A saturated Jack, once again, peered through a small tree. Nothing. How was he supposed to find out what had happened to Amber with no clues, leads, or hints?

Wait a minute. Jack stopped. Where was it that he had found Amber before?

Under the kitchen window! Jack remembered. He jogged over to the flower bed under the window, only pausing to flip his umbrella the right way in again. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning lit up the gloomy sky. In the brief light Jack glimpsed something hiding underneath some withered lillies. A pair of eyes.

“Amber!” Jack hissed. Startled by Jack’s voice, she sprung out from under the flowers and whisked herself off into the shadows. Jack groaned loudly. Deciding that Amber could look after herself for a while, Jack bent down to examine the ground that his cat had just deserted. He reached out a hand and felt around in the dirt. Then his hand bumped into to something that felt suspiciously hard.

“A padlock!” he whispered excitedly. Jack fished around in his pockets for a paperclip and began to pick the lock. With a small ‘tuh’ it sprang apart. Abandoning his umbrella, Jack put both hands under the flowers and brushed away the dirt. A wooden square began to formulate. A trapdoor! Jack heaved it open and peered inside.

To be continued…

Oh man, where is she?

Jack adjusted his hold on the umbrella, and bent down to peer through a small tree. It was a raining, cold, dark night, and Jack was searching around his family’s garden trying to find his pet cat, Amber. He regretted letting her out earlier, because he knew how much she hated thunderstorms. Jack squinted through the raindrops, thinking that he had seen something under the kitchen window. He crept over and gingerly poked the lump.

A piercing screech filled the damp air, and Amber shot out from under the window and flew through the open back door. Jack ran a hand through his light brown hair and breathed a sigh of relief. He let down his umbrella and followed Amber through the door.

Inside the cosy suburban house, Amber was quivering beneath a table. Her eyes glowed in the bright light as she watched Jack prepare a saucer of warm milk.

“Here Amber! Come here!”

Jack coaxed her towards him and set the saucer down on the wooden floor. Amber crept over to it, caught a whiff, and streaked back under the table. This is very unlike her, Jack wondered, warm milk is her favourite drink. A crack of thunder ignited the silence and sent Amber in a whirlwind sprint towards the open towel cupboard door. She soon darted out and ran back towards the table, then began to frantically lick her paws. Now this is wierd, thought Jack. Something strange happened out there, and I’m going to find out what it is.

He grabbed his umbrella and stepped through the back door, not noticing Amber sneaking past him and running into the darkness.

To be continued…

You all probably know about the show I am in at our local town theatre (The Woolshed- owned by Te Awamutu Light Operatic Society- TALOS), The Shoemaker and the Elves. I wrote a post about it earlier. Well, now we are almost at the end of our season. The shows started the first Saturday of the school holidays and have been going ever since -the last one is tomorrow. The whole cast has had a lot of fun performing. There have been many jokes, from the elves chant, to the Shoemaker and the Elves after party!

The group of us has gone from nerve racking auditions, to time consuming rehearsals (two hours, three times a week for two months!), to the great shows. All of the shows have been great fun. The feeling when you step out onto the stage with all the lights on you is amazing. I am definitely going to miss the cast and backstage crew when we end. But I can’t wait to do it all again next time I’m involved with a production!

P.S: If you wanted to know, my part in the production is an elf.

“Thousands of pet cats in Beijing are being abandoned by their owners and sent to die in secretive government pounds as China mounts an aggressive drive to clean up the capital in preparation for the Olympic Games. Hundreds of cats a day are being rounded and crammed into cages so small they cannot even turn around. Then they are trucked to what animal welfare groups describe as death camps on the edges of the city. The cull comes in the wake of a government campaign warning of the diseases cats carry and ordering residents to help clear the streets of them. “

- http://www.antifursociety.org/CHINA_MISSION.html

I was searching for pictures of China before, and I came across the above image. I clicked on it, and found this information. I just had to write a blog post about it, so my readers know the extent of Beijing’s Olympic Games clean up acts.
Others include spray painting grass green and killing homeless people. (Although I’m not so sure on the homeless people fact).
Anyway, doesn’t it make you feel sick? Hundreds of thousands of poor cats are being killed, just so Beijing looks good for the Olympic Games. Me being an avid cat lover,the horrific photos struck hard.
The cats are hauled of the streets and crammed into cages, to travel to their doom. If only I lived in Beijing, then I could try and rescue them! I wish there really was more I could do to help, but for now all I can do is spread the word.

Academic:

~ To not get distracted when doing my work, and to manage my time effectively. I can do this by ignoring distractions around me, and getting my work completed early.

