Term 2 Writers' Circle Booklet 2026

Writers’Circle Booklet

TableofContents

Term 2 Highlights

Mr Will Duffield - Writers’ Circle & Creative Writing Competitions Coordinator

As another semester draws to a close, I reflect not only on the wonderful writing produced throughout these past months, but on the community that continues to grow around Writers’ Circle. There is something uniquely powerful about a group of young people

gathering each week to create. In a world that often moves quickly, writing asks us to slow down. It asks us to observe more carefully, to listen more deeply, and to sit with questions rather than rush towards answers

This term’s theme, ‘A Monstrous Uproar’, challenged students to

consider what it truly means for something to be "monstrous" For some, this emerged through creatures, conflict, and chaos For others, it appeared in more subtle forms: fear, grief, pressure, loneliness, or the internal struggles that often remain hidden beneath the surface What continues to

inspire me is the willingness of our students to engage with difficult ideas honestly and thoughtfully Good writing is not simply about putting words on a page; it is about making meaning from our experiences. This booklet stands as a testament to that courage

The semester has also been filled with exciting opportunities and meaningful moments We were proud to officially launch the Maggie Shaw Creative Writing Competition, supported by an exceptional external judging panel whose generosity, expertise, and belief in young

writers has been deeply appreciated. Students also participated in the National Youth Australia’s Fair and continued our valued partnership with Viridian through the Aged Care Visit These opportunities remind us that stories have always connected people across difference and distance, helping us better understand both ourselves and one another.

Thank you to our Year

10s - Jake Linde, Darcy Livet, Charlie Malkin, Rahul Padmanabhan, and Tom Stanfordwhose leadership, mentorship, and support have been outstanding. The

strength of any community is ultimately measured by the way its members care for one another, and these men have modelled that beautifully

The work in this booklet reminds me that every piece of writing begins with a blank page and a willingness to begin That simple act of courage - of sharing an idea or a part of yourself with others - is something to celebrate.

Thank you to every student, family, and staff who continues to make Writers’ Circle such a special place

Note: Fewer submissions this term due to the Maggie Shaw Competition.

From our Lead Mentors

Rahul P, Charlie M, Jake L, Tom S, and Darcy L

As mentors, one of the things we have enjoyed most about Writer’s

Stories begin as ideas, but grow through the courage to share them

Circle this term is seeing how differently the boys have approached the theme of ‘A Monstrous Uproar’. Whether that be through fantasy, or a personal reflection, they have absolutely impressed us with their creativity

This term, it has been so rewarding to witness this courage flourish throughout many of our writers. Over the term, the boys have grown significantly more comfortable in sharing their work, venturing into complex discussions or debates about their stories - a stark contrast to the previous term. Several students who were initially hesitant have now grown more willing to take creative risks and experiment with their writing Just as importantly, they have become more at ease seeking feedback, finding inspiration, or

simply just chatting with us mentors. We strongly believe this is what makes Writer’s Circle special: it’s a space where students can express their creativity, refine their skills, and receive guidance whenever they need it. The difference between the boy’s approaches to the theme shows the complexity of how they view creative writing. One of the most rewarding parts of becoming a mentor this year has been watching the improvement of the boy’s stories and techniques. Writers’ Circle is a valuable place among the college, not only

because it embraces the interests of the younger boys, but because it is an inclusive place, and an opportunity to prepare for higher levels of writing. Ollie Caldeweyher’s take on the ‘Wings of Fire’ series, was definitely a stand-out piece for a few of the mentors One of the most prominent things that I have learnt from mentoring younger students is the importance of following their ideas, and not overtaking their work.

this term have come from candid conversations with them. Their creativity has reminded us that storytelling not only gives people a voice, but most importantly helps them build confidence Therefore, we can confidently say that watching these young writers grow has absolutely been one of the most rewarding parts of our semester. Congratulations to all the boys on their stories this term, and we hope to see you return next term.

As mentors, we have also learnt the importance of listening to the boys Some of the most memorable moments we ’ ve had

Fractured Command

The country's capital was called Cydron, and this city was a masterpiece of the future. Towering glass apartments lay like the giants of the city towering over the trees Beautiful gardens scattered around the city where diseases, sicknesses, and war were a thing of the past, a shadow of evil walking among us Silent drones floated above the civilians feeding

information back to the centre of the civilisation but perfection is often a lie. Behind the apartments the central authority ruled everything with one rule: only the strong survive The country has been at peace thriving with the districts who work for the capital's resources.

Disappearances

Henry was only 10 when his father was dragged out of their home by masked men in police uniforms. The last thing Henry's father said to him was that to be safe, trust nobody not even the police, and to keep his mother and sister safe That was four years ago, Henry had pursued his fathers tracks for years trying to find him without success. Ever since the group known as “the Iron Assembly" took control of the government Panem had

spiralled into a country of fear, violence, distrust, and death as people were always disappearing never to be heard of again. Places like the districts seemed like a tropical paradise because the government seemed to be more of a poisonous shadow there instead of a raging fire. Henry was now fourteen years old and had grown up weary and scared from the dangers around him He had seen people disappear all around him like his neighbour, his year 11 teacher, and many others that he cared about that deeply pained him to think about Ever since his father got taken

away, his family was thin with money. His mother had to go to work early and come back late into the night just to sustain the family with a worthy meal Although he never told his mother or his sister Henry knew that his family was dissolving, slowly and Henry could do nothing but witness this barbaricness unfold although he knew that while the entire city starved and fought with themselves the superiors of the government was stuffing themselves with the finest foods in the lands always having a full stomach

Many people had tried to steal a tiny bit of food to silence the unbearable pain of starvation but those who went in never came out never to be seen again. One cold morning Henry's stomach burned with hunger for an un expired piece of bread and an apple that was not rotten Not able to take the pain anymore Henry got up from his bed and the sudden sting of the freezing cracked tiled floor sent a jolt of pain up his body waking him up from his sleep. He went into the kitchen and opened the fridge inside the sad remains of last week's dinner which seemed to have turned into a nest of hungry ants. Despair

stabbing his heart and his eyes heavy with sadness. Henry trudged back to his bed Collapsing onto his bed he wished that the constant suffering the nation's people had been forced to deal with for many unbearable years could come to an end and the nation could come together as one once more Falling to sleep was hard as the burning pain echoing from his stomach made him wince in pain but in the end sleep got the better of him and he dozed off Terror in the night Boom! An explosion screamed in the street outside his window

waking Henry up in an instant, he looked outside the window and red shimmered on the glass Henry rubbed his eyes thinking he was still asleep but he could feel how cold the room was. He looked outside the window and he saw where the explosion had come from a car was ablaze and there were countless men armed with weapons but not soldiers of the city's guard force but this was civilians armed with deadly force he gazed at the hundreds of men marching through the street he recognised one of them as his teacher who had taught his math classes

always smiling at the students and giving them help but now that look of happiness was striped out of his face now he looked grim and stern. Henry realised this was no dream this was a real nightmare unfolding before his very eyes a rebellion had begun to free the people of the city of their eternal suffering Then a from somewhere down the street gunfire erupted and the men who were marching down the street slumped over not moving many others ran to cover returning fire, an explosion spiralled down the street thumping into a nearby building blowing a chunk out of

hit and sending debris flying into many unfortunate men who could not get out of the way Henry watched unable to bring his eyes away from the window as his hands clutched the bed rim and sweat dribbled down his head as he watched the horror of the massacre unfold before him cries of pain came from the street screaming like a dreadful hymn his ears popping as the gunfire rung out around the street walls. Then something sent a shiver up Henry's spine as many men started shouting in fear and running, almost instantly I understood why. Churning down

the street two massive tanks the size of shipping containers rolled down shooting at the unlucky men who were caught by the explosions. Then a lone man grabbed something round from his pocket, Henry scrunched his eyes to try and see what was in his hand, then the man threw the small round object like a baseball ball flying through the air. With great accuracy it hit the tank on the right on the bumper and then exploded causing the tank to lurch back, the tank swayed and rocked for a few seconds before exploding sending bits and pieces of it

shooting through the air. The other tank went still as if realising that his comrade was gone, the tank was humming with menace then slowly realising that it was in danger it started to roll away back into the shadows leaving the battle for the soldiers to fight Henry finally regained control of his senses and shot away from the window and away from the horrifying battle happening right outside his poor little apartment. Breathing heavily Henry was thinking if he would be able to make it out of the night alive.

Rubble, tears, and blood

Little did Henry know that his question was about to be answered Henry crawled back into his bed hoping that his head would still be good with no bullet holes, fearing for his life Henry shivered not because it was cold but because he was scared that this might be his last night alive Another massive ear piercing explosion shooted through the night but this one was different, this explosion Henry felt shaking the building and making it rock side to side An explosion had slammed into the apartment, the building started to shake and screams of people in the corridors of the building echoed through Henry's whole room went cold then a crack ran up his wall then disappeared as quickly as it came.

Henry’s rooms caved around him and Henry's vision went into darkness and he blacked out When Henry wakes up he is covered in ash and rubble is covered on him blocking out the light, Henry tried to move his body but a sharp pain screamed from his ribs and he gave up looking around in the darkness Henry could only cough and hope that he would be saved because the boulder of rubble underneath him was moving and the last thing that Henry wanted was more falling and any more ribs hurting Then what seemed like hours later Henry was starting to lose hope that he would ever see the bright sun or his smiling sister and his warm hearted mother ever again The thought of it made Henry close his eyes and cry the energy sapping away like water escaping from hands, he started to think he had died as the light had appeared and he thought he was ascending into the heavens but no he could still feel his ribs hurting and he opened his eyes to see a man staring at me wondering what I could

of ever done to get into this situation. Helping Henry up back he sawed the wreck of the battle and the rubble of many apartments of the block had been turned to ashes, and death. Henry stared at the ruins of the block he had lived in for years in ruins and wondered how this could have ever happened The distant sound of explosions and gunfire was heard but Henry was determined to get rid of the corrupt government with a wince of regret Henry ran towards the fight not away.

The Guardian’s Fury

Chapter 1: The Awakening

“Hmmmm,” said Lance as he opened his eyes for the first time in a hundred years He scanned the room to try and figure out why he was there The room was decorated with runes shimmering with an iridescent blue shine He saw a strange pedestal in the corner of the room.

Lance walked over to the pedestal to examine it further. He

found a hole in the middle of the top

Looking down at his chest, he noticed that the necklace around his neck matched the hole. He pressed it into the hole, and it fit perfectly The slabs of stone behind him slid down to reveal a doorway. He stepped out onto the grassy platform outside the room and scanned the landscape Below the hill he was on was a small village filled with the hustle and bustle of daily village life

Beyond the gates of the village, a deep dark forest lay, and even further than that sat a volcano shrouded in spiky peaks

Chapter 2: Gear Up Lance looked back down towards the dark forest, noticing a strange glowing tower poking out of the thick canopy He realised that it was glowing the same iridescent blue

that was emitting from his waking place. He had a strange feeling that he was being pulled toward the tower as if it were calling to him. He looked back through the doorway of his shrine, where he saw a wooden box atop the bedside table He walked in and opened it to reveal a small burlap sack filled to the brim with shining gold coins. Lance knew that he would need this very much He thanked the room and set off towards the village below This is where he would gear up for the journey.

