Cat
by Isla Burns
Hello, I am a cat - a stripey cat. My job is being a pet. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my name is Blitz, well for me anyway, for my owner I’m called (don't laugh) Fluffy Face. When Sophie goes to school I sneak out to a big building in the middle of our home City, Norwich. I believe the humans call it Jarrold’s. People give me food and children stroke me, so it’s a great place to be. Usually, before I go into Jarrold’s I cross the road to go and pick up my friend Whisky from the back alleys.
“Whisky where are you? It's me, I'm going to Jarrold’s.”
”Blitz is that you?”
”Of course, it's me. Come on, let‘s go.”
As we arrived at Jarrold’s the sign clearly said ‘NO ANIMALS ALLOWED’ but I'm a rule breaker, so I went in.
“I don’t think we’re supposed to be in here Blitz.“
“You’re no fun.” What's this room? ‘STAFF ROOM’ “In we go!“
We were tempted by the smell of cookies and milk, so investigated the counter top and ‘Bingo’ that’ll do for a quick mid-morning snack!
“I think we should go back now.“ said Whisky.
“No way! What's this?” ‘DANGER NO ENTRY’ “Let’s go!“
“Blitz, this is getting kind of spooky.“
“Don't be a cry bab... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Meeeooowww!“
”What are you two doing down here?“
“Who was that? Show yourself! I know Karate!” I can’t see anything!”
“It's me, Trendy and the gang. Hang on, I thought cats could see in the dark?“
Then I realised, my eyes were tightly closed from the fear of the fall. I squinted them open and right in front of my eyes were standing all of my cat friends.
“Jerry, Jim, Jeff and all you cats! How long have all you guys been down here?“
“Well, we had the same idea as you two and decided to come to Jarrold’s for a little while but we’ve somehow managed to get ourselves stuck in this pit. I think it’s a lift shaft – look up, I think that is the bottom of the lift and all that banging is the humans trying to fix it.”
“So what happens when they fix it then? We’ll get squished!”
“We’d better think up a plan and quick!”
“OK, who’s the tallest, let’s get Jerry to stand on Jim’s back and then all climb up and make a ladder.”
“Good plan, Blitz! Let’s hurry!”
“Listen! What’s that noise, can you hear that humming sound? Oh no, they’ve got it started! It’s coming down floor by floor!”
“Oh no! Quick, climb for your lives guys!”
“Hurry, hurry!”
“Right, we’ve reached the first opening. If we all hang on to the cat above, we’ll be able to climb up over each other – GO, NOW!”
“Is everyone up? Yes! That was close!”
Well, I guess the armchair is calling and I won’t be such a rule breaker in future as that was life number 8 of the promised 9!
Jarrold
by Imogen Dolding
While mother pondered around the Jarrold clothes floor I escaped down to the basement where I could lose myself in the wild adventures that books take me to. On the right were enormous fiction books and on the left, the full collection of David Williams and Roald Dahl stories. Once you had weaved through the shelves I could see the jammed packed coffee shop, filled with baking hot scones and delicious looking muffins, whilst the rich sweet aroma of coffee filled the room. My eyes were drawn to a bright neon book that was stacked up in the P section. As I approached the wooden bookcase, the smell of coffee disappeared and was replaced by the slightly musty new book scent(my favourite). As I started to pull the bright neon book out of the shelf, another fell out and landed on my foot, I winced in pain but I looked down at the cover and decided to read the blurb.
“When Lyra’s friend Roger disappears, she and her daemon, Pantalaimon, determine to find him”. I didn’t need to read anymore. I hurriedly opened the book but as soon as I did I felt my body being sucked into it, like a vacuum sucks up dirt. I tried to open my mouth but no sound came out. I reached for my phone, but my arms had disappeared. I couldn’t do anything, I tried to run away, but my legs had disappeared. I was stuck. Floating in mid air without any arms or legs. My voice started working so I screamed my head off ,literally, my head floated away as well and in less than a minute my whole body had been sucked into the Northern Lights.
