Creative Writing Competition 2025 Winners: Florence Atkinson

Children Under 12 Winner: Florence Atkinson

Children 12 and under categories Florence Atkinson, wins with her story Bookworlds: The Portal Between Stories, an adventure story that our judges said they “could see it becoming a whole series of stories”. Florence, was at Risby Primary School at the time of writing the piece but has since started in Year 7 at County High School, and so Dr Ashley Hickson-Lovence will also be visiting County High and meeting year 7 students there.

Florence Atkinson

 BOOKWORLDS: THE PORTALS BETWEEN STORIES

by Florence Atkinson

There was a book. Not a normal storybook like the one you’ve just imagined. This was a special  book filled to the brim with adventure. A skunk lived in this book, always going through his daily  routine of waking up, climbing snowy mountains, hacking through dense jungle, sailing across  

piranha infested lakes then going back to sleep, again and again and again. Our story starts on a  regular day for Simon, sailing across the lake when the old chest in the middle of the boat, that  had always been there, caught his attention. At that moment, something inside him clicked and  even though his story hadn’t ever told him to open the chest, he went over to it and slipped open  the catch. There was a swirling mist in the bottom. Curious, he went closer and suddenly began  to fall, without warning, into an abyss of crow-black darkness, with only the sound of his own  breathing to accompany him. Falling, falling, falling. Simon stared around him, then suddenly he  felt an almighty jolt and he was slammed onto something hard and unforgiving. Metal? But he  didn’t have time to think, because out of nowhere came an almighty rumble and a voice; “3…2…1… BLAST OFF!!!”  

Simon’s feet lifted off the ground and after a few minutes of being bounced around like a ball  everything went still. Still like a cheetah ready to pounce. Still like a world that had stopped  moving. The only movement was Simon thrashing wildly to get back to the floor. Then out of  nowhere a hatch opened to his right and he was sucked out into what looked like space. It  couldn’t be, could it? This wasn’t a place he recognised from his story! 

Simon didn’t know how long he had floated around past planets and stars, but he did know  someone else was coming towards him. A badger floated next to him, staring at him curiously. “Um…hi? Who are you?” asked Simon. 

“ I am Neil, badger adventurer extraordinaire.” replied the badger confidently. “You?” “Um, I’m Simon just a skunk.” 

“Well, hello Simon, just a skunk!” 

“ Um, no it’s just Simon actually and can you help? I’m lost.” Simon’s words came out hurriedly.

“Of course! Follow me!” Neil beckoned for him to follow. As Neil led him past asteroids,  blackholes, planets and stars he explained to Simon how he had got here. “I was just starting my adventure story as normal, climbing the mountain I always climbed, when I got distracted by a cave and was then sucked into a black emptiness. When I stopped  falling, I was here, lost. All I’ve managed to find is this huge library, do you think that could help?” 

“That’s exactly what happened to me!” exclaimed Simon, ignoring Neil’s question. He noticed  he was now facing a grand building with the letters INTERGALACTIC LIBRARY written out in  shining light. 

“Here we are!” Neil announced. 

They stepped inside and Simon headed for a section labelled TRAVEL. He ran his paw along the  spines until he reached a book labelled BOOKWORLDS. He flipped open the delicate cover,  skimming, to a chapter called Book Portals. It read: 

Book Portals can transport characters to other books. They are often described as a pool of  blackness which suck you into them. They usually are used when someone in the story strays from the  plot and is then pulled through. To get back to your home book you must simply find the nearest  Book Portal and pass through by imagining the world you live in.  

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“So….… that’s what we fell through?” asked Neil. 

Simon nodded. 

“I think I’ve seen one!” said Neil. They both stood there until an idea struck Simon like a bullet. “Well, if we head to the portal, we could both try and find a way to our homes.” said Simon. “OK” agreed Neil. So on they soared, past more stars, planets, asteroids and blackholes. They stopped at a swirling mist of light that glowed bright among the black of space. The portal. They  floated forwards, closed their eyes, and imagined their home stories.  There was an almighty lurch and they fell, once again, into the inky darkness. They tumbled out, with a…splash? This wasn’t like the lake Simon had left, it was different! Then they spotted it. A  gargantuan plesiosaur rising out of the waves towards them snapping its deadly teeth. There  was nowhere to go. In a hurry and in a panic, Simon seized Neil’s paw, dived back through the  portal, and thought hard about his home. Their surroundings changed again and this time Simon  fell onto something familiar. Home. He was in a luscious North American woodland. Neil landed  next to him, everything looking familiar as he suddenly realised, he was home too. 

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Judge’s remarks:

"It took me on an adventure and I could see it becoming a whole series of stories. Congratulations, Florence!"

Florence’s statement:

“I am so pleased to have won this competition as it meant a lot to me. I really enjoyed writing the short story, and because I would love to be an author when I grow up, I am looking forward to trying to develop it into my first full book.”