Published writing

Chapter 2 The Discoveries “What the?” I asked, more confused than a polar bear playing (or trying to play) tennis. “Can’t you see me? I’m literally right in front of ya!” said the deep male voice. “Uh… no…” “Oh yeah! I totally forgot! I’m a ghost!” the voice said, and a misty figure appeared in front of me! “AARRGGHH! Who in the name of Taylor Swift are you?!” I screamed. “Why, I’m David S. Mitchell, the founder of this magnificent library!” the ghost announced proudly. “Riiiiight… why are you still here?” “I got trapped in the freezer,” David said cheerfully. “Okay…” “Yeah.” “Right.” “Uhh, why are you here?” asked David, more curious than a beaver in a hotel. “This,” I said, pulling the note from Tobias out of my shirt pocket and showing it to David. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’d go home ASAP if I were you.” “Why?” “All people who have entered this library because of mysterious notes requesting them to come here, are in their graves!” said David, creepily. GULP! “A…a…are you sure?” I stammered. “100%.” “Oh, help me LORD!” I said, falling to my knees. “Um…okay…” It took what felt like forever for me to get over it, yet it was only 20 minutes. “Um…would you like me to guide you through this glamorous library?” David said, his voice raising proudly. “Uh, sure!” I said, my hopes raising a little bit. “Alrighty, so first…” *** 30 MINUTES LATER *** “…And here we have some ancient diaries from well known people, such as Dorothea Mackellar, Henry Lawson, Roald Dahl and more!” “Hold on! Can I please have a look at one of these diaries?” I asked, more excited than the King on his 105th birthday. “Knock yourself out! Not literally.” “Thanks!” I walked over to the diaries and picked up the one marked ‘Elwyn White’. I flicked it open to a random page. In unusual cursive writing, it read: ‘YOU’RE DEAD MEAT! Signed, Tiobas’ I read it out loud to David. “Who’s Tiobas?” I asked. “Who knows? It could be Lady Ga-Ga for all I care!” said David. “Tonight, I die!!” I cried. “Stop being such a baby!” exclaimed David, as he pushed me into the wall. Suddenly, I was at Tobias’ house! “What the…?!” The old building looked heart-stoppingly creepy in the moonlight. How did I get here? I turned around and walked forward. Then, I was back in the library! “Where’d you go?” asked David. “Tobias’ house!” I said, a little dazed. “Aaahh…how?” “The wall.” “Riight.”

1 An Unexpected Visitor The clock had just struck midnight. Why on earth would a mystery door-knocker be knocking on my door?! I covered my ears and tried to ignore the knocks. But they just kept getting louder. I tip-toed down the stairs and opened the door. But no one was there. Just a piece of paper on the welcome mat. It read: Angus, Good things will happen to you if you meet me at the State Library tomorrow night. Good things such as lollies and love. Be there when the clock strikes midnight. See you there, Tobias B. Senyard. It was creepier than last Halloween when all the kids were dressed up as vampires and werewolves! But that was then. This was now. I had been left with a tough decision. Should I go or not? Should I trust my old schoolmate or not? It had been ten years since I had last seen him. Maybe I shouldn’t go. But I did… ****** The tall sandstone building of the David S. Mitchell library was staring at me. I suspected it was staring at me because I was staring at it. The library seemed to be saying, “Come inside. Come closer. You know you want to…” I started to get the feeling that maybe I’d made the wrong choice. But I had come to far to turn back. I took a step closer to the building. Then another. And another. Before I knew it, I had climbed the shallow steps toward the State Library. I jumped in fright as the clock tower across the road rang twelve loud bells. It was midnight. The tall wooden doors in front of me had old, chiselled images on them. They looked as if they were… alive. Okay, definitely the wrong choice. I wanted to run back to 99 Cook Street, but my feet were glued to the ground! The old doors suddenly creaked open. By themselves! I could see a vast tiled floor with a weird looking map on it. Above it, there was a railing with a clock on it. A pair of double doors stood right in front of me, only about 5 metres away. I had no idea whatsoever where they lead. I gulped down the huge lump in my throat and tip-toed cautiously to the doors. Old dusty writing was carved upon them. It read: David S. Mitchell Reading room I pushed them open and I was greeted with thousands of dusty old books all lined up neatly on the huge shelves. There was old frayed carpet underneath my feet, a perfect home for cobwebs. I swallowed hard and walked forward nervously. I had only walked a few paces when, “Oi! Look where you’re goin’!”

