the corridor, it used to be thronging with boys before the school had been shut down. He walked on until he got to the old library, he stepped inside. The large musty room was packed full of dusty tomes. “Now for a couple of hours of escapism …”, thought Alex, heading towards the Sports section of the library, in the hope that the bailiffs had left at least a couple of worthless tennis annuals. He was in luck and snuggled down in a crusty, peeling leather armchair with an old sports compendium.
By the time he looked at his watch again, it was well after lunch. Throwing down the book, he shot back down the corridor, up the stairs and entered his room (using the same method as before). He sat on his bed and tried to look as innocent as possible when Matron unlocked the door some seconds later. He followed her back to the Dining Hall and discovered the Headmaster and his snob of a wife were enjoying a cup of tea and buttered scones together. Matron then went to sit next to them which was a surprising sight, because Alex believed they did not really get along so well. Mrs Grim was “a well-healed Southern snob” he had once overheard Matron say. Alex had actually been taught by her when his Mathematics teacher had been ill with stress and he had not found her to be too snooty, but nevertheless, she was rather strict. “Care to join us, Royal?” asked the Head’s wife, sarcastically. Alex bit his lip before accepting their kind offer – but only because the scones looked scrumptious.
He filled them in on his morning whilst sipping at his scalding tea whilst managing to stop his hand from trembling too obviously. After all, he was still rather scared. There was a sudden shriek from the Headmaster’s wife. She stuck up her hand and pointed to a huge spider that was crawling along one of the tables. The Headmaster who was also scared of the huge eight-legged creature jumped to his feet. “ Oh how scary,” thought Alex, rather surprised.
Then the Headmaster said something that made poor old Alex explode with laughter… “Who’s the cleaner round here? Did he come today? Sack him!” This outburst shocked Matron, but nowhere near as much as it did the dazed man’s wife. Matron abruptly grabbed Alex by his ear and dragged him out of the Dining Hall, along the corridor up the stairs, through the dormitories and into the sick bay. “Stay there, boy,” she said. The wicked woman marched out of the room, shut the door and disappeared somewhere. Alex suddenly burst out laughing, nearly crying.
The prisoner sat up on his bed. He looked down to his watch and observed that it was nearly 2 o’clock. He felt surprisingly tired and went to look out of the window. It had cleared up now, but the grass still looked wet and the clouds were still black. He sighed. Right now he could have been at is own home enjoying himself, getting out a movie, inviting his friends round, going to the cinema or having a party… He couldn’t wait to get home and see all his family again, especially his dog who he missed most!
He heard the faint patter of raindrops once again and got up from the rotting floor, rubbing his eyes. Alex must have fallen asleep. Glancing out of the window, it was still as dull as it had been during the morning. It was 10 minutes to 4 o’clock and Alex did not feel like staying in his room much longer! Matron would be coming up in a while so there would be no point going out of his room to explore.
When she did come up and take him down for afternoon tea, he did not feel at all well. He sat down and could smell meat. Matron disappeared into the kitchen and came out with a huge plate of steaming hot lasagne. Alex felt as though he was going to throw up. It was placed in front of him and he could feel the steam rise and settle on his cold, clammy face. He picked up the fork, tinted with rust, and slowly jabbed each bit of the meat accurately, before raising it to his mouth. He was expecting to throw up each time he nibbled the thin layer of creamy pasta and didn’t dare ask Mrs Grim if he could be excused, as she would probably make him eat another portion of it. But somehow he got through it, and he also managed the dessert, which was Greek yogurt. It was now 5:30pm. He was taken up to his room again by Matron (who kept burping throughout the trip).
Once she was back downstairs, Alex put his hand in his pocket and out came Mickey, who was rather pleased to be out of his dark, but warm home! This cheered Alex up a little; holding his mouse comforted him. Sometimes he wished he could be a little creature that could just curl up and sleep through the bad times. He opened up the cupboard where he had hidden the test tubes and the old stopwatch, placed them on his bed and slid Mickey into one. The mouse curled up at the bottom and Alex had to turn the tube up, down, left and right for the agile creature to fall back out into his warm hands.
