By School Pupil

Location:

Project Title: Child authored stories in response to Tom Moorhouse’s ‘River Singers’

Project Description: Stories written by children in response to a combination of a workshop given by the author of the River Singers and extensive investigation of the book with the class teacher.

Collector: Elsa Lee and Richard Irvine with the teacher

Collection Date: May to June 2015

Collection Details: N/A

“I’m hungry, I’m hungry, Oak go get us some rabbit and crab, please” said Fern. Shoving her brother pleadingly.

“All right, alright, I’ll go get our food, Fern”, said Oak, getting irritated by Fern's very annoying personality.

“I’ll go out, Oak, you stay here to look after Fern”, said mother calmly. Sitting on a piece of reeds eating while Oak and Fern argue.

“No I'll go out its my job to go out hunting for crabs or rabbits. I’m the hunter!” sounded Oak fiercely meaning it. Oak headed off towards the riverbank in search for something big that had never been caught before. He would even put his life in danger just to prove a point.

He headed off to a section of the river bank that was forbidden, his mother had told him many times that bad things happen to people that go hunting and never return!

But despite all this Oak went in search of the biggest catch. Oak swam slowly peeing over the riverbank watching the lair of male foxes, he sat and waited until dusk, before he made his move. Oak pulled himself along the long, damp grass, with one quick glance, the foxes appeared to be asleep. Oak slithered himself slowly toward the lake, where the biggest pike he had ever seen lived. He made the brave decision and slipped into the river of pikes. He stopped for a moment and looked for the biggest pike and decided that’s the one I’m going to have. Without thinking Oak jumped on the largest pike and pierced the skin with his talon like claws. With all that excitement he had woken the pack of hungry foxes.

The pack started to howl and moved closer to Oak and the pike, Oak felt like his heart would pop out of his chest. With the pike in his mouth Oak made one last leap out of the water just as the leader of the pack locked jaws with Oak’s leg, one big snap and is leg was gone!

Oak wobbled, blood dripping from his leg socket. It took hours to get home and with the pike in his mouth.