MY LIFESAVER by Hillcrest Christian College

The GirlZ Productions

Copyright Published by The GirlZ, Hillcrest Christian College, 21 Bridgeman Drive, Reedy Creek, QLD, 4227. Emily Arnold, Eva, Dekell, Abby Edwards, Shayla Evans, Charlize Firgaira, Laura Gregory, Bella Marcos, Emily Snowdon, Tatumn Tonkin

Copyright © 2021, Hillcrest Christian College. All rights reserved. This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquires should be made to the publisher.

This Book is Dedicated to… All the brave children who continue to conquer their battle every day! You are so strong, and we hope that this book brings some laughter and joy to your day! You are not alone.

Chapter 1 -Tidal WaveOpal frowned down, gazing at her blurry tail underneath the murky water. What used to be a smiling face looking back at her from the water, now turned to a disappointed reflection. As she sat hopelessly on her rock, she stared across the same usual lake in the middle of the Chesapeake resort golf course. Soaking up the last bit of sunshine for the day she hesitantly pushed her selfoff the rock back into the dull, slimy water to hide from the oncoming golfers. She remembered the days back at the sea, careless and free where humans weren’t a problem. Back where she was free, back to the mysterious ocean filled with all kinds of adventures and animals to play with. Back to the place she called home. That was until the day of the storm. Thrashing waves six metres high, towered above her. Nothing but rushing wind and strong rapids pushed against her weak body. Her hands tightened, desperately gripping a piece of slimy seaweed for aid. Suddenly, it snapped off disregarding any signs of cooperation. With her only chance of safety gone, she let herself tumble into the rushing salty water that tossed her back and forth like a rag doll. Dragged by the heavy current and washed up on the nearby golf course. She had heaved her body to the nearest bit of water she could find, careful not to let her precious metallic tail be dried up by the sun and risk never being able to swim again. She reached the small murky lake safely and entered to what would become her new home. As hours turned into days and days turned into weeks, she missed her home. Away from danger, away from golf balls and away from humans. But at least she had the lake. She always had that small part inside of her that held hope, that maybe one day she would be able to return home. But as time went on, that small hope dwindled and diminished into nothing. Life no longer shone through her eyes, and she grew more and more disconnected from the world around her. She wasn’t living, she was just surviving. With no hope left she lived her days just sleeping and eating the algae at the bottom of the lake. Her once bright red hair now dull and sad. She no longer remembered how to smile, for she had never needed too, being stuck in the small lake. The joyous attitude she carried with her now vanished. She was slowly fading away. She 5

needed help but she didn’t know if it would ever come, after all, from her previous experience, humans were NOT friends. As she stared up at the rippling surface of the water, watching golf ball after golf ball fly past, she started to notice a continuous pattern of the decreasing water level. As the scorching Australian sun beat down, she drifted within the water, deeper and deeper until she was almost held by the lakes floor. Almost no water, no protection, no help.

Chapter 2 -GypsyThe lake where Opal lived was slowly evaporating. Day by day the water levels dwindled down; less water meant that she would soon be exposed. It was the biggest heatwave that Australia had ever seen. Blazing red fires had spread all throughout the country destroying everything. Lakes were drying up to reveal smooth pebbles at the bottom, and farmer’s crops slowly decaying, shrivelling up from the heat. One day, a rather interesting woman was wandering up and down the golf course. Her neck was covered in all sorts of necklaces and chains, some were long, some were shorter, and they contained all colours of the rainbow. She had piercings all over her body, in her ears, nose, and bellybutton. Her long skirt made of ripped coloured material dangled all the way down to the ground with chains hanging from her hips. Her hair wrapped in a scarlet red head scarf with her charcoal black hair flowing in the wind. Gypsy was walking around the golf course after she had a very long day, she had been teaching little kids how to use her crystal ball. She was just out catching some fresh air, when she saw something move out the corner of her eye. Gypsy turned to see a small lake on the side of the golf course. “What was that?” she exclaimed, “Who’s there?” Gypsy walked closer to the lake. The water was dark, cloudy, and rather shallow. The lake was surrounded by long green grass and mud, right in the middle of the golf course. Suddenly something emerged from underneath the water. A glimpse of wet orange hair rose to the surface, followed by the splash of a green metallic tail, covered in fish-like scales. Gypsy knew at once what she was looking at. She knew it was a mermaid. By now the mermaids head had fully emerged from the murky water. Her dull emerald- green eyes stared directly into Gypsy’s. Gypsy was used to seeing strange things every day, but never a mermaid! After seeing Gypsy, the mermaid suddenly ducked back down into the water. She didn’t want to be seen by any humans. She returned 7

