Illustration by James de la Rue

Second Prize

Ivy and Stripe

Genevieve Driver
Year 5 Notre Dame School

A young girl sat outside a dank, dark, mossy, bat-infested cave with her pet tiger resting on her lap. The imposing kapok trees towered above them - not only shielding them from the sweltering sun but also looking gorgeous with its stunning pink and white flowers, even though it was foul smelling. The girl's name was Ivy, and her tiger was called Stripe.

Suddenly, they heard the crack of a twig being snapped. Stripe started to growl. Ivy quickly grabbed his muzzle, forcing him to stay quiet. She tried to lead him away, but it was too late. Through terrified eyes, Ivy saw a group of men wielding rifles march into the clearing.

"Poachers!" gasped Ivy as one of the men sauntered over, snatching Stripe away from her. "Hey! Leave him alone! Stop!"

"Hee! Hee! Hee! Little girl's trying to save baby tiger!" another one taunted, causing the rest to burst out laughing.

"I said STOP!" yelled an infuriated Ivy.

Without warning, dark emerald-green Ivy shot out of the earth, wrapping around the poachers until they were all tightly bound together.

"Ha! Now you know why I'm called Ivy!" she said triumphantly, knocking a few down. "You'll have to wait for the Rangers to find you!" And with that, Ivy and Stripe ran off through the dense undergrowth to play in the cool water of the plunge pool, admiring the beautiful rainbow.

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