The Cambridge Collective - Issue 3

The Cambridge Collective

Issue 3

Parents Parents, My Parents

Weird Words Get to know Mr Boylan Ms Greaves

July 2022

5 Essential Exam Tips A short story

The Whisper of the Waters

Art & Design

Ariel Bingham

Colin Davies

Jenny Illingworth

Griff

Editor's Letter Dear Reader, Welcome to the third issue of The Cambridge Collective.

Each issue of The Collective features a special theme. Over the course of the academic year, we have been steadily zooming out our focus - we began by CHS's first house competition called 'House Art' where students were invited to submit a piece of art with the topic of 'Community'.

For the first issue of The Collective, we shifted our lens toward the topic of 'Your Country'.

In the second issue, we moved to a more comprehensive view of our home - the Earth. However, for this present issue, we have briefly turned aside from this pattern to celebrate the dedication and commitment with which our parents raise us by writing along the theme of 'Parents'.

This theme was selected in recognition of the very recent Mother's and Father's Days which fell while The Collective was in press.

I would in particular like to thank the efforts of our team as follows: Mrs Howard and Mr Boylan for the invaluable time and advice they both provided to us in compiling, editing and shaping this edition of The Collective. Xenia Plarre and Anish Maheshwari for the incredible amount of effort and time they have put into organisation and into shaping the pool of ideas that every publication begins with into the final product. Bow Burnham for keeping the entire team well supplied with stunning illustrations to accompany and enhance articles. Finally, our sincere thanks from myself and the entire editing team to everyone that contributed to The Collective in any way.

Imran Gulamhussein, Editor The Cambridge Collective Editor's Note: The articles, pictures, diagrams and all forms of content presented in this publication do not in any way represent or reflect the views, opinions or beliefs of the publication and of the editor's team.

The Cambridge Collective Editorial Imran Gulamhussein Editor Xenia Plarre Deputy Editor Anish Maheshwari Junior Editor Bow Burnham Junior Editor Guidance Mrs Howard Mr Boylan

THE TEAM

Contributors Idris Hassan, Adelyn Chung, Anish Maheshwari, Bow Burnham, Mrs Howard, Mr Boylan, Xenia Plarre, Julia M. V. Williams, Ms Greaves, Shloka Muppaneni, Winwin Shinpat, Klaus A. Baziwaane, Sergej Metodijevic, Adittya Sakline, Ariel Bingham, Colin Davies, Griff, Jenny Illingworth

July 2022 | The Cambridge Collective | 3

Table Of Contents Parents Parents 6 My Parents 7

Clubs Weird Words

8 8

Get To Know Meet Mr. Boylan 9

Current Affairs The Queen's Platinum Jubilee 10

5 Essential Exam Tips

11

Prep School Meet Miss Greaves 12 Letters to my Great Great 13 Great Great Grandmother The Story of Johnson 15

Recipe Page Vanilla-filled Chocolate Cookies 16

Short Story The Whisper Of the Waters 18

CHS Updates Duo Articles 21

House Competitions Leaderboard & Competition Results 22

Parents Idris Hassan

You used to go and cry to them when you were little.

Now, look at you all grown up.

Our parents must be so proud and deserve a break, right?

No, parenting is everything.

Not only do they sacrifice everything for you, but they are also happy to give up their jobs for us. They are indubitably worthy of all our attention, yet they still love their own young and appear like angels from heaven, don't they? I am happy to think that.

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Moreover, Parents should get an award for their efforts.

Most parents love their children more than themselves. Parenting is an acutely incomprehensible responsibility. They go through a lot more than most people think. They put their children's needs before theirs, work around the clock and don't even get paid.

In conclusion, being a parent is not an easy task, and a trillion dollars and a trip around the world would not even begin to pay back their efforts. Always appreciate your parent. Because one day you will become one too.

PARENTS

My Parents Image and poem by Adelyn Chung

I love my parents – my dad and my mum, My parents are talented but they don’t play the drum.

I love my parents – they both love the sea, When I feel down they’ll always be there for me.