I could hear the crispy cold air swirling past my ears, but that didn't matter to me because when I looked up there was a magnificent sight of blue, green and orange colors. Walking with my head in the air, I slipped on something and when I looked down I saw the book that had sucked me into this enchanting world, thinking aloud I said,’I wonder ,if I open this up will I be able to teleport back to the Jarrold Bookstore . As I started opening up the book I felt the familiar sensation of being sucked into it, but this time I did not freak out in fact I felt kinda calm. I just stood there letting my body slowly float away.
I was back, back in the real, back where I belonged and as soon as my legs and arms had come back I went straight to the writing desk and wrote down a poem for the magnificent sights I had seen that day.
Luminous lights dancing through the night,
Captivating colours shining so bright.
Hisses and pops coming from the sky,
While glistening gems shine so high.
Hypnotising your eyes so you can't look away,
These lights are a magical firework display.
Though these enchanting lights are a joy to see.
why they shimmer so bright, is a mystery.
The northern lights make my heart beat fast,
So I want to make this feeling last.
When I see the sky my eyes open wide,
Just like a wind swept bay at low tide.
Will I see these light again?No never
But I shall keep this memory forever!
I thought it was just a toy shop
by Thomas Hsia
I had only just moved to Norwich from Taiwan to live with my aunt and uncle and go to a new English school. So when I was woken early one Saturday morning all I wanted to do was play, but my aunt and uncle wanted me to go out with them to the city - I really didn’t want to go but I had to. I got in the car, sat in the back seat and my uncle drove to the city. The only good thing about going shopping in Norwich is the toy shops, and especially Jarrolds, where I have been lots of times before. I was kind of excited about what toys I would see today and maybe whether they will buy me something!
After about 30mins we had parked the car and walked to Jarrolds. My aunt went to pick up something she had ordered, and my uncle said we could go to the toy department. My uncle and I really like Lego, especially Star Wars Lego. But just when I look at the Lego, I slipped and fell straight into the boxes and boxes of Lego. I thought it would hurt, but instead I fell straight through them……!
I couldn’t believe what I saw, for a second I thought I must be dreaming, but I was not. Everywhere I looked was made of Lego. It was like a Lego heaven: houses made of Lego, cars, chairs, aeroplanes, TVs, water bottles, toys - the whole lot! I looked at myself, what had happened to me? I was even a Lego version of myself, I was a Lego figure of what I looked like!!! I even had a name tag on top of my head called “Lego: Thomas”. So, was this all real, would I live here for the rest of my live? Let’s find out!
I found out that all the Lego figures could talk, just like in real life. They were all alive. They moved and breathed just like we do! So, I was in a world that was just a Lego version of our world.
The only difference was everyone was kind to each other, and the Lego world had no wars and no pollution, and everyone had enough to eat.
Then I could see the Lego Jarrolds and my uncle’s car from the window, and I could hear my uncle’s voice calling me. Everything went funny, I could hear my uncle, see my uncle…
I was back and my uncle asked if I was okay and told me to be careful next time. He seemed not to have noticed I had been gone, but to me it seemed like several hours had passed.
I didn’t dare to tell him what had happened. Surely he wouldn’t believe me. But which world was ‘real’, would I ever go back, could our world become a better place, more like Lego world?
THE END
Portal
by Lara Holland
One special evening, a young boy (named Jarrold) skipped into his garden with joy after receiving the coolest birthday presents from his family. Although he could hear a friend next door calling from his garden, Jarrold strolled past and towards a bush. He always hid in this bush because his true best friend, Liam, lived on the other side of the splintered fence separating them. He whispered Liam’s name, no answer. He kept calling, gradually making his voice louder each time he said his name. After ten minutes of hearing his own voice in solitude, he eventually gave up.
Jarrold felt down, he and his best friend usually chatted for as long as they desired, it would feel great, if only his friend was there. Jarrold started feeling a huge amount of desperation to speak to his friend, so he started looking for a gap in the fence just big enough for him to fit through. He carefully examined the fence, until he found a small chunk out of the bottom. He held his breath, went as thin as his body would go, and slid under.
Once he was on the other side he shook his body and eyed his clothes. He was so dirty, how would his friend believe it was Jarrold? He stumbled through the bushes and, like a spy, raced towards the back door of the house. Jarrold vigorously brushed his clothes and opened the door a crack, so painfully slow that he could’ve been there all night. He slipped through and quietly tramped up the stairs.
“Liam?” his friend’s mum called.