He created a little game which passed the time. The idea was that the mouse had to run across the bed (which caused it great difficulty because the covers were thick and old) and then it had to climb into one of the two test tubes and get one of the little treats that Alex always had handy in his trouser pocket. Alex, meanwhile, had to shake the bed, trying to prevent his little mate from getting a treat. He played this game over and over again until he had to stop, as he had hardly any treats left. Mickey was good at the game. Placing Mickey on his shoulder, Alex walked over to the window. He heard the sound of a car engine, peered out and saw Mr Grim’s old Volvo estate roll along the drive and towards the gate. He watched it disappear around the corner. “What’s happening?” he asked his mouse. Mickey twitched as if to reply. It was now 6:30pm - half an hour until Matron would come up. Alex wanted to have another one of his adventures; he kicked open the door and went trooping out. He thought that Mrs. Grim must have gone to the shops to buy more food. This meant that only the Matron and the Headmaster were in the building. Alex’s first stop was the kitchens. He looked into the Dining Hall and observed that no-one. Entering the kitchens, he saw a huge bucket and remembered it was once used for slops that would be fed to the pigs at the local farm. He picked it up and then headed towards the science labs, the outdoor pool, the toilets and then the medicine cupboard on the ground floor of the dormitories. Collecting what he was looking for, he finally went back up to his room.
He had 5 minutes left to make the mixture. He poured in some water that he had collected in the test tubes, a squirt of a “Mr Muscle” spray which he found in the toilets, some propane liquid and finally a whole bottle of Calpol that he knew would be in the medicine cupboard. This gooey mixture went into the bucket. Two more minutes before Matron would arrive … but he didn’t rush because she was sometimes late to collect him. He went back outside and then into Matron’s room. He had listened from outside but he had heard no-one inside. Picking up a bottle of Matron’s perfume, the boy went back to his base. The mixture in the bucket was too viscous to fit in the glass bottle, so he added more propane and the murky water that came from the swimming pool. He remembered that in his Chemistry lessons propane was brilliant for creating itches! When the evil potion was ready, he poured a test-tube sized amount into the bottle. He shook the bottle of his new “perfume” and returned back to Matron’s room.
It was another 5 minutes or so until she came to collect him. The suspense was building up inside Alex, as Matron went into her room to have an evening spray. She came back out and took Alex by the ear to have his evening supper.
When they got there, Matron seemed normal enough. She ate the slice of cake, had a drink of wine with the Headmaster and then the magic worked! Alex watched as Matron had a good itch behind the ear, then another below her chin. She became absorbed in scratching for the rest of the evening snack. As it got worse, Matron itched more and Alex got more and more excited. He knew that the Headmaster and his wife were rather astonished at Matron’s behavior. They asked what was wrong, but Matron did not reply. She itched and itched and itched but it didn’t help her … she was completely engrossed! Alex knew the only way to stop the itching was a freezing cold shower. He didn’t say anything to Matron though, because that would just spoil the fun. She eventually ran upstairs screaming and that was the rest Alex saw of her for the evening!
Once the Grims had stopped questioning each other and finished their cake, Alex was escorted by Mr Grim upstairs, leaving Mrs Grim to the washing. When they got to the top of the stairs, the Headmaster said something to Alex… “I don’t know what happened this evening, but if that was you, then be prepared to face a Saturday morning detention.” He opened the door and left Alex inside his room. Alex giggled. It was quite dark outside and Alex felt rather tired. He got undressed into his pyjamas and climbed into his cold bed. He wondered what Matron would be doing, if she had stopped the itching, or if she discovered her perfume was… Alex fell asleep. Mickey got out of the blazer pocket and he decided to try and find a comfy, warm bed for himself!

Quite good algae. I don't know if you are author - class, but it was still very good. Well Done!