I love my parents – they both are so smart, They both love to eat food and enjoy painting art.

I love my parents – they both are great cooks, When I make a mess they give me weird looks.

I love my parents – we all love to explore, Every day we’ll study hard and continue to learn more.

A lovely view when our family explores.

Clubs Anish Maheshwari

Are you looking for something to do after school, perhaps something that you enjoy and would love to indulge in with likeminded peers? Well, let me bring to your attention that we have over 20 Extra Curricular clubs after school times from Monday to Friday. Mrs Qiu hosts Maths club, Mr Mutlu hosts Science club, Mr Dowling, often known as Mr D, hosts Drama and Debating! We offer Baking and Languages - and that's just to name a few, try something out next term perhaps? You never know where your interests will strike!

Weird Words

Words that are no longer in the dictionary, but should be.

DELICIATE

To amuse oneself by indulging in parties.

Written by Mrs Howard Illustrated by Bow Burnham

LUMMING A heavy-set man.

Mum

Meet Mr Boylan Tea, coffee or ……………….?

The answer to this question has always been tea, until the last year, when it has become coffee, and lots of it :)

Where were you born and where do you live now?

I was born in Ireland, lived in London for 12 years, and now live back in Ireland again, only 11 miles away from where I grew up as a child. Ireland for me is perfect.

Where is your favourite place and why?

Ireland – I love the people and the culture as well as the hospitality of my friends and neighbours. My favourite place specifically is Donegal, it has many beautiful seaside towns along the Atlantic Coast. If you have not visited Ireland, it has to be on your Bucket list but bring a coat and an umbrella.

What was your first job?

My first proper job was working part-time in a Chicken Factory at weekends whilst I was studying for A-Levels. I grew up on a farm, so I was helping on the farm since I was able to walk, but it was free family rates :)

GET TO KNOW

Why did you become a teacher?

I love it! I trained for 4 years at teacher training college and it was the best decision of my life. I get up for work every day with a smile on my face. I love the atmosphere and building a better future for young people. Children are great, they are way more positive than adults. They also make me laugh, a lot.

Which is your favourite subject to teach?

Business – It is so much fun, and everyday something new happens that we can talk about.

Do you have pets and if yes, what are their names?

Yes, I have a dog called Minnie, I think everyone in the School has seen Minnie at least once. She loves to bark.

What is your pet peeve?

Rudeness – Why can’t everyone just be nice and respectful.

What is an expression/saying you probably use too often?

Be the best version of yourself. But I won’t stop saying it, as I think it is a really important message a teacher should constantly be giving.

If you could be a bird for a day, what bird would you be?

Kingfisher

What is your hobby/hidden talent?

Gaelic Football is my hobby, and my hidden talent is so hidden, I haven’t discovered it yet.

What is one thing that nobody at CHS knows about you?

I am afraid of heights and mice.

Everything else is fine, just no heights or mice. Lions and Tigers are no problem. Also, I once had dinner in London with Nicky Byrne from Westlife, and during dinner we both got a phone call from our Mums. I call my parents every day, and have done since I left home to go to university at 18. No matter where I am, or what I am doing, I always call my parents to catch up with them.

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The Queen's Platinum Jubilee

A landmark celebration of Her Majesty's 70-year reign Xenia Plarre The Jubilee is an anniversary-like event held at significant milestones in a British monarch’s reign. This year the Queen celebrated her Platinum Jubilee. It marked the 70th year in her rule as Queen, making her one of the longest serving monarchs in the world and the longest reigning monarch in British history!

People inside the United Kingdom as well as from across the globe celebrated the Queen. The Jubilee included a series of festivities across four days in honour of Her Majesty, which officially started on Thursday, 2 June 2022, and came to a grand close on Sunday, 5 June 2022.

For more information about the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, visit: platinumjubilee.gov.uk

A succession of celebratory events occurred, beginning with the Queen’s Birthday Parade on the Thursday, followed by the Trooping of the Colour, the Red Arrows flypast and the Royal Family greeting Great Britain from their balcony. That evening the Principal Beacon was lit by Her Majesty along with thousands of other beacons lit across the Commonwealth.