I think I did okay with completing this goal. I have gotten most of my work in on time this term, without too much stress!

~ To work hard in Maths and try to get into the top group. I can do this by concentrating hard, and asking for help when I don’t understand something.

I didn’t manage to get into the top group, but I discovered that this is because I am a year 7, and still have a year and a half left at TAI. I have been asking for help when I need it.

~ To make the most of my time in each Tech Art. I can do this by putting my all into the different subjects, and trying hard.

We have done hard materials, music, and cooking so far for tech arts. I think I made the most time out of cooking, because I tried hard to make my food taste nice, and to make invitations and posters for our taste testing expo.

Social/Cultural:

~ To help more with the T.V. show with my role as a producer. I can do this by helping the rest of the group when we do filming, and offering ideas and suggestions.

I haven’t really completed this goal, because there hasn’t been much action with the TV group lately. but when we start to work on it again, I will help as much as I can.

~ To get into the class softball team and try my hardest. I can do this by learning all of the rules of the game, and remembering to bring my P.E. gear! 

I didn’t manage to make it into the softball team, but the season’s over now anyway. But soccer has started, and I am in the class team for that!

~ To put more effort into helping my group in the ICT club. I can do this by getting more involved, and putting my ideas in.

I have helped a bit more with the ICT club this term than I did last term, because I helped my group take photos and film people using ICT.

Personal:

~ To perform well with my part in The Elves and the Shoemaker. I can do this by remembering all of the script and songs, and practising them.

I have done pretty well with my part in Elves and the Shoemaker. We are now doing dress rehearsals, with lights and makeup and everything, and it’s a lot of fun! Our two week run of the real show begins this Saturday at the Woolshed, so we have been rehearsing like mad!

~ To get into the Senior Band with my instrument. (Trombone) I can do this by practising every day, and trying my best.

I got into the senior band and the jazz band after some practise! We are learning lots of new pieces, and some of them are pretty challenging, so I am getting better.

My eyes slowly gazed up at the thin pole before me, taking it all in.  Behind me, belayers were fastening my shoulder harness.

“Okay, you’re ready to go!” one of them instructed my already retreating back. I walked over to the starting point and began my climb. Wanting to show everyone that I could catch the trapeze, I was full of confidence and very excited! But my mind slowly blanked itself of all thought as I made my way up the staple pole. Left, right, left, right, left right…

Suddenly, my hands grazed something. I glanced above me, and was jolted from my repetitive dream world and back into reality when I realised that I’d already reached the metal platform. My trembling arms reached up to grasp the grippy metal. Now I wasn’t sure if they were shivering from excitement or nerves. I hoisted myself up, legs flailing like an upside-down turtle. One knee after the other, I clambered until the only thing supporting me was this seemingly weak sheet of steel. Gingerly, and gripping the handholds tightly, I raised my legs one at a time until I was squatting.

Why had I been so enthusiastic about this? Why is my confidence slipping away with every passing second? And how in the world am I going to be able to catch that trapeze that seems a million miles away? Thoughts ran through my mind as I let go of one of my reliable handholds. The platform wobbled dangerously as I let go of the other. The wind stung my face as I raised myself to a standing position. Now I no longer felt confident. Instead, my feelings were flecked with fear and nerves. My legs felt like jelly, and my head felt like lead. I braved a downward glance, and gasped loudly at the huge ten metre height. I also spotted some colourful dots, ready to tug on the wires. The wind carried their encouraging shouts to my ears. My eyes watered as more cruel wind whipped across my goose-bump covered skin.

Right then, the multicoloured specks down below yelled that they were going to begin the countdown.

My voice shook as I called out “Okay!” I did a double take. Hold on – I’m supposed to leap all the way out there? The wind must be getting to me… more thoughts jumbled my brain as I spotted the distance between the trapeze and I again.

“Three!” Oh no…

“Two!” Help!

“One!” All thoughts and worry were blown from my mind as I jumped. I forgot about the trapeze as my feet left the platform. Flying through the air, I felt like a (loud) bird, my screams of adrenalin blocking my ears from the words of encouragement down below. My feelings of worry were quickly traded with excitement.

Suddenly, I gasped. Every last scrap of air was ripped from my lungs as the harness cruelly tightened against my pounding chest. I struggled to draw breath as my belayers lowered me to the ground. I didn’t mind though, because I could barely feel it through the happiness radiating from my body. I let myself descend lower and lower until I was on my hands and knees, finally in contact with firm ground. Legs shaking like leaves in a tornado, I raised myself to a stand. Then, grinning at everyone around me, I asked;

“Can I go again?!”