Hmmmm, I read the first few paragraphs and its not bad, very descriptive yet a little raw. You may want to venture into the "Life & Everything" forum to check out many other pieces of work from certain other members.

Hi everyone! When i am older i think i might be an author. I am going to give you one of my chapters of the story i am writing. Please only post imaginative ideas, to help me progress.

Chapter 16


The terrible screeching, the red and orange flames and the distorted face that looked over him were terrifying. He couldn’t move, it was as though he were stuck in freshly laid tar and that he would never ever get out. He woke as the cold sweat dribbled down his trembling face and noticed that he was panting like a dog. He looked around him and everything seemed normal. Getting out of bed, his wet feet touched the cold wooden floor of the sick bay. He got out of his pyjamas, with much fumbling and fiddling about, and finally managed to slip into his tight trousers, dirty white shirt and woollen blazer.
He peered out of the dusty window; the ground was covered with a thin layer of frost and the sky was smeared with clouds. Dull weather for the summer holidays he thought. There was a sudden banging on the door.
“Hurry up in there, are you awake, you’re late…” said the Matron with utter disgust. “If you don’t come out of there right now you will not be getting breakfast at all!”
“Oh, what a shame!” thought Alex Royal, though he didn’t dare say it out loud. He reluctantly walked out of his room and followed Matron to the dining room.
When he got there, he was relieved that Matron was not going to cook breakfast; the Headmaster’s wife was already busy at it. She was tossing the pancakes in a pan whilst listening to her Opera. Alex sat down at one of the tables (trying to sit as far away as possible from the radio!) Matron went off to sit with the Headmaster, who was reading the morning newspaper. It read, “Local football team win, win, win whilst the Saints sit back and watch”. Alex knew the Headmaster would be pleased about that!
The Headmaster’s wife came in with a plate full of bacon, scrambled egg and baked beans. “You’d better eat up child, it took me a while to make it!” She placed down another plate with 2 slices of toast, which were rather burnt.
“Thank you,” he said “please may I have a drink?” The headmaster’s wife turned around and looked straight into his eyes, scowling. Alex suddenly changed his mind and said he would be fine without!!!
After he had eaten his breakfast, Matron escorted him back to his prison. Once he got there Matron threw him in and again she locked the door. At first Alex sat on his bed wondering what he could do next. He couldn’t escape out of the window and go outside because it was raining and he didn’t want to get wet. He finally decided to explore the old country house. He had to get out of his prison first though. He walked up to the dirty door and kicked it as hard as he could. It slammed open with a loud bang, so loud that Alex wondered whether Matron or the Headmaster had heard. He waited for a minute but he heard no one come up the stairs. He was careful not to shut the door, but just in case Matron should walk past he pushed it back and laid a stone between the wall and the door so it would not close and prevent him from getting back in.
He wandered down the stone corridor and started by looking around the science labs, to see if he could amuse himself. Coming across an old shelf, he noticed some test tubes and a worn-out stopwatch. The bailiffs certainly hadn’t left much! He slipped the stopwatch and a couple of test tubes into his deep jacket pocket, just in case they were of use. Mickey began to scratch around in his other pocket, probably after something to nibble, as it had been several hours since his last meal.
“How strange to be at school with no pupils at all except for him,” he mused as he wandered towards an old vending machine, in the hope that there might be a stale packet of biscuits left. He was in luck! Fumbling around in his trouser pocket, he came across a few coppers, just enough for the packet of Cream Crackers that lay in the bottom of the machine. Mickey eagerly gobbled both biscuits, then disappeared off up Alex’s shirt sleeve. Alex was grateful for his mouse’s company, as otherwise he might have felt a little depressed and lonely.