Jarrold froze, unable to move. He had to do something. Without a thought, he tiptoed to his friend’s room and crept in. He stood there in awe, a blinding reflection covering his eyes. There was a portal, right there in his friend’s room! It was a beautiful purple colour with hints of blue and pink shining towards him.
“Well, you live one life and one life only, what am I waiting for?” Jarrold uttered.
He dashed towards the portal and forced his eyes closed. He ended up in a field; cold, dark and lonely. He immediately realised he had made a mistake.
“HELP!!!!!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, “HEEEELLPPP!!!!!!”
In frustration and fear, Jarrold threw himself to the ground and hunched himself tight into a ball. He sat and waited…..and waited…..and waited.
“A…Jarrold…?”, a concerned, softly spoken voice said. It sounded awfully familiar. Jarrold released his arms and slowly looked up. It was Liam!
“Liam! How did you get here?”
They both seemed dreadfully confused, but they were together and safe. Jarrold stood up and said “Let’s get outta here!” Side by side they stepped towards and through the purple light of the portal. When they were back in Liam’s bedroom, Jarrold dashed back into his garden and Liam into his. For the rest of the evening they sat either side of the fence in silence.
The Shop Window
by Amy Wiggin
After years of running, I have found home. Home is where Joe is. He feeds me and grooms me and exercises me. That is, unless Miss Anna does it. Ever since my arrival, Anna has been smitten with me and I with her. She likes to come into my stall in the dusky evenings and read me a little of something. My favourite is Nicholas Nickleby by a man called Charles Dickens, I believe. If Joe wasn’t too busy tending to the other horses, he would come and listen too. Anna just loved to be near me and say, “oh, my Black Beauty.”
But recently I have noticed that she hasn’t been with me for nearly as much time. When she is in my stable, however, she sits in the corner and keeps repeating: “what happened to you, boy? What is your story?”
After I come in after pulling the cart, I would see her watching me and dropping her gaze to stare at something on the desk in front of the window facing the stables. Occasionally, I could see the tip of her grey and white striped quill pen jumping up and down with words.
Over the next few months, Anna saw me less and less, spending more and more time by the window, appearing to be writing. I wondered why she was abandoning me and what she was doing.
Then, one day, I found out...
I never work on Sundays, but Anna takes me for a drive through the town or fields in her little horse-drawn carriage as she can’t walk. This Sunday was no different. She came into my stable and put my headcollar on, a look of anxiety on her face. All the way to the marketplace, her hands flicked the reins unnecessarily; this made me worry. When we got to the city, Anna ignored the calls of greeting that came our way. Then, as we came outside Jarrolds, her whole face was transformed into a beaming smile. I looked at where she was looking and saw a book on a stand. It had a drawing of a black horse galloping in a lush field. Though I knew little of the Human language, I just about managed to make out the title:
That was me! Anna wrote about me, her beloved Black Beauty. Her behaviour over the last few months became clear. She’d always been a great writer; and this was her first book.
Black Beauty will ride again.
Toys on the loose
by Catherine Scott
Have you ever heard of the department store Jarrolds? You probably have which means you have probably heard of the children’s section on the top floor. Have you ever found a toy tortoise wearing pyjamas on floor five? Would you like to know why? You would? Then I shall tell you.
This happens because every day when the store closes all the toys come alive. The trains start whizzing round their tracks, the dolls continue their lives in the dolls houses and all the teddies start walking around the whole building sitting on the sofas and lying on all the beds they even go to the cafe and get themselves food and drink. Also, once week all the toys gather together on the top floor and have a big meeting because the toy department at Jarrolds is the home of the toy council. After the meeting any important decisions that have been made get announced on the toy news.
Once the toy news is over all the toys go to the cafe to have their tea. Then they always play big group games together then at half eight they all get ready for bed. Once they have cleaned their teeth and are in their pyjamas they all go and chose a bed on floor 3. Big ted the leader of all the toys sets their alarm so they all wake up at the right time. Then they all go to sleep.
In the morning they all get woken up by their alarm then they go to the cafe for breakfast. Then they all go up to the top floor to take of their pyjamas and clean their teeth. But because the tortoise is so slow it is still on floor five in its pyjamas when the store opens. That is why you find a toy tortoise in pyjamas when you visit the store.