First, Lance went to the clothes shop to purchase some clothing. He got one pair of sturdy leather boots, one pair of beige pants, one blue tunic decorated with white triangles, and finally a hood to protect his head from the sun. Lance then went to the weapons workshop where he would get the necessary defence for the trip He bought one light yet powerful sword and a strong wooden shield Then he went to the stable to buy a horse. In the end, he got a white horse with brown splashes all along its body. He named it Dasher. So, with that final purchase, he was finally ready to set off on his journey

Chapter 3: The Journey Lance hopped onto Dasher and rode along the winding road towards the tower. Along the way, he had to avoid the deadly undergrowth cluttered with poison ivy As they rode, Lance started to notice strange glowing eyes in his peripheral vision A rustle in the bushes alerted him to danger. Then, out burst a group of goblins decorated with white war paint all over their bodies. They were armed with wooden spears glinting with a resin shine.

Lance looped around on Dasher and leapt.

His sword sliced through the goblin like butter. The sliced body fell to the ground, splashing blood all over the grass. The goblins, being the wimps they were, ran at the sight of their fallen brother. With an accomplished look on his face, he hopped on Dasher and continued riding. As they rode, the day slowly bled into nightfall. The glowing structure, shrouded in mystery, shone even brighter as Lance rode into the clearing. He hopped off Dasher onto thick grass coated in morning dew. The tower had two big stone doors out front and a pedestal very

much like the one from before. Lance jumped up onto the platform in front of the great stone door and pushed his necklace into the hole. The great doors swung open to reveal a dark doorway.

Chapter 4: The Tower Lance uneasily walked through the withering doorway into a dimly lit room The walls were decorated with shimmering runes almost exactly like the ones from his room In the middle of the room sat a mysterious statue surrounded by an energy field. He took a step further into the room, and the field shattered

Lance heard a voice in the back of his head. Lance looped around on Dasher and leapt

“I am Tek’h Lamut, one of the goddess’s messengers ”

The statue moved one of its skeletal fingers to point at the corner of the room. There lay a small chest laced with gold leaves Lance stepped towards the chest and opened it.

Inside was a small sword, light but powerful. It was decorated with beautiful jewels shimmering with a familiar feeling. The handle was made of fine leather with smooth woven straps.

He turned the sword around and noticed that, in gold lace, was his name Underneath where the sword was sat a bow and a cluster of arrows But these arrows were different. They shone blue, sparkling in the low light There was a label attached to the sack the arrows were sitting in It read: “Ancient Arrows, Use with Caution ” Lance spun around to thank the statue, but it was gone!

With a puzzled look on his face, Lance left the tower

Chapter 5: The Guardian

Lance walked out of the tower to meet his horse tied to a tree nearby, just as he had left him. As he untied Dasher, he thought about the strange statue and the weapons he had been given Lance saw a glint in the corner of his eye

He spun around to see a beam of blue light shining into the cone of the volcano that was overlooking them. Lance knew this was where he had to go So he hopped on Dasher and steered them onto the path to the volcano

Later on, Lance saw something weird moving in the clearing ahead, so he decided to take a small detour to figure out what it was. Once he reached the clearing, Lance knew exactly what it was. It was a Guardian, a mechanical beast designed to protect and destroy. But this one was different It had glowing red eyes instead of blue, and a chest attached to its torso

The chest was made of pearl with a golden frame. It was clear that this chest was important Lance decided he had

to kill it, so without further ado, he jumped off Dasher and hid behind a bush He drew back his bow, ready to strike. Then he released. The arrow sped through the air, shattering the beast’s glass eyeball and blinding it Lance leapt at the chance, drawing his sword and puncturing the Guardian’s armour. He had killed it

surrounded him

So, with a courageous look on his face, he opened the chest Inside was a steel chestplate decorated with engraved lines As soon as he picked it up, darkness

As he came to his senses, he realised he must be in one of his lost memories. He sat

back to see what would happen

“Princess Zora, WAIT!” yelled a figure in front of Lance

TO BE CONTINUED

He quickly realised that the figure was him

Surprised, Lance continued to watch “Don’t worry, Lance. I’ll be fine,” said the princess, who was running towards the corner of the field they were on

Then, all of a sudden, a Guardian scooped the princess up and ran. “NOOOO, ZORA!” yelled the figure as Zora got swept away “Nooo!”

Secret of the Seas

The sound of a roaring wave snapped me out of my thoughts I grabbed the mainsheet and turned my boat. A new wave was surging towards me as I was sailing on the starboard side of the wave I felt my boat lift up and I just barely adjusted my sail perfectly and my boat was sailing at top speed. I had cleared the wave I went over the past events in my head as I waited for the next big wave My friend and I putting on bets on football. Losing the bet and being sent to sea for a few days on a small heron. And the news The news of a sea monster being spotted. A leviathan they had called it. It was a monster with a dragon-like head and long tentacles. A shipcrusher, a tsunamimaker, a worlddestroyer. And now being sent to the leviathans’ domain would anger it so much that it would want to hunt me down and tear me to shreds. My boat suddenly lurched forwards and stopped. I had looked everywhere around my boat, yet I couldn’t find why my boat had stopped. I adjusted my sail and tried to turn my tiller, but I couldn’t move it. I had looked everywhere around my

boat, except for my rudder. I reached underwater for my rudder and felt the seaweed tangled around it. I untied the seaweed and the heron was sailing as fast as it could. As the Sun disappeared behind the blanket of night, I lowered my head onto the front of the boat, while putting a pillow under my head, and drifted off to a peaceful sleep, not knowing of the horrors that lay ahead in my journey.

I woke up to the sound of an ear-splitting, roaring wave and the force of my heron being yanked to the side. I immediately sat

up, knocking my pillow back into the boat, and saw a colossal-sized wave “No ” I muttered to myself in shock I leapt to my feet and without thinking, my hands immediately directed themselves to the tiller and the mainsheet I turned the tiller as hard as I could away from the semitsunami and tightened the mainsheet As my countless years of sailing would agree with me that I would have caught wind and would be sailing at top speed, the semitsunami had to disagree. I felt my boat being lifted upwards and I knew it was hopeless I would get crushed with my boat. I watched the wave crash on top of me, just before realising that I might survive if I jump away from my boat. I knew it was a crazy risk to take but it was my best hope I felt my limbs being compressed as I leapt off the heron, which had been my best friend for about 3 years, and dived into the ice-cold water I plugged my nose and a shockwave of a bonebreaking force washed over my body

I felt like I had been underwater for ten minutes, before resurfacing. I gasped, spitting saltwater out of my mouth, and grabbed my boat,

which was surprisingly still in one piece. I swam around the boat and put all of my weight onto the centreboard, flipping my boat the correct side up I balanced the boat while I climbed onto it and I grabbed the tiller and the mainsheet, ready to sail again. I remembered the news from back home The leviathan can create tsunamis. That meant that the leviathan was nearby And wanting to kill me. I lay down on my boat and before I could close my eyes to rest, the sea next to me exploded I opened my eyes and saw six tentacles rising from the sea. A dragon-like face was looking at me with its tentacles ready to attack It was here The leviathan. I stabilized my boat as much as I could, but I knew it was helpless. You can’t sail away from a leviathan, like you can do with a wave. I covered my eyes with my arms and waited for the leviathan to eat me. But, it didn’t come. I opened my eyes and saw that the leviathan had not attacked me. “Umm? Hello, scary leviathan sea monster. Aren’t you going to eat me?” I asked I noticed it wasn’t looking at me, but something in the sky behind me Slowly, I turned around and saw a giant dragon-like face looking right at me Its body was long and snake-like. It opened its mouth and roared at me Its tail snaked onto the top of my boat and started crushing my heron into shreds I shielded myself with my arms as much as I could to reduce the pain of the gigantic jaws crushing me. Suddenly, my hand felt cold I opened my eyes and a sword was resting in my hand. I tightened my grip on it and swung it at the sea serpent’s tail. It sliced it clean in half and the sea serpent let out a deafening screech of pain. It closed its jaws

and looked at where its tail had been. It saw me pulling the sword out from the stump of the tail and I held up the sword in defence. Its jaws closed around me and I was suddenly falling towards its stomach. Without thinking, I held out the sword to stop the speed of my falling and it caught onto the side of the sea serpent's throat. I looked up and saw that the sword had fully pierced through the sea serpent’s throat. I peeked through it and saw that the leviathan was distracting the sea serpent so that I could kill it and run I pulled my sword out, quickly grabbed the slit with

my hand and started cutting the sea serpent’s head off its body After a bit of struggle and a lot of noise from the sea serpent, my sword finally reached the end of the rotation. I pushed on one side of the throat and the sea serpent’s head fell off I jumped out of the neck and dived into the water

My limbs couldn’t move to make me swim up to the surface and I thought I would drown, but I felt my body being lifted upwards When I reached the surface, I saw that it was the leviathan that had saved me I splurted out the water that still remained in my lungs and said thanks to the leviathan. It helped me to go back to Los Angeles, but a shark had attacked us on the trip. It burst out of the water and launched itself at me. The leviathan killed it, but it was too late My legs were gone and never coming back.

Aliens of Ragnarok

Cursed Nyx woke from his slumber His body leapt up and submerged into his lava pool. Nyx was cursed 20 years after his birth. He was cursed because the previous Nyx had disappeared Every 50 years he goes and destroys a sun and its planets He is really in the mode to destroy earth because he just found out they reached type one on their “Kardashev scale.” For

all he knew this was his life As he prepared the vortex to the Oort cloud. He changed. Not just physically but mentally He didn’t want to. Why? He was always keen to destroy stars Pushing those feelings away he leapt into the vortex.

Appearing in the Oort cloud, thousands of tiny asteroids tickling him all around. He dashed straight to Jupiter and ducked behind it. “I hate this

job ” muttered Nyx under his breath As he opened his vest and picked up his railgun and loaded the magazine. As he put the scope to his face and aimed it at earth, impact shocked his shoulder. His shot missed and backfired hitting Pluto “AARRGGHH!!!” screamed Nyx as his body evaporated into harmless chemicals “Nyx.” announces a coated figure behind

him “This is no longer your life for you aren’t cursed anymore. You will be reborn on Earth as a dog ” For a moment, nothing happens, then Nyx wakes back up as a furry four legged human companion. He walks to a human and tries to communicate “Bark Bark Howl Woof Woof Bark!!!” The human looks confused

The Door

The door that never should have been opened Whoever goes in… never comes out. The location is a tiny island isolated by extinct North Sentinel Islanders, with bad spirits trapped in them The story begins when two curious explorers travel from Argentina to the unquestionable island in the Pacific. The mission they are trying to achieve is to get through the Door of Doom. The Door of

Doom is an undeniable death trap surrounded by life-or-death situations. There's no reward if you finish, so why are these explorers exploring this dreadful area? Already, they have discovered booby traps and dead, rotten skeletons with the clothes of other explorers. Now, as they are 1.5 kilometres into the journey, one wrong step would end their lives. Arrows are connected to a pressure plate that will never stop unless you get hit. Luckily, neither of them has stepped foot on the pressure plates. This mysterious place was kind of like an obby with stages, but way more serious. As they walk through the mysterious bunker of traps, they don’t actually realise they’re going in circles Now they are thinking of turning back around, but the actions they

used to get past are unknown to them, and regrets are thought of:

“Why did we come here?” But they already know why they're trembling in fear and gulping every minute of this journey. What next?

“Look, we made it!”

Although that's what they assume. A tingle runs up their spines, sending a message saying, "DON’T TOUCH THAT!" One of them says, "That's what they want you to think. Let’s keep moving." Already, their stamina, hunger, and hydration are running low. Their water bottles are nearly empty, they are running out of food, and the burning atmosphere is causing unconsciousness. They need to conserve their needs and not their wants. But why should they listen to their minds if they still have energy in the tank? If they want to keep rolling, they're going to have to go back and check the other bodies to gain some stamina. There would be no other option but that idea. Thirty to fortyfive minutes later, they came back with a term or two's supply of nutritious food and clear water Who cares if it’s expired? They just need stamina. On the way back, they discover another corpse that they never realised was there He was carrying a fan.

