Adventure Unlocked: A Collection of Stories by our Talented Kids

By Hunter Valley Writers

Unlock a world of adventure with this wild and wonderful collection of stories written and edited by our talented kids - with a little help from author Karen Hughes. From time travel to space diaries, dragon quests to friendly zombies, there's something in here for everyone!

The stories in this book are all written by the talented kids at

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hunter Valley Writers
• Release date: Mar 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9780645459302

Book preview

Adventure Unlocked

Adventure Unlocked

A Collection of Stories by our Talented Kids

Edited by

Karen Hughes

Hunter Valley Writers

Contents

Foreword

Finding Your Destiny

Keisha Petersen

The Time Machine

Alana Naicker

On the Run

Erika Chhabra

Arthur and the Dead

Phoenix Irvine

The Sea Ruby

Keira Gurney

Once there were Dragons

Isla Connolly

Zombie Friends

Izabel Wynne

The Three Little Pigs - (but the big bad wolf is polite and playful)

Edru Smit

Into the Skies

Isla Connolly

The Railway in the Sky

James Michell

Moonlight

Evie Burns

The Wolves of Willow Woods

Mia Carroll

The Lantern

Evie Burns

The Sacrifice of a Lifetime

Reenie Rowan

Haiku 俳句 in Lockdown

Tanka 短歌 in Lockdown

Journey to the Past

Archer Gibbs

The Men on the Horses

Amelia Michell

The Under-Sea Adventure

Ananta Sharma

Dear World

Isla Connolly

The Zoomerang

Elliot Mesina

Annabel Binder, Junior Investigator

Keira Gurney

The Eyes

Evie Burns

The Beginning of Maxlore’s Adventures

Liam Goodman

Goldilocks

Nethra Menon

Journey to the Galaxy

Leong Chan

Billy Brainzo

Freya Tsang

The Hyxophorus Terror

Mekaeel Siddiqui

Lucy Hug

Ananta Sharma

Dragon Dude

Angus Dick

The Hidden Island

Alana Naicker

Superkid

William Moretti

The Green Amulet

Marley Krishnan

Emma’s Space Diary

Keira Gurney

Hidden from Sight

Sienna Hardy

The Adventure of Xui and Xiang

Aleck Milicua

The Infection Returns

Archer Gibbs

A Mermaid Adventure

Freya Tsang

Back to the Future

Angus Dick

Beans

Edru Smit

The Case of the Sinking Scorpion

Elliot Mesina

An Unwanted Destiny

Sienna Hardy

Zombies!

Aleck Milicua

Lucy Bandwidth and the Chronos Sapphire

Freya Tsang

Esmeralda and the Magic Potion

Eliza Rowan

One Dead Day

Angus Dick

Professor Punyelroo

Freya Tsang

I Have to Go

Ananta Sharma

The Stargate

Aleck Milicua

Sydney Edison

Keira Gurney

The Elite Prickle

Aleck Milicua

The Search for the Saevestone

Shamir Shamil

The Journey to the Bottom of the Sea

Leong Chan

Supanova MXG

Freya Tsang

Sea Monster

Elliot Mesina

The Small Witness

Keira Gurney

Lost at Sea

Archer Gibbs

Into the Deep

Mia Carroll

Talented Kids Program

Dragons, Zombies, and Skateboards

Kalika Magic

Copyright © Hunter Valley Writers 2022

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed ‘Attention: Permissions Coordinator,’ at the email address below.

[e-mail]

Hunter Valley Writers / Australia huntervalleywriters.com

Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

Ordering Information: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.

Hunter Valley Writers—Digital Edition

Edited by Karen Hughes

ISBN 978-0-6454593-0-2

Vellum flower icon Created with Vellum

There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.

---

―Beatrix Potter

Finding Your Destiny

Keisha Petersen

Isat by the lake watching the sunset. I had been drawing a sleeping lizard, but something startled it and it scurried away. As I laid out my drawing, I saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned just in time to see a blue jacket. I knew that blue jacket belonged to my brother.

There goes my privacy, I thought, with a disappointed sigh.

What, are you surprised to see me? said Max.

No, I knew you were here, I said, quickly turning to close my sketch pad.

Noooo, Emerald, you never let me see your drawings, said Max, as he adjusted his blue jacket.

Suddenly, I heard a distant scream. Help! Help me!

Mum, Max and I said in unison.

I was off. Hurry up I said.

I ran like the wind. Max was ten; he was fast but couldn’t keep up with me and my speed running superpower. Speed running was my favourite power, but I didn’t like the fact that we were running because mum sounded desperate for help.

What was wrong? Was she okay?

I ran through the clearing with my feet barely touching the ground. When I came to the last bit of land before the hut, I saw smoke. Smoke. Then as the hut came into view, I saw a body lying on the ground. It was Mum!

Is she dead said Max, scaring me for the first time in years.

Quick Max, look away.

Never mind, I have already seen her. The hut, we need to put out the fire, said Max, urgently.

On it, yelled a girl’s voice from up in a tall red gum tree. Hawooooooooo, yelled the voice from above.

