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A Winter Adventure (9-12 age category)

One evening, whilst Olivia the marshmallow was chatting with her friends, Cindy walks in to make hot cocoa.

She makes it, then grabs the jar of marshmallows and they start to worry.

She opens it then pours them on top. All the mallows are screaming in the hot cocoa, apart from three!

Olivia and her friends survived!

Although they fell to the floor, they were bruised but okay compared to the others.

They stood still until Cindy left, otherwise she would see them.

They wanted to travel, but where to? They settled on the oven as their destination and started their journey!

It was difficult to get there due to the freezing tiles, so when they made it to the oven - they were lucky to discover it was warm! Too warm.

OH NO! One of Olivia’s friends was melting! The other two were struggling to move her to the middle of the kitchen, whilst wondering, “Where to next?”

This time they settled on the fridge-freezer. They helped their half-scorched friend along the journey. When they arrived it was cold, unlike the oven. Too cold. “Aaaahh!” screamed Olivia’s other friend, he was freezing!

So the other two hauled him over to the middle, to defrost.

Once he was defrosted, they were chatting about their journey when unexpectedly they hear footsteps…..DAD!

He was coming in to do the dishes! “Ruuunn!” exclaimed one of the mallows, as they all sprinted to the cupboards. But dad entered before they could get there! They stopped, but he saw them anyway!

He set down the dishes, picked the mallows up and slipped them one by one into his mouth!

Once standing he realised mum was right behind him, and she was MAD! “ GET THOSE FILTHY THINGS OUT OF YOUR GUB! AND DON’T EAT OFF THE FLOOR!”

Dad just swallowed and laughed!

Unlikely Friends by Ronan O'Donnell

Read by Phillip Sacramento. Illustration by Rebecca Moore.

It was bitterly cold as the winds blew through the leafless trees.

The snow lay deep in the ploughed fields below, and the little sparrow tucked his head under his feathery wing, trying desperately to get warm.

He was sad as he watched his friends fly south, but he couldn’t fly after his nasty accident with the farmer’s cat.

It was time to get his plan in action of finding warmth and shelter, if he was to survive the long cold night ahead.

The sparrow bravely fell from the tree, spread his little wings, floated like an angel and fluttered onto the fluffy white snow below.

He was hungry, alone and sad as he hopped his way over to the big majestic oak tree.

Suddenly in the stillness, he heard a noise under a pile of autumn leaves. Motionless he stood as he waited to see what or who was rustling the leaves.

Among the leaves poked out a little snout inhaling the cool air.

Curious, the sparrow got closer to see. With a flurry of colour out wriggled a prickly hedgehog!

The two were shocked to see each other and both said “Hello” at the same time.

The hedgehog could see the sparrow was sad and asked if he needed help.

The sparrow explained his story about the cat and how he was alone and cold.

The hedgehog told the sparrow how he had been awakened from his hibernation due to his rumbly tummy.

As dusk approached, with temperatures falling, the unlikely pair gathered some fresh leaves and piled them against a log.

After they had dined on a feast of crunchy snails, slippery slugs and wriggly worms they burrowed into the leaves, curled up and fell into a deep sleep, grateful for friendship and the comfort of shelter.

The Lost Huntsman by Sarah Glass

Read by Jolene O'Hara. Illustration by Alice McMullan.

Mira stepped out onto the crisp snow, the shouting from the previous night still echoing in her mind. The locals were hunting yetis again, which she hated.

Her brother, Felix, had been involved in the hunts a year ago, but never returned.

Felix was loud, strong and handsome but had little wit. Quite the opposite of scrawny and quiet Mira.

Pulling on her brick red cloak Mira set off down a long path for the forest, receiving pitiful looks from passers-by.

She had followed a set of abnormal pawprints hoping to find some food, but only found a crumbling well covered in a layer of snow.

Mira sat down, disheartened by the scarce pantry back at home. She peered down, but only her freckled face and rosy cheeks stared back.

But just as she was about to return to the village she noticed something. Those weren't her eyes glaring at her, those were her brother’s!

Mira grabbed her sceptre from her sheath before jumping into the shaft.

She emerged, breathing in the cool air before examining the cavern she had been teleported to. She gasped, the cave looked like the inside of a frosted treasure trove, with glistening stalactites hanging from the ceiling like a thousand chandeliers.

The greatest treasure of all was perhaps a tree in the centre of the cave made of pure quartz. Mira slowly wandered toward the evergreen, careful so as not to wake the sleeping yetis. Then she realised that Felix was in the tree!

Mira lost all sense and ran straight to the tree screaming. Just then ten yetis rose ready for a fight! So Mira grabbed her sceptre and cast the strongest spell she knew just in time to grab Felix's hand and take them both home.

"I've missed you," Felix breathed happily.