Mac Galbakkii, the world’s most daring and courageous 11-year-old explorer ventured off to the edge of what was known. Beyond uncharted mountains and across a thousand rivers, he trekked across the land… “Mac Galbakkii!” screams Mum from the other half of the house, cutting short my daring narrative. “You’d better be in the shower already!!” “Yes, Mum!” I say, sarcastically. I get undressed and hop into the shower. As I do, I wonder why Mum just can’t appreciate that I want to be an explorer, not some famous rockstar. Wait just a minute! I’ve just had an idea! But I’m gonna need the help of my li’l bro, Stevie. ……… I exit the bathroom dramatically in a cloud of steam. I pretend I’m a real-life explorer, narrowly escaping the deadly Yetis of the Icy Mountains. I head to my room and get dressed and then knock on my 9 year-old brother Stevie’s bedroom door. I open the pure white door and Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ reaches my eardrums. “Hey, Stevie!” I yell over the blaring soul music. Stevie presses pause. “Yeah?” “Ya wanna go exploring the unknown?” I ask. “Like, yeah!” he says. “Although I don’t think Mum’ll let us go.” “Ha! Don’t you worry Steve! You just start packing your bags! We leave in 2 weeks!” “Sure! Can Cornelius come?” (Cornelius is our cat). “You bet! You know what they say...the more the merrier!” And with that, I exit Stevie’s room. “Hey Mum!” I say, entering the kitchen. Mum’s busy cooking bacon and eggs for brekkie. “Yes darrrrrrling?” she says without looking up. “Uh, music camp’s in two weeks, and what’s more – it’s only 50 bucks!” I say. “Music camp? With Ms. Jones?” she replies. “Yeah, the money’s due in on the 22nd, the day before we leave.” “Sure! I’ll pay tomorrow sweetie pie!” “Thanks!” I exit the room, feeling bad about lying to Mum, but feeling sort of excited at the same time. *** 2 weeks later *** Our bags have been packed. Mum’s wasted $50 and Cornelius is tagging along, feeling just as excited as we are. I’ve packed a cassette player, a photo of our family, a map, water, tools, BOOKS, and everything else we need to survive. All Stevie’s bringing is his teddy bear – Coco – and …FOOOOOOD!!! “Ready?” I ask Stevie. “Ready!” he says. And with that, we’re off!

The Greatest Grandfather Clock By Angus J 2022 Icklebogg Manor was as cold as a frozen yoghurt in the world’s coldest freezer. The faint sound of a tap dripping could be heard from where Isla Icklebogg was standing. At 12 years of age, she would rather write a book or eat than explore a creepy old family mansion. This mansion gave her the heebie-jeebies! Isla suddenly felt tears well in her eyes. She had spotted her grandfather’s urn from last year. Isla’s grandfather, William Icklebogg had died from skin cancer at only age 66. With the death of a much-loved relative on her shoulders, she wasn’t sure she could continue this exploration. Isla pressed on. After approximately 10 minutes, she came to a dead stop, for an ancient grandfather clock confronted her. Isla stood there, fixed to the spot, staring at the ancient grandfather clock that stood about 1 or 2 metres from where she was standing. The clock itself looked old enough to have been around when Buckingham Palace was built! It was only then that Isla realised that one of the cogs had stopped working! She wondered if she could try and fix it. She leant toward the door of the clock and opened it. CRREEAK! Isla’s eardrums rattled with the impact. She put one hand to her ear while the other remained on the door handle. Sounds and lights suddenly burst from the old clock. Isla was now not only focused, but utterly intrigued. She stepped inside the clock, not knowing what was in store… ***** As Isla wandered around an unfamiliar dusty old road, a filthy fragrance tickled her nostrils and she sneezed a few times. A weird old machine rattled past and she quickly bounded across the road. A couple of women dressed in long, straight dresses glanced at her with a strange and curious look in their eyes. Distant jazz music reached her eardrums. It sounded jazzy and fun. The song sounded familiar, like something off one of her grandfather’s old jazz records from the 1920s. The Town Hall clock nearby chimed 12 and Isla jumped nearly a metre in the dusty air! She landed with a soft thud and a crunch on the gravel below and looked down at her sneakers. Isla’s heart skipped a beat. Nobody else was wearing lace-up sneakers! In fact, nobody was dressed like her at all! She swallowed hard and suddenly realised: “I don’t belong here!” Isla noticed an old-fashioned shop and as she walked slowly forward, she overheard some fancily-dressed women speaking about her in hushed tones. “Look at that girl!” “Oh, I know!” “How bizarre!” Isla began feeling very unsettled, when she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She jerked around, expecting to see a fully grown man wanting to