Stories

My garden was always my haven. How could it not be, when I spent half my life in a sulphury darkness? I had a villa, marble and gold, fragranced ...More

Slip while walking onto cold, slippery tiles into the bathroom for the twentieth time. Land on your right arm break it like a twig. Or, forget to put the ligh ...More

“What else will I need?” “Just that will be enough.” I finish filling my drink bottle and prepare myself for the unknown, not knowing if I will come o ...More

Polly lounges in her usual spot at McDonalds, fourth table from the right. She studies the colour of the wall behind her. Red, her favourite colour. Tha ...More

Jerry and his friend, Ross, were playing in Jerry’s sandpit. Charlie appeared. “What are you playing?” Charlie asked Jerry. “Planes.” Jerry hel ...More

Yessssss, I thought the first day of Lockdown Breakfast was yum on the first day of Lockdown It was cloudy School was out on the first day of Lock ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Chapter Two Emmy flew through the school gate ahead of Ari, disappearing in the direction of her classroo ...More

Grayce huddled in the dark of her bedroom. The slithering sound came again, something scraping, knocking. Scrape-knock-knock-slide-slither. Somewhere in ...More

Meet her in the forest You’ll find her fascinating She may not welcome you but she has no choice in this The tree which she is forever linked to creak ...More

Kiss frogs. Sleep for 100 years. Turn into a human and not speaking. Sneak out late at night. Change your mum into a bear and back again. Lose your s ...More

I am a kākāpō. I live in Whenua Hou (Codfish Island). I BOOM rimu berries. They are delicious. I TWEET mosses and ferns. They are padded. I HOO ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Chapter Four Ari watched the hands on the clock move towards three o’clock. He knew he had to get away fr ...More

Google maps you take me though the underpass fast on my bike in the night my lights flash on the shapes of down and outs the louts, layabouts who ...More

Some relationships are destined to last. Others end in tears, mass destruction or an intractable skin rash. My love affair in the winter of 2002 was doom ...More

Pull-my-Finger the Giant only had one joke, probably like your dad or grandad. But he was very fond of it and he told it as often as he could. This was it: � ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Upoko Tuatahi Ka takoto a Ari ki tana moenga, ka whakataurite i tōna hū ki te pito o tōna matiwae-nui, me te k ...More

His fur is silky black, blue eyes wild, teeth glistening white – white like the snow that fell last winter, like the oleander that grows by th ...More

Ka moemoeā a mō tana noho huna, tana noho koropuku. Ka rongo ia i ētahi tangata e kimi ana i a ia, e karanga ana i tōna ingoa. Kātahi ka huhuti tētah ...More

Trailing my clackity clack bumblebee Golly in the other hand, I follow the tall back of my Dad down the garden path. Full of questions, I shadow him ...More

I was rushing around like a headless chicken; measuring, collecting cardboard and forming the plan of attack. My mission? To build a scale model of a Volkswage ...More

Leila stood in the doorway, her little legs shaking in her blueberry pjs. “I don’t want to, Daddy,” she whispered. “Come on, sweetheart,” Michael ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Chapter One Ari lay on his bed, balancing his sneaker on the tip of his big toe, counting how many second ...More

“Come on, Moon, it’s time to hunt.” Sunrise went first to check if there was any danger. Moon tried to go before Sunrise had said the coast was clear. ...More

You can do it for fitness You can do it for play You can ride your bike All of the day When you drive in a car It creates pollution Join with me Start the ...More

Feijoas roll down the roof to be pecked by the birds startling the rats which scurry above. A grimy workbench dusty with tools next to a soggy, wet lead chewe ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Upoko Tuarima I te kāinga, ka pākōkō a Pāpā ki roto i te kuaha. “Paiā! Te kaha hoki o te ua i waho rā!” tana ...More

Photos are a very powerful thing. Memories caught in time and plastered forever, or maybe not, onto my pages. Every inch of my skin is tattooed with ink ...More

Inspiration: “Hide and Seek” by Wongi “Freak” Wilson Artwork location, details and photo credit https://watchthisspace.org.nz/ar ...More