On Friday, a thanksgiving service was held at St Paul’s Cathedral and on the Saturday the Epsom Derby horse races took place. Later that day, people gathered at the Buckingham Palace for the Platinum Party. The Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday, encouraging public participation, concluded the fourday celebration.

This year’s Jubilee was truly a spectacle to behold! Paddington Bear and the Queen even shared their appetite for marmalade sandwiches in a witty, short video, which was cast on big screens at the Platinum Party at the Palace. Private street parties and big jubilee lunches occurred across the United Kingdom.

The Queen has celebrated her Silver Jubilee (1977), Golden Jubilee (2002) and the Diamond Jubilee (2012).

This year was the first time she celebrated her Jubilee without her husband, Prince Philip, who passed away in April 2021. However, the Queen still stands strong while people celebrated unity and longevity in her honour.

Paddington Bear and the Queen: www.youtube.com

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

5 Essential Exam Tips If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.

Julia M. V. Williams

Exams are an unavoidable part of school life. It really can be overwhelming, tiring and stressful - we’ve all been there.

I’ll be sharing a few tips to help make preparing/preparation for exams less burdensome.

1. Organise your study time: You will almost certainly find some subjects easier than others. You will also find that you have more to revise for some subjects than others. It is worth taking the time to plan your revision timetable and consider how much time you might need for each subject.

2. Start your revision early — i.e. months, not days before the exam: Last minute cramming is much less productive and can lead to burnout and anxiety. You need to give yourself enough time to review everything that you have studied and make sure that you understand it (or to read round the subject or ask for help if you are struggling).

Personally, I can’t remember if I don’t understand the content, as a result, revision becomes useless.

Plus, without understanding the subject the questions may be harder to comprehend and so, cannot be manipulated by what you know already.

TIPS & TRICKS

3. Take regular breaks: Give your brain and body a chance to refresh so you can approach the material with energy and focus. Forcing ourselves to study when our mind is sleepy or not active can only make it more exhausted. Researchers have proven that studying for short intervals with regular breaks are more efficient than doing it for long hours without breaks. You need not turn into a revision zombie. Stand up, stretch your legs, and get some fresh air before getting back to the books.

4. Focus: Keeping your mind on track can be as simple as taking a break from your phone and your friends. Put your phone on airplane mode and pick a good study spot.

Importantly, spend more time revising and less time worrying that you've forgotten something.

5. Make sure that you have looked at past papers: Know your exams and do lots of practice papers and questions. You'll find it far easier to answer questions in the exam if you've tried similar ones at home beforehand. Do look at marking schemes too so you know what you are expected to do and what will be expected of a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ answer.

BONUS! (optional) 6. Sleep on your exam notes: This will enable you to revise by osmosis.

If you are going to do this, it's best not to learn anything until the night before the exam. Stick your notes and/or flashcards under your pillow and when you wake up the next day, you'll find the full contents of the book have been absorbed into your brain. Probably :)

As you get more experienced in taking exams, you will find the ways that work best for you, and learn how best to prepare. In the meantime, these tips should give you a good starting point for studying.

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This is my d og Po pp y loween! r Hal y fo ad re

This is Ruper t.

Meet Ms Greaves Tea, coffee or ……………….?

You will always see me with some orange squash!

Where were you born and where do you live now?

I was born in Bishops Stortford. I now live in a tiny village near Stansted airport.

Where is your favourite place?

My favourite place in the world is Cornwall. I absolutely love it down there! More specifically, my favourite place in Cornwall is Polperro. The main reason why is because the scenery is breath taking, but also, I spent a lot of time there growing up.

What was your first job?

My first job was a childminder whilst I was studying at university.

My first official job when I graduated was being a primary school teacher.

This is my attempt to learn darts in my garden.

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Why did you become a teacher?

What is your biggest pet peeve?