to the dark murky water in which she lived, causing bubbles to rise to the surface. Gypsy couldn’t process what she had just seen. A mermaid?! Surely this was just an illusion. Mermaids don’t exist. But Gypsy couldn’t deny what she had just seen. Slowly walking over to the edge of the lake she peered into the water. Gloomy emerald eyes gazed back at her. Gypsy quickly moved back from the edge. The mermaid slowly lifted her head out of the water again so she could get a better look at the strange girl. The two girls made eye contact and couldn’t do anything but stare, neither of them understood what was happening. Tension was thick in the air and curiosity swam in them both. It was a while before Gypsy decided to break the silence. “Hello, what’s your name?” Gypsy asked. “Opal,” the mermaid replied. Gypsy knew she was in trouble and had to seek for help.

Chapter 3 - The Officer In the distance, a short and stubby man was patrolling along the grounds. His grey moustache was filled with filthy donut crumbs that he scoffed down during his daily shifts, and his hands stained with the smell of cinnamon, whilst he indulged in the largest bite he could take. The badge that was placed on his untucked shirt read ‘Officer Tod Brown,’ and could barely be recognized through the field of dust that laid on top. The buttons on his shirt were hanging on by a thread, and his hairy stomach was showing through the largening gaps whilst he continuously took his slow, deepened breaths. The same plain old uniform that Tod was forced to wear had started to wither away over time, and he was long overdue for a new one. He monitored the golf course for hours until his face scrunched up and became red with anger, disappointed that he was stuck with patrolling duty. He walked laps around the golf course until he decided that it wasn’t worth it, and he sat down in his golf buggy and blocked out his surroundings. Suddenly, Tod’s vision was blinded by the sun’s rays, and all that was clear was a dark figure racing towards him. “Hello! Hello officer, can you please help?” Gypsy proclaimed. “What do you want, and why are you here?” Brown exclaimed with disgust in his voice. “I need your help urgently! There is a mermaid stuck in the lake near the beach side of the golf course. Please help me get her out!” Gypsy spurted out. “What are you talking about, don’t lie to me!” Officer Brown stated in annoyance, “I don’t care what you have to say, Gypsy, you are not to enter back into this golf course. I am declaring you banned!” “B.. but…” Gypsy stuttered in shock. “No! That’s my final word. You can leave now, and DON’T come back!” Officer Brown exclaimed firmly.

Gypsy tried to explain herself, but all she could focus on was the food stuck in Tod’s rigid, fractured, and evidently neglected teeth. His nostrils flared in anger as she wouldn’t leave. Gypsy stood in front of Tod, staring at him, just waiting for her anger to subside, she was puffed from constantly running around, and he wasn’t helping. She felt furious, her heart rate was speeding up, and her hands almost uncontrollably shaking. Her face grew brighter and brighter as she tried to withhold from screaming at him. All she could think about was that poor mermaid; her enlightening beauty should not be trapped but be relished. Her sadness was compelling, and the thought that she would be discovered just encouraged Gypsy’s fury. Officer Brown exclaimed aggressively “Leave now! Or there will be punishments!”

Chapter 4 - The Plan for Saviour The steady walk home, was baffling. Gypsy had a constant thought of the police officer and his wicked decision of not listening to her. She knew she had to help Opal; she couldn’t just leave her to be discovered and put into a museum to show her beauty. She deserved to be free, flipping her lushes scales in the scorching sun with her glistening tail shining the reflection. Realisation hit Gypsy; she was the only one able to save Opal. Her mind became firm as she sprinted the rest of the way home.

Her legs numb, her heart dramatically pounded, and her breathes were frequent. She finally arrived home, the warm vibrant colours scattered around the tent, the shots of magenta, neon yellow, and the striped white and red dilated her pupils. Gypsy didn’t live in any ordinary home, at a young age her parents sailed over seas in search of the Royal treasure, her house was indeed an abandoned circus tent. Gypsy was alone most of the times, she painted walls, completed crafts, while her big brother would work as a gardener to pay for food, supplies and other needs. The tent appeared to be petite on the outside but when Gypsy entered it became a mansion. She had paint oozing from tubes, not a single white canvas in sight and the homemade candles signified an aroma of orange and raspberry.

With every step she took, she kicked used paint brushes out of her view. There were piles on top of piles of paperwork, the roof towered over her and with national Australian instruments; didgeridoos, clap sticks and gum leaves leant against the walls.

Gypsy kept walking through the mess until she came to a sudden stop when she heard a rustic tone say, “Where have you been all day?”