Monster’s Domain

Me and Soren ran down to the beach, our feet grazing the hot sand as the sun beat down on our tanned bodies It was a hot day in Perth and the cyclone that had hit earlier in the month didn’t feel real in the 42° weather. Splashing into the cool and refreshing water, we started to wade out deeper until our feet could no longer touch the sandy floor of the ocean. Just as we were

adjusting to get back inside the flags a rip caught us and we were dragged out so far that we couldn’t see the shore anymore Suddenly, a sinkhole appeared and like water draining out of a bath tub we got pulled down and down into a big black hole.

Turning on my watch light, I noticed a massive pile of fish bones in the corner of the cavernous pace.

Soren had hit his head on the way down but said he was fine.

ROAR! The smell of rotting fish and bad breath became overwhelming as a huge red dragon appeared in the back of the cavern.

Stomping footsteps

filled my eardrums and suddenly I could feel a huge wave of fire hit go just past me

Grabbing Soren’s arm, we ran this way and that, dodging the

dragons' 2m long, rigid, and pointy toe nails which were more like metal fence posts

Seeing a small crevice in the moist rock wall we dove for it just missing a side swipe from the dragon’s tail.

Tiptoeing through the narrow crevice, we reached a huge underground waterfall which flowed into a dark and ominous lake.

Hearing a cracking noise, we realised that the 50m tall fire breathing dragon was right behind us and not chasing us to be friends. In a split second, we jumped off the ledge falling and falling until we plunged into the cold water.

The bitter cold was unbearable and I couldn’t see anything.

Surging to the top, we both took gasping breaths of the musk cavern air. I noticed that the waterfall was next to a track that went all the way up to the top of the roof

Eventually, we got to the top of the cavern and found an opening which led into a secret trapdoor. Pushing on it as hard as I could, I busted it open and a torrent of sand fell onto us. Climbing up the built in ladder we realised we were 4km down the beach. This was mind blowing because the crevice that we went through

did not feel like 4km

The dragon’s den was a sacred place where nobody had come out alive or found

Moreover, the fact that we knew about it and nobody else did was very rewarding. That is the happening of a crazy real-life saga

The Ring of Fire

There stood the volcano It was shaking and smoke was coming from the top. The camp Kumu’s rushed me away as lava rushed down the volcano. Suddenly, the lava engulfed me. But I was fine I stood steaming at the tips of my fingers and covered in lava but fine. I looked around and saw everything was gone, even the furnaces. From the heavens I heard a rumbling voice. “Bring the FIRE

MAGES down before they make the entire Pacific ring of fire blow!”. This startled Elliot out of his skin. Elliet lifted up his hands and was again startled to see that he could mold lava with his hands “Wow” thought Elliot. He threw the lava through the air with so much speed it would make a cheetah look slow.

Elliot walked for a little while and found a

mountain entrance with mounds of skeletons and the reeking of fish. “Yuck” thought Elliot but he continued on Suddenly, monsters erupt from behind pillars centuries old Clad in shadowy cloth, the beasts were reduced to mere bone and ash Lava spewed from basins beside the beasts. Elliot concentrated hard and felt a tugging sensation in his gut and the lava erupted

around the monsters They screamed at the top of their lungs (not that they had any) The eruption burned them into ash and the cloth was washed into the river that Elliot hadn’t noticed. He followed it to a Table based in the middle of the mountain and Elliot touched it Suddenly, It began to glow and a Woman with long wavy hair and strong looking hands. “Come” boomed the Woman Elliot stepped forward hesitantly. “Who are you?” said Elliot in a voice barely a whisper “”I am Pele” Said Pele “I am your mother”. Abruptly, Pele reached out and took a hold of Elliot. There is a flash of light and Pele is gone. But Elliot wasn’t in The mountain any more He looked around and heard a voice “And this is the Ring of fire’s largest volcano Mount Shasta” Elliot saw where the voice was coming from It was a tour guide Elliot hid behind a rock and laid against it. Two of the beasts formed only a couple of feet away from Elliot This time they were clad in tough chest pieces of silver, Helmet of gold with red tail feathers sticking out the top. Their legs were covered in leg armour covered in black cloth. The one on the left side of Elliot began to make its hands glow orange Fire spewed from its hands aimed right at Elliot. The fire spewed forward. Elliot sensed lava in the top of the volcano and focused on it. Lava erupted from the top and formed a barrier in front of the flames. Elliot was safe. For now Lava spewed onto the beasts but did no damage. “Grooo!” screamed the beasts clearly angered Elliot suddenly knew what to do. He called on the lava and molded it into magma around him. He was now in a protective shield Elliot rushed forward in the magma. When he was

close enough he shattered the magma and used his lava abilities to make daggers of lava He grasped them and pushed them deep into the chinks in the beasts armor. The beasts disintegrated.

“Whoo hoo!” yelled Elliot. He began to walk up the mountain and dived into the top of it. Lava engulfed him and he sank to the bottom Suddenly, the lava stopped and Elliot fell into a cave. There were tunnels and carvings of mages on the walls. Elliot walked on and found a magical screen of fire There written in the fire was the words “WE

KNOW

YOU’RE THERE

!”. Suddenly, Elliot was ambushed by the Fire Mages Elliot woke up and was surrounded by a ring of water. The water began to rise and the head Fire Mage bellowed from his throne “IT IS TIME TO DIE ELLIOT!” Elliot screamed and lava erupted around the ring of water and it hardened into stone Elliot began to walk forward on stilts of lava towards the King Fire Mage treading on mages as he went. Elliot called upon Pele’s power and summoned a bolt of fire up through the floor The Fire lord roared with anger but was only scratched. screamed the Fire or

“PREAPARE TO DIE! ” Elliot lurched out of the way as fire erupted beneath him He rolled behind the fire lord and shot balls of magma at him The Fire lord was caught off guard and burnt to ash All the other Fire mages disappeared in flashes of blue fire. Lightning steamed from the sky and Pele appeared “Well done you have saved the world by defeating the Fire lord”, “You are now a crowned keeper of Hawaii". Suddenly, Elliot was back home and Pele whispered from the heavens “Well done my son ”

54321

The radio chatter erupted across the facility as alarms blared through every corridor of Site-19 Alpha One

“Code Black. Multiple containment breaches imminent All security personnel to defensive positions.”

The O5 Council stopped in the middle of the main access hallway. Red emergency lights painted the concrete walls crimson while automated blast doors began sealing section after section of the site.

“Report,” O5-6 demanded “I love flying this high,” A security officer pressed a trembling hand against his headset. “Chaos Insurgency strike teams have entered through Sector 3B and maintenance tunnels beneath Heavy Containment They’re deploying EMP charges and attempting to disable lockdown protocols.”

Another explosion shook the floor beneath them.

Dust rained from the ceiling

The commander of the Red Right Hand immediately turned toward his squad “Hammer-One, secure the Council. HammerTwo, reinforce Heavy Containment Nobody gets through.”

“Yes, sir.”

The elite operatives sprinted into position, rifles raised.

Far below the facility, gunfire echoed through the containment wings.

Chaos Insurgency soldiers moved quickly through smoke-filled corridors, hacking terminals and planting breaching charges on containment cells.

“Move! Open every chamber you can!” one insurgent shouted. A massive explosion tore open a reinforced blast door Warning messages flooded the intercom: “Containment breach detected in Euclid Wing.”

“Keter-level systems compromised ” “Mobile Task Forces

inbound ”

Inside the Site Command Centre, screens flickered with static Entire sections of the facility were going dark.

O5-1 stared at the monitors. “This wasn’t just an attack. They planned this for months ”

Then the worst notification appeared. “WARNING: SCP-106 containment failure.” Silence filled the room for a moment

Even the Red Right Hand operatives froze. “No…” whispered one researcher

The lights suddenly cut out.

For three terrifying seconds, the entire site was consumed by darkness

Then the emergency power activated. A black corrosive substance dripped from the ceiling.

Someone screamed from the hallway

The Old Man had escaped.

Before panic could spread further, another transmission burst through the radio:

“This is Mobile Task Force Nu-7. We are entering the facility now Hold your positions ”

Outside the site, helicopters descended through smoke-filled skies while armoured convoys smashed through the front gates Floodlights illuminated hundreds of

Foundation personnel preparing for war.

But deep inside Sector 3B, hidden beneath the chaos, a masked Chaos Insurgency commander smiled as he activated a small device

A final message appeared on every screen in the facility:

“Phase Two Initiated ” The words lingered on every monitor in the facility

The O5 Council was rushed into the Emergency Command Bunker by the Red Right Hand

“Seal this sector immediately,” ordered O5-3 “Already done,” the commander replied.

“But we ’ ve lost contact with Heavy Containment.”

A technician frantically worked at a console “We’re detecting unauthorised access to the Omega Vault ” The room went silent O5-1 slowly turned.

PHASE TWO INITIATED Then the power grid collapsed again Entire hallways disappeared into darkness as emergency sirens screamed throughout Site-19 Alpha One Containment shutters slammed shut, separating squads from one another. Somewhere deep below the site, something enormous slammed against reinforced steel.

“That vault was never supposed to be opened.”

Another explosion thundered through the facility.

Security camera feeds suddenly returned online one by one. The screens showed Chaos Insurgency operatives fighting Foundation guards in the corridors. Bodies littered the floors Sparks flew from damaged wiring while SCP warning lights flashed everywhere Then one monitor caught everyone ’ s attention Sector H-12.

A tall figure wearing stolen Foundation armour stood before the Omega Vault door.

Behind him were several Chaos agents carrying strange black cases marked with a serpent insignia The operative removed his helmet.

“This is Commander Vale of the Chaos Insurgency,” he announced calmly into a hacked broadcast channel. “Tonight, the Foundation falls.”

He held up a device “Everything you buried… everything you hid from the world will finally be free ”

The vault door behind him slowly began unlocking “Stop him NOW!” shouted O5-6.

Meanwhile, across the site, containment completely failed in several wings.

SCP-939 instances were detected roaming the lower tunnels.

SCP-049 had escaped medical containment And somewhere in the dark maintenance corridors, SCP-106 continued dragging screaming personnel into pools of black corrosion

The Red Right Hand commander immediately pointed at his squad “Move!” The operatives stormed out of the bunker, racing through darkened corridors toward Sector H-12.

attempting to breach the outer perimeter. Tracer rounds lit the night sky while helicopters circled overhead.

But inside the Omega Vault sector, the situation was worsening rapidly. The vault doors finally opened with a deafening metallic groan. Cold air rushed outward.

Outside the facility, MTF Nu-7 forces engaged Chaos Insurgency reinforcements

Inside sat rows of classified artefacts, anomalous weapons, and sealed black containers marked only with red symbols and O5 authorisation codes.

Commander Vale smiled “Gentlemen,” he said

to his troops, “collect the package.”

One of the insurgents carefully approached a small reinforced container resting alone in the centre of the vault

The label on the container read:

PROJECT NIGHTFALL

Suddenly

The lights flickered. Every soldier froze. A distorted voice echoed through the chamber speakers: “Unauthorised access detected ” Heavy footsteps echoed from deeper inside the vault Not human. Not mechanical. Something far worse

Commander Vale’s smile vanished.

Then, from the darkness beyond the shelves, two glowing red eyes opened The entire vault fell silent.

Even the Chaos Insurgency operatives stopped moving. The glowing red eyes slowly advanced through the darkness, accompanied by the sound of heavy metal scraping across the floor. Emergency lights flickered weakly, revealing fragments of a massive armoured figure hidden within the shadows.

One insurgent raised his rifle nervously.

“Commander… what is that?”