I have always been passionate about child development and have always wanted to help children of all abilities progress and succeed during their formative years.

Littering is my biggest pet peeve.

What is your favourite book?

If you could be a bird for a day, what bird would you be?

My favourite book is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

What is an expression you probably use too often?

I cannot think of one.

I love teaching maths!

It must be a robin! They are so cute and pretty! They are also very photogenic - they are on a lot of Christmas cards spreading a lot of cheer!

Do you have pets, and if yes, what are their names?

What is your hobby/hidden talent?

Which is your favourite subject to teach?

I have a friendly and quiet dog called Poppy. She normally sleeps under my desk when I am teaching.

I also have a ginger cat called Rupert! He has a lot of confidence and tends to act more like a lion in the wild.

I do a lot of scrapbooking. I have documented basically all the main stages of my life in photo albums. In recent years I have used ancestry to work out my family tree. I also love walking! Everyday I do at least 8000 steps.

What is one thing that nobody at CHS knows about you?

I am learning to play darts!

PREP SCHOOL

Letter to my Great Great Great Great Grandmother Shloka Muppaneni Dear Great great great great Grandmother,

How are you? I hope heaven is treating you well and you're comfortable.

I am Shloka, your great great great great granddaughter. This is 2022 and the world must be much different from what you know. I am sure you are curious to know how I look and what I am like.

I am 8 years old now and have short dark silky hair. I like to wear it long but I don’t take good care of it so my Mom says it should be short till I can. You should know this, I’m really tall. When someone meets me for the first time they always say “She’s really tall for her age!”. Hmm… some good gene from somewhere…. I wonder if it is you?

I was born in the US, a country in the far west, and lived there until my tiny family of three moved back to India. I like it here in India as I can meet my Grandparents more often. We have to travel on airplanes to get to and from other countries. Airplanes are like large birds carrying people inside. Mom said you used to have big families back then, with many siblings. I sometimes get lonely as I am the only child, but actually don’t mind as I can have my parents all for myself and don't have to share.

I can speak our mother tongue well and I am learning to read and write as well. I can also read, write and speak one more Indian language. I am also learning Spanish and French. Learning languages is fun.

Mom and Dad both work on computers from home and I do school from home too. A computer is a device with a screen and a keyboard that helps us connect with the world. I like going to school like this as I never get late.

There is so much to tell you but the sheets are not enough. Wish I could time-travel to your time and meet you. You could plan a short trip to 2022 as well.

Now, I think I should get down to work on the Time Machine. See you soon Grandma…

Your loving Shloka

PREP SCHOOL

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Letter to my Great Great Great Great Grandmother Winwin Shinpat

To Heaven Street Dear Great Great Great Great Grandmother,

I hope you like Heaven, because I've not reached there yet, so I don't know what it's like.

My name is Winwin, I'm from Bangkok, Thailand - my Grandparents moved from China to Thailand and you might not know much of it, so I'll briefly tell you; Thailand is located in the Southeast Asia, most people say that Thailand's area looks like an axe, Thailand's capital is Bangkok and the language and the people in Thailand are called Thai (people).

I know you're from China and if you can't read this, you could use the translator. My mom is half Chinese and half Thai and she is your great great great granddaughter. My dad is from Thailand and he is your great great great grandson-in-law.

Enough about the traditions of my family, now let me introduce myself to you. My name is Winwin, I'm 9 years old, I was born on the 2nd of February 2013 and my Chinese Zodiac is the Snake - to be more precise, it's a Fire Snake. I can speak 3 languages: English, Thai ( ) and Chinese ( ). My favourite animals are Toucans ( ); they live in Central America and South America and they are famous for their large and colourful beak. My favourite subjects are English ( ), Maths ( ), Science ( ) and Geography ( ).

泰文

中文

英文

数学

巨嘴鸟 科学

地理

Now I've told you all about me and I'm so interested to know all about you!