Gypsy, slightly annoyed, replied, “Why do you care Everest? You’re barely home anyway.”

Everest was Gypsy’s older brother; he was tall and lanky. He had a forest of hair and wore sunglasses that took up his face. His fashion was very laid back, and his beard was a pronounced feature of his. Everest and Gypsy have always been close but ever since their parents left, they had lost their ways. Everest was used to the attitude of Gypsy, but he saw through her and knew something was wrong.

He asked, “Gyp, what’s up? What happened at the golf course?” Gypsy got into a state. She explained everything. “I was at the Golf course, teaching the children how to use my crystal ball that mum gave me, when suddenly I heard a voice crying for help! Everest you might not believe me, but it was a mermaid! She was beautiful! She had long, soft ginger hair that flowed through the wind. Officer Tod wouldn’t help me. He thought I was mad and banned me from the Golf Course! I need to get her back to sea otherwise she will be discovered. Please Everest, please help me save my friend.” Everest found it a challenge to believe Gypsy but the trust he had for his younger sister was unbreakable and the plan was simple, Gypsy and Everest divided a situation, about how would they distract Officer Tod Brown. Suddenly Gypsy had a light bulb moment, she exclaimed, “I’m going to make a sleeping potion.” Everest’s eyes widened as he agreed to the plan, from there, the rest is history.

Chapter 5 - The Potion Gypsy turned away from her brother and started shuffling through her bottles filled with all sorts of weird animal parts. The bottles clattered together as she moved them around collecting the ones she needed. “Kangaroo hair, no. Lizard tail, no. Monkey eyes, no! Where on earth could it be?” Gypsy threw her hands up in anger. “Looking for this?” her brother, Everest, asked. Gypsy turned around and looked at the bottle in his hand. Her eyes widened and her smile broadened as she grabbed the bottle gently out of her brothers’ hand and held it to her chest. “Koala fur! Thank you so much!” Gypsy turned back around to her bottles, her necklaces, and bracelets jingled as she went. She opened her cupboard and moved around the different herbs and jars stuffed in there. “Let’s see, gumtree leaves, check. Parsley, no. Aha vegemite!” Standing up, Gypsy moved over to her steaming cauldron, softly placing her herbs and bottles on the table next to her. Grabbing the necessary measuring cups and spoons. She rolled up her sleeves and took a deep breath in. “Let’s get to work.” She grabbed the echidna spike and placed it into a bowl crushing it roughly. Whispering some weird incantations, she tipped the crushed echidna spike into the boiling cauldron. She turned back to her ingredients grabbing the koala fur and gumtree leaves. She placed them into a bowl and stirred it slowly. She then tipped the mixture into the cauldron. A puff of smoke went up and the concoction turned into a light purple colour. Gypsy coughed slightly and waved her hand to get rid of the smoke. Once the smoke cleared, she grabbed the vegemite and a teaspoon. “One teaspoon of vegemite,” Gypsy muttered to herself, concentrated on not messing up. She opened the jar and placed the ingredient into the cauldron. “One last thing, dingo brains, now where did I put it?”

She looked through all her ingredients placed in front of her searching for the dingo brains. “I swear it was right here before,” she looked under the table and on top of it once again. She walked over to her shelves and moved the jars around. Gypsy reached her hand towards the back and grabbed something. She brought her hand back out clutching a jar filled with yellow liquid and pink clumps floating around inside. “Finally found it!” She turned back to the cauldron and opened the jar and reached into it and grabbed a pink clump. The slimey, yellow coloured liquid trickled down her hand. With a deep breath she dropped the brain into the potion and muttered some incantations and closed her eyes. The room heated up and smoke gushed from the cauldron into the room. After a minute or two Gypsy stopped muttering and opened her eyes. She blinked once, then twice, before walking over to a blue bottle. She opened the lid and wandered over to a small fridge placed in the corner of the room. Gypsy opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of pineapple juice. “To disguise the taste and smell,” she told her confused brother. He nodded his head and followed Gypsy over to the potion. “Ok so I need to add three drops to the pineapple juice then we can put the plan into action.” She grabbed her water dropper and filled it with some of the potion. Carefully she brought the dropper to the opened water bottle and squeezed gently. The suspense was so thick you could cut it with a knife. One drop, two drops, three drops. A relieved breath escaped gypsy and her brothers mouths. “Done! Now take this to the policeman,” her brother nodded his head and grabbed the bottle. They turned to the door and walked out towards the golf course.

