Winning Wonderlands - 2015 Competition Collection by Macmillan Education

MACMILLAN READERS SHORT STORY WRITING COMPETITION

Over a thousand people rose to the challenge and sent us their imaginative illustrations and stories. Inside this book you will find the creative work of our talented winners and finalists from the Flying Islands to Giraffe’s Milk Land, we hope you enjoy exploring these acclaimed new Wonderlands!

Download digital copies of this book and discover more Alice in Wonderland resources on our website: www.macmillanreaders.com

MACMILLAN

MACMILLAN READERS

WINNING WONDERLANDS – 2015 COMPETITION COLLECTION

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Macmillan’s publication of Alice’s Adventures, we invited students of English from all over the world to draw or write about a wonderland of their own.

Winning Wonderlands 2015 Competition Collection

Available on the Macmillan Education eBook store:

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MACMILLAN READERS

Winning Wonderlands

ÂŠ Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2015

Foreword Inside this collection you will find the wonderful work of the winners and finalists of our 2015 creative writing and drawing competition. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Macmillan’s publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, we invited students of English from all over the world to draw or write about their 'Wonderland’. Over a thousand people rose to the challenge and we were astounded by the amazing artwork and stories we received – featuring everything from flying islands to talking mice! The competition was open to schools and independent learners of English of all ages. In both the illustration and short story category, entries were judged in the following three age groups: • 12 years and under • 13 – 17 years • 18 years and over We selected three overall winners in both categories. We also named twelve finalists in the short story category. We hope you love their work as much as we do! Thank you again to all of the schools and students who participated in the competition – and congratulations to all of our prizewinners!

Winning Wonderlands 12 years and under

18 years and over

WINNER: Evgeny Mihaylov FINALIST: Nikita Grigoriev FINALIST: Elizaveta Orehova FINALIST: Peter Bereznyak FINALIST: Elizabeth Kiskina

WINNER: Aleksandra Szefer FINALIST: Alim Khashukoev FINALIST: Christina Svintradze FINALIST: Gleb Vinokurov FINALIST: Olga Maximenko

13 – 17 years

Illustrations

WINNER: Hannah Bogdanowicz FINALIST: Inés Dardanelli FINALIST: Ivan Yatcenko FINALIST: Margo Dmitrieva FINALIST: Polina Burenina

WINNERS: 12 years and under: Adelya Vagapova 13 – 17 years: Tatiana Danilova 18 years and over: Polina Vershinina

Contents Illustration by Adelya Vagapova 5 Alice on the Cheese Planet by Evgeny Mihaylov 6 The Flying Islands by Nikita Grigoriev 8 Liza in the Wonderland of Music by Elizaveta Orehova 10 Giraffe's Milk Land by Peter Bereznyak 13 My Wonderland by Elizabeth Kiskina 15 Illustration by Tatiana Danilova 17 The Heavy Door by Hannah Bogdanowicz 18 My Wonderland by Inés Dardanelli 20 My Wonderland of Telenor by Ivan Iatcenko 22 My Wonderland by Margo Dmitrieva 25 My Wonderland by Polina Burenina 27 Illustration by Polina Vershinina 30 “Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?” by Aleksandra Szefer 31 Mirror Wonderland by Alim Khashukoev 33 Echoes of the Carpathian Tales by Christina Svintradze 36 Tales of My Friend the Talking Dog by Gleb Vinokurov 38 Believe in Miracles by Olga Maximenko 40

Illustration by Adelya Vagapova Age 12 WINNER: 12 years and under 5

Alice on the Cheese Planet by Evgeny Mihaylov Age 11 WINNER: 12 years and under It was a very difficult day. Alice was so tired after her adventures and she wanted to sleep and forget about all unusual situations of that day. Alice put on her pajamas, took her teddy bear, switch off the light, and went to sleep immediately. In her dream she was flying among the stars and suddenly appeared on an unknown planet. To her great surprise the planet was yellow and made from cheese with a lot of holes in it. Alice felt that she was hungry. She tried to eat the cheese and it was very tasty. But at that very moment a great number of cats appeared in front of her. Alice was shocked, because they went on foot using only their two legs. The cats went as if they were people! Alice couldn’t believe her eyes; it was so strange for her. “Hello, dear girl!” – Cats greeted Alice. “We are glad to see you! What is your name?” “Hi! I’m glad to see you too! My name is Alice.” “You are cats and how can you speak people’s language?” – Alice asked. “Many, many years ago we lived on another planet and had a lot of friends. They were boys and girls and studied at school. Children went to school every day, but we didn’t want to stay alone at home and asked our friends to take us with them. They took us and we stayed at the lessons, listened and repeated everything after the teacher and children. So we soon began to speak people’s language,” answered one of the biggest and the oldest cat. “But how it happened that you live now on this planet?” Alice asked. “It was so difficult for us to keep silence at the lessons and the teachers became angry with us. Once the headmaster of the school came at the lesson and asked us to leave the school for all. We were very offended, so we left that school; we left our friends and soon found a new planet, really our planet, planet from cheese,” answered the cats. “Oh, I haven’t known about this planet. I think that everything is OK now. Do your like this planet?” Alice asked the little kittens. “Yes, we like our life there very much. But mice have heard about our tasty cheese planet and made their houses there. They have already eaten mountains of cheese and don’t want to stop. Holes in the cheese are bigger and bigger. We 6

are afraid that soon the end of our planet will come. We can’t catch these mice because they are very big and fat now, bigger and fatter than we are. We don’t know what to do,” one cat said. “Alice, maybe you can help us?” asked the grey cat. “I want to help you very much. But I don’t know how I can help. Maybe I should hide and watch these mice,” Alice answered. Alice asked cats to switch on the lights. The cats were very surprised and said that they didn’t switch on the light at all, because they are afraid of to see mice. So Alice had to stay with cats without any lights. It was not pleasant and she was a little afraid of too. The night came. Suddenly Alice heard the noise. She understood that a great number of mice appeared from their houses, came up to her legs and she was so shocked that she began to cry. Alice started to switch on all the lights at the planet and with the lights mice began to fall into the holes in the cheese and disappear. It was great! Alice understood that mice didn’t like the lights and were afraid of them, but the cats didn’t know about it and because of it couldn’t stop mice. “Oh, you are a great girl! It was so easy to solve the problem, but we can’t guess that the lights can help us! Now we’ll use all the lights every day and every night! Our planet will be our house for all our life! Thank you very much!!!” shouted the cats. “You are welcome to our planet at any time!!! We are glad to see you!” said the kittens. Alice was very happy that she could help cats. They thanked her so much and presented her a slice of cheese. Suddenly, everything began to move around her – cats, stars, planets… After some time Alice opened her eyes, found herself in her room, on her bed… She understood that it was only her dream. She liked that dream, but Alice was happy to see herself at home, because she didn’t like mice and was even very afraid of them. She smiled, raised her hands and… oh, a little slice of cheese was in her left hand…

The Flying Islands by Nikita Grigoriev Age 11 FINALIST: 12 years and under It happened when I, Professor Gumran, was going on an expedition to Antarctic, but our ship went upon a huge iceberg and started to sink. It was going down so quickly that it was useless to cry for help, we even didn’t have time to jump into the safe boats. In no time we all were in icy water. I closed my eyes and started to pray so desperately that I began to feel safe and warm. I lost the sense of time. When I opened my eyes, I saw that I was driven ashore of an island, and surprisingly, the water was warm. The water and the sand were purple. In the distance, I saw a grove and decided to go there. When I came nearer, I saw trees that were completely unlike those known to me. Their trunks were twisted and the roots were swaying in the air. The leaves were blue, and looked like plates, some of the trees had fruit. The sun was bright and I wondered what time it was, and put my hand into my pocket trying to find my watch. I took it out and heard a voice saying, “12.48. Lunch time.” I was surprised. There was no one there, who talked to me? I walked through the trees and accidentally touched the trunk of a tree. And heard a voice again. It said, “Could you please pick that fruit from me, it is so heavy!” I immediately saw a big fruit that hung on the branch of the tree. Hardly had I touched the fruit, when I heard another voice, “Would you like to eat me? I am very tasty!” I realized that on this island things start to talk when you touch them. To see if my guess was right, I touched my boot and heard its voice, “I am so wet, please, dry me!” I picked the fruit and ate it. As it promised, it was gorgeous! I felt so much better, I felt so much energy that I could fly. I touched the tree and said, “Thank you, it was delicious.” The tree answered, “Have some more, whenever you want.” What to do next was a question that bothered me. Suddenly, I was hit by something in the back of my head and fainted. In a while I woke up by a fire, my hands and legs were tied with strong ropes. By the fire a group of jungle animals were discussing what to do with me. Seeing that I had woken up, a white lion came up to me. He touched me with his paw and asked me who I was. I told him my story. 8