Winwin

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PREP SCHOOL

The Story of Johnson Written by Klaus Adrian Baziwaane Illustrated by Bow Burnham

Once upon a time there was a boy who lived in Kenya and was called Johnson. He was a mean person that nobody liked and nobody wanted to be his friend, so that made him sad and lonely. He tried saying nice things about people. After sometime people started to like him and he started to make friends, but his teacher hated him; his teacher would make fun of him because he had changed.

After some months his teacher became more and more mean to him, so he wanted to leave the school.

He told his parents what was happening - his parents told him that they would talk to his teacher.

started to say stuff about him and how he was doing very badly in his school work.

When Johnson's parents came home, they looked very angry. His parents called him to have a talk about how bad he is doing in school and that they are to take him to a boarding school if he doesn't do better.

he was sure he didn't want to go to the boarding school, so he tried his best and got an A. His teacher was so impressed she stopped being mean to him.

So Johnson was scared because he had heard a story of people being bullied there. He worked very hard not to go to a boarding school; his mum was very impressed by how hard he's been working, so she took him for dinner. On the After Johnson's parents talked day he would take his test. He was very nervous but with his teacher, his teacher stopped being as mean as she was, but she was still very mean. So, Johnson's parents had another talk with his teacher, but his teacher

PREP SCHOOL

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Vanilla-filled Chocolate Cookies Written and illustrated by Bow Burnham

COOK TIME: 10 MIN Yield: 25-30 Make your own whoopee cookies at home.

Tip Alert!

Coat the bottom of your glass in caster sugar before you press down the unbaked balls of dough, this will stop them from sticking.

Bake-Off Club Every Wednesday 12:45 (Open to all pupils)

INGREDIENTS For the cookies 170g (6oz) plain flour 90g (3oz) Cocoa powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 140g (5oz) unsalted butter, softened 320g (11oz) caster sugar, plus 3 tbsp extra 1 large egg For the vanilla icing 225g (8oz) unsalted butter, softened 435g (15 1/2oz) icing sugar 1 tbsp vanilla extract Piping bag 16 | The Cambridge Collective | July 2022

RECIPE PAGE

IMPORTANT! 1. Preheat the oven to190 °C (375 °F), Gas mark 5. Line 3 baking trays with parchment paper.

Image: Mrs Murray

INSTRUCTIONS 2. To make the cookies, sift the dry ingredients together into a bowl.

3. Either in an electric mixer (using a paddle attachment) or hand-held electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat on medium speed until just incorporated.

Lower the speed and add the dry ingredients gradually until the dough is well combined.

4. Using a teaspoon, drop round dough balls (weighing around 15g / 1/2oz each) onto the baking sheet about 5cm apart.

Press the bottom of a glass into a bowl of caster sugar and use it to flatten the cookie dough to 3-4mm thick. Use a palette knife to help remove the glass from the dough.

6. To make the filling, using the electric mixer or electric whisk, beat the butter until it's light and fluffy. On low speed, carefully add the icing sugar and when it's just incorporated, turn up the speed and beat for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and continue to beat for at least 2 more minutes.

7. To assemble the cookies, put the vanilla filling into a piping bag and pipe about 1 tbsp of the filling onto one of the cookies in a spiral, leaving a little space around the edges. Cover with another cookie and gently press together so that the filling now squeezes out near the edges of the cookies.

Repeat until you have used up all of the cookies and filling.

5. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until the cookies are firm. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

ENJOY! RECIPE PAGE

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The Whisper of the Waters I

Sergej Metodijevic

Nothing was satisfactory or pleasing anymore.

Everything remained monotonous and grey, enveloping the villagers’ minds in an iron embrace.

The brilliant souls and minds that made up this minor population could no longer feign their happiness and sank deeper and deeper into the quicksand of uncertainty. No one knew what the future held, yet no one was interested in contributing to it. The small village was plagued by an unnamed misery. The misery had all of the villagers turn to sufferers by the incorrect fact that they were insignificant. Their sunless minds began to build a prison of mania, forcing them into an inhabitable state of self.