At her command, ten pelicans came and dropped water over the house from their beaks. Then a fiery phoenix swooped under the tree and the girl jumped onto its back.

Show off, Max mumbled.

---

Yes, but how else do you expect me to get down, said Charlotte, my twin sister.

The hut was now a smoky black pile of wet rubble, nothing more, and Mum was buried under a leaf blanket.

I could hear faint sobbing and small puffs of dust swirling near mum. Josh? I asked the swirling dust.

What? How did you know it was me? asked Josh, our younger brother, as he appeared next to the leaf blanket.

The dust, I said. Josh’s superpower was that he could turn invisible, the dust swirls are what gave him away as there was no wind around to create them.

Oh, right. Are you guys okay? he asked, tucking his brown hair behind his ears.

I am, I said.

Me too, said Charlotte.

Me three, said Max.

Are you? I asked Josh.

Yes, he answered, in a small voice.

It’s going to be okay, Josh! I said, as he started to cry.

Josh, you were with Mum before she … died, right? asked Max, his voice stopping on the last words.

Yes. When the fire came, she said to get out and she would be right behind me but … she wasn’t. Why?

Did you hear anything before the fire? asked Max, his smart brain going into overdrive.

Yes.

"What did you hear?" we all yelled.

Um, well it sounded like bells, Josh said.

---

Charlotte and I glanced at each other … Bells, fire and no trace that anyone was there.

What should we do? How can we live without a mum? Where can we live now? asked Josh.

Okay, first we are going to have a burial for Mum, I said. Next, I am going to show you our new home and yes, we are family, we can do anything together.

---

Poor Mum, Max said, after we had whispered our final goodbyes.

Please Josh, we need to go, it’s going to be dark soon. Let mum rest, I said, when Josh did not follow.

Don’t you get it? Mum is never coming back. Never, yelled Josh.

After a lot of crying and hugging, I was leading the others through the forest. I hated that I had to show them this place, but it was our new home. I had built it a few years ago, when I was twelve and wanted my own place to hang out, somewhere away from everyone where I couldn’t be found. Not even Mum ever found my treehouse.

Wow, Josh, Charlotte and Max chorused.

Did you draw all of these, Emerald? asked Charlotte, gazing at all the nature drawings, magical unicorns and cloud castles sprawled over the walls. They are amazing. I didn’t realise how talented an artist you are.

Yes, I said, plainly.

Okay, this room is where you will all sleep, until we have time to make better arrangements, I said, as I showed them the biggest room with three small windows and four doors.

Four doors! Where do they all lead? asked Josh.

Well, the first one to your left is the toilet, the next one is the kitchen, and those other two are off limits, I said, pointing to the doors.

Why, asked Josh.

Hey, don’t pry and snoop, this is my place and there are some boundaries for it. I hoped that would end the conversation but no, Charlotte had to keep it going.

So … will you be sleeping with us? she said, as I started to lug mattresses and sheets out of a long cupboard along the side of the wall.

Um, no. One of the separate rooms is a bedroom, that is my room, I said. We will talk more in the morning. Good night.

---

In the morning, we ate some wild berries and fruit, talked about the fun memories we had with Mum.

After a long discussion about what to do next, we finally came to a decision.

We will investigate Mum’s death and the fire that caused it, I said. In the meantime, we just need to stay together and help one another as a family.

We walked back to the burnt hut, scouring the grounds for clues, but we found nothing, until …

Guys, I found something! I had been rummaging in the remains of Mum’s old room and I found a meat box. As I slid off the lid, I saw three things: a notebook, scroll and drawing of our family sitting on a big fallen tree. I glanced over my shoulder and, seeing that the others clearly did not hear me because they were still looking around, I began to unroll the scroll. It read:

---

Dear children,

I hope you find this soon after my death. Please stay safe as a family. There are four notes at the bottom of the scroll, one for each of you.

I suspect that my death was caused by our enemies,

Our enemies are those that don’t want people like us to use our superpowers. They see us as evil because we are different to them. They can’t see that our powers are used to help others, they just see us as different and assume the worst of us.

In the old days, we were pushed out of the towns to live in the forest. When we were threatened, I would send you away and then I would hide out at my old friend Felix’s place. Felix and I would always help families in need when our enemies left them suffering.

You need to find Felix. She will help you to find your way.

Love Mum

---

P.S. Take care of one another, I whispered.

---

I grabbed the items from the box, putting them in my bag. I needed to tell the others about the scroll, but for now it was time to fly … Flying was another one of my superpowers.

The wind was rushing past my face, faster and faster, as I rose into the air, and then all I could feel was a gentle breeze. I hovered in the air, searching for any sign of life. I could see the burnt hut; it looked as small as a leaf now. The forest grew and I could see lots of clearings. I needed a sign, a sign of smoke or flames, voices, or noise: something to tell me we weren’t alone. Aha! There it was! There was smoke in the northeast.

As I dropped to the ground, everyone came running over.

What’s wrong?

What did you find?

Are you okay?

I did not know who asked the questions, but I answered and then I told them about the smoke. We need to go to the northeast and find out what is making the smoke, I said. Maybe it was Mum’s old friend.