“You are on a flying island,” he said. “Have you ever heard that such islands exist? There quite a few around. One is a desert, another is a moor, and ours is a jungle.” He made a sign to a spider monkey and it untied me. “We didn’t know if you were dangerous, so we tied you. I think you understand that humans are not always good to animals. Many of my people have never seen humans. You are the first man who has ever been here. And I am glad that you came. You see, we didn’t need to speak, we could understand each other anyway. Now even things can talk. I find it very interesting. It’s a great step forward...” “How and why am I here? Am I dead?” I interrupted him. “Oh no, you are not dead. When I first saw you, you prayed so devoutly that maybe someone high above decided to send us to help you, so we landed and took you up. Don’t think it’s us who decide where to land and who to take up. You see, I don’t have to hunt here, so I have a lot of free time and I’ve been here long enough to understand that our island is like a little planet. It is round and it flies over Earth, not very high. We call it an island because when we land on Earth we become one for a short while. You may have noticed that our water is purple, it’s because it weighs much less than the water you have on Earth.” “How did you get here?” I asked. “Long time ago, I lived in a jungle in Africa with my mum. Your people were moving deeper into the jungle building their mines, villages, and towns. Very soon there was so little space left for us, that we had no other choice than to disappear. But we also prayed in our way and one day, we woke up in purple waters. Very much like yourself.” “Have you seen other flying islands?” “Of course, how do you think I know that they exist and what they are like?” “Can I see them too?” “Only if you choose never to return to Earth. You see, we eat fruit that grow on our trees and this food makes us lighter. We look the same as earthy animals, but in fact, we weigh less than a feather. If you choose to stay, you must eat those fruit only and soon you’ll be like us. But you’ll never be able to return to Earth, you simply will not gravitate! Earlier we didn’t know that, so we had no choice. The fruit were the only food, so we ate them and became very light. Now I know the effect the fruit make.” “What if I choose to return?” “Just don’t touch the fruit.” “But I have already had one!” The white lion looked puzzled. 9

“Well...” I suddenly felt dizzy, then very hot and dry. I fainted again. Then I heard a voice. “Professor Gumran? My name is Doctor Scorpion. You are on the flying island called Desert....”

Liza in the Wonderland of Music by Elizaveta Orehova Age 11 FINALIST: 12 years and under It was at the break of dawn. Liza woke up and in her window she saw an apple-tree in a distance. The apples looked so flavorful and ripe! The girl wanted to pick an apple and eat it! She got up and ran to the apple-tree. Liza tried to pick the most beautiful apple, but instead of it she rolled down and fell in an unusual pit. It was dark there, but suddenly some faint lights began appearing. Somebody was lightening up the music. It was as if many small sticks were performing some splendid rhythm. And then the music poured. It was so beautiful that Liza looked down at her feet to check if she was swimming along with this melody. She was! The girl did her best to see better everything around her. The first she saw was a string-bow family, consisting of five members – Viola-Daddy, Cello-Mummy, Contrabass-Granny and two cute Violin-daughters. Suddenly Liza saw a beautiful young man, who was flying too. “What a charming prince!” Liza thought. “Yeah, I AM charming, but I’m not a prince! I’m the Stave,” the young man corrected her. “And who are you, young lady?” “I’m Liza.” “How did you get here?” the Stave asked. “I wanted to pick an apple, but instead I fell in a crack.” “That’s not a crack,” the young man corrected her again. “This is an Orchestra pit and you are not here by mistake. Perhaps music is your life!” 10

“It is! I’m a student of a Music School, learning the cello and the piano,” the girl said proudly. “Well done, young lady!” the young man was delighted. “I’m so glad I’m in such a wonderful land! And I’d like to learn more about it!” “Great! I’ll show you around with pleasure, if you don’t mind!” And so they flew. Almost immediately they saw a strange lady. She was glorious and very beautiful. She was wearing a magic cloak consisting of 47 strings. She was a fairy Harp. She smiled mysteriously and nodded to Liza. “This lady’s character is a great secret for everyone,” the Stave said. But Liza wasn’t listening to him. She was examining other fascinating dwellers of the Wonderland. “And who are they?” Liza asked. “Xylophone and bassoon. They are very friendly and do everything together. The bassoon is very old. He’s from a different century. Not everyone understands him talking. He’s very low. Some people call him proud, the others call him tender. But he’s very rich and has a vast experience of musicmaking in different salons, palaces and concert halls. As for Xylophone, we call him ‘Sounding Wood’. He’s got a strong and brave character. He’s very merry. But he’s difficult to be controlled; he’s got a very obstinate character.” Suddenly Liza heard a very beautiful sound. The girl rushed to the sound and hit a thin, cute, and slender lady. She was in a hurry. “This is where I heard the beautiful sound from!” Liza thought. This lady was quickly walking along the piano-way playing the marvelous melody with her feet. Liza even gasped. The girl wanted to follow her, but suddenly the lady disappeared and only her silver, gentle, clean voice lingered in Liza’s heart. Liza looked around and saw that the Stave was still there. “I thought she was singing in English,” Liza said. “Oh, yes, this lady always speaks with people the same language,” the Stave confirmed. Suddenly some snail-like instrument, wrapped in a shiny coat, glowed and sparkled in rays of little lights, bulged his chest and sang at his full power. “This is Horns,” the Stave announced. ‘All instruments’ father. Pipe is the mother. Tuba is the grandpa.” All that was really exciting, but Liza had to go home, because her mom was about to look for her. The Stave headed to the apple-tree, but suddenly stopped. “I forgot to tell you about the string-bow family.” 11

“Oh, I saw them! There are five of them. Viola Daddy seems to be the head of the family.” “That’s right. He’s very accurate and he always wants everything to be correct. And everybody listens to him. “Cello-Mummy has a very low voice. And she sparkles in music so masterfully that I love her most of all. She is very kind, charming and she always knows how to surprise everybody around her. “Violin-daughters are very thin. And if you need to embellish something they always have some beautiful tones in store. “Contrabass-Granny is very big, and her voice is very low. Granny is very smart and she always invents something new. At the sound of the Contrabass everyone’s heart is likely to skip a beat.” The Stave described them all with deep admire and respect. Suddenly Liza saw the Queen. The girl ran straight to her. “Are you the Queen of the Orchestra?” Liza asked. “I didn't recognize you! Your Majesty Cello! I want to be a queen, too! Could you tell me how to become a queen?” “Dear Liza, said the Queen. Soon you’ll become it!” “How do you know my name?” “I know everyone who plays the instruments. Besides, you play the Cello! And now, sweetheart, you should go home.” “I don’t want to leave you!” “We will meet every time you touch the strings with your bow. The bow is a key, which will open the doors to the Wonderland of Music.” Suddenly Liza woke up. She had a bow in her hands.

