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Doncaster: Discover the Spirit

Here are some of the entries we have received for the writing competition last year. Why not enter this year's competition?

The Soul trade
Dear diary,
I’m relieved to say I managed to find the perfect present for my step mum! It’s her birthday today, and I had to pick her a birthday present. At first, everything in the shops was wrong: flowers, chocolates and everything. For a moment, I considered drawing a sketch for her, but then I thought that was a bit to cheap. Panicked, I called my friend Katie, and asked for her advice. Katie didn’t help me at all, unfortunately. All she suggested was everything I’d already thought of, and nothing I’d thought of was use. After walking for a while, I found a peculiar looking, corner shop. It had the word ‘Bargains’ written above the door in messy handwriting, which, as you can imagine, made me think it was a shop. I couldn’t help but investigate, since everything about the shop was strange, and made me curious. Slowly, I pushed the door open lightly with the tip of my finger. I was almost hoping it wouldn’t open, but surely enough, it slid open, as if telling me to come in. The next thing I knew, I was inside the shop, walking down a dull corridor. Suddenly, I reconsidered everything I was doing. The whole corridor was more like something you’d find in a house, not a shop. I expected someone to come out any minute and shout at me for being in their house. Stupidly enough, I continued walking, butterflies viciously fluttering inside me. Finally, another door was in site. I ran up to it. The butterflies inside me grew more vicious, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t even remember why I was there! Just like the first time, the door crept open the second I touched it. Shelves full of glass orbs were everywhere, which made me desperate to investigate further. Suspicious, I picked up the nearest orb I could reach, and looked inside it. A picture of a beautiful house was on it. The house brought back so many memories, almost as if I’d been there before. It also touched my senses. I could smell the fresh, summer’s air once again; I could feel the cool breeze blowing on my face.
I put down the orb, and grabbed another. A violin was in this one, and although I’ve never played or even had an interest in music, I could hear the smooth sound echoing in my mind. I began to pick up the orbs and look into each one. They all touched me deeply. Each of them was detailed extremely well. Suddenly, a man appeared from nowhere. I picked up the nearest orb, and asked for the price.
The man asked me if I drew, which surprised me. He’d completely ignored my question-or so I thought.
I answered his question, yes, I did draw. Even more surprisingly, he asked to see my sketch book, so I let him. I watched him nervously, hoping he liked what he saw. Suddenly, he stopped looking through, and began admiring a certain sketch. It was also my favourite of all I’d done. The butterflies in me were now going crazy- so crazy it was uncomfortable. He asked me for the sketch to pay for the orb, which was next to nothing. I completely agreed- what a deal!
Later on, I found out I couldn’t draw! At first I thought it was just me getting stressed, but then I realised I couldn’t even draw a straight line! I’m dreading tomorrow’s art lesson! And I want to know why I can’t draw anymore! I guess I’m going to have to see for myself. At least my present was nice!

Will, Bloodchild, Tim Bowler
Dear Diary,
Everything is so confusing. First of all, I discover that not only have I no recollection of who I was, almost everyone dispises me and most give me filthy glances in the street. I know what they're thinking...
'There goes the mad boy...'
'He should be in an asylum...'
Beth has been a great help. She doesn't judge me like other people do. She's nice and caring, and her hand is so warm and soft against mine... I can't think about how I could have forgotten her face. She's beautiful.
Though not as pretty as the girl.
I don't know who she is. It's as if I know her, but I don't know how. She made me grab hold of life when I was about to release my weakening grip and she's appeared to me only a few times since. It's as if she's there, surrounding me, protecting me all of the time. It's as if she's my own guardian angel. I knew her before my memory-loss. I drew pictures and stuck them around my room. They were still there when I first walked in after my accident. I didn't tell anyone who she was, which is also annoying, as then I'd have known who she is now.
But they're the only good things about my new-found existence.
The rest is disturbing.
I see things that aren't there, and that's why people hate me. They think I'm wierd, a bad smell that's infecting the town, slowly turning it evil.
But it's already evil.
Nobody else sees that but me. There's a sickness in Havensmouth and I'm the only one who realises that. It's incredibly frustrating, telling people and then to have them throw it back in your face. The church is the worst. I once went into one of my trances and frightened the whole community senseless, or so my parents say.
I can't get my head round it all. I can't understand why people hate me so much. It's eating me away inside, gnawing at my nerve ends until one day I'll eventually snap like an elastic band and everyone will get whipped in the face by the backlash. Eventually, they'll know I was right and that there was no need for the hatred, that they should have trusted me instead of despising me.
I don't know how I know that, I just do.
I know alot of things I shouldn't and I think that's one of the reasons I was knocked over. It wasn't an accident.
Again, I don't know how I know, I just do.
But I guess I'll have to wait for the band to snap a sin the meantime, I'm still the wierdo who sees things that aren't real. They don't understand. They don't know how lonely it is, with only Mum, Dad, John and Beth to keep you company.
I'm like a time-bomb around everybody else.
They don't know when I'm going to go off, but I know that when I do eventually blow, everyone will know about it. It will be devastating, mind blowing and glorious. I'll finally get through to them, prove that what I know now is right.
Oh I can't wait for that day.
I can't wait.

Will

The year 1956...

Or should I say 2009?

Basically, I’m lost, my name is Pauline, but call me Polly as I truly hate the name Pauline! I really don’t understand what has happened, I mean, you probably won’t understand me, and it will all sound so completely weird, but I am not from this century... I am a young teenage girl from the 1950’s, who used to live happily with my brother Freddy and my father, (who is a complete genius) Henry Emerson.

He is such a great scientist, and I have complete faith and trust in him, so when he asked me to help him with a recent experiment, I didn’t mind, although I should have done. He told me yesterday, (well, it at least felt like yesterday) that he needed to place me in this glass tomb, so he could test his latest creation, cryonic suspension, on humans. This is basically having my heart frozen until he wakes me up again.

I was at first frightened by the idea, and quite reluctant, but having the comfort that my brother Freddy would be there beside me too, and that it would only be for a couple of hours, (or supposed to be) I offered to do it.

So I got in, and father started to work the machine. I lied motionless, until the machine was finally in work, and the colours left my eyes, then it was all blank...

After that couple of hours, I was awoken, quite surprisingly rudely, as there was lots of noise, (unusual for my dad, who tends to be the sort of quiet, gentle person.) However, when I finally got my bearings, which for some reason took a while, as I struggled to stand on my two legs, I realised that once again, father had left us in too long, and I felt all stiff because of it. A sudden thought came to me, Hilary’s party! I just hoped we hadn’t missed it, although we most probably had. Then, I saw that it wasn’t my father who had awoken me.

Instead, there were two silly teenagers, dressed in very weird, bright and colourful clothes, with stupid hairstyles that I had never seen before, hanging around, one girl unconscious on the floor.

So me and Freddy woke them up, and told them to go away, because father will soon be coming, and they shouldn’t be here. They were really weird, and in complete shock. We just told them that it was a usual time-delay, but they were still confused. So we asked them of their story.

They came out with something so frightening...

Apparently, it was 2009! The figure made me jump; obviously, they were just confused and muddled up. However, they then took us outside to our house, which they claimed was theirs, but everything had changed. Everything was weird.

Then we realised, today, was 2009, and the whole world was ahead of us.

Dad was missing...

I need help, and very, very quick.

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