Chapter 6 - GO Time As her brother carelessly strolled across the golf course, Gypsy silently observed the plan in action from outside of the fence, crossing her fingers in hopes that their genius strategy would work! The plan that they had come up with was unravelling right in front of her eyes! Her brother began working, pulling out weeds and raking the leaves, gardening the golf course as the main distraction. He continued working for several minutes, in order for the main part of their plan to appear genuine. Officer Brown was quickly approaching, his moustache blowing in the wind as his pummelling feet crashed with each ginormous step that the massive man took. “This isn’t going quick enough! How long has this taken?!” The Officer enquired, as Everest began sweating and fidgeting with the rake. This was the moment in which the plan would either fail or succeed. “Oh, I’m sorry sir! This will take only a few minutes! All the weeds and leaves are gone. But I’m quite hot in this summer sun! I’m going to grab a drink of water; would you like some?” Everest’s palms began perspiring, as he eagerly awaited the Officer’s answer. “Yes, mate. That would be nice,” he seemed more enthusiastic than usual, “I’ll wait here while you go and grab it.” “Sounds good!” Everest exclaimed as he swiftly ran towards his backpack, to grab the secret potion. If all went to plan, not only would this have been one super exciting adventure, but they would’ve rescued a real-life mermaid! As Everest eccentrically grabbed the blue bottle out from his backpack, he grabbed a purple bottle too, ensuring he wouldn’t poison himself! As his weight shifted from leg to leg, feet pounding across the golf course, Gypsy’s brother sprinted back towards the Police Officer, hopeful that their plan would work! “Here you go sir!” Everest proclaimed as he extended his arm to hand the Officer the blue bottle. 17

“Thanks, mate!” Drops of sweat poured from the Officer’s face as he gulped the drink. However, little did he know that he was not indulging in pure water, but in reality, he was drinking a magical blend of koala fur, echidna spikes, gumtree leaves, vegemite, pineapple juice and dingo brains. The moment the liquid touched his tongue, Officer Brown began dizzily spinning, his eyes losing focus as he lost control of his feet. With his sudden loss of coordination, Brown’s humongous body fell to the floor, his massive belly thumping against the ground as his eyelids collapsed, mouth lingering open. Gypsy’s potion had worked! His unconscious body lay silently on the empty Golf Course as he fell into a deep sleep. Astonished, but relieved, Everest could not believe his eyes! They flickered, blinking rapidly, attempting to comprehend what he had just witnessed. “Yes!! Gypsy! It worked; you can come out now!” Everest rapturously screamed out to his younger sister. That second, Gypsy appeared out of nowhere, her loud and eccentric voice booming over the mountain range behind the Golf Course. “LET’S GO SAVE THAT MERMAID!” Gypsy cheered, snatching a hold of Everest’s hand and dragging him along as she sprinted toward the large lake on the eastern side of the Golf Course. With Officer Brown out of their hair now, they could rescue the mermaid from her looming danger with the current Australian heatwave. With each long stride, feet pounding, and breath shortened, the siblings smile broadened and grew wider and wider with the excitement of the quest to come!

Chapter 7 - The Everlasting Friendship -

Gypsy and her brother run to the aid of the mermaid. “We’re here to help don’t worry, you’re going to be back home soon to your family” Gypsy told Opal. And for the first time in weeks opal smiled. Not a fake smile. No, one that shone through her eyes. Hope came back to her. Her heart swelled in happiness, and she no longer felt like she was surviving. She felt like she was living. She was going home. “Thank you, Gypsy, thank you so much!” Opal grabbed Gypsy’s hand in hers and looked into her eyes showing her how thankful she was. Gypsy smiled at opal. “Wait a second. Opal, how did you even get here?” Asked Gypsy with curiosity evident in her voice as she looked down at the mermaid. “I lost my family when a tidal wave hit, and I have been stranded here ever since,” said the mermaid. Sadness clouded her eyes as she spoke about her family. After Talking with Opal, Gypsy began to realize that they were in fact quite similar. “I didn’t lose my family, but they left me to find some treasure, it’s not really important to me but I do miss them,” Gypsy replied. “It’s tough not having a family and being different, nowhere to belong and no one to relate with,” Opal sadly spoke to Gypsy. “Oh my gosh Opal! We are so similar but so different at the same time, I have never known someone who has such similar problems as me,” Gypsy exclaimed. “People like us must stick together; we are rare! Now, let’s get you out of here!” “Everest! Come quick we need to get Opal out of here.” 19

