Categories
Age 9 to 12

‘The Black Diamond,The Ghost Ship’ by Kieran Pennock, Age 9 Years

The Black Diamond
The Ghost ship
by Kieran Pennock

The two archaeologists slashed through the thick vines of the secret Temple in the jungle. They raised their swords as they approached the final corner that they needed to turn in the Temple. Then they would finally be there! At the end of their quest! They approached cautiously. Surely there would be a trap? But no, there were no traps. They edged round the corner. The room around the turn was brighter than the mossy stone corridor they had just walked down. In the exact centre of the room was a dark marble pedestal. On top of it… The two men gasped. The Black Diamond!!! A dark aura surrounded the shining crystal. The two men crept towards the jewel. One of them picked it up. It was impossible to see through the black stone because it was such a dark colour. The gem glinted in the light.
The archaeologists sprinted out of the entrance of the ancient Temple. Their acquaintances, who had been waiting outside screamed in horror! One of them grabbed The Black Diamond and ran off into the humid jungle. The archaeologist who had been holding the stone heard a thud just behind him. He quickly spun round. The other archaeologist lay on the damp grass, dead! The man looked up. He just had time to see a savage looking man jumping towards him! The killer plunged a glinting sword at the unfortunate man. Then everything went black…
Kieran and Connor walked through the streets of Falmouth. It was the day of the Tall ships Regatta and the awe-inspiring tall ships were moored out in the deep blue water. Connor and Kieran walked onto a quay made of stone bricks, which pointed out into the sea at another grassy headland. At the end of the quay, a huge tall ship with a lot of wooden crates on it was moored. People were staggering off the tall ship carefully trying to hold onto the small crates they were carrying. Police surrounded the area and there were monitors everywhere. Why did this quay need so much security? Nearby some crates had already been taken off the tall ship, their was something that looked like a suitcase. Kieran and Connor ran over to it. The case was black with two silver buckles. It didn’t seem to belong to anyone so, curiously, Kieran opened it. Inside was a small box, some clothes, a pistol and a sword that had red stains all over it. Kieran opened the box. Inside the suspicious box was a sparkling black jewel wrapped in bubble-wrap. A dark aura surrounded it. The two boys looked at it in awe. Kieran picked it up. At that exact moment, a blaring alarm went off, the monitors zoomed in on them and the police spun round and saw them. “Sorry!” panicked Connor. “We didn’t know!!!” But the police did not listen. “HEY, KIDS!” one of them shouted. “WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING IN THAT CASE?!!?” The officers looked very angry and lunged at the boys. Kieran and Connor bolted. They ran past the endless crowds looking for a place to hide. Eventually, they found a back alley. Pushing past an old lady, they sprinted into it and ducked down behind some dustbins. The two terrified boys snuck a peek at the police running past the entrance to the alley. Exhausted, the boys ran further down the alley and onto a small quay. A gigantic tall ship was moored on the quay. It was apparently deserted. Kieran and Connor crept onto it. From the main deck, the boys could see a dark red tall ship on the horizon. It was very sinister-looking. It was heading in the direction of Falmouth! But Kieran and Connor walked down some steps into the bottom deck of the boat and didn’t pay the ship a second thought. But they would soon see what bad news the red tall ship really was… Kieran heard a terrible cry from the depths of the ship. Maybe the boat wasn’t deserted? Kieran and Connor crept further. But Connor stayed about two metres behind Kieran. Kieran saw some metal objects ahead of him. They were hanging on a wall. Kieran tiptoed closer. The objects were swords. Kieran took two off of the wall, cutting himself in the process but it didn’t hurt him, neither did it make a mark on his skin. Kieran held out one of the silver swords at Connor. “But I don’t want to cut myself”, said Connor. “I just cut myself and nothing happened to me”, said Kieran reassuringly. Connor took one and cut himself. A bloody mark appeared on Connor’s skin. “OW!!!” he screeched. “What?!” asked Kieran, who had shoved the dark gem from the suitcase into