A classified file suddenly appeared on the nearby monitor:

PROJECT NIGHTFALL

STATUS: ACTIVE DEFENCE ENTITY

RELEASED

AUTHORISED BY: O5 COUNCIL

Commander Vale stepped backward. For the first time that night, fear crossed his face.

The figure finally emerged into the light. It was enormous - a humanoid construct wrapped in black Foundation armour, covered in ancient symbols and reinforced plating. A cracked Foundation insignia rested on its chest while a deep mechanical growl echoed from within its helmet.

Then it spoke “Threat to the Foundation identified.” Its voice shook the room itself

“Neutralisation authorised.”

The Chaos Insurgency opened fire instantly. Bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the entity’s arm

In less than a second, the creature moved. One insurgent was thrown across the vault wall with boneshattering force Another disappeared into the darkness before anyone even saw what happened

Gunfire erupted everywhere as Chaos operatives screamed in panic

Commander Vale

grabbed the PROJECT

NIGHTFALL container and ran for the exit.

“Fall back! FALL BACK!”

But the vault doors suddenly slammed shut.

LOCKDOWN ENGAGED.

“No ” Vale whispered The red-eyed entity slowly turned toward him

“You initiated the end,” it said coldly.

Outside the vault sector, the Red Right Hand arrived just in time to hear the screams echoing through the sealed doors.

The commander looked at the security monitor showing chaos inside the chamber.

Then the feed cut to static

Inside the Emergency

Command Bunker, O5-1 closed his eyes for a moment.

“We warned them,” he said quietly

Minutes later, the vault doors reopened automatically

Smoke drifted into the hallway.

The Red Right Hand cautiously entered the chamber with weapons raised. The room was destroyed.

Weapons and debris covered the floor

Chaos Insurgency soldiers lay motionless everywhere.

Commander Vale was gone.

And PROJECT NIGHTFALL was missing

Only one thing

remained on the vault wall, carved deeply into the steel: THE FOUNDATION CANNOT STAY HIDDEN FOREVER

Suddenly, another transmission came through every radio in the facility.

“This is Mobile Task Force Nu-7 Chaos forces are retreating. Site-19 Alpha One is being secured ” Cheers erupted across surviving Foundation channels, but inside the bunker, the O5 Council remained silent. Because they knew the truth.

The Chaos Insurgency had never intended to destroy Site-19

The attack had only

been a distraction Commander Vale had escaped with PROJECT NIGHTFALL

And somewhere out in the darkness beyond the Foundation’s reach, Phase Three was already beginning. END LOG

Fractured Frontiers

Preface:

The Dark War, 2144, had just started, and the cloning program was rough. Multiple injection points had to be stabbed into the arm and all around the body of the first batch, the 0-Gen This caused them to be unable to wear shirts or sleeves.

It was like this so if any were damaged, Redstar would have fought tooth and nail to get their corpse back for immortal science.

The two forces, Redstar Technology and Halis Orbitary Systems, caused mass planetary destruction along the frontiers. The frontier that the war is situated in is the Zarc Frontier, a frontier known for biological and biomechanical studies along fractured planets.

One planet, Spartia, has colossal biomechanical tendrils grabbing the fractured stones along the surface and pulling them back into the core Strange surgical power forces flow throughout the underground of the system and its various planets.

Around the middle of the war, the first Dyson Swarm of the frontier would come to be known as the Hali Swarm Built by Star Productions and used by Redstar, it was a

major infrastructural vantage point for both sides of the war to exploit HOS was more focused on attacking it to benefit their cause in the war. Whilst the Redstar soldiers wore darker and more dystopian gear, Halis footmen usually went for a more “Nasapunk” approach found in old Earth media

Speaking of Earth, after 2094, every rich and middle-class citizen was off the planet when the first Fracture happened. Earth was pulverised out of existence. All projects currently ongoing on the planet were gone and disappeared into the

face of history

INSTALLATION 403

Worlds away from any other city, a mega-city was built on slums and big corporate heads. A boy named Carok walked along the streets of a Yumio and BlackReef mega-city In a peculiar alleyway, there was a man opening his shop. A sign covered in a sliver of dust read: “Zigs and Mel's Reps” Carok walked down into the dirty alleyway Communist propaganda led crackheads on about a better future - it's a con to get them to join the clone war machine - but they scraped together their dollars and walked to a payphone.

A CRT screen played the latest news in the Zarc Frontier

The Hali Swarm was deployed today.

Carok walked into the shop. He clutched a broken radio in his right hand, while the other held four batteries.

“I'm sorry to bother you… ” Carok started.

“Can you repair my radio?”

A head turned to look down at Carok. A gaunt expression greeted him as Zig, the repairman, grabbed the radio and unscrewed the back panel

“Come back in an

hour ” he told Carok, who was thankful to get out of the alleyway

A haze thickened over the sky as giant mechanical towers pumped electricity out of the ground. As Carok walked out of the alleyway, he noticed Yumio Enforcement officers forcing homeless people to relocate into other alleyways. Carok knew that the alleyways were already packed with disease and homelessness.

were to be an invasion, it would be the city's first line of defence.

As Carok walked back, there was a sudden realisation that if there were to be a war, he would never have known what the outside of a city was like

As if the world despised Carok, the exact defence platform fired a round so colossal that it would rip a Citadelclass cruiser into three It did just that Massive debris crashed down onto the city.

Carok Crackheads started running into their little rooms, and the homeless hid in abandoned shops

Carok found a little outcrop in a thick concrete wall and hid

He started crying, but he knew that nothing would protect him from a crashing cruiser fragment.

He grabbed a rusty door and slammed it into place. He was locked inside the outcrop until someone came looking for him

Above the alleyway lay a road. This road was cracked and falling apart, and it led to a defence platform so great that, if there

Carok sprinted into the alleyway. Zig was shutting the door to his shop, and it wasn't looking good for

A flash brighter than a thousand suns seeped through the cracks of the door. The sounds of screaming outside cut off and dropped into an eerie silence.

The Last Message

It was two weeks away from summer break, and the whole school was buzzing with excitement as students piled onto the bus for our three-day end-ofterm camping trip. I had somehow managed to get placed in a tent group with my three best friends, Mia, Josh, and Ella, which made everything feel even better As the bus began its three-hour journey, everyone cheered and talked loudly over each other, filling the seats with energy and anticipation It felt like this was going to be the best school camp yet Our hiking camp was supposed to be the easy part of the trip, just a walk through the national park before heading back which seemed easy at the time As the bus travelled, kids were talking amongst themselves until the bus pulled up at the camp. A huge wooden arch with the words “sunnyvale national park”, hung over the entrance, overgrown wines seeping in Everyone grabbed their bags and rushed off to find their tents Me and my friends were all sharing a massive tent which was located toward the edge of the other tents, by the lake. It was late at

night so everybody quickly ate their dinner and rushed off to bed to prepare themselves for the massive walk in the national park. The next morning came around quickly. Everybody got ready for the big walk, which started at 6am and was meant to end at 12pm. The sky was still half-asleep when we lined up outside the camp kitchen, jackets zipped up and backpacks hanging heavy off our shoulders. Mist curled through the trees like smoke, wrapping around the edge of the forest behind the lake

Our camp leader, Mr Harlow, clapped his

hands sharply “Phones away. Stay in groups. If you wander off the track, you turn straight back

Understood?”

A few kids groaned, but everyone nodded. I remember thinking it was kind of funny how serious he sounded for what was supposed to be an “ easy walk.” At 6:03am, we stepped into the national park. At first, it was normal.

Birds calling Leaves crunching under boots

Mia was laughing about how Josh kept tripping over nothing, and Ella walked slightly behind us like she always did, quietly taking everything in But about an hour in, something changed The noise of the group started to thin out. Not because people were talking less but because the forest itself felt louder than us The trees grew thicker. Taller. The path narrowed until it barely felt like a track anymore The sunlight above us faded into a green-grey filter, like the forest was swallowing it. “Uh… is it just me, ” Josh said, lowering his voice, “ or does this not look like an ‘ easy walk’ anymore?” No one answered right away That’s when Mia stopped walking. She was staring ahead “There was a sign back there,” she said slowly.

“Like ten minutes ago I swear it said "turn right for the lake loop.” I frowned “So?” “We haven’t seen another sign since.” A small silence dropped over us Ella finally spoke, very quietly. “We’re not on the main track anymore ” Josh let out a nervous laugh “No way. We’d notice if we ” A sudden crack cut him off It came from deeper in the trees. All four of us froze. It wasn’t an animal sound It was sharper Deliberate. Like something had stepped on a branch and then paused, as if listening back. Mia grabbed my sleeve “Tell me you heard that ” I didn’t answer. Because the

truth was, I had And then, from somewhere behind us on the trail… we heard footsteps Slow Too slow to be one of the other students rushing ahead We turned Nothing. Just trees. But the path behind us didn’t look the same anymore The ground was darker there. The trees closer. Like the forest had shifted while we weren’t looking. Josh swallowed “Okay that’s not funny ” Ella’s eyes scanned the trees. “We should go back ” We started walking fast. Then faster. But the problem was simple, and none of us said it out loud at first. We didn’t remember which way back. And somewhere behind us, the footsteps started again

The flames, so bright and so hot I just couldn’t take the grief, so I did what I had to…

Transition Back to Today It was an exhausting day at school It started to snow; white petals ran down from the sky In Australia, it doesn’t snow. I heard people yelling and running There was a dead body I shivered at the sight of it.

After Burn

Suddenly, they were on fire, and the person nearest to me was engulfed by an illustrious orange flame I forced myself to look away. Everyone was either on fire or burnt to a crisp I screamed and ran behind a couch, repeating the same words for 10 days: no sleep, no water, zero food. The words were, “Help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, ”

constantly

On the 11th day, I got up and saw blackness. Eternal Nothing I got scared, but then I just let go and fell. Before that could happen, I got grabbed by somebody - somebody weird and different. Me, but older

He told me that I had fallen and died, but when I was walking up those stairs, the light stairs, I had a chance

to do it again, and I took it, but as another version. And so they saw me and grabbed me before I could… leave.

But little did I know it wasn’t me. It was another one of them, or it Because I looked at it, they had to make me leave this horrible place, and I did want to…

During the night, I looked at the creature, the thing that wore my face but felt like ice. I didn’t want to be him I wouldn’t. As the “older me ” reached out, I lunged at the ground. My

hands scooped up a pile of that impossible, burning snow. It felt like holding a handful of frozen lightning I squeezed my eyes shut and crushed the snow between my palms with every bit of strength I had left. It didn't melt; it hardened.

When I opened my hands, a glowing, glass-like seal sat in my palm, humming with a strange power

The creature gasped, its eyes wide with fear. Before it could move, I slammed the cube directly into its chest. “You’re not my future anymore, ” I hissed

A blinding white light erupted.

The creature began to shrink, its body stretching and twisting like smoke being sucked into a vacuum

Its screams grew quieter and higher until it was gone, trapped inside the small, pulsing seal.

I stood at the edge of the light stairs and looked down into the endless black void. Without a second thought, I flicked the seal into the dark.

I watched the tiny spark tumble down, getting smaller and smaller until the darkness swallowed it whole.

The ground stopped shaking

The dark walls around me began to crack like

an eggshell

Through the cracks, I saw my school. I saw the PE field and the stairs There were no scary flames anymore. Instead, everything was glowing with the soft, warm light of a sunny afternoon.

The darkness wasn't a trap after all It was like a scab that grows over a cut to help it heal By throwing the seal inside, I had fixed the world.

I felt a hand on my shoulder I jumped, thinking it would be cold like ice. But the hand was warm and kind.

I turned around, but no one was there

The wind whispered one quiet word:

“Enough ” Suddenly, the blackness was gone. I blinked my eyes

I was standing at the top of the school stairs.