Giraffe’s Milk Land by Peter Bereznyak Age 11 FINALIST: 12 years and under Once I went for a walk. There was nobody in the yard and I was bored but suddenly I saw a blue chalk on the ground. Probably somebody had lost it. I picked it up and started drawing. I decided to draw a dragon near its house with a beautiful handle. It seemed the handle became real and I tried to pull it. To my surprise the door opened! I happened to be inside the dragon’s house. All furniture was bigger than that in humans’ houses. Instead the table there was a huge stone block with a plain upper part. There was a giant silver cup and a huge hexangular aquarium on it. Several little fluffy kittens were swimming in the aquarium. Suddenly the floor creaked and the dragon came inside. It was exactly like I had drawn: all violet-colored with a long orange tale. He was holding a flying fish on a leash. The fish flew at me in a wink and began to smell me round. I was totally shocked. That second the dragon called me in a kind voice and sat me on the pentagonal commode. “Hello!” said the dragon. “Hello…” I answered. “Where am I?” The dragon told me that I had found not just a simple chalk. It was a chalk that opened the doors to different magic lands! “Do you want some milk?” “Yes, thank you.” I said. The dragon gave me a glass with some turquoise-colored fluid in it. “Are you sure this is milk?” I marveled. “Yes! A perfect giraffe’s milk. The giraffes live in the lake not far from here.” “In the lake? But what do they eat there? Maybe some water grass?” “No, the kittens eat the water grass, and the giraffes like the moon roads! If you want to see them‚ go on the red road and don’t turn off it.” I thanked the dragon and stepped out of the house. “Stop! Do you have any candies with you?” shouted the dragon. “No, I don’t.” “That’s fine! There are many caramel donkeys near the lake. If they get wind of candies they would chase you until you give them all the sweets you have.” 13

And I went towards the lake. The trees, the grass, the bushes, the flowers around me were multicolored. The conifer trees were red and the pine trees were purple. I couldn’t even believe my eyes. Suddenly I saw something orange flew over me and fell down on the ground. That was some kind of a flying tennis ball with a beak. Firstly I was scared but when the ball began to grunt and lumber from leg to leg I smiled and quietly laughed. The road went through the forest. By the road some kind of curling grass grew on the ground and many little green bushes with yellow blue-spotted berries on it. Somehow I didn’t want to taste those berries. There was grand crystal bridge afar. By the way I felt a very well-known scent and it became stronger and stronger as I approached to the bridge. The smell came from a crimson river that crossed the road. I dipped out some crimson water and found out that it was the sweetest raspberry juice I had ever tasted! Several white frogs slid on the water and I thought ‘What a wonderful view!’ But I had no time to stop. I had to go further following my red road to the lake. I crossed the river and all at once it became hot in the air. I raised my head and saw the second sun had appeared in the sky. It was very quiet all around. That got my attention and I ran to the shadow under the tree resembled a birch. I lied down and fell asleep for some time. I was woken up by some tickling on my nose. It was a little ant. When I opened my eyes it quacked in fear and galloped away like a grasshopper. I saw there was one sun in the sky again and the forest was refilled by multitudinous voices and sounds. I continued my trip. My way was full of surprises. One moment I saw a blue rabbit with a spring-tale raced nearby. All over the grass there were the mushrooms that grew upside down. Finally I reached a spacious meadow. There was a great oak and some donkeys peacefully grazing nearby. I understood that they were the donkeys that the dragon had told me about before. Those donkeys of a toffee color came closer to me hoping I had some sweeties in my pockets. They nuzzled my legs for a while then went back under the oak. It became dark and I ran towards the lake not to miss anything. I sat on a big stone there and began to wait. Three moons appeared in the dark sky and at the same moment three moon roads lay down on the lake surface. Suddenly one white giraffe’s head came into view from under the water. After a while there were four more heads. I saw the giraffes eating the moon roads in a daze. It was an eye-catching performance! That second I deeply got homesick. But I couldn’t find how to get out of that wonderful but so unfamiliar land. I thought to myself for a moment and decided to break the chalk! I did it and in 14

the same moment I found myself near my sweet home. I sighed with relief and ran home full of joy and happiness.

My Wonderland by Elizabeth Kiskina Age 11 FINALIST: 12 years and under Hello! My name is Liza. I am eleven. I am an ordinary girl. I live in an ordinary city and study at an ordinary school. Everything is ordinary around me but sometimes it happens that I wake up. It is because I dream too much. Sometimes the chest with fantasies in my head overfilled and they spill out of it and I find myself in Wonderland. Now I am going to tell you how it happened last time. I woke up not from the alarm clock, but because of my fish. They clamored very loudly in the aquarium which was on the chest of drawers near my bed. When we were buying the fish, the shop assistant told us that there was a lot of noise from them and offered us to buy a flying turtle, but I thought that all my friends had a flying turtle and it was so boring. Another thing is an aquarium so I insisted on my own way. That day my fish started to argue. They wanted to know if the snail would crawl to the top of the aquarium or slip to the bottom again. I must admit they usually argue about rubbish. I decided not to listen to them anymore and began preparing for school. I ate my breakfast, dressed, put my school bag into the pocket of my school uniform and went to school. Do you think my pockets are so big? Of course not, in my Wonderland it is possible to make things bigger or smaller. It is much more pleasant to carry my bag in the pocket. So when I went out of my house, I met our childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doctor Aspirin Vitaminych. I greeted him and asked where he was going. It turned out that he was sent for a five-year-old daughter of our neighbors, because she had a very serious illness. She did not want to eat ice cream and asked her parents for porridge, I said goodbye to the doctor and hurried to the bus stop because that day I did not want to go on foot so I decided to get to school by fly bus. I saw my familiar lollipop lady Svetofora Svetoforovna at the crossroad. She gave a lollipop to those children 15

who crossed the road properly. I took my lollipop, jumped into the fly bus and I was at school three minutes later. Elegant Dreams was the first lesson. Our teacher Harmony Leopoldovna Podushkina checked up our homework. She asked us to close our eyes and see a dream about a blooming spring meadow after rain. Then she began to explain to us a new theme “The Artistry Dream on the left side”. The second lesson was Physical Training. Our teacher Ahalay Mahalayevich Cheshirski did the warm-up with us: at first the girls sat down on a merry-goround and the boys spindled them, then the girls did the same. Then we took the exam. We jumped on the beds. We all got excellent marks because there are not any other marks in Wonderland. The third lesson was the lesson of different languages. The teacher Bormotun Ponimayevich Inyazov taught us the language of sweetly singing night cats. It was not a difficult task for such clever pupils so we managed to learn it for less than a lesson. Yes, we study animals’ languages at our school. Why are you so surprised? I have already, know many of them. That’s why I understand what my fish speak about. We had only three lessons in Wonderland and if we have the fourth lesson, the principal of the school, will be punished: he will have to eat porridge with lumps. After school my friends and I decided to walk along the shore of the Martian Sea. It took up ten minutes to get there by fly bus and soon we were walking on the orange sand and throwing small stones into the rose water. Then we flew to the moon café and ate lobsters. I don’t know what they were cooked from, but they taste like fried potatoes. We also drank some Martian cactuses juice. I came back home late in the evening. My mother said that the doctor had cured the sick girl. She drank three spoons of lemonade every three hours. I did my homework, fed my fish and fell asleep in the armchair. It was a usual day in Wonderland. There was nothing interesting.

Illustration by Tatiana Danilova Age 13 WINNER: 13 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 17 years 17

The Heavy Door by Hannah Bogdanowicz Age 13 WINNER: 13 – 17 years Tyler McJones strolled to school. He used to be a happy and lively person but the times had changed. Almost everything was different now since Tyler’s father died one month ago, his sister was cold-hearted and silly; his mother acted happy but was broken inside. Above everything, Tyler himself had changed. When Tyler arrived at school he went straight to the toilets, to escape from all the staring eyes. He risked a short view into the mirror and saw his brown hair cut straight across his forehead. He was a handsome boy and most proud of his blue shining eyes. Tyler and his sister Tracy had their father’s eyes, which was the only thing they had in common. When Tyler left the toilet, he met his best friends Jordan Thomas and Saya Zhang, they went to their classes. The time passed slowly but Tyler wasn’t really there, he dreamed and drew pictures. He had the dead-father-bonus, so the teachers did not scold him. When school finished, Tyler told Saya and Jordan that he had to buy something for his mother so he could take another way. He looked for a quiet place to read his father’s old diary and entered an old building. When the door closed heavily, Tyler was shocked when he noticed he did not stand in a normal room or even in a room. Tyler looked around, in front of him was a dark and spooky-looking forest and behind him was the heavy door, which had just closed. The boy was afraid of the forest, so he turned around and went back to the door. He pushed and pulled but the door did not open. A touch of panic grabbed Tyler, he leaned against the door because he did not want to look at the woods which scared him. Suddenly someone pulled at Tyler’s jeans, he turned slowly and he could not believe his eyes. There was a little blue teddy-bear-looking thing standing in front of him. Tyler took one or two steps back, but then of all sudden the blue thing started to speak in a high and enjoyable voice: “Don’t be afraid. My name is July and you have to be Tyler, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Tyler did not really have words in this situation, he wanted to say something nicer but the only thing which got out of his mouth was: “What are you?” 18

