Inspired by The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson, the children of Bats have had a go at writing their own introductions to a similar story full of adventure. After unpacking the beautiful descriptive language of the original tales opening, they were armed with the tools to craft their own stories.
Below are two examples of golden writing:
Many years ago, I discovered an underwater kingdom not too different from ours on land up here. I could never have dreamt up such an astonishing castle. I remember it like it was this morning.
As I stood at the edge of the water with waves crashing towards my feet, I could smell excitement and adventure. As much as I smelt excitement and adventure I also smelt fear. Despite the fact that I like splashing in the sea and swimming, that day I felt different. I wanted to dive in deep and explore. When I took my steps towards the water, getting ready to plunge in, a tinge of anxiety hit me. As soon as I plummeted into the water it was amazing.
Far out at sea, where the majestic iridescent fish reside, the sapphire blue water was as pure and transparent as glass. The sea sheltered the most beautiful shells with patterns I’d never seen before. The sound inside of the shells were a dream.
At the bottom of the sea, where no anchor cable has ever been able to reach was the seabed. It was colourful as a rainbow and housed the most vibrant and beautiful plants and trees. Out of the white sand that covered the seabed grew pliant trunks of trees and stems that intertwined with another. The plants that maneuvered all day long were the most amazing colours like crimson, rose and orange. All the fish great and small were gliding through the amazing branches from the trees and plants. The fish had stunning scales, which looked like sequins, and the creatures in the sea were plentiful. Whilst there I saw the most gorgeous navy blue and rose gold dolphin rapidly racing towards the Pacific.
All of sudden, I discovered something in the deepest part of the ocean. It was the Sea king’s palace. The Sea king’s palace was made of beautiful, huge and bumpy coral. however, the windows are made of the clearest fiery amber and the roof of oval shaped mussel shells that had gleaming round pink and white pearls inside.
by Rijana
About one hundred years ago when the world was very different to what it is today I was right by the edge of the beach and millimetres away from the water, the sound of the ocean encouraging me to plunge down deep and explore all that lurks behind the darkness at the bottom of the sea. Then with the water up to my ankles, I halted and thought ‘what if?’ Then a shiver ran down my spine. ‘What if I drown and run out of air and die? What if I get lost and never be able to get back home?’ Then i put all of that aside and I said to myself ‘I am going to go to the bottom of the ocean and nothing will hold me back!’ Then full of determination, i jumped up upon a rock and plummeted into the ocean.
Far out at sea where most of the iridescent fish congregate, the undulating water is an ultramarine turquoise cerulean intertwined with azure and tainted with a tinge of indigo. Down deep at the bottom of the sea it is full of life and it is so vibrant. Everywhere you go you find beauty and even the smallest thing like plankton actually has a very big heart. Fishes big and small glide and squeeze through the gaps in the intertwined trees.
Then before I knew it I was at the Sea king’s palace. It is perfect for fishes. The walls are made from coral and the trees are so pliant. The roof is made out of strong hard mussel shells and the windows are made of the purest amber.
by Adnan