I could smell the trees and the fresh rain. There was no more smoke

Below me, I saw other kids laughing and playing. They were talking about the heat and looking at their phones.

There was no fire and no snow

I put my hand in my pocket and found a small, smooth rock It was just a piece of white quartz, but it felt like it had a tiny heartbeat inside

I knew then that the scary place was gone because I chose to be brave.

I took a deep breath and walked down the stairs to see my friends. The nightmare was finally over.

I wasn't scared anymore I was finally home

Behind the Door

If you ’ re reading this, don’t open the door I tried warning the next person too, but it didn’t help

A teenager named Koa ignores local rumors and mocks a mysterious door that appears in his new home at 2:14 AM every night After a shadow creature called the Hollow Man enters his room and leaves a threatening message, Koa and his friends venture into the woods to perform an ancient ritual. Together, they successfully chain the monster and burn the door to ash, though a chilling final echo of knocks suggests the nightmare might not be truly over

Every night at exactly 2:14 AM, the same mysterious door appears in a different part of our house. First it was on the roof, then under the house, now right behind my bed.

I’d moved into this house recently, but it never felt right. Other kids told strange stories. They said people knocked three times, and he would hear you He never entered homes. He waited until someone made space for him

I thought it was nonsense

The next day I told my friends. “Guys, my new house

feels really strange ” Kai replied, “Mate, that place is cursed.”

Jackson added, “Those stories are real ” “Just chill,” I said. “We don’t even know if any of it is true ” That night I kept checking the clock as it got closer to 2:14 AM Eventually, I fell asleep.

Then I woke up. The room was pitch black and freezing. A tall shadow moved silently past my bed and into the hallway. I followed it. It seemed to search for something before dropping an object. I crept forward and found a note Morning came too fast.

I thought it had been a dream - until I saw my bedroom door wide open On my desk was a single sheet of paper.

One word was written across it:

SEAL

Then I noticed writing carved into the wall: NEXT NIGHT YOU WON’T BE SAFE. My stomach dropped. I grabbed my phone “Guys!”

“What happened?” Kai asked “The note was real ” “Send photos.”

I did. No one replied for almost a minute

Then Kai wrote: “Mate. Leave the house Right now ” That night they searched old records and found a story about The Hollow Man. If he marked your house, he returned the next night There was only one way to stop him: seal him before he reached the door Near midnight, we went into the woods behind town and found an old stone circle.

Matteo held an ancient book while the rest of us carried a heavy iron chain. We began chanting: “Seal thy king of the cursed, the Hollow One ” Suddenly, the door appeared in the centre of the circle

The Hollow Man stepped out. His eyes were empty. His body was pure darkness He let out a horrible screech. The chains locked him in place. A glowing seal appeared on the door.

“The last thing!” I shouted “Burn it!” We threw our flaming torches. Fire spread instantly The door burned. The seal burned. The Hollow Man burned with it Soon there was nothing left but ash carried away by wind. The next night, 2:14 AM came and went with no door, no knocking, and no shadows

But sometimes I still wake in the middle of

the night, and sometimes I swear I hear three distinct knocks

Maybe it’s just the house.

I hope so. the knocking always comes back when I try to sleep again.

The Trial of Shadows

The boat rocked gently beneath Hudson’s feet as consciousness crawled back into his body. His head pounded like someone had used it as a drum. Salt stung his tongue. Metal walls loomed around him He sat up fast. Twenty one other people were packed into the dim cargo hold. Some looked terrified, some looked angry One girl in a red hoodie was crying silently into her knees.

Nobody seemed older than thirty And nobody remembered how they got there. A loudspeaker crackled overhead “Good morning, contestants.” The voice was smooth. Cheerful Way too cheerful “Please prepare for arrival.”

The steel doors at the front of the hold slammed open. Armed guards in black uniforms stepped inside Their masks were plain white except for a single symbol painted on the forehead, it looked like an eye. “Single file,” one ordered, nobody argued, they watched the glint of the guns hit the sun Hudson followed the line up onto the deck, and the sight nearly stopped him cold An island sat in the middle of an endless ocean. Dense jungle surrounded a giant concrete facility built into the cliffs like some military bunker.

Floodlights lit the shore despite the early morning fog. Towers overlooked the beach Cameras tracked every movement. A skinny guy beside Hudson muttered “That’s not ominous or scary at all.” The guards shoved them onto smaller transport boats and took them ashore. Inside the facility, the contestants were marched into a circular room with twenty-two chairs surrounding a black table Above them hung a massive digital screen. The cheerful voice returned. “Welcome to Mafia Island.”

wearing a silver mask shaped like a smiling face. He sat in a luxurious chair somewhere no one knew, fingers folded neatly over his hands. “You may call me the Host, each of you has been assigned a role from the classic game known as Mafia ” A guard wheeled in a metal box. “Inside are your roles Some of you are innocent citizens. Others are killers hiding among them ” The room went dead silent, so quiet it felt as though he had been transported to the bottom of the world.

The screen flickered on. A man appeared

“Every night, special roles will act in secret ” Images flashed on the screen, a knife, a sheriff badge, a doctor’s symbol, and a sniper scope. “The Mafia will choose someone to eliminate, the Doctor may save a life, the Detective may investigate identities Other roles do exist as well.” Hudson’s stomach twisted into a ball “And every morning, you will gather here to discuss the deaths ” The Host leaned forward slightly. “You will vote.” A red stamp slammed onto the screen: EXECUTED “If the town eliminates all evil players, the survivors go free ” Another stamp appeared: MASSACRE. “If the Mafia ever equals or outnumber the innocents, the

Mafia wins ” The room was frozen now. “You may not refuse participation ” A guard moved his rifle “Any attempt to escape, ” the Host continued, “Will result in immediate execution.” The screen shut off. One by one, the guards handed out small red envelopes. Hudson opened his carefully. Inside was a single card. “CITIZEN” it read. His chest gave a calming breath At least he wasn’t one of the killers, unless that was exactly what a killer would think? The paranoia had already started. That night, Hudson barely slept in the

small room Twenty-two beds sat in neat rows under dim lights. Guards watched from outside the bars A tall woman named Lena whispered with two others in the corner A guy called Briggs kept glaring at everyone like he expected a knife sweeping from everyone ' s hands. The red-hoodie girl introduced herself as Ivy and nervously asked Hudson if he thought any of them were actually murderers “I mean probably?” Hudson whispered back “Thanks,” she muttered. “Really comforting.” At exactly midnight, alarms echoed through the doorway. The lights

turned blood red The guards entered silently. “THe role phase is beginning” one exclaimed One by one, different contestants were escorted away Hudson watched them leave. He had no idea what or who each person was as the lights were switched off again so their role would remain undetected. Then the doors shut again. Hours later, everyone awoke looking pale and shaken. Except one person, Briggs. Morning came with no sunlight

The metal facility had no windows in the discussion chamber

Only the cold white lights. The contestants

sat in silence as the Host appeared on the screen again. “Good morning ” he said cheerfully A long pause. “During the night… Briggs was killed ” Gasps spread instantly. A guard rolled Briggs’ body into the room under a white sheet before pulling it back just enough to reveal his face. He was dead, extremely very dead. The Host continued casually,“Briggs’ role was ” The screen flickered “BODYGUARD” it showcased with a small icon of an earpiece. Several people cursed in fear under their breath “A valuable loss for the town.”

Hudson studied the room carefully now. Some people looked horrified, others looked too calm. One guy near the end of the table avoided eye contact completely with anyone. The Host spoke again, “You now have thirty minutes to discuss your vote” Chaos exploded through the crowd “It was her!” A young man screamed pointing at Lena “How would you know that?! We need claims!” another yelled. “No! claiming roles gets people killed!” a lady said at the end of the crowd. Hudson stayed quiet at first, back home when he played mafia he

figured out that the Innocents lied to survive. And that the guilty people told truths to manipulate them. Every conversation became reckless Then the women from before, Ivy? suddenly pointed across the cold table “It’s him ” Everyone stopped suddenly. The silent guy with large glasses looked up sharply. “You haven’t said a single word since we got here,” Ivy interrogated “That’s very suspicious…” “That means nothing!” the man snapped desperately. “It means definitely something,”

Lena added calmly

Hudson’s eyes popped up, and suddenly he

“THUD!” Silence. A moment later, the screen flashed red ROLE REVEAL:

noticed it then Lena wasn’t nervous anymore, she looked focused SHe looked confident Like she knew something more than everyone else. The discussion spiraled for another twenty minutes until the Host interrupted “It is now time to vote ” Names appeared on the screens above them. One by one, contestants cast their votes Most of them landed on the silent man with the glasses. He stood petrified as the guards approached. “You idiots,” he hissed sadly. “You’re helping them!” The Host tilted his masked head. “The vote is unanimous ” The floor beneath the man opened instantly. His scream vanished into the blank darkness

There was Lena, sharpeyed and calm under pressure, with blonde hair always tied back tightly like she was preparing for battle.

Ivy was nervous but observant, the kind of person who noticed details nobody else cared about Marcus was a broadshouldered mechanic covered in tattoos who argued with almost everyone. Jun stayed

DETECTIVE. The small magnifying glasses icon The room collectively stopped breathing. And somewhere behind that silver mask, the Host smiled. The contestants changed after the Detective died. Not physically Mentally Trust shattered instantly. Nobody looked at each other during breakfast anymore. The guards marched them through the halls while cameras followed overhead like vultures watching wounded animals Hudson started memorising everyone carefully because if he wanted to survive, he needed to understand the people around him

quiet and polite, usually watching conversations from the edges Talia had shaved black hair and a sarcastic grin that somehow made arguments worse instead of better. Father Ben was older, calm, trying desperately to keep everyone sane. Nico looked like he was about to have a panic attack at all times. And finally then there was Vincent Vincent looked comfortable, that alone made Hudson distrust him immediately Night Two came quickly More escorts, more red lights More silence. Hudson barely slept before the alarms screamed again the next morning. When the contestants entered the discussion chamber, one chair sat empty. The Host appeared on the screens. “During the night… Father Ben was killed ” Several contestants visibly deflated. Even in a death game, losing the priest felt wrong somehow. “Father Ben’s role was… Doctor ” Marcus slammed his fist onto the table. “We’re screwed.” Hudson studied reactions carefully. Vincent sighed softly like he expected it Lena looked genuinely angry, and Jun looked terrified Discussion turned ugly immediately, people interrupted constantly now Nobody listened anymore, that was the Host’s genius. Talia suddenly stood up and pointed across the table. “Vincent!” Vincent looked at her calmly “Yes?” “You never accuse anyone, ” she said. “Interesting observation ” He said Hudson noticed something important, for the first time, Vincent’s smile slipped slightly. When voting time came, nine votes landed on Vincent, eight landed on Marcus. The rest were just scattered randomly Vincent stood slowly as guards

approached him

“You’re making a mistake,” he said sadly. The Host tilted his head slightly “Perhaps ” The floor opened beneath Vincent and his scream vanished into darkness Seconds later the screen flashed red, ROLE REVEAL: CITIZEN

The room completely broke apart after that, Marcus was screaming at Talia. Nico nearly collapsed from panic and Ivy started to openly cry Hudson just stared at the table, within two days they had executed both the Detective and an innocent civilian while the Mafia hadn’t missed a single kill

After that, people

started disappearing faster. On night three: Jun died. She was a Sheriff Night Four: Marcus was poisoned during dinner by the evil Chemist. Night Five: Talia was voted out after a giant explosive argument with Lena She turned out to be innocent too

“No, Ms Ivy, I merely provided the environment.”

