Fractured Fairytale by Daniel Lock

Hello everyone! My name is Darren Duck.  You can call me D. DUCK!  I am here to tell you the prequel to the fairytale ‘The Ugly Duckling”.

Once upon a time, while I was still an egg, my mother accidentally kicked me down the hill and I fell into a Mother Hen’s nest!  Mothers, during my time, were really irresponsible.  They did not care for their children!  Hey, come on, why couldn’t she just chase after me?  Was that so difficult?  OK, let’s get back to the story.  So, I, a duck at birth was hatched in a hen’s nest.  What was I to do when my first word was ‘Quack! Quack!’ instead of ‘Chirp! Chirp!’?  The chicks, which were hatched together with me laughed hysterically.  At first I thought that they were laughing at a joke, then I realized that I was the joke!  Not only did I speak in an odd manner, I also looked strangely different from my ‘siblings’.  My beak was flat and blunt, unlike my brothers’, which were sharp and pointy.  I could never wash off the grey patches on my feathers.  I admired my brothers’ clean creamy yellow feathers.  Mine were ruffled and looked dirty all the time.  Oh! How my brothers made jokes on my appearance, especially my big webbed feet.  The teasing continued for 12 months!  Imagine the sufferings I went through! 

When I was 12 months and one day old, I saw some beautiful swans swimming at the lake.  Surprisingly, one of the swans took an interest in me.  It was love at first sight and we got married immediately.  You must be thinking how can a duck marry a swan?  Well, have you forgotten?  THIS IS A FAIRYTALE!  ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!  Even a donkey can marry a dragon! 

Anyway, I was happy beyond words when I went home one day and found out that wifey had laid six eggs, one more than the usual five.  Lo and behold!  As fate would have it, the extra egg dropped out of the nest and rolled down the hill!!!  Dear wifey could not chase after the egg because the other eggs were going to hatch and she couldn’t leave her nest and my legs were too short to chase after the rolling egg speeding down the hill.  Now I know why my mother did not chase after me. 

So, that’s how the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling” came about.  My swan-duck son while still an egg had rolled into a duck’s nest.

《火狐狸》

在人们的印象中，狐狸都是很狡猾的。可是，我读了《火狐狸》这本书后，却认识了一只特别的狐狸。

一位老爷爷在风雪交加的冬天救了一只火狐狸。虽然老爷爷很穷，但是他还让火狐狸吃饱穿暖。

火狐狸长大后，给老爷爷煮饭取暖来报答老爷爷。不管发生什么事情，他们都相依为命，永不分离。

我觉得火狐狸是一只尊敬老人，知恩图报，传递温暖，聪明善良的好狐狸。最让我感动的是老爷爷在寒冷的早晨醒来，火狐狸已经煮好香喷喷的米饭。

我长大后要像火狐狸一样。当妈妈爸爸变老了，我也会细心地照顾他们。我会细心煮东西给他们吃，经常带他们去公园散步，也会利用假期带他们出国旅行，让他们享受美好幸福的晚年生活。

——卢靖——

《记得微笑》

我读了一本让我获益不浅的书，名叫《记得微笑》。

书中的叶美香自小娇生惯养，学校同学都把她称为 “小公主”。但，好景不常在，美香爸爸生意失败了。美香必须从高贵的 “公主” 变成过着普通生活的 “平民”。她发现同班同学刘心怡，就住在自己家对面。美香一开始就拒绝跟心怡做朋友。可是，渐渐的，她被心怡善良与乐观所软化了。她们便成了好朋友。美香不想别人知道自己的处境，更怕家境富裕的好朋友排斥她。于是，她要求心怡帮她保守这个秘密。不料，她的谎言却像雪球越滚越大。面对这一切，美香从心怡身上学会了用微笑解决所有的问题，也解除了对心怡的误会。

这个故事让我回想起去年（2011）曾经发生过的一件事。那时，我参加学校的英文比赛却输了，伤心的眼泪像断了线的珠子噼里啪啦地落下来。父母和周围的好朋友都微笑着安慰我。这些微笑顿时让我觉得全身轻松多了，仿佛让微笑把悲伤带走了。

