Creative Writing Competition 2025 Winners: Jasmine Wales

Young People Winner: Jasmine Wales

Jasmine Wales, with her “vivid and poetic” story The Road To Discovery.  Jasmine, who is home educated, has selected to attend the Gold Dust Creative Writing Day as her prize.

Jasmine Wales

The road to discovery 

Jasmine Wales 

I was driving home one day when I noticed it. A turning I’d never seen before, lined with trees,  stretching off into the unknown. It stirred something within me, an explorer’s instinct dulled by  years of office work. 

All of a sudden, I felt like a child again. Formerly a careful driver, I raced down the road, as  though drawn by some indescribable impulse. The trees, branches animated by the wind, whispered  sweet nothings in my ears. The road was miraculously devoid of cars. I was Odysseus, setting out  on a voyage of discovery. I was Alice, heading down the rabbit hole. 

Gradually, the trees gave way to buildings. I began to wonder how such a picturesque town  could have been on my doorstep for all these years without me knowing. The houses were crooked,  reminiscent of a fairy tale. Most, however, did seem inhabited; they had a jolly air about them that  abandoned houses never seem to. I slowed down, out of respect but also curiosity: I wanted to soak  it in, this mystical place I found by chance and might never reach again. 

Then I found somewhere to park and started exploring on foot. Near me was a square of  shops, all enticing, mostly still open. But the one with by far the strongest allure was in the furthest  corner: it was a bookshop. I still can’t explain my rationale, as I barely read in my free time as I  barely had any. Since my childhood I hadn’t set eyes on a novel.  

Somehow the shop seemed to invite me in, daring me to change. So in I went, and I  savoured everything about it; the covers of the books, the smell of the pine shelves, the shop signs,  all in the same spindly hand. I was the only customer. I saw both floors of the shop, a little tower of  a building. I closely inspected every section, from gardening to romance to classics. I wasn’t  looking for anything particular, but it felt fulfilling all the same. 

 After seeing it all, I felt I couldn’t leave empty-handed. I wandered over to the classics  section and tentatively picked up a copy of Don Quixote. I remembered reading a short version of it  as a child and telling myself when I grew up, I was going to read it all. While this was easier done than most of my forgotten dreams, which included becoming an astronaut, life got in the way. When all I read was paperwork, I lost the joy of reading. Yet nothing is irreversible, I told myself,  marching up to the counter and paying for my purchase. 

Book in hand, I wandered back round the square, listening to the birdsong and wishing I  lived here. Finding the car again was like bumping into your jailor while on parole, but I acquiesced that I really should be getting back.  

On the drive home, I took my time, wishing I could paint the trees as they swished past, their emerald leaves waving goodbye. At the end of the tree-lined road I was back on familiar terrain. I  was almost home, but the true adventure was only just beginning. That was Friday, I thought, now I  have two whole days to get lost in my new book…  

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Judges remarks:

"This is a vivid, poetic, and wonderfully imaginative story full of rich imagery and a real sense of discovery. The journey to the bookshop and the rediscovery of reading are beautifully captured, making it a truly worthy winner."

Jasmine’s statement:

 “I'm overjoyed and really surprised to have won! I hope my story inspires more people to discover the joys of reading”