By the sixth morning only eleven contestants remained alive Hudson felt like it had been years since arriving on the island Dark circles hollowed everyone ’ s faces, nobody slept properly anymore. The Host seemed delighted by it all. “Excellent progress, ” he announced one morning “You’re a monster! You’re all monsters,” Ivy screamed from the crowds. The room froze Even the guards looked surprised, the host chuckled softly through the speakers.

That night everything changed, Hudson woke to screaming. It was real screaming The dorm lights flickered red while guards sprinted through the halls, guns in hand

Nico had tried to escape. They dragged him back into the dorm bloody and barely conscious, a giant gash all over his back

“PLEASE! ” Nico screamed. A guard

lifted his gun and pulled the trigger. Silence followed instantly, the guards removed the body without another word.

Morning seven arrived with only nine players left alive. The Host appeared again. “During the night no Mafia kill occurred ” The room looked stunned, Hudson’s brain immediately started racing. Why would the Mafia fail unless someone had stopped them? Then Lena spoke calmly. “I’m the Vigilante.” Everyone turned toward her instantly. “I shot someone last night,” she continued “And I think I hit one of them ” She pointed across the

table “Carter ” Carter, a nervous businessman who rarely spoke, immediately went pale “She’s lying!” he shouted. “Am I?” Lena replied coldly as she placed a black pistol onto the table, the guards didn’t react, meaning it was real “I had one bullet, and I used it.” Hudson noticed Carter sweating violently now. Too violent. The discussion exploded into chaos Carter kept stumbling over his words while Lena stayed calm and frighteningly focused. When voting time arrived, Carter lost overwhelmingly Guards dragged him

toward the centre of the room. “WAIT! ” The floor opened beneath him before he could finish ROLE REVEAL: MAFIA ENFORCER. The room erupted, some contestants laughed in relief while others nearly cried. For the first time, the innocent players had actually won something. Hudson looked at Lena differently after that She wasn’t just smart anymore, she was dangerous The next few days became open warfare, the remaining Mafia fought harder now that one of their own was dead. Contestants turned on each other constantly, Ivy eventually revealed herself as the Tracker

role after correctly exposing another Mafia member named Elise Elise smiled calmly even as guards dragged her toward execution. “Too late,” she whispered before disappearing into the darkness beneath the floor That sentence haunted everyone as she sounded confident.

By Day Ten only five players remained alive: Hudson, Lena, Ivy, Owen and Mira. One Mafia member still remained hidden among them, nobody knew who. The Host practically sounded excited now. “The final phase is starting ” That night Hudson couldn’t sleep,

rain hammered against the facility roof while thunder rolled outside. Then he heard footsteps, they were slow and careful.

Someone moved silently between the beds holding a glistening knife. Hudson kept his eyes barely open as the figure stopped beside Owen’s bed and slowly raised the blade Then a gunshot exploded through the dorm. The figure collapsed instantly, a bullet hole in their back. Guards stormed inside while everyone woke up screaming. Lena stood near the doorway holding the smoking pistol The fallen figure rolled over slowly, Mira.

Blood spread across her chest as she stared blankly upward. The Host’s laughter echoed through the speakers “Well done.” The screen flashed red one final time ROLE REVEAL: MAFIA GODFATHER.

Silence swallowed the room Then new words appeared across every screen. TOWN VICTORY. Hudson felt numb

Twenty-two strangers had entered the island

Only four survived Ivy started sobbing uncontrollably, Owen sat shaking violently at the edge of his bed. Lena simply lowered the gun silently and a sense of happiness spread across her

face The guards entered and, for the first time, removed their weapons The Host appeared one final time on the screens.

“Congratulations, survivors. You have proven yourselves exceptional under pressure ” Hudson looked around at the empty beds surrounding them Exceptional wasn’t the word he would’ve used. The Host stood from his chair “Your transport home awaits.” Then a long knife flew through the air, smashing into the screen. The host walked up to it and grabbed it and placed it in his belt “The games have ended” At

sunrise Hudson stood on the boat leaving the island behind. Rain clouds faded slowly into the distance while the facility disappeared into the fog Nobody spoke much, what was there left to say? They had lied, betrayed innocent people and voted strangers to their deaths just to survive. Ivy eventually broke the silence quietly. “Do you think they’ll do it again?” Hudson stared back toward the distant island. Somewhere out there, cameras were probably still watching. Preparing for another game “Yeah,” he said finally “People have been playing the Mafia for years ” He looked out toward the cloudy horizon. “They just finally figured out how to make it real ”

Smash as the fire crashes onto my face and burns it I cry, screaming in agony as my friend Johnny comes to help I scream, “Get an ambulance!” He doesn’t respond for a second, but then he screams, “Help me! My friend is in trouble! He burnt his face off!”

Two days later I am in the hospital, but I can’t feel my face or nose. I look in the mirror

“Oh my God!” I scream As the doctor tells me

Burned

to calm down, I get worried and think, Will I ever get my face back again? If I don’t, I will be very sad and cry for the rest of my life

Then I realise, How will I cry if I only have one eye?

I am sad I scream to the doctor, “Let me out, please! I am sorry! Just let me get my face back!”

I scream in anger. Why did this have to happen? What is wrong with my face? I think as

I fall to the ground

The next morning I wake up in a hospital bed. The room is quiet except for the beeping of machines beside me. My face is covered in thick bandages and every movement hurts I stare at the ceiling for hours, thinking about my old life I remember playing soccer with my friends, riding my bike around the neighbourhood, and laughing without a care in the world. Now

everything feels different.

Later that day, Johnny comes to visit me

“Hey,” he says quietly I don’t answer.

“I’m sorry, ” he says.

“It’s not your fault,” I mumble.

Johnny sits beside me and tells me about school He tells me that everyone is asking how I am doing and that my teachers have sent cards wishing me a speedy recovery. For the first time since the accident, I smile a little.

Over the next few weeks, the doctors work hard to help me recover. Some days are good, but most are difficult Every time I look in the mirror, I feel

upset I miss the way I used to look. I miss being normal.

One afternoon, a nurse notices me staring sadly at my reflection.

“You know,” she says, “being strong isn’t about how you look. It’s about getting back up when life knocks you down ”

I think about her words for a long time.

Months pass The burns slowly begin to heal. I still have scars, but I start learning how to live with them The doctors teach me exercises to help my face recover Every day I work a little harder.

Some days I want to give up, but I keep going

Eventually, the day comes when I can return to school. I am nervous.

As I walk through the gates, I feel like everyone is staring at me. Some students whisper to each other while others quickly look away. I lower my head and keep walking

Then I hear someone call my name.

It is Johnny Soon my other friends join us. They talk to me like nothing has

changed We laugh about old memories and tell jokes. For the first time in months, I feel normal again.

As the weeks go by, people stop staring They get used to seeing me. I begin to

realise that my friends care about who I am, not what I look like.

One afternoon, nearly a year after the accident, I am walking home from school when I catch my reflection in a shop window. I stop and stare.

The scars are still there

The memories are still there too. But something else is there now. Strength.

I realise that the fire may have changed my face, but it didn’t change who I am. It didn’t take away my friends, my family, or my dreams.

I smile

For the first time since the accident, I am no

longer afraid of what I see in the mirror. The fire burnt my skin, but it never burnt away my hope

And that is something no flame can ever take from me

Germany, 1933

Alexander Becker threw his bag onto his bed as he sighed from a long day of school.

Never was it not a busy day Two exams? In one day? No one wants that! In Germany though, things like that change Exams, exams, exams, it always was. As if people would just say that no exams would commence? Never would it happen.

Sighing, he took small steps down the stairs due to his little sister

being asleep. His mother stood in the kitchen with a frying pan with a sausage leaping and sizzling in it

“How’d school go today?”

“Good ” Alexander sighed and slammed onto his bed as he entered his bedroom

scream He walked outside to see two police men standing around holding a gun at his mother

“You’re under arrest!” They called. What for?

Sudden gunshots rang in Alexander’s ears He clutched his ears hard and tried not to

Another officer stood behind Alexander with a gun to his head. His father stood behind the officer and punched him in the back and tripped him

“No one holds a gun to my son!” He yelled. His mother then kicked one

of the other officers in the, well, yeah and grabbed a gun.

Alexander suddenly closed his eyes Two gunshots rang in his ears. He then opened his eyes again His sister stood behind him. Alex, there is something we need to tell you We’re going to move, ” his father said.

To be continued

The Door

120 Years Ago

“Should we open it?” asked John

“Yes,” answered Jim. The door creaked open and a mysterious figure growled from deep inside the large dark room

“AAAAAAHHHHHH!” screamed the two of them, and they sprinted away

Present Day…

Chapter 1

Bob and Jim raced

down to the playground, weaving through people and babies in strollers, their hearts beating out of their chests

Once they reached the playground, they started searching for their mum

You see, Bob and Jim were very curious and loved to wander. Earlier that day, they had decided to follow a bird back to its nest

Now you might be

thinking, Why is this bad? Well, their mum was about to leave to take their younger sister, Poppy, for a walk. When their mum told the two friends where they were going, they weren't listening Now they were desperately looking for where on earth their mum was.

Chapter 2: The Discovery

After having no success at the park,

they left and returned home close to tears. They were halfway home when they heard a creaking sound coming from a sewer.

The boys stopped.

“Did you hear that?” whispered Bob.

“Yep,” replied Jim nervously

The sound came again Creeeeeeak.

The boys slowly walked towards the sewer cover. It was old and rusty, and strange green moss covered the edges

“Maybe it's just the wind,” said Bob. Jim wasn't so sure

Together, they pushed the heavy cover aside. A narrow ladder led down into darkness

“Should we go down?”

asked Bob

“We'll only look for a minute,” said Jim.

The two boys climbed down

At the bottom was a long tunnel lit by flickering lights Water dripped from the ceiling and echoed through the sewer

Then they saw it

A large wooden door stood in the middle of the tunnel

It looked completely out of place.

The door was covered in scratches and strange symbols.

Written across it in faded paint were the words:

DO NOT OPEN

The boys looked at each other

“That's weird,” said

Bob

“Maybe there's treasure behind it,” Jim replied

They stepped closer

The door looked very

old, as if it had been there for hundreds of years.

Without thinking, Bob grabbed the handle

“Wait,” said Jim

But it was too late.

The door slowly creaked open

A freezing wind blasted through the tunnel

The lights went out

The ground shook beneath their feet.

Then two glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness.

The boys screamed

The creature stepped forward. It was tall,

shadowy, and covered in black smoke. Suddenly, Bob noticed something carved into the door frame

Opened in 1906. Never open again. The creature let out a terrifying roar. The boys turned and ran as fast as they could Up the ladder. Across the footpath. Through the park

The creature chased them, growing larger with every step

Just as it reached them, Bob spotted a large construction site nearby

“Follow me!” he shouted.

The boys ran inside and found a giant cement mixer.

An idea popped into Bob's head. “Get it under the creature!” Together, they lured the monster towards the mixer. As it stepped forward, they released a huge load of wet cement. The creature was trapped Slowly, it hardened into stone. The red eyes faded The monster was gone. The ground became silent

The boys looked at each other and collapsed onto the grass, exhausted Later that evening, workers sealed the sewer forever

A metal sign was placed above it:

WARNING: DO NOT OPEN

As Bob and Jim walked home with their mum, they promised never to go exploring without permission again

Far below the ground, hidden beneath layers of concrete, the old wooden door remained closed. And hopefully, it would stay that way forever

The End

The Wheel Behind the Door

John opened the door and entered the room, and right there he could see a big monstrous wheel. Slowly, the wheel began to roll, creeping ever closer. In fear, John froze in place

The wheel crushed

John's tiny toes as he tried to run away. He let out a scream The room was at the very top of an old lighthouse that stood on a rocky cliff above the sea. Dust covered the floor, and thick cobwebs hung from the ceiling. The wind howled through cracks in the walls, making strange whistling sounds. Moonlight shone through the dirty windows and lit up the giant wheel.