his pocket. “It didn’t hurt me”. But Connor said it didn’t matter. Suddenly another ear-splitting cry filled the boat. Then another cry came. Kieran and Connor had become very curious about what the cries were. They ventured further into the depths of the tall ship. As they walked the noises got louder and louder. The boys opened a door to their right and ran into the room where the cries were coming from and held out the swords in front of them. At the far end of the room was a cage. Inside of the cage was a black springer spaniel with a red collar. Kieran opened the cage to let the dog out. It licked him in appreciation. Kieran looked at the red collar and found that the dog’s name was Volt. “But why is it called that?” Kieran asked. “I guess it must be very fast”, replied Connor. “Oh”, said Kieran.
Kieran and Connor ran back up the steps onto the main deck. Volt followed them. They looked out into the water and saw a terrible sight! The dark red tall ship that they had seen earlier was right next to another huge boat. The two boys could see the silhouettes of the boat’s crew. They didn’t seem to be aware of the tall ship next to them. Then, suddenly… “BANG!!!!!” Slowly, the boat began to sink into the water. Down, down, down it went until it was completely submerged under the shimmering sea. The red ship continued moving closer towards Falmouth. Kieran and Connor were horrified. Could they be the only ones who could see the sinister vessel? They had to stop it. Quickly.
The two boys somehow managed to sail the boat over to the terrifying ghost ship. The ship didn’t have a name carved on the side of it. The wood that it was built from was painted dark red. The ghost ship had many hatches on the side of it. Cannons poked out from inside the hatches. The boat had many scruffy men on the main deck. From the crow’s nest came a shriek. “OI, CAPTAIN!!! THERE’S A SHIP APPROACHING!!!” Then a man with a grey beard and a pirate hat shouted: “LOAD THE CANNONS! FIRE, FIRE!!!” “BANG!!!” The cannons were fired again. Suddenly, the ground beneath Kieran and Connor’s feet began to slowly lower. They looked over the side of the ship at the deep water. Kieran looked over to the ghost ship. Maybe they could jump and escape drowning? “I’m going to jump,” he said. “Are you crazy?!!?” shrieked Connor. But it was too late Kieran had grabbed the sword he had found and jumped to the other boat. Connor realised he had no choice but to jump too. He leaped off of the ship. Volt followed him and easily made it onto the deck of the ghost ship. Connor stumbled as he landed and nearly fell backwards into the water. The two boys lifted their swords as the shaggy-looking men lunged at them. They fought their way through them, somehow surviving to get to the ship’s wheel. The man with the pirate hat and the beard was the only person there. He drew a cutlass from a sheath on his belt and pointed it at Kieran and Connor! “Give me The Black Diamond!” the man screeched. ” I don’t know how you got your hands on it but give it here!!!” “NO!” shouted Kieran. “I’m gonna throw it off the edge of the boat!” You’re not getting it! You’re evil!!!” “Give it to me and I will spare your lives!” Kieran took the gem out of his pocket, walked to the side of the boat and held the Diamond over the edge of the ship. “NO!!!!!” shouted the man. While the evil pirate captain was distracted, Connor struck him with his sword. The man screamed in pain. But he was somehow still alive. Kieran shoved The Black Diamond back inside of his pocket and ran over to help Connor. Their swords clashed. Kieran and Connor pushed the pirate away from them and Kieran slashed his sword at him. The man shrieked again, but he was still not defeated. Then Volt ran up to the pirate from behind, sprang up into the air and sank his teeth into his backside. The pirate collapsed on to the deck where he lay, stone dead. “You did it Volt!” shouted Kieran in delight. “Yay, Volt! You were actually useful for once! Well done!” said Connor. Volt barked happily. The two boys then sailed the ghost ship back to a quay in Falmouth, where they got off the boat and walked back to their houses.
Kieran and Connor studied The Black Diamond for the next five weeks, but they still couldn’t figure out what it was, where it came from and what, if anything, it did. Eventually, Kieran, Connor and Volt just buried it in the field outside Kieran’s house, but they still researched the stone for the rest of their lives. However, they still found out nothing about the gem.