Though they knew not of vividness and life, they at least had enough provisions to survive. Twice a day the villagers gathered in the town square - merely a weak circle of rounded stones taken from the now waterless river. There they ate whatever the local hunters had managed to kill with their collection of sharpened sticks. Sometimes, if they were lucky, they managed to catch a deer; if they were unlucky, they feasted on birds. It was a grotesque diet, so most of the weak-stomached could not bear it. At least they had wood, or more accurately various twigs collected from the ground; none of them owned a proper metallic axe.

It was terrifying, the alluring monster that prowled amongst them freely without restraint. Surely someone could help these poor red-faced men and women? Sadly, the answer was no. The narcissistic kingdom Nordea refused to grant asylum or even supplies, and its closest neighbours followed suit as soon as the order was issued from the throne room.

One particular family was made up of an ageing grandmother and her rosy-cheeked granddaughter.

Every day the young girl went trotting through the woods, playing alone or with her friends, her delightful optimism cheering up everyone. She was a ray of sunshine in a distant corner of darkness, and by all means she did not belong there. Her only escape was the ancient grandfatherly woods.

It is safe to say that there was no nearby answer for the enigmatic problem the villagers faced. Perhaps if their lands were fertile, a smile would been warmly welcomed onto the villagers’ faces. Why wasn’t the nameless village located on any of the royal maps?

The king could have solved that situation with a click of his stubby fingers. The king always cried that if only the village had been bigger in size, population, and significance to his world, he would have gladly helped them out.

The village was not as small as the king claimed, but nor was it big enough to live up to His Majesty’s standards. Some fifty families, clustered together in thatched wooden huts, all of them dull-eyed and far from charismatic with their beggar clothes and rural dialect of Nordique.

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The ancient grandfatherly woods loved the small village as much as his own children. Though he could not change the weather, sometimes he could coax nature into slowing down and similar. He particularly adored the girl but knew that even her strong spirit could not last much longer. He had to help her, and the rest of the village, but how?

One day the girl invented a new game where the players competed to skip pebbles across the brooding bog. Though the vigorous attempt failed, everyone emerged with splattered clothes and a happy memory.

All the villagers jumped due to a loud bang, and the beautiful rushing noise of countless water droplets forming a river once again filled their ears.

SHORT STORY

II

A few decades passed. The nameless place was now entitled with the glorious (or so the villagers thought) name of Hase. Nor was it a mere village anymore; it was now a flourishing seaport. Though it had originally been alongside the river, houses eventually began to creep south, until finally Pyrot Bay was rediscovered.

After its century-old virginity had been broken, the inhabitants of Hase wasted no time in modernising it.

People came like birds, leaving the formerly formidably kingdom of Nordea to crumble upon itself.

Everything was changing so fast; what was once a dialect of Nordique became the officially recognised form of the language. The queen of Hase, the very same girl who had convinced the ancient grandfatherly woods into helping her, had considered wiping Nordea off the map but decided it would be too cruel. Hase spread all around the river almost parasitically, its shoddy wooden huts turning to elegant towers of marble. Before long, Hase was the centre of its world-corner; soon it possessed an army, a royal treasury, and owned many famous and recognised buildings.

The queen was happily married with three children.

Her husband didn’t mind that she was in charge, for he was in fact a foreigner. Her children were mainly attended to by the palace maidens, but the queen made sure that she interacted with them enough.

Unfortunately, human development has its consequences. Schools of fish tried to migrate to the nearest estuary, only to be caught by a silver net. The wildlife was panicking, for the lumber industry was one of Hase’s main sources of profit. Hunting became a leisure activity, and soon it became clear that humans were dangerously tampering and testing with the unsaid barriers of nature.

Ships docked at Pyrot Bay eagerly, and soon Hase developed its own private navy. There were many different adventures and discoveries by various explorers; however, since none of their names are remembered by history they shall not be named. Hase expanded so quickly that one day the king of Nordea found no guards to protect him. A massive wave of migrants continued to arrive and erode at the rock of Hase, so it was only a matter of time before something cracked.