John had come to the lighthouse after finding a mysterious map buried in the sand at the beach The map showed a path leading to a secret room and promised a great treasure. Excited by the adventure, John followed the map all the way up the lighthouse's narrow spiral staircase After climbing hundreds of steps, he finally reached an old wooden door hidden behind a rusty shelf. Nobody knew why the wheel was behind the door. Some people said it had been built

by a famous inventor long ago. Others believed it was magical and had been locked away to keep it from causing trouble.

Whatever the reason, the wheel had been waiting in the dark room for many years.

froze, unable to move It was like his feet were glued to the ground The wheel started coming closer and closer, to the point where it started crushing his toes John let out a yelp. He was terrified. He tried to pull his feet away

Now, as it rolled towards John, he realised that some secrets were meant to stay hidden. John was excited to see what the wheel actually did He went closer and closer to the wheel, trying to see what was on it He stood in place, exploring the wheel.

Suddenly, the wheel started moving. John

Finally, he could free himself from the wheel. John was sitting at home watching TV when the channel suddenly changed It said that whoever went to the room at the oldest lighthouse would get $10,000

John thought about it and decided to go. He left the house

dreaming big dreams

John never knew what was actually coming for him. That is why the door should have never been opened

Strange World: Year 2130

Chapter 1: Blast Off to the Unknown

The day had come,I walked proudly through the NASA Space Station, staff members clapping as my heart pounded loudly. At the same time of being proud I also was feeling like there were a billion butterflies in my stomach, each step I took a drop of sweat came down my face. Suddenly I see it the most out of this world machine, more powerful than any car,plane or boat in the whole world a ROCKET! I am trying hard not to drop my jaw in awe but it is almost impossible to stay calm, my excited emotion comes back as I close my jaw and walk onwards. The Rocket looked like it was as tall as a mountain and enough fuel to fill 100 olympic sized pools Artamis 11 they call it, finally I get to the cockpit I realise

I am the first one here as I sit on my pilot chair. A moment later my co-pilot arrives looking just as nervous as I am “hey” awkwardly spoke James “hi” I responded back We fasten our tight seatbelts, It presses hard on my belly, we flick switches to get this Rocket started. Surprisingly a ton of people come on the radio as I gaze into the bright blue sky, I am nervous once again

for the journey in the stars. The first rocket to ever go to Mars was a big event for even the whole world I have trained for this my whole life. I know I can do it My name is Issac, a 25 year old proud and nervous astronaut and the first human to attempt to land on Mars, another voice jumps on the radio, this one more important than the others, it was the countdown! “5…4… 3” I breathe heavily “2 ” I grip the controls tight “1…” was I really ready for this,”BLAST OFF!”

Chapter 2: Crash Landing

I am anxious that there might be some bad news. ”It should be smooth sailing from here on, ” replied James.

I breathed out in relief.

The engine blasted me into my seat as the rocket blasted us up at astonishing speed, the sky seemed to be getting darker and darker as we went higher. Soon after we were out in space my eyes gazed in wonder at the twinkling stars, almost forgetting that we were in a huge rocket on the way to mars. I set course dead ahead to the small red planet Mars, “What's the status James?”

I put the steady rocket on autopilot so I could relax and take a

breather, moments later though a red alarm bleeps on one of the buttons waking me out of my relaxing position I almost jump to the roof because of the irritating sound Suddenly a new voice comes on the radio “ do not panic I repeat do not panic there seems to be a fuel failure in the tank I repeat there seems to be a fuel failure in the tank,” and it cuts off. I know it said don’t panic but at the time that's really all I can do, James and I desperately try to figure out what was wrong with the tank, we tried everything we could to try and fix this catastrophe but it was

no use we couldn’t fix it no matter what. All of a sudden the rocket came to a stop and started falling rapidly down , I realised that we were above some strange looking blue and white planet. This definitely was not a planet in our solar system but whatever it was we were heading straight down to crash head on to it My eyes bulged in fear, “What do we do!” screamed James in fear, my brain was desperately racketting through to find a solution. Suddenly I found an idea. I just remembered there were Jet packs stored in the back, in the blink of an eye I immediately

dashed to the door in desperation.James followed right behind me, I opened a heavy steel door to reveal the jetpacks hanging in the dark room. And before I knew it we were standing in front of the exit door thinking anxiously if we should do this My face turned to James for an answer. He came to meet my face and nodded nervously at me, I took a deep breath and swung the door open We immediately jumped out the door leaving the spaceship and heading into this weird planet's atmosphere. We have no idea if this planet is breathable or not. This is a matter of

life and death

We were rapidly descending into the mystical planet below us, my helmet squeezed on my neck.Suddenly we entered the atmosphere, my eyes couldn’t even take a look at the sky’s colour as we were coming in hot to the ground in fact very hot. Surprisingly flames burst, roasting my suit and scorching me. My hands quickly pushed the button to activate the jetpack but it didn’t work. I tried a billion more times pushing at it but it wouldn’t work. It was jammed! A shiver rushed through me as I realised it was over!

And then the G-force hit me and everything went black…..

Chapter 3: Not Mars!

My eyes fixed as I woke up from when I fainted, “Wait a minute, shouldn't I be dead?” I thought I immediately jolted up from the wet soggy grass.Finally when my eyes fixed to view this unknown weird planet my jaws immediately dropped My eyes immediately went to the scene of the endless beautiful blue and green horizon stretching over the planet. The trees leaves were the colour of nicely autumn type orange fluttering in the

breeze The grass was the colour of light blue like the sky's colour on earth was swapped to the ground on this planet, this was nothing like I have ever seen! I thought of how lucky I was but then switched the thought when I realised I was lost in the galaxy with no way of getting home since our Artamis 11 had crash landed somewhere on this mysterious planet Though I could see smoke in the distance coming out polluting the sky horizon I lumped back down on the ground knowing I was going to die on this planet alone ”Wait, what about my helmet!” I

thought as I felt no straining on my neck. I searched the ground desperately to find where my helmet had gone .But then I realised if I was able to breath that whole time then this planet must be breathable to humans, thankfully I breathed out to the relief that this planet had oxygen in it.Snap! A twig broke somewhere in the trees' shadows. My heart raced as soon as I heard “What could it be?”

I thought, my mind instantly went to thought of some terrifying monster coming to eat me for its dinner A shiver went through my spine at the

terrifying thought of such thing, I searched for something I could defend myself with to protect me from this creature.Eventually I found a stick on the ground and held it up like it was a grand sword I had summoned ,though my hands were shivering because of the fear from his mysterious creature hiding in the dark Soon later a hand appeared out in light, weirdly it was small and looked like some kind of dog arm except it was the colour purple. I lowered my sword/stick realising that this thing could be not as scary as I once thought, eventually the creature emerged from

face o face with me

Chapter 4: I am not Alone

My hands slowly dropped the stick I was carrying when I saw this rather terrifying creature that met eyes with me. It had quite beautiful antennas or antlers that had wonderful glowing pink bulbs at the end of them, It also had four big black eyes like some sort of spider on earth But my favourite look of this creature was the little chubby purple legs and glowing pink feat,I quickly started looking for my camera that I swear I had left it in one of my pockets in my suit. But then I

realised I must had left it in the rocket and is now probably long gone now “AAAAH come on!”

I screamed in anger, I kicked the blue grass in frustration and looked back at the creature “What's your name buddy?” I asked, hoping this creature could speak English, but then immediately changed the mood thinking I had gone nuts and was just embarrassing myself in front of this creature It was just me alone on this weird planet, maybe James too but his jetpack must have been jammed since they were both very old and rusty “Plurp”

came reply from the creature, my eyes turned to it in disbelief.

“Did that creature just understand and respond to what I said”

I thought, the thing looked at me with its big black eyes curiously examining me The creature took one step closer to me and stopped like it seemed to be waiting for some type of response, I nodded for it to come closer.

Carefully, it approached closer and closer to me, soon the creature had come almost right next to my helmet on the blue grass and stopped to take a seat near my helmet It once again looked at me even

more curious than before, slowly I reached my hand out to carefully pat this now cute creature But before I could get any closer it aggressively chomped on my helmet and dashed back in the shady woods

“Hey!”

I screamed in anger, without a thought I immediately sprinted after that cheeky thief and grabbed my stick ready to catch the thing but when I entered the colourful woods the creature was nowhere to be seen I looked down at the grass in disappointment and sighed, but suddenly I saw something a little foot print was pressed

down on the grass I realised there was actually a whole trail of the foot prints and knew this had to be the things trail that it left behind. Instantly I followed the trail on the grass leading deep in the forest, while I was following the trail I thought of how cunning that annoying creature was.

“He had a simple but smart plan to steal my helmet. First: be innocent and adorable as a first impression.Second: use that cute and adorable personality to get closer to my helmet.And third : quickly grab my helmet and run into the woods to hide from me. ”

I couldn’t believe that thing tricked me so easily I started thinking how stupid I was to fall for that simple trick, this wasn’t really about getting my helmet back this was more about getting revenge on this creature. On the way to finding this thing I saw many magnificent sights like big colourful looking glowworms fluttering around a long log,weirdly long and wonky mushrooms moving the top of it up and down like it was deflating and inflating.This planet definitely was a very strange world compared to Earth, suddenly stopped to an opening and what looked like to be small

ancient huts with moss and fungi growing on them.I laid down on a hill looking down upon the strange village making sure not to be seen by anyone,there seemed to be wooden bridges and street lights in the village kinda looking like one of Earth's villages except more mystical than ours.Soon minutes were passing like hours and slowly I was growing tired of waiting for someone to come and realised that it would be better if I just went down to see for myself where it had gone. Stealthily, I sneaked through the path ways in the village I realised there were actually no one

here since all the lights in the huts were off and not a single peep could be heard anywhere around me.actually I could hear something coming from further away in the distance it actually sounded a lot like people were dancing? I ignored my thought and followed the sound, soon later I could see that there was a huge fire in the middle of a big festival by looks of it And not only that but turns out I wasn’t alone after all there seemed to be way more creatures than the one who stole my helmet ,most of them were dancing around the fire in a circle. Wait a minute in

the circle there was a tall figure standing way taller than the other foot high creatures James! It was James I couldn’t believe it! I reacted quicker than ever before and lunged in front with my stick to protect, “Don’t worry James i’ll protect you from these rascals!” I said confidently, before the creatures could take any step further I swung my stick to the closest creature as a warning but before I could hit the thing with my stick James stuck out his hand to block the attack.

“Wait!”

James yelled My head turned around in

confusion of why James did such a thing.

“These creatures aren’t the bad guys here Issac!”

James said, I couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle on the silly statement James had made about them.

“Well these not bad guys stole my helmet and ran away like a dirty thief!”