微笑是一股巨大的力量，让你拥有最大的勇气去面对困难。从那以后，我的脸上始终挂着微笑。

我喜欢这本故事书，因为它教会我生活中不管发生什么是，都要记得保持微笑。因为微笑是最美丽的表情，微笑是巨大的力量。微笑着度过每一天，生活就会像一首歌那样，轻快流畅。希望每个人都能拥有最大的勇气，坦然地面对所有的困难，微笑地面对一切。

朋友们，记得微笑吧！

－卢宣－

What Katy Did

Katherine Carr, or commonly known as Katy is a lanky girl whose head is constantly filled with ideas for new adventures, stories and games.  Being the eldest of the six Carr children, all Katy's siblings look up to her.  Katy loves entertaining her younger siblings with her creativity but her good intentions usually lead her to trouble.  Because of that, she's often reprimanded by her aunt and Katy would often feel remorseful after being ticked off.

Katy has a cousin, Helen, who lost her legs to an accident.  After a meeting with Helen one day, Katy vows to be like her cousin who is patient, kind and beautiful despite her disability.  Unfortunately, tragedy strikes the very next day when Katy falls from a swing and injures her spine.  She is never to walk again!  The free spirit Katy is devastated and finds life meaningless.  She stops smiling and lose all her adventurous spirit.  She becomes glum and impossible to please.

Just as I thought that's the end of Katy and her adventures, the author turns the story around by having Helen talk some sense into Katy and helping her look at her life from a different perspective.  Katy's perseverance finally pays off when she starts to walk a year after the accident.

I simply love Katy!  I marvel at how Katy can come up with so many creative ideas.  I admire how she would own up to her wrong-doings regardless of the punishments she would receive.  I especially respect her for overcoming her disability and willingly accept the lessons of patience, pain, cheerfulness and making the best of her unfortunate sitiuation.

Victoria Lock

Hero Over Here

This story is set in America during World War 1.  In the story, Theodore's father and brother had to leave their home to fight in the war.  Too young to join the army, Theodore had to stay at home with his mother and sister.  Before going away, Theodore's father asked him to be the man of the house in his absence and Theodore was very happy to take on this very important role.  Soon after, his mother and sister caught the deadly 'Spanish Flu' and became very sick.  The heavy responsibility of caring for them fell on Theodore's shoulder.  Not wanting to disappoint his father, Theodore did his best to make himself useful in the house and to make sure his mother and sister recover.

I picked up this book because I was attracted to the title and thought I was going to read about the adventures in the battlefield.  However, I was wrong!  The story is actually about how the Americans fought the 1918 'Spanish Flu' epidemic.  There's not a single battlefield scene in the book.  How disappointing!

It was only after reading that I realised the author titled the book 'Hero Over Here' to mean that the hero was Theodore who had painstakingly and patiently cared for his loved ones at home.  So, he was the 'hero over here' at home.  Whereas, his father and brother were the 'heroes over there' at the battlefield fighting the war.  I should have read the title more carefully!

Anyway, the book is still a good read as I have learnt more about the 'Spanish Flu' through the story.

Daniel Lock

My 1st Flash Fiction: Desperation!

Few weeks back, my school teacher asked me to participate in a Flash Fiction writing competition organised by SPH.  That was the first time I've heard of Flash Fiction and I found it rather interesting.  So, here's my 1st Flash Fiction and the entry for the competition.

Desperation!

It was all over the news this morning!  I lay in the hospital bed and shuddered at the thought of my encounter.  The whole scene replayed in my mind.  The disbelief.  The fear.  The exhaustion.  The pain.  All these were fresh in my mind again … …

I arrived at the doorstep of the Victorian bungalow.  The house was brightly lit with Christmas lights; giving it a ‘christmassy’ atmosphere.  I strode into the beautifully decorated interior and stood still for a moment, soaking in the festive mood and catching a whiff of the roasted turkey coming from the kitchen.  What a wonderful feeling!  Christmas has got to be my favourite holiday.  My reverie was interrupted by a pair of smooth, gentle arms wrapped warmly around my neck and a passionate kiss on my cheek.  It was Vivian Lye, the host and new owner of this opulent bungalow.  Following closely behind her were our friends of many years.  We exchanged hugs and kisses, greeting each other excitedly as we had not gathered in this manner for a long time.