It was getting on for 11 o’clock, when Alex heard the patter of footsteps on the stone floor. Mr Grim was coming towards him along the walkway!!! Mr Grimm, in his usual absent-minded way, urged him on to his next lesson, completely forgetting that the school was now shut and that Alex should be locked in his room. Alex stepped to one side and then quickly hurried along. It felt so strange that Alex was the only pupil in the corridor, it used to be thronging with boys before the school had been shut down. He walked on until he got to the old library, he stepped inside. The large musty room was packed full of dusty tomes. “Now for a couple of hours of escapism …”, thought Alex, heading towards the Sports section of the library, in the hope that the bailiffs had left at least a couple of worthless tennis annuals. He was in luck and snuggled down in a crusty, peeling leather armchair with an old sports compendium.
By the time he looked at his watch again, it was well after lunch. Throwing down the book, he shot back down the corridor, up the stairs and entered his room (using the same method as before). He sat on his bed and tried to look as innocent as possible when Matron unlocked the door some seconds later. He followed her back to the Dining Hall and discovered the Headmaster and his snob of a wife were enjoying a cup of tea and buttered scones together. Matron then went to sit next to them which was a surprising sight, because Alex believed they did not really get along so well. Mrs Grim was “a well-healed Southern snob” he had once overheard Matron say. Alex had actually been taught by her when his Mathematics teacher had been ill with stress and he had not found her to be too snooty, but nevertheless, she was rather strict. “Care to join us, Royal?” asked the Head’s wife, sarcastically. Alex bit his lip before accepting their kind offer – but only because the scones looked scrumptious.
He filled them in on his morning whilst sipping at his scalding tea whilst managing to stop his hand from trembling too obviously. After all, he was still rather scared. There was a sudden shriek from the Headmaster’s wife. She stuck up her hand and pointed to a huge spider that was crawling along one of the tables. The Headmaster who was also scared of the huge eight-legged creature jumped to his feet. “ Oh how scary,” thought Alex, rather surprised.
Then the Headmaster said something that made poor old Alex explode with laughter… “Who’s the cleaner round here? Did he come today? Sack him!” This outburst shocked Matron, but nowhere near as much as it did the dazed man’s wife. Matron abruptly grabbed Alex by his ear and dragged him out of the Dining Hall, along the corridor up the stairs, through the dormitories and into the sick bay. “Stay there, boy,” she said. The wicked woman marched out of the room, shut the door and disappeared somewhere. Alex suddenly burst out laughing, nearly crying.
The prisoner sat up on his bed. He looked down to his watch and observed that it was nearly 2 o’clock. He felt surprisingly tired and went to look out of the window. It had cleared up now, but the grass still looked wet and the clouds were still black. He sighed. Right now he could have been at is own home enjoying himself, getting out a movie, inviting his friends round, going to the cinema or having a party… He couldn’t wait to get home and see all his family again, especially his dog who he missed most!
He heard the faint patter of raindrops once again and got up from the rotting floor, rubbing his eyes. Alex must have fallen asleep. Glancing out of the window, it was still as dull as it had been during the morning. It was 10 minutes to 4 o’clock and Alex did not feel like staying in his room much longer! Matron would be coming up in a while so there would be no point going out of his room to explore.
When she did come up and take him down for afternoon tea, he did not feel at all well. He sat down and could smell meat. Matron disappeared into the kitchen and came out with a huge plate of steaming hot lasagne. Alex felt as though he was going to throw up. It was placed in front of him and he could feel the steam rise and settle on his cold, clammy face. He picked up the fork, tinted with rust, and slowly jabbed each bit of the meat accurately, before raising it to his mouth. He was expecting to throw up each time he nibbled the thin layer of creamy pasta and didn’t dare ask Mrs Grim if he could be excused, as she would probably make him eat another portion of it. But somehow he got through it, and he also managed the dessert, which was Greek yogurt. It was now 5:30pm. He was taken up to his room again by Matron (who kept burping throughout the trip).