“That doesn’t matter right now. Would you come with me, I have a surprise for you. Hurry up – we don’t have much time.” The blue thing toddled in the forest’s direction. Tyler paused for a few seconds, then he followed the little ‘bear’ because he did not know what else he should do. July brought him to a clearing in the middle of the forest, where a man stood waiting for them. The man turned around and Tyler could not believe his eyes, he did not know how many times more he would be able to endure this feeling of shock and amazement. His father stood there in the sunlight with his blue shining eyes and his brown hair just like Tyler’s. “Hey, sweetheart‚ I’ve missed you so much. I’m so glad to see your loveable face again.” Tyler’s father, Alex, greeted Tyler with his deep, harsh voice. Tyler did not say anything, he could not think of anything to do apart from just touching his father so he went to Alex and hugged him. Tears were rolling down Tyler’s face. Alex escaped from his son’s hug, looked down at him and said: “Hey, son, we don’t have much time. This is the place where I went to when I died, I asked my dear friend July to bring you here because I saw how you struggled. Let’s have a walk.” “Okay, I’m just so glad to see you‚” Tyler whispered. They made their way to the end of the forest where a bridge was crossing a big river which was as colourful as a rainbow. Tyler could not shut his mouth because he was so impressed. They stopped walking in the middle of the bridge and Alex waved to a group of creatures and at a closer look Tyler noticed that the creatures looked exactly like July. “So how is your sister doing?” Alex asked. “Well, after your death we all have changed‚” Tyler said and he tried not to make it sound like he would blame his father for dying. They continued their walk and kept talking about Tyler’s sister and mother. Tyler explained what their life was like after Alex had left them. While they were walking they passed by big, green meadows which were filled with beautiful flowers. During the whole walk Tyler wondered what those orange, fluffy-looking things in the sky were, but he didn’t come to ask his father because Tyler realized that they were standing in front of the big door again. Alex said sadly: “Son? Do you now know why I brought you here and showed you the place where I live?” “No, not exactly.” “Do you like it here?” Tyler’s father asked. 19

“Yeah, it’s amazing here, like in a dream‚” Tyler answered with a bright smile on his face. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. Now you know that I’m happy and in a good place. I’ll stay here but you’ll have to move on. Your life isn’t over yet‚” Alex said. “No, you can’t leave me‚” Tyler entreated him. “I won’t ever leave you‚” Alex tried to cheer up his son. And then he was gone, and Tyler was back in the room with the heavy door. He was sad, of course, but he knew that he would never be alone again.

My Wonderland by Inés Dardanelli Age 15 FINALIST: 13 – 17 years I still don’t know what has really happened. I still find it difficult to believe it was actually true. I am a little confused but I’m going to tell the whole story so you can understand this. It all started some time ago when my family and I were going on a trip. I was very excited because it was the first time we were travelling abroad all together. The house was a complete mess, we were all very nervous, travelling to a new place, knowing a new culture, new people, the first time my sisters and I travelled by plane, but we had packed, and we were ready to go. The next day, we arrived early at the airport, and at eight o’clock the plane took off. I fell asleep during the flight, and when I woke up I was in a hotel room. I didn’t understand anything and I started calling my mom, but there was no answer. I called my dad but the same happened, my sisters, my brother, but nobody answered. I was starting to get worried when someone knocked on my door. There was a tall plump girl, with long wavy hair which was as yellow as the sun, and light brown eyes who was called Diana. She had a very big smile on her face, and was very nice. Diana welcomed me to that place and told me to follow her. I had never seen her in my whole life, but under the circumstances, I did what she told me. 20

She took me to a room where there were other people who, at first, seemed a little strange to me. They were all extremely happy but I didn’t give much importance to that. In this room everything was made of candy, there were chairs made of cookies, tables of candy and on top of them, the only thing I could see were cakes, all types of them such as cheesecake, apple pie or chocolate cake. There were mountains of chocolate, candies and lollipops. Diana told me that I could eat everything I wanted. I ate from the smallest candy to cakes and lots of chocolate. The next room was filled with technology. At this point, I had forgotten all my worries and the fact that I was alone there. This world was magical, it was perfect. I was amazed with all of this, there were like a hundred televisions, tablets, computers and cell phones. It was awesome; I stayed there playing for about two hours. We went through other rooms such as the videogame room, the junk food, music, movies, and other rooms. Night came and I returned to my room joined by Diana. She told me that in that world, the only thing that was done was going from one room to another. I was quite glad of that. No worries, no cares, every day was funny and that was all. The following day, it was just as the first one. We visited every room, but when I returned to my room that night, I felt something was missing. I realised there was nothing inside of what we did, it was all nonsense, people didn’t care about important things, they were surrounded by material ones which they thought made them happy but the truth was nobody cared about anyone, there were no real friends, they didn’t care about each other’s lives only about themselves. I started thinking about my family, my true friends, how much I missed them, and the only thing I wanted at that moment was to go back home. I spent all night thinking of how I could get out of that place, but I couldn’t think of anything so, when I saw Diana again, I asked her if she knew the exit but all she said to me was why I wanted to get out, and why I didn’t like the place. I tried to explain to her, to talk to her about other things out of the rooms but she couldn’t understand what I was talking about. I tried to do it with other people but everybody looked at me with a strange face as if I were crazy. I understood that every person there had forgotten all of these things, I also understood that I was never going to get out of that place, that I would be trapped there the rest of my life. Just at that moment, a tear rolled down my face, followed by another and I broke down. 21

While I was crying, I fell asleep and when I woke up, I was in the hotel room, but to my surprise, I was not alone there. My family was with me, and I wasn’t in that strange land, I was in the real world, I could see the beach from where I was, there were happy people, but there were sad, angry, anxious, exhausted people too. When I saw my mother, the first thing I did was hug her. She didn’t understand why I was so loving, because apparently I had been a little bit distant since we had arrived there but I didn’t tell her what had happened to me. I didn’t know how I could have been there and in the other world at the same time but I had been. It’s all done now, I expect not to return there, I also don’t know if it was real but I want to believe it was, I am happy here, and although I may suffer, feel sad, I know I have lots of people whom I can count on and who will be there for me as I will be there for them anytime they need me.

My Wonderland of Telenor by Ivan Iatcenko Age 16 FINALIST: 13 – 17 years In a northern country there lived a boy, whose name was Edward. He was poor, but he had a kind heart, and that was his real treasure. One winter day, Edward was going to school along a narrow street. Edward had made halfway, when suddenly something strange happened. Everything became still. People froze. Not a sound was heard. A bullfinch, that was trying to fly off, froze in the sky with its wings stretched. Edward didn’t understand a thing. He was shocked. He tried to talk to people, but they didn’t hear him. Suddenly the snowflakes started to fly up, carrying Edward with them. Edward closed his eyes. He was warm now and felt a distinct smell of summer forest. Then the boy heard a friendly voice. “Hi, I am Telenor.” “Who are you?” asked the boy. “I am the place where you are now.” Edward opened his eyes and saw that he was alone in the summer forest. “Where are you?” asked Edward. 22

