Gone? Not exactly!

GONE? NOT EXACTLY!

Willis, Peter and Daphney attend the same school It is a school for talented students. It is situated in Edinburgh, Scotland. Willis and Daphney are eleven years old and Peter is thirteen. They are friends and have very special talents.

Willis is a very special boy. He has a small Scottish sword. But it isn’t an ordinary sword, because it can’t cut things! Whoever Willis touches with it, they fall in love. Only Willis can use it and has that power of making people fall in love. His close friends love his special talent. They call him “little cupid” and he likes it very much.

Peter is a very nice boy. He is short and has got curly brown hair and green eyes.

He has got a cute round face with freckles and wears glasses. He is a bit plump and he also has got a very special talent. He has got a fork with all the colours of the rainbow. It is a magic fork because it makes dreams come true.

Daphney is tall and thin. She has blue eyes and blond straight hair. She always wears white clothes. She also has a special talent. When she puts on her special glasses, she can read other people’s minds. Nobody knows about this talent because it is very powerful. She has a little dog and a parrot.

It’s Daphney’s birthday today! She is twelve, now! After school there is a great party at her house. Balloons, presents, sweets, chocolate cakes… So, they all meet at the party. And they are all there: her family, her friends, her neighbours… even Daphney’s pets are there! So cool! But… where is Dapnhey? Her mum doesn’t know where she is, neither her dad nor her sister! Even her grandparents are wondering…

What a mystery! No one knows about her!

No one knows where to look for her but

suddenly

something

strange

happens. Daphney’s dog enters the room and barks… Daph, Daph! They pay no attention because they realise that the dog is trying to take them to the garden. No one follows it but Peter.

He understood that his special powers had made Cookie speak. He follows the dog and Willis joins him. Cookie stops near the kennel and they find a postcard

In the postcard Daphney tells her secret - she can read other people’s minds and she is afraid of hurting someone. When they read the postcard, everyone is worried.

First they look for her inside the house, especially in the attic. Then they go to the café, to the school, to her grandparents’ house, to Peter’s and William’s house… and nothing!

After some time they decide to look for her in a secret place - a tree house, where Daphney and her friends always meet when they have something special to talk about.

There she is!!!

She is calm and quiet, looking at the tree branches.

- Daphney!! There are you! Did you forget? - says Willis.

- No, not at all! I want to surprise you all! - replies her friend.

They don’t understand anything!! “What is going on here?” thought Peter.

Cookie barks… or… says: - I’m so happy!!!

- You know - tells Daphney - when I put on my special glasses, I can read other people’s minds. And today I put them on and find out that you like surprises!

With astonishment, Peter says: - That’s so true!!!

And she goes on: - I can make the branches of the tree grow. That’s another special power I have… so I am waiting for them to grow so that I can bring you all here, through these branches!

And suddenly, out of nowhere, long branches start to appear with nice tree houses already on them!

But that wasn’t the only surprising thing they were going to see! In a touch of magic lots of beautiful colourful parrots start flying over their heads and perch quietly on the branches quite close together while kissing each

other.

They all turn to Willis who was quietly playing with

Daphney’s

parrot.

What? said Willis quite surprised. He told me he was feeling lonely...

THE END!

Collective story in English:

Writers:

+ ES Afonso Lopes Vieira, Leiria:

6.ยบA Teacher Sofia Monteiro - AE Bento da Cruz, Montalegre, E.B. 2/3 Baixo Barroso 6.ยบB Teacher Clรกudia Mota - AE de Colmeias, Leiria 7.ยบC Teacher Margarida Neto - E.S. Afonso Lopes Vieira, Leiria

Illustrator: Teacher Nelson Castro - AE Bento da Cruz, Montalegre, E.B./S de Montalegre