I was two years old when I got my first bike It was better than your little trike We found it in the bushes My dad fixed it up for me He welded it back togethe ...More

“And the prize for the bravest pirate goes to …” Greybeard, the oldest of all the pirates, held up a piece of paper and waved it around dramat ...More

We flip on the trampoline and wince as our fragile flesh scrapes the net. We stare at screens try to improve our eyesight by gazing deep into the pixela ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Chapter Three Ari was really relieved to see his mum waiting in the emergency room when they got there. Koro had b ...More

My monster is quite unique With a certain frame of mind He specialises in fear, you know The very best of his kind Although he creaks the floorboards ( ...More

Nobody knew who he was. Or where he came from. Only that he lived on the traffic island in the middle of the intersection and had one arm. When he first appe ...More

I miss you, Life Outside the Gate. ​My gate isn’t very high, but now it feels like the top is touching the clouds. ​Whenever I think about ...More

Find the hidden sequence of words: the first letter of each makes the puzzle answer. e.g. he offers trust = HOT Sometimes fresh air feels like wak ...More

Looking for somewhere to bide your time until Ragnarok? Well, look no further! Valhalla provides a number of move-in-ready houses at affordable prices and ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Upoko Tuarua Parahutihuti ana tā Emmy oma ki te waha o te kura, ka waiho mai a Ari ki tana puehu, ā, ka hem ...More

A pirate ran off with my heart today, stitched it to his billowing sleeve, which was sweet, I suppose. He pilfered my shirt too, refusing to do his own laundry ...More

A seagull stands still, eyeing humans who are finishing their fish’n’chips. It perches upon a dark grey hard-edged rock, its white plumage flickering in th ...More

The time had come. In the warm darkness of his egg, the flamingo chick moved. Crack! His mother stood up. She fussed about, touching the egg gently with her bi ...More

Take some Milky Way dust Mix in some galaxies Wrench some light from inside a black hole It should be spaghettified and tender Knead in some rusty colou ...More

It’s what I could do to help Fleur out. Family is family. The last Friday each month, we’d drive into the city from opposite directions, and in the mot ...More

The murmur of voices Are symphony to flashing lights Tapping keys Coloured lines of code Changing Adjusting Advancing. Jumbles of letters Make up words I ...More

Inspired by a brooch made from bullets, Kaiapoi Museum.   The bullets are usually found in the sand, often around a day after a battle, make sure it’ ...More

Despite the Lockdown the tides continue to tumble and dance against the land’s surfaces each trying to reach their destination. Each grit of s ...More

When I pick her up she feels warm and frail. She’s like a giraffe sticking her neck high above the canopy searching for a decent snack. When she flies ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Chapter Seven “Ari,” his father said. “You and I know this water, mate. When I say ‘Jump!’ I wan ...More

Ka kuhu atu a Ari ki roto i te māhanahana o ngā hīti me ngā paraikete. Ka kumea ake e ia kia pūmahana a roto. Te koa hoki ōna kua hoki pai ia ki ...More

The Strange Sagas of Sabrina Summers Saga 1: The Uncooperative Flying Carpet Prologue It was a terrible day for a wedding. The rain slanted down by the ...More

Hazel leaned over, brushing her lips against her sister’s forehead. “Goodbye.” She fumbled with the window, shoving it open, greeted by a gust ...More

don’t you find this world absolutely hilarious? one second, the globe is turning and earth’s on the brink of extinction: the next the world i ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Chapter Six In his dream, Ari covered his head with his hands and crouched down, hiding. He could hear peo ...More

Once I was riding on a weekend group ride. We were strung out along a straight, flat stretch of road. It occurred to me that the cyclists ahead o ...More

When a baby is born, it’s the happiest day of your life You are handed a bundle of perfection, You make a promise to be the baby’s protector ...More

In my game, Zombies roam. In my game, Creepers groan. In my game, skeletons run with arrows & bows. In my game, I am the only good guy. In my game, villager ...More

