Salamanda Strikes Again: 2022 collaborative anthology: Dunalley Primary School SAS, #3

By Dunalley Primary School SAS and Chrissy Garwood

Welcome to the third book of the Salamanda Appreciation Society. This year's book is called "Salamanda Strikes Again".

In this book you will have to face dragons, traps, portals, savage animals, aliens, secret agents and the ordinary high school or primary school life.

Don't forget Salamanda is out to get you, so keep your eyes and ears open. He can shape-shift into any object he wants to be, such as a human -male or female, animal or vehicle, building or boat. He can even disguise himself as your best friend.

You will visit people's hometowns, calm countryside, tiny villages,  hot deserts in Texas, Salamanda's Office, a creepy hotel, the Whispering Continent, and much more.

 I hope you can survive this crazy, amazing and breathtaking story written by sixteen young and amazing creative children - Fina H

Strap on your seatbelt and buckle up.
Your crazy adventure is about to begin - Ella S

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chrissy Garwood
• Release date: Dec 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781922867018

Book preview

Salamanda Strikes Again.jpg

THIS IS THE BLURB FROM the back of the paperback edition:

Welcome to the third book of the Salamanda Appreciation Society. This year’s book is called Salamanda Strikes Again.

In this book you will have to face dragons, traps, portals, savage animals, aliens, secret agents and the ordinary high school or primary school life.

Don’t forget Salamanda is out to get you, so keep your eyes and ears open. He can shape-shift into any object he wants to be, such as a human -male or female, animal or vehicle, building or boat. He can even disguise himself as your best friend.

You will visit people’s hometowns, calm countryside, tiny villages, hot deserts in Texas, Salamanda’s Office, a creepy hotel, the Whispering Continent, and much more.

I hope you can survive this crazy, amazing and breathtaking story written by sixteen young and amazing creative children - Fina H

Strap on your seatbelt and buckle up. Your crazy adventure is about to begin - Ella S

Foreword

At the start of 2022 , when I was familiarising myself with a new schooling environment and setting up my office, I was greeted by the friendly face of Christine O’Malley, who kindly gifted me two novels; Salamanda Appreciation Society and Return of Salamanda .

I was taken aback by the professionalism of the novels and how they were legitimately published, showcasing high quality Dunalley Primary School students’ writing. This appreciation has grown throughout the year, as I have now seen the time and effort that goes into producing the final product; and the dedication and extra hours put in. Thank you, Miss Christine and the students involved.

It is a great and rare opportunity to capture the creativity of a broad array of students, presenting their work in a coherent and engaging way that is enjoyable to read but still gives the students agency in their writing styles and content.

For the students, the insight into the trials, tribulations, sense of creative freedom and intrinsic satisfaction a writer experiences may be the catalyst some students need to pursue this as a career path and achieve great things. Owning a copy of their co-constructed novel will give them a sense of pride for many years to come.

Please take this chance to dive into the creative and ever-expanding minds of our upcoming generations for a journey through this world and others.

Happy reading!

Sean Ryan

Principal

Dunalley Primary School

Welcome

Welcome to the third meeting of the Salamanda Appreciation Society. Thank you for subscribing to SAS. I look forward to receiving your scribbled notes as you speculate on your suspicions.

As you know, Salamanda is selective about the people they associate with. Because Salamanda has sponsored your membership, each of you is special. Please write a few words about yourself and how you first came to learn about Salamanda.

Please share what you know. Here are a few certainties as conversation starters: No one knows what Salamanda looks like. Tall or short? Dark or fair? He or she? Nothing is certain.

But we do know that they are a secret agent, a sneaky spy, a small-town saviour with superpowers out to change the world - one adventure at a time.

Salamanda likes words that begin with the letter S. Words like secretive, sneaky and special. Do you have any more to add to the list?

Any other suggestions for topics to write about? Send them my way,

Chrissy )i(

The Silly Two by Hayli

Chapter 1: The Magic Voice

Agent Salmon worked for a society that was trying to stop Salamanda from being evil and taking over the world.

One day Agent Salmon was in the pool in her backyard.

Oh, what is that? she said. I heard a voice.

There is a portal behind you, said the voice.

Agent Salmon looked for the portal. There was a black circle spinning in the corner.

The portal pulled Agent Salmon in. She fell through and landed on a train.

Chapter 2: The Train

AGENT SALMON LANDED on the roof of the train.

A girl heard the noise and climbed up to the roof. Are you okay? she asked.

Will you be my friend? Agent Salmon asked.

