Writing Spirit Competition

A bittersweet tale of laughter, craic, passion, betrayal, weirdness and drama

The first, and most obvious thing, about using a parachute when you are a Hippopotamus, is that one can never really be fully assured of its ability to work, even if it does open. Mildred hated these jobs that required them to 'jump in'. The good old bus was always her preference, and even then, the shorter the journey, the better, as far as she was concerned. She understood the need, she was just as much a professional as the next Hippopotamus, which, as she sat there in the fuselage of the ageing Dakota, just happened to be Jacob, and no one could surely doubt his virtue.

A story to remind us that we all have a purpose in life, even at times when all hope is lost.

(Narrator) Have you ever spoken to a camel? If so you surely would have been told the story of Theaban The Camel. Theaban the camel's story is well known in the annals of camel folklore. It is not known if the story of Theaban and his adventures are fact or fiction, so I leave it to you to decide. The camel is an interesting animal. They can drink an astonishing amount of water, as much as 100 litters in less than 10 minutes! They can also go without water for up to two weeks at a time. This makes the camel in ideal animal to be used in desert caravans and long trips in hot and humid climates. Understanding that during the hottest weather they must be given water every other day to keep them in good condition. An Arabian Dromedary camel's fur is short and helps protect its body from the heat. They are easily noticed as they have just one hump. Asian Bactrian camel's fur is longer. They can also be noticed as they have two humps. The hump or humps of a camel is mostly a lump of fat. Bands of strong tissue hold pads of fat together, forming them above the backbone. They may grow about 25 centimetres long on the animal's head, neck, and humps. The hump or humps of a camel will stand upright when they are well fed and will occupy at least one fourth of its whole length but when the animal is starved it almost disappears. Arabian Dromedary camel's nostrils close to keep sand at bay, and they have bushy eyebrows and two rows of long eyelashes to protect their eyes. Large, tough lips enable them to pick at dry and thorny desert vegetation. Big, thick footpads help them navigate the rough rocky terrain and shifting desert sands. Bactrian camels live not in shifting Sahara sands but in Central and East Asia's rocky deserts. Temperatures in these places can become very hot in summer. Yet they can also drop to very cold temperatures in winter. Bactrian camels have developed special adaptations to allow them to survive in such a brutal environment. One is a thick, shaggy coat that protects them in winter and falls away as seasons change and temperatures rise. Like Arabian camels, Bactrians rarely sweat, helping them conserve fluids for long periods of time. In winter, plants may yield enough moisture to sustain a camel without water for several weeks. Many years ago traders from the Middle East and Central Asia met once a year to exchange their goods. The "silk road" and "the incense road" are the most famous of the caravan routs of the past. When the Turks and Asians came to the Arabian Peninsula, the animals that assisted them were from their home lands and year after year these animals would take the long journey by sea to Arabia. Then they would travel many miles across the desert. They would trade their goods and return to their country with what they acquired. This is the story of Theaban/Ling the Camel. 
 
 Theaban the camel is a story of Ling a young lost two humpped camel in Arabia. It is a story of unity. We find a fun loving story of two young camels of different nationalities that come together in a far away land for one, for a common purpose. With the help of their desert friends they overcome obstacles which provide a quite funny and surprising ending. Or is it the end?

With a bed of grass soft beneath her bare feet she danced amidst the moist, shape-shifting bubbles drifting aimlessly through the air. So engrossed was she in destroying these bubbles she failed to notice her father's car pulling into their driveway. Its darkened windows shielded the driver from the bright rays of the sun, and the world, from a ghost-like face, a face, wrought with frustration after another splendid Saturday cooped up at work

This is a completely new genre for me, but really exciting as it just came to me last night. I had fun writing it and i'd love to think others enjoyed it.

John Keats needs a little help with his latest work

Ophelia in the Park is the story of a woman who finds that she cannot cope with motherhood. She looks at her baby and feels nothing for it. All that she wants is to escape.