“I am everywhere around you, I am where you are standing. I am a living planet, that can be seen by only those who have a big heart,” said Telenor. “Why am I here?” asked Edward. “You’ll know it later.” After these words, the trees in the forest made way for a little path. Edward hesitantly went along that path. He pinched himself and realized that he was not asleep. Now he knew, it was for real, and started looking around him. He was amazed by the trees in the forest. He had never seen such trees on Earth. These trees had a thin trunk and leaves of three colors, red, green and brown. There were fruit in the trees, which look like potatoes. Edward tried one of them. It tasted like a cheesecake. Then he tried another one, it tasted like meat. He was surprised and tried a third one. Hardly had he bitten from the fruit, water with the taste of black tea poured from it. Excited, he started biting from other fruit, but didn't find any other tastes. Edward put some fruit into his pocket and wanted to move on, but noticed that near the tree next to him, there was some rustle. He got closer to the tree and saw a creature, it was two-meter tall, fluffy, with big teeth, eight eyes, black nose and long claws. Edward opened his mouth to shout, but the creature started to shout first and ran away. It hid behind another tree, and then asked, “Who are you? I have never seen you.” Edward was surprised that he could understand the beast and answered that his name was Edward, he was from Earth and he didn’t know how he had got here. “I am Kuver,” said the beast, “why did you scare me?” Edward said,” I heard you behind the tree and came up to check. Why can you speak my language?” “On Telenor, there are no languages, I read your thoughts, you read mine. Very convenient. There can be no lies. Whatever you say, you say from your heart. Whatever you hear is said from heart.” “Are there other animals on Telenor?” Edward asked. “Of course, I’ll show you.” Edward followed Kuver, asking him about Telenor. He learned that Telenor was taking animals from dying planets. Kuver’s planet died because of the clash with a huge asteroid, but several seconds before, a heavy snowfall whirled him onto Telenor. “Telenor told me what happened with my planet as soon as I got here. Whoever lives here, came here the same way. Our native planets don’t exist any longer. We are the only survivors.” 23

“What are you doing here?” asked Edward. “Nearly nothing. We’re animals, we eat, drink and serve Telenor. Here we are. Meet my friends.” They entered a cave and Edward saw animals he could not possibly imagine. Surprisingly, he was not afraid, just amazed how different life can be. There were very many various creatures, but all seemed to be quite happy together. “It’s strange that Telenor didn't tell you why he had brought you here. Maybe your planet is dead like ours,” said one of the creatures. “Telenor showed him the path. Soon he’ll learn. Let’s wait,” said Kuver. “Are there predators among you?” asked Edward. “We all used to be predators.... But here meat grows on trees, there is no point to hunt. There is enough food.” Suddenly Edward heard a voice from nowhere. “How do you like it here?” “It’s fun....” “I want you to stay. Your planet has not much time left. People destroy the planet by exhausting natural resources. The planet will soon lose stability and explode. There is almost a zero chance to save it.” “How do you know?” “How do you think I can speak your language? The creatures told you that we can read thoughts. Your planet is not mute. You think it is, because you don’t hear it. But I can clearly hear it, and it is crying for help.” “Can something be done?” “You can’t save it, but I can see you want to try. I can’t keep you here. Just bear in mind that you are always welcome here. Follow your heart, that’s the only advice I can give you. And listen to your planet. Good bye...” Edward opened his eyes. He was in the familiar snowy street. He looked at his watch, the journey to Telenor took him just one minute. Was it for real? He put a hand in his pocket and found three fruit that looked like potatoes. So that was it. “I will grow trees with red, green and brown leaves,” thought Edward, “I must start somehow. I promise you, my dear planet, that I will learn how to hear you, I will do my best to save you. You will become another wonderland like Telenor.”

My Wonderland by Margo Dmitrieva Age 13 FINALIST: 13 – 17 years I would like to tell you a story. This story is about an adventure that I experienced once in my life. Though I was travelling to completely different worlds, I stayed in the same place all the time. Moreover, I am still not sure if I was travelling in the flesh or it was just a dream. Anyway, I will tell you everything in order. When I was a nine-year-old girl, I had nothing extraordinarily in my character. On the contrary, I was a fearful and timid young girl. My fearfulness often hindered me during my life. Besides, there was something that bothered me a lot– I had no friends at all. Beyond that, I was bullied by several guys at school but I was not brave enough to make them respect me. So, the only friends I managed to get along with were books. I have always loved reading and I have always wanted to have the same qualities the book characters had. I dreamed of being as courageous and brave as Robin Hood was. I fantasized of having as noble, devoted and reliable friends as d'Artagnan had. But unfortunately those dreams did not come true for a long time until some astonishing. One day while I was staring at the setting sun, some great ideas occurred to my mind. I decided to do something new, something I had never done before. So, instead of choosing another book to read, I decided to create a story of my own. It would be a story about a wonderful place, where everything is possible. After a while I decided to get down to writing. I wrote: ‘Many, many years ago there appeared one hidden place, called Wonderland. You will never find it on the map. You will never get there, directly looking for this place. There is no way to reach this world. You will find yourself there in the most unexpected moment.’ The more I wrote, the more I imagined its unique nature, its unforgettable landscapes, and the sunbeams breaking through the clouds. I could almost smell the moss on the tree bark. But soon I realized it was not my imagination. I was really sitting on the soft grass near the lake, surrounded by wonderful animals and unusual birds, rocky mountains and dense forests. That was the place I described in my story. I was in Wonderland. Soon I decided to go farther and explore this land. And I deepened into the forest thicket. As I was walking through the forest I saw a tiger cub. He was 25

as colourful as a rainbow. He had a green and white muzzle, ginger ears, a cyan body with white paws and a blue-yellow tail with black spots. He noticed me at once. Then I came nearer and said: “Hello!” But he was just looking at me as if he was thinking whether he could trust me or not. I thought he couldn't speak but at last I heard: “Hi, I am Alfie.” So we became friends. The following days our life was full of adventures. We saw Nessie monsters, swimming in the water. We watched harpies, standing on the edge of the cliff. We noticed blue-spotted snow leopards and cyan-winged pumas, pacing here and there. We saw glowing seahorses, flying everywhere at night. We admired amazing views and mysterious nature. We moved farther and farther until we found a cave on our way. In front of the cave there was a big stone where it was written: ‘Dreams come true’. After some hesitation, we decided to enter the cave. It was purple and violet inside. The flowers were gleaming, thereby showing us the way. We walked and walked until we found a flower-shaped glass, which was filled with some water. I came nearer and saw some words written in front of it on the ground: “Keep your fears to yourself, but share your… with others.” “Look, Alfie, one word is missing here‚” I said. “It is the second mysterious phrase for today. What dreams should come true here? I think there is something wrong. You should be careful.” I started thinking hard. I had a dream of being brave and courageous. Then it must be... “Courage!” I cried. “The missing word is courage. Then if I drink it I will be fearless.” But suddenly I heard the clatter. Everything was shaking and quaking around me. Then I heard large stones falling and crashing behind. A large wild monster was rushing at us. “Run, Alfie, run!” “I can't. The stone pressed my paws...” I couldn't leave him alone. So, I hastened to free him. He couldn't run because of the pain in his paws. So I decided to carry him myself. “Hold on!” I ran as fast as I could, and as far as I could. Soon that animal was far away from us and I stopped. There was a tree house in front of me. There was written on the door: ‘Your way home’. “This time be more careful‚” said Alfie. 26

Suddenly the door opened and a friendly looking dwarf invited us. We decided to trust him. He said: “You should go home.” “But no dreams of mine came true.” “Really? Didn't you make a really true friend? Weren't you brave when you saved Alfie? Weren't you courageous when you went exploring this place on your own? All your dreams came true‚” he answered. “But what is this place?” “It's your imagination. But now you should go home.” Then I saw a flash of light and in the next second I was sitting at the table with a pen in my hand. I knew I had changed a lot. But it wasn't the only gift I received. I knew what my story would be about. And it would be called ‘My Wonderland’.