The End

Categories
Age 9 to 12

‘By the Sea’ by India Castle, Age 9 Years

By The Sea
Fireworks, booming beautiful and bright,
“WOW!” cheers the crowd what a lovely sight

Here come the tall ships, elegant and tall,
Oh there it is the greatest of them all.

Mermaids tails, shimmering like the moon on water,
The mysterious voice of Neptune’s daughter,

Mmm… smells like fish and chips,
I think I have to buy some I can’t stop licking my lips,

Palm trees spiky and towering,
Big strong and over powering,

“SPLASH” three girls dive into the deep ocean,
They did put on all there sun lotion,

Yellows, blues and reds filled the sky as people waved good bye.

Categories
Age 9 to 12

‘The Tall Ships Destiny’ by Bella Carter, Age 9 Years

The Tall Ships Destiny
One day in August 2014 when there was a calm sea and nothing but a light blue glistening ocean  in the distance. As the tall ships arrived there was a sense of celebration. Crystal clear sea flew by while the birds created a beautiful sound. Suddenly out of nowhere the image of clouds so fluffy they could be made out of cotton wool. Fireworks started illuminating the sky. Soon everyone was asleep and they started dreaming about what would happen the next day…
As quick as a flash morning came and the sky wasn’t that clear. There came a big splash. Everyone saw the lifeguard coming to save the sailor. In the end everyone was safe and the fireworks carried on booming and crashing all day long. But as soon as the sun came up, the day became a great day with the colourful scenes of the tall ships. While all the people were enjoying the view others were trying to find friends. Cindy a little girl from Birmingham came down and was taking some glorious photos. People were saying in the background “her pictures are amazing”. As Cindy was walking around with her mother and father she met another little girl called Bethany she was 11 but they soon became best friends and acted like sisters. Bethany and Cindy soon wanted to go everywhere with each other but guess what they did next? They went exploring; to the park, to the beach and onto the tall ships, exactly everywhere in Falmouth. Cindy did not get time to meet Bethany’s mum and dad because they had so many adventures. But they were amazed that their favourite Cornish artist was sketching. Suddenly out of nowhere they started to leave. So that meant Bethany had to go back to her house on Trescobeas road in Falmouth. Because Cindy liked Bethany so much guess what Cindy’s mum and dad did?…
They decided to move house to Falmouth. So Cindy stayed with Bethany in Falmouth, while her mother and father went to get their and Cindy’s stuff and moved into their nice and comfortable cottage in Falmouth. As the great and colourful tall ships raced up to London the sailors were getting the sun in their eyes and enjoyed the fun. As quick as a flash Cindy’s mum and dad were back so they decided to go and find their cottage. As they got there they pictured a great and wonderful place to live and her mum and dad said “this is better than I thought it would be” and most definitely it was. Cindy said to herself “if I didn’t come to Falmouth to see the tall ships I would be very lonely and unhappy”. This is how the tall ships made her day!
By Bella Carter

Categories
Age 9 to 12

‘The Tall Ship’ by Ruby Webb- Herring, Age 9 Years

The Tall Ships!
I was expecting a lovely walk in town,
When suddenly I heard a booming sound,
I looked up high and what did I see?
Some fireworks shining beautifully,
I saw some dancing and colours flash,
I knew I needed to make a dash.
People were pushing, shoving, surging,
Trying to get a glimpse, of THE TALL SHIPS!
So that’s why there were fireworks, that’s why there were dancing,
That’s why there were colours flashing.
I ran down the quay to join in the fun,
And celebrate with everyone!
There was one particular ship I saw,
With red sails and a yellow door.
The sea was calm not a wave to be seen,
The sailors looked ever so keen.
The cats and dogs were going crazy!
They made me feel quite hazy.
Soon the proper firework show started,
With a gold one that sparkled and glittered,
It shone and shimmered.
After that it was time to go home,
And leave the dogs and cats alone.
I expected a lovely walk in town,
But turned out I didn’t frown!
Eventually I tiptoed back,
And stood on a twig that made a crack,
I wandered sleepily up the stairs that were steep,
With eyes so tired they couldn’t even peep.
I gazed out into the endless sky,
And saw some colourful birds with patterned wings that helped them fly,
I looked down again onto the bay,
As rainbow fireworks danced the night away.

