Mrs Miller – Page 2 – Duncow Diaries

We had an amazing day at Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfries. P1-4 have been enjoying learning all about castles this term and P4-7 were nearing the end of their study of Wallace and Bruce. We decided to do and explore our local Castle and what life was like in medieval days!

We participated in many activities, enjoying exploring the castle, reading and looking at artefacts and trying on clothes! We even had fun being an army and seizing the castle!

The best part of the trip was learning about everything and exploring by Dawson P7

My favourite part was exploring inside the castle. By Bailey P7

My favourite part of the trip was finding the dungeon and trying on all the clothes. I learned so much! By Becky P6

My favourite part was climbing to the very top of the castle, I was very brave and the view was great! It was fun being in a castle. By Matthew P4

We are delighted to announce that two pupils from P7 have won an award at the Kirkcudbright Book Festival. The judges from the society said that they thoroughly enjoyed reading all the entries and were struck by the energy and gusto with which the storied were told.

Dawson received a highly commended award and Conor was awarded first place in the 11-12yrs category. We are all so proud! Well done Boys!!!

Please enjoy reading their stories printed below.

The Portals of Fate by Conor

I can hear a voice from the outside. It begins to fade away, and I can’t quite make out what it is, but it reminds me of my little sister. I can just barely see very blurry patches. As the voices grow clearer the blurry patches become areas, and the areas becomes one big field. “Martin! Is it really you? Am I hallucinating?”

“Huh? What? What’s happening? What’s going on?” I asked, baffled.

“You are… alive! I thought you would never have woken up! You have been in a coma for seventy-five years! We’re currently in the year 2132! The doctors have found a cure for cancer, and the common cold! They managed to keep you 19 years old, so you have only aged about half a year!” my mother said concerned and amazed simultaneously.

“Marty! I missed you!” my sister said. “Whoa, big purple portal pretty!” I get drawn into the portal…

“Huh? W-where am I?” I would say sleepily. At first glance, it looks like heaven. White, beautiful clouds, flowing rivers, a massive golden gate. I only need to climb a steep, winding staircase! I hear a sort of gravelly voice.

“I’ll tell you the story of where you are, it all starts from very, very far. From the depths of hell, a demon arose, He was born a leader, but he wanted to be more that, he chose. Now he’s the god of the underworld, his dastardly tricks take inhabitants for a whirl, now onwards, upwards, fate entwined, ascend the heavens, destiny defined.”

Alongside still recovering from my coma, I slowly pull myself up the stairs. After what felt like five minutes, the atmosphere and my surroundings quickly change. It looked as though I was inside of the Teleportation Realm I had read about in a book. I was circled by different portals I looked through one and it was World War II.

“Commander! What will we do?”

“There’s nothing we can do now! Germany has taken around 90% or our land!” I walk away from the portal. There appears to be a pitch-black portal and I felt like exploring it so that is exactly what I did.

I saw some strange creatures. “Greegle gorp nop bopik.” The creatures said. “Pinkle gort oragul- oh! We didn’t expect an Earthling here… did we?”

“So, our puny and pathetic trap DID work after all. Well, um, I didn’t expect this… welcome, I… guess. I am Freek, the leader of this trio we call ‘The Alienators’. Freek says, as it points its blue and purple tentacle towards one of its kind. “This is Scair, it’s second in charge… and this is Mydnyt!”

“The dumb one…” Scair whispered loudly.

“We’re ghosts!” Freek said.

“I’m-a very hungr-”

“Mydnyt, you’re always hungry.” At this point, I was very confused. Why am I here? Where am I? Who are these people? It’s also strange, because the feeling of the coma recovery had completely vanished the nanosecond I got into this realm.

The Ghost Town of St Elmo by Dawson

A long time ago there was a town filled with people. It was used for mining and finding different ores. It was used in the eighteen fifties and got abandoned in the eighteen nineties. But nowadays it’s all gone with just some run down wooden shacks with theories saying there is an evil ghost haunting the town. But if you really met him you would say he’s pretty nice that’s because when I was young I met him.

I was a about twenty-four and it was the nineteen sixties I was travelling around Colorado, and I see some old wood shacks and cactus’s. I was told if u see anything abandoned, then just go past it but I was feeling brave. So I got out of my blue Chevrolet and approached a ruined shack the inside was so dirty and broken. I went into a room that I think was the living room there was a broken stool and a torn up seat. There was a cold breeze and I got goose bumps I heard a voice say ‘Hello partner,’ in a southern accent.

I screamed and left the old wooden shack wondering what I just heard. I got back in my car and went to a different shack. It was much larger but still had pieces of wood missing. So I entered the shack and the same feeling when I was in the other shack happened. I went into a bedroom there was a broken bed frame and a shattered mirror.

I heard noises then someone whispered in my ear, ‘What are you doing here,’ it said with a southern woman accent.

I screamed. ‘What? How is this happening?’ I yelled.

Then she answered back, ‘Well I’m a ghost, a human. Just like you. Just because ya can’t see me. I’m still alive so is Gerald Johana and Fred.’

‘I think I just met Gerald,’ I said. ‘He scared the living daylights out of me but I have not met Johana and Fred. Wait what’s your name?’

‘I could just ask you the same question,’ replied the woman ghost.

‘Okay I’ll tell you but you tell me yours. I am Ben.’ I said.

‘Well hi Ben I’m Dorothy.’

‘ Well Dorothy can you show me around.’

‘ Of course I can. Which shack do you want to go to next?

‘Which one is Fred’s shack?’ I said to Dorothy.

‘It is the one with the tree next to it.’

‘Thanks for telling me. Do you want to come with me?’ ‘Oh dear I can’t. Us ghosts can’t leave our shacks.’

‘Is that a curse?’ I asked her.

‘Yes it’s pretty bad but we can still talk to everyone. Just before you visit Fred he is old and a bit grumpy.’

As I walk across the street and enter his little shack he says ‘What do you want?’ with an old southern accent. ‘Well I’m not talking to you I don’t like strangers so go home.’

‘Fine I will go home but I’ll come back for a visit.’ Well that’s my story grand-kids.