My Wonderland by Polina Burenina Age 14 FINALIST: 13 – 17 years I was running through the forest. I was angry. I wanted to be alone. I thought that the picnic at the countryside was a good idea, but I was wrong, because my family decided to argue with me about my life. They told me I shouldn’t live in my own world, read those silly fairy tales and become wise, like they, adults, are. But I can’t! Soon I walked down the path and noticed the road. It was closed, but it was smooth and ideal for driving. I wanted to look it over. But when I came closer something strange happened. I saw the new world! The huge butterflies and tiny birds were flying around me! I saw a lot of strange plants: the stunning flowers, trees with different delicious fruit on them, bushes with golden roses and sky-blue lilac. Then I turned around and saw a little girl with a shock of red hair and charming smile on her face. She had tiny ginger freckles around her tiny snub nose and a very curious look. “Hi!-she waved her hand.” “Hello.” 27

“I’m Ginger, by the way.” “Nice to meet you, Ginger.” “You too, the stranger. But, really, what’s your name?” “You can call me a stranger, if you want.” “So, welcome here, stranger! And where are you going?” “I think I need somebody to answer my questions.” “That means you should go with me to our Queen. She is a wise woman and the greatest wizard. Probably, she will give you the answer.” “Fantastic. Well, I wonder, where we are.” As soon as I asked my new friend, I turned around – there were no signs of real world, the road had disappeared, leaving me and Ginger on the endless strand of land. “We call it Fantasyworld, but also it is known as Wonderland.” “And where are we going?” “To our capital, Fairybookland.” “How long will it take us to get there? By what means…?” Hardly had I finished my question, the pink sticky ball having the smell of my favourite bubble gum appeared in front of us. Then Ginger pushed me and I found myself inside this strange machine. Soon she appeared near me. “Welcome to BGB, or just Bubble Gum Ball. We’ll fly to Fairybookland on it.” She pushed a button and we started our flight. I used to fly only by planes in our real world, so it was very unusual and strange to sit in a round sweet ball with no seat belts, stewards and passengers, beside me and the girl who I know two minutes. Through the window I saw funny houses made of biscuits and fruit jellies, tall trees of different colours and boundless fields. On board BGB we talked and laughed a lot, till the time we heard a loud ‘BOOM!’ and fell down. “Look! We’re all in bubble gum!” said Ginger with her nose gushing with gum. “Are you all right?” I asked, lying in sticky substance. Is Fairybookland far from here? “No, look there.” I looked around and saw a big colourful city. There were bright skyscrapers of different size and shape, winding roads and millions of citizens who were running in a hurry like ants in the anthill. “Let’s go then!” 28

We went through the Cloud Park, the park with trees that were white and looked like clouds. They reminded me of the illustrations I saw in books. When we entered the city, I was impressed! It was so bright that I had to put on my sunglasses not to go blind. In the centre of the city rose the castle. It looked like candy floss! The billboard said: ‘Her Majesty Queen’s residence’. Soon we came inside and met the Queen. “Hello Ginger, dear. Welcome here, young lady! Can I help you?” “Thank you, Your Majesty. Your country is the place I have in my dreams. When I tell my parents about it, they do not believe it exists. Answer my question, please, is the magic real? Why don’t they see it? Why do I?” “My dear young lady! All this kingdom is yours! It comes from your imagination, but does not mean it is unreal! Adults forget this magic time; they deal with daily routine and do not have any desire to dream about something.” “What time do you mean?” “It is the best time in our life, childhood. You, Polly, are the Creator of this Wonderland, its capital, citizens and everything around. It is your world.” Ginger was surprised. “You didn’t tell me you’re the Creator!” she exclaimed.” “If I could….” “Calm down, please! Dear lady, this world is just your imagination from books, you are reading. Read them all the time and you will return again. Do not stop, please! Well, it’s time to say goodbye. I turned to Ginger and we hugged.” “I’ll miss you.” she said. “Me too. I turned to the Queen and closed my eyes. I felt the weak wind blow and then I heard a voice. “Wake up, sleepy.” I opened my eyes and saw all my family. “Oh, look at your clothes! Where had you taken so much bubble gum?” I didn’t answer, but just smiled. Now I knew exactly – the magic is real.

Illustration by Polina Vershinina Age 19 WINNER: 18 years and over

“Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?” by Aleksandra Szefer Age 18 WINNER: 18 years and over My story, pretty peculiar one, started not even a year ago when I moved to a bigger city to start my medical school. My parents bought me a small flat and we managed to get some new furniture. But one day my mother went to an antique shop and returned home with a little writing desk. Although it didn't suit my minimalistic, Scandinavian-styled rooms, I loved it at the first sight as I thought this would be a perfect place to put my books on while studying. To match my new-old writing desk, I also decided to look for a nice picture to put above it. I dreamt of a reproduction of a famous painting, especially a surreal one. But those dreams of Dali on my wall were over as wandering round a flea market I found a really weird lithography by an unknown artist. In the picture there was a man whose face was covered by a shadow cast by a really fancy top-hat. He was holding a huge cat. Without a single hesitation, I paid for the picture and took it home. Two days later I made a strange discovery. To put the long story short: there was a nice pile of money in the drawer of my antique piece of furniture. It's my mom, I thought‚ so I decided to call her. “Thanks mom‚” I said when she picked up the phone. “For what?” “Oh, you know the cash. You shouldn't have...” “But what cash? I haven't sent you anything yet.” “No, the money you put into the drawer of this writing desk. Or was it dad?” No, it was neither my mom, nor my dad. The money must have been left there by a previous owner, I thought. I am just a lucky girl. Little did I know then that it wasn't as simple as it seemed to be. I didn't have to wait long for another baffling surprise. Next morning I found a twisted fork blocking the miraculous drawer. Later, there was also a piece of a vinyl record and a Victorian pocket watch without the inner mechanism. A week later I found a doll's hand and a creepy, eyeless, porcelain head. Convinced that I had a wormhole in my room but also deciding that I shouldn't waste a second of my time, I opened my book and started revising for the test. Suddenly, I heard a voice. 31

“Why is it like a raven?” said someone. I turned back but my room was empty. Was my flat haunted? Or was I so overworked that I started hearing voices? After this page, I said to myself, I am going to drink a bucket of coffee. “If you are so smart, tell me, why is a raven like a writing desk?” I heard the voice again. I thought I was doomed as it was definitely schizophrenia and the next thing I was going to hear was “Take a walk on the windowsill, it's fun.” But the voice was persistent. “Do you know it? Do you know why a raven is like a writing desk?” The question came from... my picture from the flea market. I could see the figure on my painting very clearly now. It was a man with pure madness on his face. He was definitely mad as a hatter. He was leaning on the tacky golden frame and looking at my book on anatomy. The cat was sitting on his arm and it was analysing the book too. “Maybe because... there is a quill? You know, the feather? I guessed.” “No, it's not about the quill... Definitely not.” “Then I don't know.” “I thought you knew. You seem to know a lot.” “Why are we even talking? Have I gone mad?” “We are all mad here‚” said the cat, out of the blue. “I am mad. You're mad.” “But I don't want to go among mad people, I remarked. And I really didn't have time to land in the asylum. Maybe after the exams. “Then go and get your coffee,” the cat said and grinned. I very seldom follow good advice but I decided to take this. When I returned to the room with a mug filled with black life-saving liquid, my picture was still the way it used to be. So many out-of-the-way things had happened lately, that I had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible. My drawer kept on being full of things I hadn't seen before but I got used to it. But one night, when I was trying to fall asleep, I heard a noise that could be compared to the tapping of small feet. I wasn't surprised to discover that the sound was coming from my writing desk. I opened the drawer and suddenly I saw a white rabbit jumping around my room damaging it a bit at the same time. “I am late! I am late!” it shouted. “What? Where are you running? Why are you late?”

“I am late! Late for a very important date!” The rabbit jumped into my drawer and disappeared. I decided to have a look inside. Maybe there was really a tunnel through space-time? And a second later I found myself falling down, and I was falling, and falling, and falling. And then I was falling down a bit more. After that I was falling, falling, falling and falling down the hole.

Mirror Wonderland by Alim Khashukoev Age 46 Russia FINALIST: 18 years and over * dedicated to my beloved sister Janna I can’t predict you but I depict you, I celebrate you with my love! I can’t rewrite you but I will try to Steal you from this world to the world above. One rainy day, in the local hospital in the town of Kihclan (which you will never find on the map of the world: so tiny it is), a little girl named Ecila was lying in her bed in front of a big mirror. Day by day she was staring at the image in the mirror and as usual a little silver teardrop fell on her soft pale cheek before she felt asleep into the hole to the Country of Dreams… “Can you open the door without a key?” asked the Dam Rettah, a strong man in a white top hat Ecila had never seen before, but so strangely familiar to her. “Definitely not, sir,” answered Ecila.

