At the beginning of October, students in Key Stage 3 English were given the exciting opportunity to enter a writing competition organised by Jersey Post, entitled Once Upon a Letter. I was delighted to discover one Monday morning that our English lesson would be dedicated to writing stories for the competition. Ideas soon began to take shape, and I started developing my story during the lesson before continuing to work on it at home. I submitted my finished piece to my English teacher later that week.
Over the October half-term holiday, I received some wonderful news in a letter from Jersey Post: I had won the 11–15 age categoryof the competition! I was absolutely thrilled and incredibly proud to discover that my story had been chosen as the winner.
My prize includes a certificate, a writing bundle, a selection of stamps and a book. All the winners will also be announced on the Jersey Post website and social media channels. Even more excitingly, Jersey Post is planning to publish a book featuring the winning stories next year!
My winning story follows a girl called Maddie, who is living in an abandoned house for reasons that are initially unknown to the reader. One day, she receives a letter from her sister, who believes she may be missing forever. As Maddie reads the letter, more details about her mysterious past are gradually revealed. The story ends on a cliffhanger, leaving readers with plenty of questions and wanting to know what happens next!
I really enjoyed taking part in this competition and am delighted that my hard work has been recognised. It was a fantastic opportunity to be creative, develop my writing skills and share my imagination with others.
The Pink Envelope
The day of the first letter was a Monday, Monday the 17th of December 2015. Now it’s the 24th – Christmas Eve and I am sat behind the rusting front door, the winter breeze blowing through the creaking bronze letter box and turning my nose bright red and icy cold. I hear the clump, crush, clump, crush of the half asleep postman stomping through the fresh morning snow. I duck into the empty coat cupboard before he can see me and wait nervously, holding my breath until… I hear it. A reassuring soft thud.
When I peer around the cupboard door, I am filled with joy to see, on top of advertisements and years old bills, there is an envelope. It is bright pink with the address written in swirly blue writing and with a festive Christmas stamp in the top corner. Fingers trembling, I pick it up and turn it in my hands to see PRIVATE written on the back. I make my way into the once cheerful but now tired and grey living room. I sit hurriedly on the faded, sagging sofa and with shaking fingers, I open the envelope and pull out the piece of white card, the letter. I am instantly filled with comfort and I can as good as see my loneliness fly out the snow frosted window. I cast my eyes to the page and read…
Dear Maddie,
I know you’re not reading this, but it feels nice writing to you, it makes me feel less lonely, like I have a friend and it means I can forget – for a minute or two – about everything happening here. I miss you every day and I have thought of you each morning for five years now. Yet it is still mad to think you would currently be fifteen and we would be at secondary school together. I am sure, certain that we would be as close as sisters can be.
It is pretty tense at home at the moment because… well I don’t want to write it but tomorrow you will have been missing for five years. Mum can’t stop crying and Dad insists the house needs hoovering over and over again. I am sure that this Christmas will be just as awful and upsetting as the year before and the year before that… But never as bad as Christmas 2010. The Christmas I will always remember, when you were 10 and I was 6. The worst Christmas ever, the Christmas when you went missing and didn’t come back…
I can’t read any further. The words blur as tears fall like snowflakes down my face. I look up to the mantlepiece and gaze at a picture of two girls smiling from ear to ear. One is 10 and the other is 6.
by Frances: Rocco