No, said the girl.

Agent Salmon was sad.

Ok, I will be your friend.

I am Agent Salmon.

I’m Silly Billy.

Where is the train going? Agent Salmon asked.

Melbourne.

The train was going up a hill, and Silly Billy and Agent Salmon were rocking from side to side.

Is the train driver asleep? Agent Salmon asked. The train is going too fast for the corner.

Silly Billy said, I gave the train driver a hot dog with sleeping powder in it.

Maybe Silly Billy is Salamanda? thought Agent Salmon.

Silly Billy tried to push Agent Salmon.

Agent Salmon was so sad she felt sick.

Agent Salmon did something crazy.

She jumped off the train.

She fell on the grass and cut her head on a rock.

She went to hospital in an ambulance.

Agent Salmon was in a coma for one year.

When she woke up, Agent Salmon said, "I need to get Salamanda. Or Silly Billy, or whatever she is calling herself now...

Chapter 3: The Shop

THREE YEARS LATER, Agent Salmon was in the city supermarket to buy groceries. She was still sick after the coma. She went to that shop because that was where all the Agents went shopping.

Agent Salmon saw a man with short green hair stealing a packet of spaghetti.

What are you doing, Agent Spaghetti? Agent Salmon shouted.

Agent Spaghetti ran. His long legs ran fast.

Agent Salmon chased after him, pushing a shopping cart. She paid for her shopping and then ran after him with the cart.

Agent Spaghetti tripped over a rock and spun in the air.

Agent Salmon shoved the cart underneath him and caught him.

She took him to the secret police station.

Chapter 4: At The Secret Police Station

WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING for him, the agents said at the secret police station.

They took Agent Spaghetti away.

Agent Salmon decided to go to the café.

In the hallway, she met two girls: Agent Banana and Agent Sushi.

They knew who Agent Salmon was, but she had never seen them before.

They thought Agent Salmon was back at work, and she didn’t tell them she was not. Agent Salmon went with them to a spooky secret room.

I need to catch Salamanda, said Agent Salmon.

But how are we going to find Salamanda? said Agent Banana.

Agent Sushi replied, Easily. We’re going to work together to find him.

We’re all going to go on a hunt around the park, replied Agent Salmon.

Are you sure this is safe? asked Agent Banana.

Yes, it is, definitely safe, said Agent Salmon.

Chapter 5: The Park

WE MET A GIRL NAMED Olivia at the park.

Olivia said she was looking for the bathroom.

After Olivia left, the Agents talked about why an older girl would want to talk to them.

She is quite old, said Agent Sushi.

We’re only 15, 16 and 17, said Agent Salmon.

She is 19, replied Agent Banana.

She might be Salamanda in disguise? said Agent Sushi.

I don’t think she is, said Agent Banana. I think we should let her join us in our search for Salamanda.

What do we do? asked Agent Salmon. Olivia hasn’t come back yet.

We’re going to have to look for Salamanda without Olivia, said Agent Sushi.

They asked each other question, after question, after question. It was so nerve–wracking.

We are going to have to split up, said Agent Salmon. The city is too big to search.

I’m scared, said Agent Sushi.

Me too, said Agent Salmon.

I’m shaking, said Agent Banana.

Why are we all scared? asked Agent Sushi.

Agent Salmon said, We are scared because we’ve never done anything like this before.

They were all nervous. They did not know what to do.

They passed a secret investigative message to each other. It said, ‘We need to find Salamanda today’.

Agent Sushi replied, Here’s my phone number.

Chapter 6: Splitting Up

OLIVIA CAME BACK AND said she had heard everything. She said, I’ve decided to help you catch and defeat Salamanda.

We must all go to a different place, said Agent Salmon.

Olivia said, I’ll go with you, Agent Salmon.

Everyone set off.

Three hours later, they still hadn’t found Salamanda.

Where else can we look, asked Olivia.

How about I go to the waterfall in Melbourne? said Agent Banana.

How about I go to the Melbourne zoo? said Agent Sushi.

How about I go to Adelaide and see if he returns? said Agent Salmon.

Oh, that might be really helpful, said Agent Sushi. But which of us should go to Adelaide with you?

How about I go, said Olivia. I don’t want to split up.

Chapter 7: The Airplane

SO OLIVIA AND AGENT Salmon started for Adelaide.

They got on the airplane. They decided to be brave. They were really scared that the plane might crash.

At last, the plane was in the air.

Agent Salmon heard a rattling. Looking out the window, she could still see the airport.

