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 the ravine. ...More
February 24 ● 6 min read
The Commuting Book began as a humble homage to centuries of storytelling - something which we believe to be an essential fibre in the very fabric of what it means to be human. We present a diverse range of pieces to better represent our many different interests and beliefs ... a story meaning little to one may mean a lot to another. This is the wonderful wisdom of literature! We have some beautiful short stories and poetry written by Year 8 and Year 10 students. These will take but a minute to read. We also have essays, non-fiction pieces, book extracts, more poems, and short stories, by both published and unpublished writers. Most of these might take 5 -10 minutes to read. None of them will take more than 20 minutes, at most. Time well spent.
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 the ravine. ...More
February 24 ● 6 min read
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
September 22 ● 4 min read
I ate my brother. I was always fond of him, looked up to him. He was older than me. I measured myself against him. We stood back to back. At first ...More
September 20 ● 2 min read
Inspiration: Artwork by Jacob Yikes Artwork location, details and photo credit: https://watchthisspace.org.nz/artwork/454 Construction, the ...More
December 31 ● 2 min read
It was a glimpse into Paradise. The sun caught the old town first, its jumble of faded pastels glowing like the gilded ceilings of the Vatican – ...More
August 1 ● 22 min read
John paused and turned away from his screen to glance at the steaming cup of coffee. Something felt a little off but he couldn’t place his finger on ...More
September 22 ● 18 min read
‘How’s Alex?’ Hope said. She and Molly were sitting in a café by the river in early spring drinking tea from the same pot. Molly sighed, looked out ...More
August 1 ● 19 min read
“What do you intend to do about this disgraceful situation?” Alison Carrington seethed. Mayor Harper stared at the outraged, elderly woman, like a man a ...More
February 24 ● 22 min read
First, find a location. Find a shabby farm that keeps its neighbours at arm’s length. Find a house with a rusted roof, with guttering that dribbles down ...More
September 22 ● 5 min read
Inspiration: Artwork by Haruko Furukawa Artwork location, details and photo credit https://watchthisspace.org.nz/artwork/775 The sun settled as it dri ...More
December 3 ● 2 min read
She chewed her biro, and read the evaluation form. “On a scale of one to five, five being highest, how much did you enjoy this activity?” One. “On a scal ...More
September 22 ● 3 min read
My life is divided into two revolving states. During one, I eat healthily, run almost every day and don’t drink. I call this ‘Zen’. The other state is ...More
November 17 ● 6 min read
“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 c ...More
February 24 ● 4 min read
She lay in bed, eyes tight shut against the grey light, trying not to notice it as it becomes paler and paler through her eyelids. “Concentrate” she whispe ...More
September 22 ● 3 min read
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 noti ...More
August 1 ● 12 min read
Zzzzz ….. zzzz ……. An annoying noise was causing hindrance to my much desired afternoon nap. I somehow manage to open my eyes partially, an ...More
February 23 ● 4 min read
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 ...More
September 20 ● 6 min read
“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 dramatically. ...More
September 22 ● 5 min read
Miraculously the Yellow dagger Somehow appeared on the Table next to the Elevating bottle Really, this was all very strange Yet, started maki ...More
September 16 ● 1 min read
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 ...More
September 21 ● 14 min read
It’s morning. I know this because the clock says 7.23 and a finger of light is trying to pull back the curtains. My room faces east. So that makes it ...More
August 1 ● 22 min read
Grayce huddled in the dark of her bedroom. The slithering sound came again, something scraping, knocking. Scrape-knock-knock-slide-slither. Somewhere in the ...More
September 16 ● 3 min read
Inspiration: “Hide and Seek” by Wongi “Freak” Wilson Artwork location, details and photo credit https://watchthisspace.org.nz/artwo ...More
February 13 ● 1 min read
Walking across the multi-story car park, her heels clicked and echoed amongst the few silent vehicles. The sound vanished into the dark exit ramps. ...More
November 21 ● 5 min read
Jerry and his friend, Ross, were playing in Jerry’s sandpit. Charlie appeared. “What are you playing?” Charlie asked Jerry. “Planes.” Jerry held up ...More
September 21 ● 5 min read
Con walks down the streets of Newtown from Berhampore, past the damp, narrow houses, tipped into the wind, cold rain spitting into his face. The ...More
August 1 ● 14 min read
At my father’s funeral an old man in a crumpled black suit gets up to speak. He rises slowly on old man’s legs from among the dark suits and neatly comb ...More
September 22 ● 18 min read
They’d been walking for about an hour. They’d started in Madras Street, at the office. William was down for the week, the presentation had gone well and ...More
September 21 ● 14 min read