Categories
Age 9 to 12

‘The Crystal Canon’ by Connor Burden, Age 9 Years

The Crystal Cannon
Scientists carefully monitored the Sacred Temple of Anubis in Egypt. Scientists inside were translating hieroglyphics into modern language. One scientist pressed down on a hieroglyphic and a secret passageway opened up. And there before him was the most legendary treasure of all. He ran up to the cannon and studied it carefully. It was pure emerald! Unfortunately, the scientist was unaware of the closing passageway door, and was trapped inside FOREVER… My name is Connor, and I have a tale to tell.

Connor and Kieran were like any other boys. Connor had a dog called Waffles, which he took with him anywhere. Waffles was a Springer spaniel who loves Doggy Yum Yums (A Nyanto treat for dogs everywhere, but we won’t go into detail.) One day the two friends met at Kieran’s tree house and discussed the normal chat, and all of a sudden Kieran bought up the Tall Ships Regatta. I’m going tonight, do you want to come with me. Connor couldn’t help but say yes! Waffles barked with delight!
At 4:15pm, and the stores were excellent. The festivities were brilliant. They got Waffles a John Dyer raincoat, which was handy if the ships splashed water near the viewing point. At 8pm, the Tall Ships entered Falmouth Bay, but Waffles started to growl meanly. “What is it boy?” asked Connor. He looked directly where Waffles was barking. And there, coming into Falmouth, was a dark, wooden ship. Aboard the ship was a gang of… Pirates. “Avast thee, landlubbers!” shouted the captain. “I be Wavebeard, the second most dangerous pirate, who ever roamed the seas. My brother was Blackbeard, and I do believe I shall be one too!”
Fearful sailors steered their ships away from Falmouth harbour to escape the pirate’s clutches. Wavebeard landed on the harbour and told the rest of his crew to come back for him after he found the ‘treasure’. Connor, Kieran and Waffles hid behind a barrel and heard Wavebeard saying something about a ‘Crystal Cannon’, ‘Flint and steel’ and ‘BLOWING FALMOUTH UP???’ Connor was so scared now. The terrific trio ran over to Captain Luca’s hut by the sea to rent a boat. Lucas told them that the sea was too dangerous, but they could get one for free. He also mentioned that Peacocks had a 25% off sale if they wanted to go there instead. It was a hard decision, but in the end they took the boats. Captain Lucas gave them swords so they could defend themselves if the pirates spotted them. Soon they sailed out from the harbour and reached the pirate ship. They heard the crew, hearing sea shanties, as they climbed aboard the ship. Suddenly the crew spotted our three heroes. “Are you here to stop us?” asked the pirates. Kieran nodded slightly.
“We wanted to kill the old hag ages ago, and since you have the courage, we could use your help!”
The crew seemed like bullies, but they were actually really sweet and kind. The captain’s first mate drove the ship to the docks and parked. “Our captain said he was going into ‘ye old booty store’.” Said the lookout.
Connor and Kieran thought for a moment. Where in Falmouth was a ‘booty store’? “It must be that bank ‘Pirates Cove’!” Connor exclaimed.
Connor, Kieran and Waffles ran off into the streets of Falmouth, darting towards Pirates Cove bank, hoping to stop Wavebeard from destroying a very special place of English history. Meanwhile, Wavebeard somehow got into a special safe in the Pirates Cove bank and stole the Crystal Cannon. As he was about to return to his ship, out of the blue Connor, Kieran and Waffles made him surrender. Wavebeard vowed he would return, but the 9 year olds reassured him, because his crew’s family lived in Falmouth and would be devastated if they were destroyed. “You will pay for this!”Shouted Wavebeard back at the troublesome trio.
The event was moved to another day, and finally, it was safe at last.

THE END

Categories
Age 9 to 12

‘The Tall Ships Festival’ by May Keeble, Age 9 Years

THE TALL SHIPS FESTIVAL

The fireworks sizzle and crackle,
They swirl and curl,
High in the sky they amazingly astonish the gasping crowd below.

Some ships sail along the briny sea,
Whilst the buildings are on the dry,
Palm trees are waving above your heads shouting in praise.

The church bells chime and dong,
The fireworks go high above your heads exploding,
The moon glistens and shines bright against the darkness of the night.

The church bells chime and dong,
They go through time with you.

And it all makes you feel …HAPPY!!!