Writing

April 2022

Edinburgh International Book Festival story ‘The Wee One’.

Here is my first ever entry to the #FallWritingFrenzy

Agent and author Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez (@KaitlynLeann17) and children’s author Lydia Lukidis (@LydiaLukidis) are running a kidlit contest; #FallWritingFrenzy.

For information about the contest : https://lydialukidis.wordpress.com/fall-writing-frenzy-contest-2020/ 

To read the other entries: https://lydialukidis.wordpress.com/2020/09/30/fall-writing-frenzy-entry-form/

We were given photos to choose from and I chose the image below to write about and was also inspired by the Oscar Wilde story of the The Selfish Giant. If you’d like, you can read my piece underneath.

Helping Horace

Horace the Hedgehog hid in the hedge, peeking out at as the sun began to rise.

The wind howled and the leaves danced, swirling and whirling. Slowly Horace’s eyes closed, he sniffled and snuffled, curled into a ball and slept.

That morning the children came. Running, calling and crying, ‘Look at all the leaves that have fallen!’

They grabbed armfuls, flinging them high up into the sky. Crunching and scrunching they marched across the garden. Jumping and leaping, scarpering here and there. Lying down they were Autumn Angels. Brushing and sweeping they gathered a giant red, gold and brown leaf mountain and … jumped right in!

Then the children collected the leaves into big, big bags to take away. All except for one little pile in the corner. Scurrying into the house they called, ‘Time for hot chocolate and marshmallows!’

An owl hooted, a midnight black cat slunk along the garden wall, a mouse scampered by and Horace awoke.

Sniffling and snuffling he explored the garden by the light of the moon until he discovered the pile in the corner. Hiding under the leaves, Horace the hedgehog rolled up into a tight ball; it was time to hibernate.

198 words.