SHORT STORY

The ancient grandfatherly woods weren’t to blame. He couldn’t stop floods or wildfires, nor could he stop political revolts. He was sad - none of them understood that what they were experiencing was the mild version of events. One day he heard the queen furiously scream that over twenty people had died in a recent storm. He was sorry, he really was, but the queen needed to appreciate all the other people that had survived. It could’ve been far worse if the heavenly light hadn’t intervened as always.

Hase was still expanding far too much, but the storm of life had calmed down. There were far less political and economic problems to deal with. On the other hand, the royal family wasn’t happy, and on top of that they had a notorious enemy. It was the very same king of Nordea, now a greying man but with many relatives to carry on his will and wishes. They were suffering to the same tantalising darkness that Hase had managed to cure itself of, but the bloodthirsty Nordeans were not one for calm solutions.

Just as a middle-aged farmer invented something that would change society forever, both royal families had a treacherous idea. Why not conquer the land and the people? So, a terrible war emerged from the ancient grudge between Hase and Nordea.

Both sides did unforgivable things. Though Hase was more powerful, it was Nordea who had more political influence. Other kingdoms thought Hase to be a ‘tower of sticks’, at any second to topple over, so they either funded Nordea or stayed neutral.

The details are too frightening to be mentioned.

Though water is a healing ointment, it was used for evil by both sides. Before long, both kingdoms forgot why they were fighting, and continued to sadistically inflict deeper and deeper scars onto themselves.

During the first few weeks of the war, it was all that anyone talked about. After the first few months, the topic was becoming exhausted but still of interest.

Once the 100-day anniversary came around, neither Nordeans nor Hases were interested in it anymore.

Though both royal families claimed to be sending battleships regularly, the Hasen queen’s youngest daughter found that her mother was lying. The royal ship-makers were simply using scrap wood to carve out toy boats and hoping that in the distant horizon they would look like real battleships. No wonder the queen wasn’t hosting any important ceremonies anymore.

July 2022 | The Cambridge Collective | 19

Though they were still publicly waging war upon each other, they were no longer fighting due to lack of interest from both their armies and from the population. Now the leaders merely frowned if they heard each other’s names, but nothing more than that.

III

Another decade passed without further ado. The Nordean king died peacefully in his sleep, and it was rumoured that he left an apology to the Hasen royalty in his will. Nordea grew little by little over the years, finally exceeding its pre-war peak, but the strange unspeakable misery still lay deep inside their subconsciousness. Though there were many people in Nordea, it still lacked the vividness and culture that the young Hase possessed.

In the end, no one knew who actually started the war.

Many Hasen history books clearly state that the arrival of Nordean ships on Port Bezsveta triggered the war, yet many Nordean history books argue that it was the Hasen soldier march on Nordean soil that was effectively a declaration of war.

Both kingdoms soon realised that they would not recover from this. The mystery darkness began to creep in, and though the ancient grandfatherly woods tried his best to deflect it, the hound still crept in and began to howl. Both kingdoms disbanded themselves, forever wiped off the map which they had once cared about.

The water still gurgled. The birds still chirped. The bear still slept. But why was the world different?

Nothing would be the same. The daughter of the Hasen queen, known for the discovery of her mother’s plot, was now a woman. The daughter’s siblings were in a similar situation. Day after day, the children waited for the unknown question’s anchor to drop down upon them all and crush them with its bare guilt; what now?

Eventually the queen answered. Her pale cheeks were carved and inhumane, quite different from the rosy cheeks she had once worn during her pleasant childhood. Her mellifluous voice answered in a single word, which would forever maim the last remaining limb of the Hasen empire.

“Go.”

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And the children obeyed with a quick curtsy, rushing out of the front door and leaving the poor woman to fend for herself. Did she deserve it? Many Nordean historians believed that she had started the war. Yet she had saved them from a battle with despair, many years ago, but had now lost.

Her heart squashed against the weight of an emotional bosom, she crumbled to her bed. The next morning, she would leave the palace forever, and perhaps try to travel to some new kingdom she had heard about. Yes, she thought as she closed her eyes, a new pathway, a new life-river…

What about the children? They split up after many days of travelling, promising to find each other again.