“Yes, you can, you silly little creature, if the door is in the mirror, you see? Try to continue my riddle and every door will open its mysteries for you without the limits. Ready? Whisper the words you’ve never said aloud to this big world of our own. Don’t wait for the moment when we turn into stone. Making confusion from disillusion, getting too much pride but being alone inside, walking slowly with the hope to see the light.” “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven – we’ll never be together…” continued Ecila mindlessly. “That’s right. Now it’s time to step into the Country of Dreams, come on!” reflected the Dam Rettah. “How should I, sir, if I am already here?” said Ecila in an icy voice. “I don’t know really, better ask him…” and he pointed to a strange creature running up straight to them. “A hare,” thought Ecila by herself. “The September Hare, I must clarify,” he mumbled. “Come with me and no questions, right? I’ll show you the way to the Queen of Spades. It’s she who will decide where you are staying – here or there…” Ecila politely said goodbye to the Dam Rettah, though he had disappeared a moment before without a trace. While they were falling down to nowhere, Ecila lingered for a moment under a big magic mushroom (magic, because you will never see a talking caterpillar on a mushroom in reality) to wait out the rain. “That’s why the hare is the September Hare,” the thought flashed in Ecila’s head. “It’s always September and rain never stops here!” Suddenly she heard a harsh voice from above. “You think I’m a caterpillar. It’s up to you, my girl, ‘cos I’m stuck here within the frames of your imagination. To be honest, I prefer everybody to call me Madam Rallipretac! That’s what I see when I watch myself from the outside, but it doesn’t matter. You’d better look inside my soul and listen how the story goes: Pain of rain doesn’t touch my strings Strings play melody just in time Hard to understand what it really means I’m afraid that it must be a prime…” With these words Ecila felt the eternity right in front of her face as she was inevitably disappearing into someone’s huge blue eyes. 34

“It’s beginning to rain Cheshire cats and Yorkshire dogs,” Ecila supposed aloud and at once found herself beneath a smiling upper lip of a cat or a dog which was moving audibly. “Believe me or not, but every cat wants to be a dog once in his lifetime. The matter is can we tell the same about dogs? That is the question…” The minute Ecila wanted to wake up from this tangled dream she felt how the September Hare grabbed her hand. He appeared from the void and at once started bowing while entering one of the three doors in a mirrored wall. Ecila felt herself hot and cold at the same time staring at the Queen of Spades so unreal but so visible. “The secret is within you, Ecila! Every little girl can become a queen, here or there. It’s hard to imagine, but I wasn’t born the Queen, I guess once I was a little girl like you. At least I was a little princess and that’s for sure! That’s why my fair verdict is the following: make your own decision and open one of these two doors – black or white. The White Tibbar will show you the way. This time you don’t need to eat or drink anything and when you’re thinking about which door to open remember that the White Tibbar is my hint to you.” “Don’t you cry, my little girl. Sooner or later, all of us will be here or there. Trust me, till life do us part,” Ecila heard the voice of the Dam Rettah. “We’re going to be late, hurry up, my little girl,” cried the White Tibbar and skillfully jumped right onto the cloud. And she followed him up to the sky, to the secret wonderland to stay there forever… She sensed her heart beating stronger and faster, then unexpectedly stopped for a second, a minute, an hour… The next day the people of Kihclan saw a beautiful rainbow after the rain, as if their little Ecila was smiling to them (in the case if you look at the rainbow upside down). Some of them told that Ecila had gone and left them for Paradise. But when the night was young, they saw a little star shining brightly in the sky… Feel so special when the sun is burning up, Merge with colours playing joyfully above, Rising slowly like a bird high in the skies – Imperceptible, obscure for human eyes.

Echoes of the Carpathian Tales by Christina Svintradze Age 20 FINALIST: 18 years and over Visiting my grandparents in their little cottage never felt like an obligation to me, a must that I had no power to set my face against. On the contrary, the short time spent amidst the wild Carpathian landscapes, where I could well imagine Grandma's tales coming to life, meant much more to a little boy than all material wealth taken together. Walking down the narrow paths of the ancient forest, I kept making amazing discoveries of the fantastic world that was left behind the all-seeing eye of Man. That summer was not an exception. As ever I arrived at Vishenka railway station – a place as far away from civilization as it is close to my heart. I spent the day wandering along the grassy tracks of the Carpathian vales. Exhausted as I was in the evening, I knew I wouldn’t fall asleep without hearing one of my Grandma's Hutsul tales. Silence reigned in the whole house as I was falling into a dream listening to Granny telling her story: "From then on during the full moon one can hear a heart-breaking groan coming from Lake Temne – the groan of the Queen of the Forest." Suddenly the outlines of my bedroom disappeared. There was only a voice echoing, "The Queen of the Forest… Nawie…" The first thing I felt was the bitter cold that wrapped around my body. I woke up to discover myself lying on dewy grass somewhere in the field. The full moon illuminated the whole area, making noticeable a path which led to a thick forest. After my long-lasting struggle with the howling wilderness of the forest, the path finally came to its end. At last I reached my destination – the lake. It was eerily quiet there. The general atmosphere was charged with something ominous as well as something mysterious and fascinating. Then I saw her. In the very middle of the lake under the over-hanging branches of a weeping willow, there stood a hardly visible, almost transparent figure of a young woman. Her entire appearance exuded grief but her beauty was immaculate… It seemed like hours had passed before my state of total oblivion was interrupted by an elderly man, saying: "During the full moon a great number of forest enigmas can come out, can't they, my little friend?" Beside me there was standing a middle-sized man with a 36

long beard. Although he was of old age, his eyes bore something that is peculiar only to children – gleams of pure happiness. "Do you know her?" I drew my attention back to the beauty. "Oh, it's Nawie – the Queen of the Forest." "Why is she so sad? Has anybody hurt her?" "Yes and very badly. But I'm sure my telling you a mournful love story is the last thing you would prefer on such a night." "No, please, tell me, I'm begging you." My whole attention was riveted to that woman. It was next to impossible for me to tear my eyes away from her. "Alright, I'll do it but swear that you will never ever repeat the story to anyone." "The whole thing began many years ago. It was early spring and everything in the forest was waking from a long winter sleep. So was Nawie. As ever before the moment she stepped her foot on the grass, the whole forest broke into an infinite variety of colors and shades. The girl was blissfully happy and nothing seemed to mar her happiness. However, one event changed everything once and forever. At the time there was only one human being that was allowed to dwell in the forest. It was Uncle Panas, who obeyed and respected the laws of nature. As a rule, he walked down the forest paths alone but that day his nephew kept him company. It was a young man called Marco whose playing the pipe could touch anyone's soul. The same story happened to Nawie. For them both it was love at first sight. He performed lyrical songs for her and she gave him all her love. However, one day Nawie came to realize that for some people true love meant nothing more than just a fleeting emotion. Yes, Marco betrayed her and thus inflicted eternal tortures on himself. While Nawie was consumed with grief and was on the edge of dying, the Guard of the Forest turned the young man into a wolf who will never find peace. From then on during the full moon one can hear a heart-breaking groan coming from Lake Temne – the groan of the Queen of the Forest." With these words the stranger vanished into darkness. All of a sudden I heard someone playing the pipe. Turning around, I saw Marco approaching the lake. The moment he reached the Queen, he took her in his arms and they both started dancing. Great waves rose on the lake as they were whirling in a neverending dance. Then the full moon hid behind the clouds. It was almost thirty years ago that I first heard the story. Once again I'm sitting on the shore of the so-beloved lake, not a child anymore yet still enchanted by the magic scenery of the wild Carpathian landscapes. No matter how old I may become one day, I know for sure that this place will never cease to fill me with wonder – it IS my land of Wonderland. 37

Tales of My Friend the Talking Dog by Gleb Vinokurov Age 24 FINALIST: 18 years and over Many years ago, when I was younger and – as far as I recall – had no beard, knew no pain and generally was in a considerably better condition, I had a talking dog. The mere fact of having a talking dog had no relation to my wellbeing – I used to think. Now, however, I begin to doubt that. But let me go back to the point: my talking dog. The dog was called … I have to confess, the name has bleached out of my memory. There is little I can do, as the only names I (hopefully) ever remember are ones that are firmly imprinted in my passport. Yet I perfectly remember his looks. He was a small dog; tiny, I would say. Nobody has ever taken him seriously. “What is that, a cat?” they would say. “What is that, an upright spoke in the wheel of nature?” my friend, the talking dog, would mutter bitterly. Indeed, I was the only human being he considered equal (or, at least, worth talking to.) That is, as you can see, technically I was his owner. In reality, I was a friend and a confidant. There is also a tiny possibility of a mental disorder involving talking animals, but I would prefer to leave that one out. So, there was a talking dog, and I was his friend and his confidant. “Young man,” he once said. “You don’t appreciate what you have.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “I have nothing.” I told him that I did not really have a life. My parents would feed me, give me money when they wanted to, buy me books when they decided to, and so forth. “What do you want then?” he asked me. “When I grow up, I want to study literature and become rich,” I told him passionately (I never mentioned – that was a great passion of mine.) “Oh boy,’ he sighed. ‘You can’t do both of these things at a time. Lifetime that is.” Honestly, back then I could not say what he meant exactly. If I remember it right, we were sitting in the living room, where the Christmas tree had been set up. Oh, what a tree it was! Beautiful. With all the decorations, balls, lights, you know. It smelled like Christmas, the scent I will never forget. 38