say how weird she looked. But she didn’t… Instead, she saw a boy about the same age as her, dressed in a tweed jacket and bow tie. “You look strange!” he said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. “I get that a lot,” Isla said, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. Isla wondered if she should ask the boy where (and when) she was, exactly. But how? She couldn’t just say, “Hi! I’m Isla Icklebogg and I just walked through an ancient grandfather clock and arrived here! I suspect it could have been time- travel! If so, where & when am I?” NO WAY! NEVER! NOT IN A MONTH OF SUNDAYS!! Suddenly, an idea came to her! “Umm… I’m sorry. I don’t know your name,” Isla said. “Colin,” he replied. “Colin Carter.” “I’m Isla”, she said. “What’s the date today, please? I’ve travelled a LOONG way and I’ve… lost track of the time! Where and when am I?” Colin chuckled a genuine, high chuckle. “Fair enough. The trams out here are mighty unreliable! Today is Wednesday, the 15th June, 1929. And the answer to your ‘where’ question is George St, Sydney, NSW, Australia.” 1929! WOWZA! Now Isla knew she had time-travelled! And then it dawned on her… the 15th June, 1929 was Isla’s deceased grandfather’s birthday! Maybe, just maybe, she could write a letter to her great-grandmother saying to take good care of her new baby! “Hey, Colin?” asked Isla. “Do you have any idea where Icklebogg Manor is?” Hoping that Colin would know, she held her breath. “Pfft! Of course! Who wouldn’t?” Colin replied. Isla let out the breath that she was holding. “Well, where is it?” “It’s in the Eastern suburbs, and there’s a tram leaving for there in…” Colin looked up at the clock on the roof of the Town Hall. “5 minutes!!” Colin and Isla ran in the direction of the nearest tram stop. As she was running, Isla caught glimpses of people pointing and staring at her, and she suddenly realised that it was probably her denim shorts, tie-dyed t-shirt and bright blue-sneakers that were drawing people’s attention. “Umm…Hey Colin?” she asked as they were waiting for the tram. “Yeah?” “Do you mind if I borrow some of your clothes?” Isla knew this seemed like a stupid thing to ask, but she thought it was worth a shot. “Sure! I’ve got some spare clothes in my satchel!” said Colin. “Really?? Why?” Isla couldn’t believe her luck! “Listen, don’t tell my mum. Okay?” “Okaaay…” “I’m actually meant to be at school, but I think it stinks! That’s why I’m wandering about Sydney, looking for something to do.” “Right…” Colin got out his spare clothes and shoved them in Isla’s face. Isla quickly put on the button-up, collared shirt, and long cotton shorts over her own 1990’s outfit, and tried to rub some dirt onto her sneakers, in an attempt to disguise how brightly coloured they were. As the tram rattled to a stop just in front of where they were standing, Isla hesitated, wondering whether she would be safe on this strange, out-dated form of transport. But Colin grabbed Isla’s hand and pulled her up onto the tram, and led her to a hard, wooden bench seat right at the back. Isla suddenly wondered where and when she would write the letter to her great-grandmother. After a minute or two, she decided to do it right there and then! “Hey Colin, do you happen to have a pencil and some paper in your satchel? I just want to write something down.” “Sure!” said Colin, as he reached into his satchel and retrieved a strange looking pencil, and tore out a page from a leather-bound notebook. “Wow, thanks!” exclaimed Isla, surprised again at how incredibly useful her new friend Colin was proving to be. As the tram bumped along the noisy tracks, Isla somehow managed to write the following letter to her great-grandmother: Dear Mrs. Sally Icklebogg, Congratulations on the arrival of your new baby boy! I am just writing to warn you about something called ‘skin cancer’, which is a very common thing that can happen if you spend too much time in the sun. To prevent skin cancer, I highly recommend NOT leaving your child in the sun for long periods of time. Avoid direct sunlight, especially in the middle of the day, and in summer. It is also wise to encourage your child to wear a hat when playing outdoors. Kind regards, Ms. M. Morgan (Midwife & Child Health Nurse) Isla folded the letter and put it into the deep pocket of Colin’s long cotton shorts. As she handed the pencil back to Colin, she wondered what impact the words she had written could have on history… Isla’s thoughts were interrupted as she suddenly felt Colin pulling her by the hand, saying “Quick! We need to hop off here!” The tram had barely stopped when Isla and Colin jumped out of the open doorway, onto another dusty road. But the surrounding buildings were different this time. Several large, grand-looking houses lined the street, and each had a beautiful garden. For the first time since she had arrived in 1929, Isla felt slightly familiar