Everest came running over to get the keys for a golf buggy so that he could get Opal out. As he ran, he set off a sprinkler on the golf course which drew attention to their situation. Gypsy and Opal were worried as Everest was taking longer than they thought. “Guys, guys I’m here!” Everest exclaimed. Everest came zooming over in the golf buggy with a pool of water in the back of the cart for Opal. “Everest over here! Come help me lift Opal into the cart,” Gypsy yelled towards Everest. Gypsy and Everest began to try and lift opal. “3, 2, 1 lift!” Everest yelled. Everest and Gypsy laid Opal into a pool of water in a cart that was placed in the back of the golf buggy. “Everest, where do we go now?” Gypsy asked. “About 200m north of here there is a beach where you can set me free.” Opal tried to announce but was too weak from the lack of water she had around her. “Okay we will head there now.” Everest said. Driving towards the beach, Gypsy kept making sure opal was okay, for Opal’s sake but also for herself as she couldn’t imagine the thought of losing someone who in such a short time, she became so close to. Opal was stressed that she wouldn’t make it. They had finally reached the edge of the sand and were driving towards the ocean Everest was talking about with Opal. “Are you excited to be reunited with your family?” he asked. “I am extremely excited; I hope once we reach the ocean, they will be nearby.” Opal replied. “That’s incredible, I’m sure they will be so hap-” Everest paused, something had gone wrong. “Oh no, what happened?” Gypsy asked. 20

“I think we are bogged in the sand…” Everest replied. As Opal grew weaker and her scales got drier, she started to lose hope. “We are so close guys; we can do this! Gypsy come here to the accelerator, and I’ll get out and push.” Everest said passionately. Gypsy got into the driver seat and started revving the engine. The golf buggy went once, rev. The golf buggy went again, rev. And once more, rev.” “Did we do it?” Opal asked.

Chapter 8 - Goodbye They were stranded. Stuck in between the golf course and the ocean. Not knowing what to do. Opal’s tail had begun to dry up already. Panic began to rise, and her heart beats became exemplified. Not knowing what to do, Gypsy grabbed Everest and came up with a not so complicated plan. Gypsy, carrying Opal by her arms and Everest, by her tail, they struggled to get her off the bogged buggy. Finally getting Opal off the buggy, they continued to walk towards the ocean. Struggling to dodge the ditches in the sand and avoiding a fall, Gypsy and Everest had to place Opal down on the sand. “We can’t do this, it’s too hot and too hard” Everest, catching his breath explained. “Please, just a little more, we can do it!” Gypsy desperately panted. “It’s hard and scorching hot though.” Everest continued to complain. “I know, but we need to work together, and push through, for Opal.” Gypsy motivated Everest. Even though Gypsy and Everest were struggling and wanted to give up, they kept pushing through. When their feet were burning on the sand, or their arms felt like they were falling off, or it was just too tough and it looked like there was no way out of the situation, they kept going on, to save Opal. At that point, Opal’s whole body became even more dried up than ever before. Gypsy looked down at Opal’s once green metallic scales, that had turned to cracked, withered ones, dried up skin and hopeless face. She was so desperate to help Opal, so her and Everest picked her back up and continued to push through. “Come on, we’re nearly there. Fight it, please!” Gypsy begged Opal. Now beginning to run on the burning hot sand, feeling the heat rush up faster and faster in her feet and through her legs, Gypsy wanted to give up. She was only a few feet away from the clear, fresh ocean now. Finally, Gypsy and Everest felt their toes being covered by the refreshing cool water. Placing Opal down, they continued to walk into the ocean carrying Opal 22

further and further in. Feeling the cold rush of water flow past her, Opal felt alive, more alive than ever before. She had no idea if it was the water or the friends around her, but she felt loved, cared for and confident. “Thank you so much for all your help, you guys are my lifesaver!” exclaimed Opal. “Can’t you stay, please just for bit?” Gypsy desperately asked Opal. “I would love to, really, but I need to get back to my family in the deep”, Opal holding back the tears explained. And with the beautiful pink and orange sky in front of them, Gypsy and Everest said goodbye to Opal. Thinking this would be their last time together, Gypsy and Opal held on tight for what felt like for forever. And as Opal gracefully swam further and further out to sea, Everest and Gypsy held each other tight as they both waved to Opal from afar.

The GirlZ Productions

Following a terrible tidal wave, mermaid Opal is washed from her ocean home to a small lake on a golf course. Sudden heatwaves attack Australia, leaving Opal in a horrible situation. The water is rapidly drying up, and the risk of humans noticing her is extremely high.

Until one day, someone special discovers her. With the help of her newfound friend Gypsy, they create a plan to get Opal home. With some twists and turns and obstacles in the way, will Opal ever be able to go home again? Or will she be lost forever? 24

Recommended age: 10-12