A second later, the plane went BANG!

Everyone on the plane went silent for about two minutes, and then they started screaming, squealing, shouting, and shrieking.

The plane pilot passed out.

Everyone was scared. They started to shiver and shake.

Everyone except Olivia, who was looking out the window. She was acting as if she knew this was going to happen.

Are we dying? Agent Salmon said to Olivia.

Yes, I know, said Olivia.

After the rattling stopped, there was a big BANG!

The plane started falling apart. The passengers panicked, jumping up and down.

Oh no! shouted Agent Salmon.

Oh no! screamed Chelsie, another girl on the plane.

Oo–ah! said Olivia.

Bang!

Chelsie was sucked out of a hole in the plane. Other people were also sucked out.

Agent Salmon and Olivia strapped on their seatbelts and held onto their seats.

The plane hit the ground.

Chapter 8: Olivia Is Missing

AGENT SALMON WOKE UP. She was safe in her seat.

Olivia was missing. Her seat belt was still done up, but she had disappeared.

After the rescuers finished checking Agent Salmon, the ambulance screeched away.

Agent Salmon sneaked away. She hid near a tree to make a phone call.

Agent Salmon decided to call Agent Banana on 1800 AQUA ATE.

Before she could, the phone rang. Agent Banana was calling Agent Salmon at the same time.

It was the worst time, said Agent Salmon. The airplane crashed.

Was it scary? asked Agent Banana.

It was so scary, Agent Salmon said. There was a big bang. I was screaming. The window shutters slammed down. Suddenly there was a big circular hole in the plane, sucking people out. Everything went dark. It was so, so, so scary.

At least you are safe, said Agent Banana. Is Olivia okay?

Olivia was Salamanda, said Agent Salmon. She disappeared.

Oooooohhhhhhhh, nnnnnnnnnoooooooooo, said Agent Banana. She knows who we are.

She knows that we are after her, said Agent Salmon.

Hey, let’s meet up at the park, said Agent Banana.

Chapter 9: They Set Off Again

AGENT SALMON RAN ALL the way to the park. Now that Agent Salmon was away from the plane crash, she was feeling happy.

Agent Banana and Agent Sushi were already there. Agent Salmon told them about the plane crash before answering their questions about Olivia.

When Agent Salmon finished talking, Agent Sushi asked, I wonder where Olivia is?

She is probably hiding, said Agent Salmon.

We still have to find her, said Agent Banana.

So they set off to find Salamanda again.

The End

Alien Cows by Jorja D

Chapter 1: Dad Is Salamanda

Hi, my name is Izzy . I am 15 years old, and I am a secret agent. You can call me Agent Bobo. My Dad has a secret underground cow business.

I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT my Dad was a bit sus, but one night he went to work at 12.00 am.

I snuck out to go to a party. My friends and I were going to watch a horror movie. It was a very cold evening. My Dad’s car was still in the driveway, and I heard a bang under the rocks near my driveway.

I ran to my friend Xavier’s house. His agent’s name was Agent Scallywag. Xavier opened the door.

I walked in and said, Hi.

We went upstairs. Agent Dumpling, my friend Kylie, was there, and Agent Pizza, whose name is Stella...

Xavier and I lived in Summer Forest, Kylie lived in Skygod Bluff, and Stella lived in Soda Lake. These towns were close together. Soda Lake was a minute’s drive from my house.

Stella was the reason I left school. She was the worst bully. I didn’t have a clue why she was there. Xavier and Kylie knew she’d been bullying me.

KYLIE (AGENT DUMPLING) went downstairs to get the sweets. We heard a big bang and then a scream. Stella went to see what had scared Kylie.

It was nothing, Kylie said when she came back with Stella.

After the movie, Kylie came home to stay with me because I didn’t like staying at home by myself. The next day, my Dad was still not home. I decided that I was going to stay at Kylie’s house tomorrow. Kylie and I were like the best friends ever.

LATER THAT DAY, I WAS walking to Xavier’s house again. It was pitch black outside, and Kylie said she didn’t want to come. I was really scared, and something talked from under the rocks.

There was a bang, and the road broke. I banged my head, and it was bleeding!!!

I heard voices that sounded like Kylie talking to my Dad, and I thought I saw my Mum. My Mum left to go to Storm Bay fourteen years ago. That is halfway across the world. She said she never, ever wanted to see my Dad again.

My Dad said a name, Agent Spaghetti.

I didn’t even know who that was. Wait, I think that was what my brother Mick was called. He turned 36 this year, I think.