During dinner, I had a great time chatting and laughing with old friends.  Vivian looked very happy, a marked difference from six months ago when she was mourning after the death of her father.  Vivian, being the only daughter of old Mr Lye, inherited all his massive wealth, including this million-dollar bungalow.  During our conversation, Vivian unwittingly revealed that her father had also willed that should she meet with any mishap and pass on untimely, her family fortune would go to James Tan, their faithful servant who had served the family for as long as she could remember.  Her father had been very fond of James.  All of a sudden, a loud clanging sound made us jumped and everyone stopped chatting and turned around.  “Sorry everyone.  Butter fingers!” James smiled nervously as he promptly bent down to pick up the cutlery he had dropped.  We were so engrossed in our conversation that we did not notice James enter the dining room.  James quickly left the room after clearing up the mess.

At the end of the heavy and scrumptious dinner, the weather outside had turned hostile.  Thunder crashed and lightening flashed as rain poured down incessantly.  Unlike my friends who lived nearby, my house was a good two hours away!  Vivian decided that I should stay for the night and I gladly accepted.  I was shown to a guest room next to Vivian’s bedroom.  Overwhelmed by fatigue, I fell into a deep slumber, amidst the booming crash of thunder.

“Help!  Get away from me!”  I awoke with a start.  “Ahhhh….”  A shrill scream rent the air and pierced through the wall dividing my room and Vivian’s.  A horrible thought flashed through my mind and I bolted out of the bed.  I pushed open Vivian’s bedroom door, only to find her lying in a pool of blood.  Her snow white night gown was stained crimson red.  Her eyes wide opened and her mouth was agape.  She looked like a white rose that had withered.

Another bright flash of lighting illuminated the room.  At that instant, I saw a black figure holding a gleaming, bloodstained knife.  He looked faintly familiar.  James?  The faithful servant was now a murderer?  When the thought finally sank in, I screamed, “You monster!  How could you?”  Startled at being discovered, James dropped the knife and buried his face in his bloody hands and wept uncontrollably.  “I had no choice.  I needed the money badly.  My son… he’s in debt.”  Suddenly, he jerked his head up, narrowed his eyes and hissed audibly, “No one must know what I just did.”  In an instant, he picked up the knife and lunged towards me. 

I screamed hysterically and ran out of the house as fast as my legs could carry me.  My mind was in a blur and I ran on and on in no particular direction.  The only thought in my head was to get away from James as quickly as possible.  I did not know how far or how long I ran.  Just as I was about to be overwhelmed by exhaustion, I saw a figure donning the familiar dark blue uniform in the distance.  Without any hesitation, I ran towards him and collapsed right into the law enforcer’s arms.  Feeling safe, I then allowed darkness to envelope me. 

Victoria Lock

The Tale of Two Iron Men

Ted Hughes' gigantic Iron Man 

"Taller than a house, the Iron Man stood at the top of the cliff, on the very brink in the darkness ... His great iron head, shaped like a dustbin but as big as a bedroom ... His eyes, like headlamps glowed white, then red, then infra-red..."

This is a description from a book I read recently.  It is THE IRON MAN by Ted Hughes.  The title attracted me as I get excited with anything robot and I thought the story would be as exciting as Marvel's Iron Man.  But I was wrong!

The story is about an enormous robot that fell from a cliff one day and broke into pieces. Instead of becoming scrap metals, the scattered pieces started to look for its body parts.  The chapter which describes how the various body parts began looking for each other is the funniest and most interesting in the book.  The rest of the story is boring with little actions. Even the battle between the Iron Man and a Space Being, with its head as big as Italy, does not excite me much.  All they did was to put themselves into fire to challenge each other to a test of strength.

THE RISE OF IRON MAN from Marvel is a much more interesting book.  It describes the powers the Iron Man has and how he fights the villains using his powers.  Marvel's Iron Man is INVINCIBLE!  He has weapons like lasers, repulsor rays and a force field for added protection.  He can also fly at great speeds.  Of course, all those are gadgets invented by Tony Stark, the person in the Iron Man suit.

Though Ted Hughes' Iron Man has no powers BUT it has endurance, determination and courage. It endured the high heat from the fire and was determined to defeat the Space Being.  Even when he nearly got melted away, he didn't give up.  Tony Stark does have such qualities but it is not shown very obviously.  I think he is a vain person who likes to show off.  That's the only thing I dislike about Marvel's Iron Man.

I wonder if both Iron Men were to fight against each other, who will emerge as a winner?

Daniel Lock.