By that smell – that is how I recognize winter. The green essence of my memory. I asked my friend the talking dog how he felt about never getting any presents and never seeing his family. “I am perfectly fine,” he said. Then I thought about it, and said: “Well, I’d be fine, too.” He grinned sarcastically. I mean, in his mind he did – as I fail to remember any dog to be physically capable of performing this kind of emotion – and I felt it. “Have I told you a story about a miser meeting three ghosts of Christmas?” he asked. “No, you never have,” I said, and became all ears. Then he told me the story. It turned my whole life upside down; it tore me apart and sewed me back together; it killed me and resurrected me like Lazarus. Long story short – it changed my life completely. No, I was not thinking about compassion or being a generous and helping hand for those in need. I thought I would write this story down, sell it, become a famous author and get all the money (and yes, share it with my friend, for I’ve always had a great sense of justice.) Upon having told the story, he cast his eyes on a small statue of Our Lady that was sitting on the windowsill, and contemplated for a while. He might as well be looking at the fluffy snow falling in the gentle beam of the street light. I am so thankful to that light for giving away all the wintry magic that would have been concealed from a homeboy’s eyes otherwise (note the rhyme – I should probably keep it in mind for my possible poetical exercises in the future.) “I’ve been wondering,” I said. ‘Is this true that a dog’s nine years are like sixty-three human years?’ “Err,” he grumbled as he glanced at me. “This is true.” “It is such a short life then!” said I. “Boy, no life is long enough. Be you a dog, or a human, or whatever specimen you may be, you are always either too young to die or you’re already dead. You will learn.” I learnt it soon. Next year the talking dog passed away peacefully. My grandfather joked that was because of heavy drinking and smoking, but I’m afraid he was mostly referring to himself. Time has passed, and my youth has withered. Now I am almost twenty-five, I have a beard, I study literature and I am not rich at all. I even cursed my friend the talking dog once, when I found out that the story of a miser and three ghosts had already been written, along with ones of a man surviving on a desert island and a girl following a rabbit into a hole. But then I understood 39

why he told me all those tales. He wanted me to learn that I let the best and most wonderful time of my life slip through my fingers, unnoticed and unappreciated. The Christmas tree, the loving family, my faith in wonders, magic, and talking dogs – that was my Wonderland and I left it behind. Yet I’m sure that he also wanted me to know that I can always return, as long as I’m not already dead and ever too young to die. There is also a possibility that he meant to say that plagiarism is the only way to make money in the world of literature, but I would definitely prefer to leave that one out.

For an Adult Who Believe or Wants to Believe in Miracles… by Olga Maximenko Age 26 FINALIST: 18 years and over Everyone is a dreamer at heart. But we are often afraid of accepting it. Rushing through this crazy life we forget about miracles. We don’t believe in fairy tales and the world seems hostile and gloomy. We are busy with the so-called ‘important’ tasks, thoughts. Aren’t you tired of this all? Aren’t you bored with all the stereotypes, duties and rules? Don’t you want to take your suits and ties off, snuggle in an armchair under a warm blanket with a cup of tea and travel to an amazing Wonderland where all your troubles will melt, the land of kindness, peace and love? How? Using only one thing, very powerful one – your imagination. I invite you to share this exciting adventure with me. Don’t worry! It won’t take much time. And nobody will scold you for this. It will be our little secret. Agreed? Make yourself comfortable in our high-speed helicopter and take pleasure in viewing the countryside. You will never find the place we are going to on the map. And yet it exists. Somewhere very far from here. We’re slowly going down. Welcome! Today I will be your guide but later on you will easily find the way without my help.

Here comes the first resident of this wonderful place – Mr. Guardian. He greets you on behalf of all the people living here. Let’s face it, it’s so nice to see such a polite and friendly person at the very beginning of our journey. It’s like the start of a new day. If you wake up and the first thing you see is a cup of flavored cappuccino, a room flooded with sunlight or your kid’s lovely smile, the day will be certainly successful. But in case your morning is darkened with a ketchup stain on your shirt, the quarrel of the neighbours next door or a long traffic jam, be sure that no good will come of the next twenty four hours. By the way, Mr. Guardian has just kindly invited you to have dinner with him and his charming wife next Sunday. Don’t refuse an invitation! You will be delighted with their little cosy house, Mrs. Guardian’s cooking. And the host will lose no chance to play a game of checkers with you. Quiet family evening… There’s nothing better. But let’s go further. Oh, we’ve just come at the right time. Look! There is a wedding today. All the people in Wonderland enjoy parties. The tables are collapsed under the weight of all kinds of food – vegetables and fruit, cold beef and salted fish, piles of jam tarts and many other tasty dishes. The newly made couple is standing under a beautiful flower arch. I suggest you not to lose a moment and congratulate them on this important event. What? Do you really find it inappropriate to come without a present? Your kind words and sincerity will replace the presents. Well done! They say thanks and call us to the table. And we have a great chance to get to know many other interesting inhabitants of Wonderland. “Good afternoon, Mr. Brain! It’s ages since we met. What’s the news? Tell us about your latest invention. A robot-cook! I really envy all housewives of Wonderland! From now on they will have much more free time. How many dishes can it cook? One thousand? It’s absolutely impossible!” Now let me tell you about this unusual man. This clever little person is a famous inventor here. He is highly appreciated for making useful things for everyday life. The list of his inventions is really impressive – a robot-babysitter for children, a flying mailbox delivering letters in one minute, a robot-friend for lonely people and so on. Have a look at the lady from the right of Mr. Brain. This is Mrs. Joy. She’s so energetic considering her age! If I don’t miss my guess she must be over eighty. But Mrs. Joy has no intention of retiring. She works in a post office, knits warm socks for her grandchildren, runs a fancywork for schoolgirls and writes articles for a local newspaper. But that’s not the half of it. Her real passion is extreme. She enjoys diving and boat racing. And last summer she managed to climb the tallest mountain in Wonderland! 41

Next to her is another interesting personality – Dr. Healer. Don’t even try to ask him for a pill from your migraine. The more so because it will soon be over. The air is healthy here. Dr. Healer doesn’t have a strong trust in pills and prescribes them only in case of emergency. In the majority of cases he just recommends his patients to have a little rest, walk in the forest, sleep well and think about something pleasant. He also makes herbal potions and invents an individual diet for each person. What’s the diet for Mr. Brain? Much chocolate and less work! No kidding! But I have to report that it is time to go home. Oh! Keep your chin up! You will be able to return to Wonderland again. How do you feel now? Is your migraine over? Are you full of energy? It’s nice to hear your positive answer. Your stay in this place was for the good. Several hours ago you had doubt about visiting this land because of your being busy. And now you don’t want to come back home. But tell me the truth. Are all these people in Wonderland very different from us? Do they have some magic superpower? No. They just try to find pleasure in life, they are active and kind. I strongly believe that we can learn from them to be happy and carry this out in our real life. Look! All the residents of Wonderland are waving goodbye to you. They would be very happy to see you again. And don’t forget to take some freshly baked croissants for the road. See you again in Wonderland!

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Published by Macmillan Education. A division of Macmillan Publishers, a company registered in England under company number 00785998. Registered office: 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW, United Kingdom Text and illustration ÂŠ with the authors and artists. Please note: The stories and illustrations presented in this collection are the original work and copyright of the authors and artists named. To maintain the integrity and essence of the stories only basic spelling errors have been corrected. Design ÂŠ Macmillan Publishers Limited 2015 The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The opinions expressed in this Reader are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmited in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.