Highly commended - Junior section
Launceston Christian School
I stand, frozen in my place, like the ground grabbed hold of my feet and won’t let go. I can’t believe my eyes. The plane we just alighted from is behind us and the airport is in front – that much was expected. But beyond the airport, in all directions – are trees. So many trees. More than I can count.
In Sydney, buildings stand everywhere, towering over you, blocking your view of anything. You can’t see vegetation from where I live in our apartment. But here, in Tasmania, untouched nature dominates. The air is fresh, like it was created yesterday. I breathe it in slowly. It is heavenly. The sun is getting lower in the sky and a cold breeze is blowing. Somewhere a kookaburra calls out happily in the trees.
Mum and I finally continue walking on the gravel towards the airport building. It isn’t as big as the one that we left behind in Sydney, but both airports have three similar features: they smell funny, look modern and the staff have way too much makeup on. I hardly remember entering the building. My mind is overflowing with images of the fun we are going to have here in the beautiful state of Tasmania. Bushwalking, making new friends, seeing all the Tasmanian animals… This place is perfect. I’m just going to love our holiday here.
After leaving the airport in our small, grey rental car, we pass so many paddocks, so much vegetation. It’s just incredible. In Sydney, the streets are always packed with cars and people. It’s really busy. Tasmania is so quiet, apart from the birds singing and a few cars coming by.
A wattlebird flies over our car and out of sight. Through the window, I can see ravens hopping around in the grassy paddocks and butterflies fluttering about in the breeze. In a pond in one of the properties, ducks are swimming and quacking at each other. In the trees beyond, wallabies and the occasional bunny dart in and out of sight. Grass lines the side of the road, with bushes growing up against the fences of properties. I even see an echidna, slowly waddling around in the long grass of a paddock, like a bunch of spikes is taking a walk.
When we reach the city of Launceston, I am amazed at how quiet it is. I mean, sure, there is traffic and people are scattered everywhere, but I guess I thought it would be a little more like Sydney. We stop for a nice dinner in a quiet restaurant where I have spaghetti and then a big bowl of ice cream for dessert.
We travel for a bit until we reach the hotel that we are staying in. It is tiny. I don’t know how people live like this. Our apartment is bigger than the reception area, honestly. But the lady behind the desk is very nice. She has long, dark hair that reaches to her shoulders and her dark brown eyes are complemented by dark makeup. Her red and blue uniform is completed with a professional nametag that tells us her name is Stacey. Mum has a chat with her, sorting out our stay, so I drift off into my own world again. I notice the pictures that line the grey wall behind Stacey’s desk. Some are famous artworks hung in delicate frames, while others look like they have been made by kids, stuck to the wall with blue tack and signed by various names in messy handwriting.
I snap back to reality when mum calls me over to help her find our room. We travel up a small flight of stairs, to a hallway of doors which have numbers printed on them. The door closest to us says Room 91, so we walk until we come to the door marked Room 113, which mum unlocks with the key we were given, and we walk inside.
I almost die. It is the tiniest room you could imagine. Two single beds are on opposite sides of the room, there is a tiny closet, and a door that I guess leads to our bathroom. A tv is mounted on the wall next to more artwork. Nothing else at all. We won’t be spending much time in here, I tell myself. Just for sleeping at night. Don’t sweat.
I start unpacking my clothes and loading them into my half of the closet. It takes me ages to cram them all in together. If I’d known we had a closet this small, I wouldn’t have brought so many clothes.
Eventually my suitcase is empty of clothes and I turn my attention to one of the small beds. The hotel provided sheets for it, but I have brought my own pillow. I take it out of the suitcase and put it on the bed. I flop down, exhausted, my mind buzzing with all the great things I have seen today. There is so much more to see tomorrow. I close my eyes, smiling to myself.
Whatever happens, I’m going to love it here.
Forty South Publishing and the Tasmanian Association for the Teaching of English (TATE) congratulate everyone who entered our short story competition in this challenging coronavirus-affected year. We would also like to recognise the extra work put in by teachers and parents to support these young writers and to maintain the general education of young Tasmanian school students.
The themes this year echoed the world-wide pandemic. For the Juniors (Years 7-9) the themes were ‘Connection’ or ‘Community’ and for the Seniors (Years 10-12) they were ‘Isolation’ or ‘Island’. Students were free to interpret their chosen theme in any way they wanted.
Chris Gallagher judged both sections and was impressed with the overall standard of entries. She could not split her two top stories in the Senior Section and so the senior prize has been shared by Tabitha Glanville (Scotch Oakburn College) and Tara Sharman (Hobart College). In a first for Clarence High School, Oenone Schofield took out the Junior Section with her story, ‘Home’.