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? It could be you! A cute, three-roomed pineapple in one of the most in-demand locations in the world! Buy now and y ...More

I remember the clock He liked to count down Whether we liked it or not, Whether we smiled or frowned He hung in my house On the nursery wall We saw him as bi ...More

because of their size they gather crystals and clouds sharp and sparse collections of sun-catchers until that first nasty week in June then they look soft ...More

Oh bicycle, Oh bicycle, I shall call you Amelia. Amelia, Amelia, I love you so. You carry me around. Amelia, Amelia, Riding you is divine. You are the r ...More

Nobody told me to dress for an apocalypse black raincoat, sweater yellow ‘To match the bees,’ I said, only they’ve all disappeared and the leaves are me ...More

‘Can I lick the spoon? Please Gran…please.’ Although my older brother got the china mixing bowl as it is in families, I would take the spoon on to ...More

Zzzzz ….. zzzz ……. An annoying noise was causing hindrance to my much desired afternoon nap. I somehow manage to open my eyes partially, and w ...More

Miraculously the Yellow dagger Somehow appeared on the Table next to the Elevating bottle Really, this was all very strange Yet, started making sense. ...More

The talk and chatter of my family over the hum of the radio, beneath the conversations of the sheep and the rustle of plants, dancing in the wind. All this ...More

Flowers. There are a lot of flowers. Every day someone crouches by me, one hand on their heart and the other holding a bunch of flowers. Lilies, l ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Upoko Tuawhā Ka mātakina e Ari te karaka i a te wā ka whakatata atu ki te toru karaka. Me puta tere ia i te kura ...More

knitted scarves wrap around her neck while legs freeze beneath leopard-                                print leg ...More

Today, my feelings are too big for my body They catch and hold fast in my throat They stream down my face And burn on my skin May they emerge as kindness As com ...More

“What do you intend to do about this disgraceful situation?” Alison Carrington seethed. Mayor Harper stared at the outraged, elderly woman, like a ...More

“E Ari, e taunga ana tā tāua mōhio ki ngā wai nei. Ka tae te wā, me peke koe i te taha, hikina o waewae kia māpuna tō mānū i te wai, e hoa. Kei ...More

They didn’t want my name to be conventional. It’s a quick, sharp sound, a sound that belongs with cricket chirps and snapping twigs, brilliant as a fl ...More

The strap pinches my neck. My fingers poise above the keys. Moonlight highlights the skeletal frame of my alto saxophone. I stretch my eyes out into ...More

Dear Earth, Before we go, we’d just like to say a few things. When we first arrived, we were born into a world that (so it seemed) you had adapted so ...More

The sun is lazily rising from the horizon as the harakeke steps in time with the wind. It’s almost as though they are dancing to a song, only the ...More

When someone tells you to picture a magician, what do you think of? Daniel Radcliffe, complete with a wand and broomstick? Or perhaps a cheesy performer wi ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Upoko Tuatoru Ka māma te wairua a Ari i tana kitenga atu i a Māmā e whanga ana ki a Koro i te hōhipera. I ho ...More

I am lost in countless dizzying turns and endless corridors. A bare light bulb flickers as I pass beneath it. I flinch involuntarily. Ping! The ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Chapter Eight Ari slid his feet under the sheets and the warm covers. He pulled the duvet up to his chin and l ...More

I shuffle forward, cautious of not popping the two-metre bubble that surrounds every person around me. I look behind and see people lost and confused. S ...More

To read previous chapters go to Stories Chapter Five Back at home, Ari’s dad came thumping up the steps and burst through their front door. Woohoo! It� ...More

The dragonfly’s eyes are made up of multiple hexagons. Inside each hexagon is a black and white picture of my face. I’ve printed the photos from ...More

To send a letter you must have something important to say. Got it? Good, now write it on a piece of paper, then pop it in an envelope and seal it wi ...More

It’s been nearly 70 years since my children left home. That sounds ridiculous but I am 120 years old. When they left, my house felt empty. I began to no ...More