I responded, James shaking his head in disappointment at the comment I said back to him

“No Issac these creatures are just living there life collecting stuff to bring back to their tribe, you see these guys are just trying to stay safe from predators here and

there not really at the top of the food chain at the moment.That’s why they need to get supplies and stay safe from these beasts that’s why they took your helmet”

Spoke to James hopefully trying to change the decision of me whacking the creature, I sighed and dropped my stick down in sorryness I looked at the crowd of little creatures and said sorry to them to hopefully change their mind that I am not going to hurt anyone here

“Thanks for agreeing with me Issac you’ll soon find that these creatures actually are really kind and have a

beautiful culture and traditions” spoke James smoothly. And later on I did find that these creatures were very kind and inclusive all they were doing was trying to find their way in this world.Sooner than I expected a pink and black night rose over the planet, luckily the creatures were kind enough to lend me a hut like they had, Eventually I was in my surprisingly comfy small bed and was looking out the windows at the cool three shining big moons that shined a silver light over the world.I let out a big yawn and slowly drifted away

Chapter 5: The Real

Bad Guy “WAKE UP ISSAC!” screamed a voice from the window, it was James! I realised “What” I mumbled lazily back, “We have to go!” my eyes widened at how serious James’ voice was, he stretched a hand out to me in an offer of weirdly escaping this room I turned my head in confusion of why are we leaving this place. “Look just grab my hand and i’ll explain when we come down from here”. James responded to my confused look, but wait what did he mean come ‘down’ here from I figured it must have been some tongue

fumble of language.Quickly I grabbed on to his hand and he tugged me out of the window my foot went down to place on the ground, but when I did so my foot never touched the ground and instead slipped in the air I looked down surprisedness and saw that somehow the house was floating above the ground with all the creatures stretching up to form a long ladder that connected with the house.I could also feel that something was tugging me upwards and bits of the planets ground and trees were ripped out and floated all the way above me and kept on going.I

Spoke James again, “Lucky?”

I thought, I don’t think that we were lucky when the whole planet’s going to be sucked up including all of us.Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing as they had their heads facing the ground in sadness, I knew what I had to do though.

“Is there anything you can think of that can stop this” I said to the group in hopefulness that there could maybe just be something to stop this disaster one

ignored the strange things happening around me and just climbed down the creature formed ladder, eventually we came to the ground and the ladder broke apart to come to the ground too.And there is where I could look above my head to see the absolute monster that was sucking up the ground A BLACK HOLE! My lip trembled in fear, my knees knobbled like it was impossible to stand up, “That’s the problem” said James in a terrified voice, and I could tell this wasn’t just a small problem this was a big problem “It formed at about 3:00 in the morning but we were lucky enough that everyone managed to escape before they were sucked in”

alien creature nodded his head back at my comment he then pointed his little purple arm at a cave that lead under the ground and its entrance poked out of the surface of the ground. It also looked like it had a blue ghoulish colour glowing from inside, “Oh I know what he’s pointing at, he’s pointing at the most powerful weapon in all of eternity. He’s pointing at the grand gem!” exclaimed James,My eyebrows frowned questionably at this grand gem thing.James must have seen my reaction so he explained it to me to make more sense.

”The grand gem has the power to summon black holes so I think if we summon one out of the gem then the black hole there and the one we summon will collide and burst which will save us from it”. It took me a while to process what James had just said but eventually I kinda understood what he was suggesting

”That's brilliant James!”

I yelled excitedly, James gave a proud smile back at my response.With no time to lose I immediately slammed down my space backpack and grabbed out the rusty old jetpack that I had saved. And quickly

popped my jetpack on my back without thinking that I was risking my life that my jetpack might get jammed again and could plummet to my death Before anyone could say anything I pressed the button with all my hope and Thankfully it worked!I zoomed through the air faster than a cheetah and soon I was there in no time,I crashed and landed right in front of the spooky cave In a flash I ripped off the jetpack and sprinted in the cave, and there it was right in front of me the grand gem. The grand gem was placed right in the middle on a stone pillar with a tiny river circling all around

it Immediately, I jumped over the river, grabbed it, and sprinted back to my anxious friends at the grass in the distance.

Eventually, I got there with a puffing breath and gave the gem to the creatures. These guys knew what they were doing when they place the gem in the middle of a chant that was leaded by the eldest one on the side. James and I looked at the chant from the side and hoped for the best, suddenly the black hole rose incredible from the gem and looked absolutely huge! In an instant the black holes came closer and closer until……….BAM! Silence.

The ground shudders beneath Fred as a battle erupts behind him. Fire sparks spread everywhere as towering Titans burn the ground to ashes for Alien Infantry to attack the UN (United Nations) and capture Planet Earth. Interestingly, the Alien Army keeps reinforcing their ships Fred ducked behind a destroyed tank as lasers blasted overhead The sky was completely covered by

The Alien Invasion

enormous alien warships They hovered above the clouds like giant steel mountains. “We can't hold them much longer!” shouted a UN soldier as he fired his plasma rifle. Another explosion rocked the battlefield

A Titan, nearly twenty metres tall, smashed its metal fist into a defence wall, sending concrete flying everywhere Fred looked around desperately. Humanity

was losing

“How are they getting so many reinforcements?” he wondered

Then he noticed something strange. High above the battlefield, one giant alien ship looked different from all the others It was larger, darker, and protected by a glowing blue shield

“That must be where they're coming from,” Fred muttered.

He grabbed a nearby communicator.

“Command, this is Fred! I think I've found their main carrier!”

Static crackled.

Then a voice replied.

“Fred, if you ' re right, destroying that ship could stop the invasion ”

Fred swallowed nervously.

Destroying the biggest ship in the alien fleet sounded impossible.

But it was humanity's only chance

Nearby, he spotted an abandoned fighter jet sitting on a damaged runway

An idea formed in his mind.

Without hesitation, he sprinted towards it

Laser blasts exploded

around him as alien soldiers noticed him running.

“Stop him!” screeched one of the aliens

Fred jumped into the cockpit and slammed the controls forward

The engines roared to life.

Within seconds, the fighter shot into the sky.

Alien ships immediately turned towards him

Warning alarms blared.

“Missile lock detected.”

“Missile lock detected ” Fred gripped the controls tighter.

“I've come too far to quit now ”

Missiles streaked towards him.

He rolled sharply to the left

The first missile missed.

He dived downward

The second missile crashed into an alien fighter instead

Soon he was approaching the giant carrier ship.

The blue shield shimmered around it.

“How am I supposed to get through that?” Fred said

Suddenly, Command radioed him.

“Fred! Our scientists have found a weakness. The shield generator is underneath the ship ”

Fred smiled.

“Perfect.”

He flew beneath the carrier.

Sure enough, a massive glowing machine sat exposed between giant engines.

Fred armed every missile he had left. “Here goes nothing.”

He pressed the launch button

Six missiles fired at once.

The shield generator exploded in a brilliant flash of blue light. Across the battlefield, the carrier's shield vanished.

The UN forces immediately noticed “Target the carrier!” commanders yelled. Hundreds of missiles, cannons, and plasma weapons fired at the giant ship. The carrier shook violently.

Cracks spread across its hull

Then, with a deafening boom, it exploded.

A massive shockwave rolled through the sky.

Instantly, every smaller alien ship stopped moving

The reinforcements had ended.

The Titans froze

The alien soldiers looked confused.

“Now!” shouted the UN commanders

Human forces pushed forward. Without reinforcements, the alien army quickly began to retreat

One by one, the remaining ships fled into space.

The invasion was over

Days later, Fred stood among a cheering crowd as people celebrated humanity's victory.

The Earth had survived

The President stepped forward and shook

Fred's hand

“You saved our world ”

Fred smiled as he looked up at the clear blue sky

For the first time in months, there were no alien ships overhead

Only peace

The End

The Mistake - One Way Mission

I tighten my oxygen mask as the altimeter slowly climbs past 10,000 feet, the needle dragging us closer to the inevitable. Leaning back onto the makeshift metal cot behind Betty's cockpit, I steady my breathing and fix my mind on a single thought. Memories of training flicker through my mind Each command, each movement, each lesson has become another rivet sealing my fate inside this machine Vice Admiral Takijirō Ōnishi had approved a weapon they believed could change the fate of the war, a weapon that demanded not only obedience, but sacrifice

Betty was no longer an aircraft; she had become a tomb carried through the sky, and I was already sealed

inside it My heavy eyes wander across the spacious cockpit of the Betty. The steel walls hum with restrained violence, the aircraft breathing around us as it carries its cargo toward destruction My gaze lifts toward the operator. The look on his face says everything. Solemn. Regretful. Almost pitying His expression becomes a final prayer neither of us are willing to speak aloud.

For a moment, I remain on the freezing metal cot, clinging to the last traces of peace before his voice cuts through the silence. “We’ve made it,” he says.

Fletcher-class destroyers have been spotted below, a pair of destroyers and smaller vessels. I scramble to the “devils gate” Taking a deep breath, I pass through the door, descending into the narrow, choking pipes below Reality hits me like a frozen tide, shattering against my face in a single, ruthless sweep. Only now do I grasp the full cruelty of it all For months, I had worn their propaganda like armour, never questioning the honour they promised us. But as the ocean races beneath me, the illusion finally collapses. God help me, I’m only nineteen My whole life should still be ahead of me. I grip that thought and force it down The sting of that truth is unbearable; I understand it fully only when my death has already become inevitable I reach for the Ident button, a small device buried deep within the controls. My fingers hammer against it, translating fear into code: I’m ready Helplessly suspended in

silence, I wait Again and again I strike the button. Nothing. A violent thought tears through me What if they have forgotten me?

If I am not launched soon, I will lose sight of my target The hours of training, the speeches, the promises of honour and sacrifice, all of it will collapse into failure. My breathing shortens. Sweat absorbs into my helmet despite the bitter cold Every movement feels mechanical, drilled into me so deeply that even fear cannot stop them. Yet beneath that conditioning, something raw and human claws its way to

the surface I do not want to die waiting. My face tightens as dread spreads through my body The aircraft trembles around me, engines growling impatiently, while the ocean spins far below. Seconds stretch into eternities I press the button once more, harder this time. Then, without warning, the aircraft violently drops The world disappears beneath me as I plunge downward

‘Twas not long ago I found myself seated amongst twelve Junior Officers in a traditional Japanese washitsu, my knees pressed gently against the white woven tatami

mat Looking back, we had become products of the army ’ s relentless propaganda machine; our patriotism twisted until dying for our nation felt less like a sentence and more like an honour. Beyond the paper walls, the orange sun sank heavily across the Taiwan mainland, thick humidity clinging to the evening air We had been summoned for a top secret undertaking.

Captain Junsaku Takahashi entered silently, his face solemn. “If you ’ re married, the only surviving male heir in your family, or have at least one parent alive, raise your hand ” Hands rose eagerly

around the room from officers desperate to prove their loyalty.

Mine remained motionless in my lap, as if death had already claimed me. Takahashi surveyed us gravely

“All men with your hands, leave now!”

Silence swallowed the room Confusion spread across their faces, quickly replaced by disappointment

Then Takahashi revealed the truth: the war was failing

“Only one weapon could be the answer, ” he said, “ one capable of destroying an American destroyer in a single strike”. Around me, men stared in awe This could change everything.

Except there was one catch. It was a one-way mission. I was determined to serve the nation, prepared to fight until the end I raised my hand in silent approval. Four other Cadets did the same Together, we became the 721st Naval Air Group. Training commenced promptly the next morning We were introduced to a small, stubby aircraftlittle more than a winged torpedo The regime was relentless: sleepless nights, brutal drills, endless rehearsals that left my body aching long after

dusk Days blurred beneath the roar of engines and the sting of salt air Salt crusted on our uniforms and skin, a constant reminder that the ocean was never far away.

Twas the new year, December 31/1944 We were granted leave to reflect on our values and life Gathered around a low chabudai, we drank sake, shared special rations, and waited for midnight. Silence settled over us as the deep temple bells echoed through the night. Before dawn, we climbed Tornado

Mountain together At the summit, we watched the first light break across the horizon I raised my glass and shouted into the freezing ocean wind My four comrades joined me, The cold ocean wind cut through us as the sun ignited the horizon in gold and fire. In that fragile stillness. T’was the freest I had ever felt Now, I skim twenty feet above the ocean, the roar of the craft deafening my ears. Two thousand metres ahead, the destroyer turns its main battery toward me. For a moment, I think it is over. KaBoom.