Once she was back downstairs, Alex put his hand in his pocket and out came Mickey, who was rather pleased to be out of his dark, but warm home! This cheered Alex up a little; holding his mouse comforted him. Sometimes he wished he could be a little creature that could just curl up and sleep through the bad times. He opened up the cupboard where he had hidden the test tubes and the old stopwatch, placed them on his bed and slid Mickey into one. The mouse curled up at the bottom and Alex had to turn the tube up, down, left and right for the agile creature to fall back out into his warm hands.
He created a little game which passed the time. The idea was that the mouse had to run across the bed (which caused it great difficulty because the covers were thick and old) and then it had to climb into one of the two test tubes and get one of the little treats that Alex always had handy in his trouser pocket. Alex, meanwhile, had to shake the bed, trying to prevent his little mate from getting a treat. He played this game over and over again until he had to stop, as he had hardly any treats left. Mickey was good at the game. Placing Mickey on his shoulder, Alex walked over to the window. He heard the sound of a car engine, peered out and saw Mr Grim’s old Volvo estate roll along the drive and towards the gate. He watched it disappear around the corner. “What’s happening?” he asked his mouse. Mickey twitched as if to reply. It was now 6:30pm - half an hour until Matron would come up. Alex wanted to have another one of his adventures; he kicked open the door and went trooping out. He thought that Mrs. Grim must have gone to the shops to buy more food. This meant that only the Matron and the Headmaster were in the building. Alex’s first stop was the kitchens. He looked into the Dining Hall and observed that no-one. Entering the kitchens, he saw a huge bucket and remembered it was once used for slops that would be fed to the pigs at the local farm. He picked it up and then headed towards the science labs, the outdoor pool, the toilets and then the medicine cupboard on the ground floor of the dormitories. Collecting what he was looking for, he finally went back up to his room.
He had 5 minutes left to make the mixture. He poured in some water that he had collected in the test tubes, a squirt of a “Mr Muscle” spray which he found in the toilets, some propane liquid and finally a whole bottle of Calpol that he knew would be in the medicine cupboard. This gooey mixture went into the bucket. Two more minutes before Matron would arrive … but he didn’t rush because she was sometimes late to collect him. He went back outside and then into Matron’s room. He had listened from outside but he had heard no-one inside. Picking up a bottle of Matron’s perfume, the boy went back to his base. The mixture in the bucket was too viscous to fit in the glass bottle, so he added more propane and the murky water that came from the swimming pool. He remembered that in his Chemistry lessons propane was brilliant for creating itches! When the evil potion was ready, he poured a test-tube sized amount into the bottle. He shook the bottle of his new “perfume” and returned back to Matron’s room.
It was another 5 minutes or so until she came to collect him. The suspense was building up inside Alex, as Matron went into her room to have an evening spray. She came back out and took Alex by the ear to have his evening supper.
When they got there, Matron seemed normal enough. She ate the slice of cake, had a drink of wine with the Headmaster and then the magic worked! Alex watched as Matron had a good itch behind the ear, then another below her chin. She became absorbed in scratching for the rest of the evening snack. As it got worse, Matron itched more and Alex got more and more excited. He knew that the Headmaster and his wife were rather astonished at Matron’s behavior. They asked what was wrong, but Matron did not reply. She itched and itched and itched but it didn’t help her … she was completely engrossed! Alex knew the only way to stop the itching was a freezing cold shower. He didn’t say anything to Matron though, because that would just spoil the fun. She eventually ran upstairs screaming and that was the rest Alex saw of her for the evening!
Once the Grims had stopped questioning each other and finished their cake, Alex was escorted by Mr Grim upstairs, leaving Mrs Grim to the washing. When they got to the top of the stairs, the Headmaster said something to Alex… “I don’t know what happened this evening, but if that was you, then be prepared to face a Saturday morning detention.” He opened the door and left Alex inside his room. Alex giggled. It was quite dark outside and Alex felt rather tired. He got undressed into his pyjamas and climbed into his cold bed. He wondered what Matron would be doing, if she had stopped the itching, or if she discovered her perfume was… Alex fell asleep. Mickey got out of the blazer pocket and he decided to try and find a comfy, warm bed for himself!