Two children decided to start writing stories, and it was a great success. Though their stories were horrid and hated at the time, future generations of readers would grow to adore them.

The youngest daughter of the former Hasen queen wandered around till she finally found the ruins of Nordea. The bumbling architectural harmony of buildings were destroyed by lack of proper care, so the daughter found herself surrounded by a mountainous pile of dust. Yet the proud palace was still standing.

She found the door unlocked, and quickly marvelled at the diverse patterns and paintings the main hall offered. Soon she was greeted by the last living descendant of the late Nordean king. Both of their eyes shared the same sorrow, the kind that shattered many weaker minds. Their hands trembled as the boy weakly offered a handshake.

The rivalry of over fifty years lay between the two younglings, sparkling like the air before a thunderstorm. So much hate, anger, and evil… And somehow many Nordeans and Hases had both found peace within themselves. One could see the duo thinking, trying not to listen to the nationalist voice whispering between them.

Without speaking, they left the great palace behind them. It seemed to eye them dirtily, but when it received no response it sighed. A wave of dust enveloped the sky as its anger ebbed away.

The grandfatherly woods stared at the abandoned houses. The humans thought they were helping him by leaving him alone, didn’t they realise how much he loved them? Ah, the woeful misunderstandings between nature and humanity…

SHORT STORY

Duo Articles Adittya Sakline

Here at CHS we value building connections between students - this is particularly important, mainly because it’s a barrier that seems unavoidable, especially because of the “online” environment. We love to encourage and incentivise teamwork; through multiple competitions and various other activities.

The school magazine has decided to join in, looking for duos of students to create articles through the use of Discord.

The articles written in pairs will give students who recognise each other's capabilities a chance to create a piece about anything they can think of and interests them to share with our readers.

Our intent is to create unique pieces of work, combining both the unique thought processes and writing styles, as well as to create a sense of teamwork, collaboration and negotiation which are all important skills for later life!

We would love to see what collaborative creativeness you come up with for the next issue of the Cambridge Collective!

CHS UPDATES

July 2022 | The Cambridge Collective | 21

House Competitions Mr Boylan, Assistant Headmaster

Leaderboard status: 1 April 2022 As we enter the final few days of this year's House Competition we can look back fondly at the fantastic achievements of our pupils during this academic year. We have seen excellence and innovation from our pupils in many areas such as Art, Music, Poetry, Photography, Origami, and many many more. Our House Competition will finish with Values Day and our inaugural Virtual Sports Day on Tuesday, July 5th. We will announce our House Cup Winner on Monday 11th July at our Annual Prize Giving. A huge well done to our 3 House Captains; Safiyyah, Laura and Adittya who have led by example over the last 11 months. May the best house win!

22 | The Cambridge Collective | July 2022

HOUSE COMPETITIONS

HOUSE ARCHITECTURE Participants: Shloka Muppaneni Winwin Shinpat Tia Argyrople Adelyn Chung Leo Blanchet Milla Blanchet Klaus Adrian Baziwaane Claire Justine Enriquez Eva Blanchet

HOUSE POETRY Prep: 1st - Adelyn Chung 2nd - Shloka Muppaneni 3rd - Zhao Promsurintrana 4th - Sofia Malmberg 5th - Winwin Shinpat 6th - Tia Argyrople Level 1, 2 & 3: 1st - Hafsah Ankolkar & Sergej Metodijevic 2nd - Xenia Plarre 3rd - Bow Burnham & Claire Justine Enriquez

PROTECTING OUR PLANET Participants: Winwin Shinpat Sophia Davids Tia Argyrople Zimal Rahim Adelyn Chung Sofia Malmberg Bow Burnham Klaus Adrian Baziwaane Matthew Huggett Claire Justine Enriquez

HOUSE COMPETITIONS

July 2022 | The Cambridge Collective | 23

Protect Our Planet, poster by Matthew Huggett