I remembered that I had not told them about the scroll and the four notes. Each note had a single word written on it. When we put the notes in order, they said …

I love you forever.

I blinked back my tears. Our mum was so loving. It was not surprising that this was her final message to us.

Max, we need a plan, do you have one? asked Charlotte.

Well, we need to work out what happened to Mum, so we can go and see if the people are friend or foe, he said, using his smart brain to work out the best plan. Max’s smart brain was his superpower, that’s why we nicknamed him Brainy.

So, Emerald, what do you say? Charlotte said, turning back to me.

I want to find out what happened, but that sounds risky. What if they are not friendly? Will what happened to Mum also be our destiny?

This is the only way, Josh said.

Okay, fine, but we need food. Charlotte and I will gather the food, you two stay and keep looking around the hut for more clues, I said firmly.

---

Later, we were standing in the main hall of our treehouse gathering backpacks to carry our belongings. You know we will need a leader for our group, Charlotte said.

Yeah, who would be the leader? I asked, afraid I already knew the answer.

Um, you, Charlotte said, turning to me with a backpack over each shoulder.

Oh well, yeah, I guess I could, I said. Do we have everything we need? We should probably go now.

Once we were back at the hut, we had one last look around and then headed out to find the source of the smoke.

So, are we all going to walk in awkward silence or …? asked Josh.

I ignored the question and let my mind wander.

---

After several hours of walking, we were tired and sat down to catch our breath

Hey, I am going to check and see if the smoke is still there, I said, after having a huge gulp of water. I began to rise but something was stopping me. I was only centimetres above the ground and couldn’t go any higher.

Charlotte saw the panic on my face. What’s wrong? she asked.

Um, well we have a problem, my powers are failing. I can’t fly.

Everyone looked at me with wide eyes. "What?" they yelled.

Max? asked Josh.

Okay, so Emerald’s powers are failing. She is either dying, sick, injured or we are all under an intense spell, said Max.

A spell? I asked, slowly. Sorry, no, not the last one.

Maybe … I know, our powers weaken after a certain age. Actually, that can’t be right, either. Mum still had her powers up until her death, said Max.

The mention of Mum had us all hanging our heads. Suddenly, I could feel a long sharp spine going into my chest. I screamed and then collapsed. My eyes were open, but I could see only darkness.

What’s happening asked Josh, from somewhere to my left. The world was spinning. What was happening to me?

The voices faded; the pain was so unbearable I could not scream. I felt like I had been dropped into a dark room with no walls, floor or ceiling. I was floating …

Yay, she’s alive, said Charlotte.

Wha— I said, and then I was almost strangled by a hug from Max. What happened? I finally asked.

Well, you started shaking and then you were unconscious. Can you fly? asked Max.

I don’t know but I can try, I said.

I imagined myself flying, lifting off the ground. Usually, I just felt the wind and then I would be in the air, but this time imagining it seemed to work just fine. I was flying! The trees were brushing my ankles and the three faces staring up at me in wonder made me smile.

I soon found that the wind was picking up, so I imagined myself floating down to the others. Their faces were excited when I came down.

Are you okay? asked Max.

Was anything different? asked Charlotte.

Guys, we have a problem … said Josh’s hollow voice, which seemed to come from all around us.

Yes, you do, said someone from the shadow of a tree.

Who is there? asked Max.

Nobody and everybody, said the person behind the tree.

There are more around us, whispered Josh in my ear.

Yes, we are all here, said the person, emerging from the tree’s shadow. It was a woman. I could see other people in the shadows around us.

I have a bad feeling about this, said Josh.

Shall we discuss what I came here to chat about? said the woman.

And what is that? asked Charlotte.

Your mum.

Our mum is dead, I said.

Oh, how disappointing … but children don’t know everything, the woman said.

What are you saying? asked Max.

You’re saying that … Mum’s alive? said Charlotte.

No, not yet.

"What do you mean, ‘not yet’?" asked Josh.

I think we should have this conversation in private, don’t you? said the woman.

Yes, I said.

I did want to keep it private. It was a strange feeling talking about my mum with this lady who seemed to know a lot, but we had never met her before. But where in the forest could we find privacy to talk?

Good, please follow me, she said. And oh, my name is Felix.

Felix! I exclaimed, remembering Mum’s note.

Yes? Felix said.

You knew our mum, didn’t you? I asked.

Yes.

---

Felix led us through the forest. We were surrounded by about a hundred or more people; most wore greens and browns, but some wore black. Soon, we came to a clearing with lots of tents and even more people. Who were they?

We are an organisation committed to helping families in need, said Felix, almost as if she had read my mind. Maybe she had. I knew there were lots of different superpowers. Telepathic power was only one of them.

We all have superpowers and we use them for the greater good, said Felix, smiling at us.

We looked around with fresh eyes.

Come on, we don’t have all day, said Felix, showing us into a tent.

Inside the tent, there was a table with twelve chairs around it.

So, I want to explain all your powers. I know you know the basic things, but I wish for you to know the full extent of your power, said Felix.

"How