XAVIER WAS CALLING and calling and calling on the phone. I answered it.

Where are you? Xavier said.

I am at home. I felt really bad for lying, but I didn’t want him at my house if Kylie and my Dad were working for Salamanda. But I’m coming to your house now.

That made Xavier happy.

Bang.

What was that sound? Xavier asked.

That was Kylie. She was coming, but she’s decided to go home.

Oh, ok.

After I hung up the phone, I activated my agent’s portal and teleported to Xavier’s house.

When I arrived, we went to the movie room and watched Soul Surfer. It was so much fun. We made popcorn and ate ice cream. We made a big mess, and Xavier’s Dad was not happy.

NEXT MORNING, KYLIE was back at my house as if nothing had happened. There was no food in the house.

We ran to the chicken farm and stole some eggs for breakfast. It was Kylie’s idea, and she did the cooking. The eggs were gross, but I still had to eat them.

Xavier came to walk with us to school. Kylie said she was feeling sick, so we went without her.

On the way to school, we saw Kylie with my Dad. Xavier and I followed them, and they went to my house. They opened a door in the middle of the driveway. We waited a while, then we opened the door and went down there too.

We found a tunnel. Then we hear a loud sound. Cows?!

I yelled, Oh, that’s where all those cow sounds came from.

Xavier said, Don’t yell.

I said, Why? It’s only Dad and Kylie.

Your Dad could be Salamanda.

Oh. Let’s look around.

Ok.

We were around the corner when we heard Kylie say, Ok.

Oh, no, said Dad. I think I hear somebody coming.

Did they hear us? Kylie asked.

There was a long silence.

No, said Dad.

We crept up to the corner and looked around. That’s when we saw the cows.

They were as big as whales, all colours like a rainbow. They had six legs with paws instead of hooves and a large, e-shaped tail like a pig. One of them turned to look at us. It had three eyes on either side of its head, antennas instead of horns and two pairs of ears.

Xavier got scared, so we went home.

THE PHONE AT MY HOUSE rang, and I picked it up. It was my Dad. I hung up fast. When I put the phone down, I teleported to Kylie’s house.

Dad called my mobile 22 times. He said, Where are you?

I said, At home.

He said, No, you’re not.

I live at Kylie’s house now.

Why?

I said, Because I know who you are.

He hung up before I could say what I was going to say.

THE NEXT DAY, I ANSWERED the door at Kylie’s house, and there was Stella.

What are you doing here? I said.

I want to come in, please. There is someone chasing me.

What did they look like?

He looks like your Dad.

Ok. Come in. My Dad is Salamanda.

What?

Just come inside.

Ok.

We went upstairs, and then we realised that we were late for school, and it was our last day of school.

Chapter 2: Xavier goes missing.

WE CALLED IN AT STELLA’S house. There was cow dung everywhere. I phoned Xavier, and he came over. Stella stayed in the house.

Xavier and I found another tunnel down into the ground, and we walked until we found ourselves lost among the alien cows.

I really wanted to scream, but earlier, Xavier had told me not to, so I didn’t. We hid among the hay bales. We were very tucked away.

By now, it was very late. The cows were really loud, but I still fell asleep.

When I woke up, Xavier was gone. I found Stella, and she looked like she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

Why are you here? Stella asked.

I don’t know where Xavier is?

I don’t know either.

We should go, I said.

Stella said, Ok.

We went out to the paddock, and Stella fell into cow dung. It was all over her face, even up her nose. It was gross. After she washed her face, I showed her the tunnel. She didn’t really want to come, but she didn’t want to be alone either.

That’s when I heard my Dad talking to Kylie.

My Dad said, "Did you tell her that all the cows turned into – well, some turned into people?

Stella made too much noise, and then they saw us. We ran and went up the ladder, and they almost got us. We went inside Stella’s house.

What do we do? asked Stella.

I don’t know, I said.

We looked at each other in concern, and then we went to the police station.

Stella said, Hi, to the man behind the desk.

Hi, the police sergeant said. Are you ok?

He listened to us puffing.

We need your help— Stella said.

My friend has gone missing, I said at the same time, and we think my Dad took him.

Ok, said the policeman. Can you tell me your friend’s name?

After we told him Xavier’s name, he asked for my Dad’s name.

Steven Stove, I said.

Ok, that’s a weird name, said the policeman.

But right now, he is Salamanda, I said.

The police sergeant put the whole town in lock down.

What do we do now? asked Stella.

"Let’s sneak