with her surroundings. “This way!” shouted Colin, as he led Isla in the direction of Icklebogg Manor. Around 5 minutes later, they had arrived at the huge double doors of Icklebogg Manor. Isla’s knocking boomed loudly, and the huge doors were opened by a woman dressed all in white (who Isla assumed was the maid). “Yes?” she said in a delicate voice. “Colin,” whispered Isla out of the corner of her mouth. “Create a diversion while I sneak inside and deliver this letter.” “Sounds good!” Colin whispered back. “Hey Gladys! How long has it been? Must be about 10 years now!” said Colin, sounding like he had known the maid once. “Uhh…Do I know you?” the maid asked cautiously. “Perfect!” thought Isla, as she slipped inside. Isla shivered, feeling a familiar sense of cold as she stood in the grand hallway of Icklebogg Manor. She noticed a door to her right, and through a crack in the door, she could see a midwife’s suitcase on the floor. “Perfect!” she thought. Now she could slip the letter under the door and go! But just after she finished delivering the letter, Isla caught sight of the same grandfather clock that had allowed her to time-travel over 60 years into the past! “Maybe…” she thought, “just maybe I could get back home via that clock!! But first I have to say bye to Colin!” Isla darted to the front doors, where Colin was standing there cracking awful jokes. “You know…I’ve always wanted to juggle, but I’ve never had THE BALLS for it!!” The maid cracked up. Isla grabbed Colin by the arm and yanked him to the side. “Hey Colin…it’s been really nice to meet you, but I’m sorry, I need to go back home now.” “Oh, okay,” said Colin, disappointed. “Do you want me to catch the tram with you?” “No, it’s ok.” Isla said. “I can go alone.” “Okay. Goodbye then. I guess I’ll see ya ‘round.” “See ya.” And with that, Isla walked back into the grand hallway where the ancient grandfather clock stood. Isla opened the not-yet creaky door and WHOOSH!...she was gone. ***** “Where am I?” asked Isla, slightly dazed. “Icklebogg Manor, of course!” replied an all-too familiar voice. Isla looked up to see…Grandfather Icklebogg! Isla’s grandfather pulled her into the tightest hug of all time and said, “Come on! It’s my turn to hide, and your turn to seek! We don’t have any time to waste!” “No, not at all.” THE END

My heart skipped a beat. Nobody else was wearing lace-up sneakers! In fact, nobody was dressed like me at all! I swallowed hard and suddenly realised: I didn’t belong here! I noticed an old fashioned shop and as I walked slowly forward, I overheard some fancy-dressed women addressing me in hushed tones. “Look at that girl!” “I know, right!” “She looks SOOO weird!!” I didn’t think I looked weird. I thought I looked totally coco-bananas!! “Hello!” came a voice from behind me. I jerked around, expecting to see a fully grown man wanting to say how weird I looked. But I didn’t… Instead, I saw a boy about my age dressed in a tweed jacket and bow tie. “You look strange!” he said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. “I get that a lot,” I said, trying to hide the annoyance in my voice. I wondered if I should ask the boy where (and when) I was, exactly. But how? I couldn’t just say, “Hi! I’m Isla Icklebogg and I just walked through an ancient grandfather clock and arrived here! I suspect it could have been time- travel! If so, where & when am I?” NO WAY! NEVER! NOT IN AMONTH OF SUNDAYS!! Suddenly, it hit me! “Umm… I’m sorry. I don’t know your name,” I said. “Colin,” he replied. “Colin Carter.” “I’m Isla. What’s the date today, please? I’ve travelled a LOONG way and I’ve… lost track of the time! Where and when am I?” Colin chuckled a genuine, high chuckle. “Fair enough. The trams out here are mighty unreliable! Today is Wednesday, the 15th June, 1929. And the answer to your ‘where’ question is George St, Sydney, NSW, Australia.” 1929! WOWZA! Now I knew I had time-travelled! Hold on! The 15th June, 1929! That was my deceased grandfather’s birthday! Maybe, just maybe, I could write a letter to my great-grandmother saying to take good care of her new baby!

As I wandered around an unfamiliar dusty old road a filthy fragrance tickled my nostrils and I sneezed a few times. A weird old machine rattled past and I quickly bounded across the road. A couple of women dressed in long, straight dresses glanced at me with a strange and curious look in their eyes. Distant jazz music reached my eardrums. It sounded jazzy and fun. The song sounded familiar, like something off my granddad’s old jazz records. Hmm… The Town Hall clock nearby chimed 12 and I jumped nearly a metre in the dusty air! I landed with a soft thud and a crunch on the gravel below and looked down at my sneakers. My heart skipped a beat. Nobody else was wearing lace-up sneakers! In fact, nobody was dressed like me at all! I swallowed hard and suddenly realised: I didn’t belong here!