Mikey and I were tucked away in our usual hiding place playing conkers; the sun was setting casting a frenzy of colours. Dew started to settle on the parched grass.

Focused on our game, we did not realise the time ticking by, and the ceasing light. A snap from the other side of the wall, made my heart miss a beat. Mikey leapt up and peered through the spy-hole.

“Th… There’s a figure out there,” he whimpered, “Under a cloak.” I took a look for myself and there it was; standing on the pavement. It seemed to be staring down the road, but natural instinct told me it could sense even the slightest twitch.

“Mikey, we need to get away. I’ll lob a stone over there and you run to the cover of that tree, then you chuck one and I’ll come.”

Instead, I threw my conker on to the road and it splintered. The figure spun to look at the pieces; then at me. I stood dead still, pale with fright. Mikey froze too, until I waved my hand for him to go. He sprinted behind a sinister looking oak.

Not bearing to wait any longer, I fled after him, and we disappeared into the night.

We are now a good way into the story, we’d like to know what you think about the story so far. I like the way that the characters are developing as the story goes on. I quite like that it’s a bit frightening – there’s a lot of tension. I’m interested in the way he creates an unfamiliar world from a world that we do know…………

Please record what you think about the story on a post it on the padlet.

Click on the pink circle, write your first name and make your comments. Remember to read what other children are writing and please make a comment – we all love to have those messages!

Another exciting chapter in which Ross Mackenzie tell us about the Painted. He gives us some details about how they look.

Your challenge is to draw a picture of what you feel a Painted looks like. Take a picture of your work and upload it to the post-it. It will even let you take a photo straight from the post it – look at the symbols at the bottom of the note.

Breaking News: a boy hag was spotted trying to escape. There was a mysterious girl helping trying to help the white witch run away. Across his face there were scratches and there was blood flooding out of his eye. There was smoke seeping through the sealing we had to run it was hag magic. Wiping his eyes with a cloth, she picked the lock and they escaped. As soon as Mrs Hester found out she went to the phone and roared for people to search for the pair of them.

Breaking news!

A hag hanging session was disrupted, by a group of  people with wands who shot a cloud of black smoke which turned into a huge dragon breathing fire. The crowd straight away knew they where hags and all scattered like bugs. Mrs Hester’s wand spewed out a green snake which curved around the dragon then they both disappeared   into smoke. The crowd was relieved that the two monsters were gone but Mrs Hester was not happy because Double 8 was gone, she checked everywhere for him. She thought the silver king was going to turn her in to white witch.

Walking into the night the Owl hooted. I stopped in curiosity but then I remembered why I was out. Searching for my cousin Aurora. Right, I am in the forest where she disappeared. Turning my torch onto a lower setting a shiver went down my spine. The shiver was a shiver of fear.

Getting deeper into the forest I heard a noise. A scream. Scream after scream after scream they where near by. They where deafening.  Could that be Aurora.

The deafening screams echoed through the cold night. I have to follow them. That’s when I saw a mysterious man.

The deafening screams echoed around the cold night. Searing pain tore through my ears. Pangs of anxiousness suddenly turned into dense fog. The moon masked by the inky clouds, no light to be seen. Once again, blood-curdling shrieks shattered the silence. Frantically searching, the colossal silhouettes of trees blocked my view. Fingers numb, the bitterness scraped across my cheeks. The entwined, gnarled twigs and aged leaves obstructed my path; stuck…

Scarred and hopeless, I could do nothing. A scent of evilness crept up to me. Snapping twigs and crunching footsteps filled my ears. Where was I being taken?

I screamed…

Running through the shaded trees, the wind blowing through my hair and the horizon screaming for attention in the distance, I was finally away from all the chaos. My whole childhood of being a kid I was controlled and made to do everything, I was a slave almost and well my mother never cared she just yelled at everyone especially if you didn’t do what she said.

Now I was older I realized I had to stand up to her which is why I ran away because I couldn’t do it any longer I just hope this was the right decision.

As the deafening screams echoed through the cold night the little boy walked past as a chill fell down his back.  A few minutes had past,  the sun had started to go down and the wind was now a cold fresh air running through the thin clouds.

Suddenly an ancient man came from round the corner walking slowly and limping on one side. The little boy sat and thought wondered where he was, was he lost, in a forest. No one knew but today was the time where someone had to help this town and for it to get its life back.

The deafening screams echoed through the cold night; I needed to get away from here, fast. I pelted away from the sobbing camp, not daring to look back.

Trees cast taunting shadows from my lamp, and the clumps of brambles ragged my khaki shorts. I dived behind a tree stump, narrowly missing a row of bullets. Why did this country have to be so anti-refugees?

Leaping up again, I tore into a field and rolled into a ditch. I stifled a yelp, as I landed on a branch. Inhaling gulps of bitter air, another dose of bullets penetrated the night.