Kauri Whanau: Term 1 Week 3

Camp: 

Two weeks from now we will be knee deep in adventure at Wainui! Excitement is definitely building. On Monday this week we sent home a paper notice which included a gear list and medical form. Please get the medical form filled in and returned by this Friday (Feb 17th). I will include the notice and gear list at the end of this post. Two parents have already volunteered to make a pasta bake dish for our first dinner at camp; we just need 8 more volunteers. Please email me if you can help out: nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz. All ingredients will be provided.

Swimming Sports:

Swimming Sports 23rd February at Wharenui Pool. We are delighted to have received lots of entries for Swimming Sports this year from the Pohutukawa and Kauri Hubs, with 80 children participating across a range of events.

On the day:

• All participants must be wearing their togs under their uniform before they get on the bus. They will not be able to change at Wharenui Pool. There will be time to change after the event.

• The children will have an early lunch at Champion Street before boarding the buses for Wharenui pool at 12 midday.

• Please ensure your child has a good lunch and a water bottle with them for the day.

• We are aiming for a 12.30 start and will then run through all events (which are organised by age and distance) for each stroke. There will be a House Relay as a finale. The order of events are as follows: Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, 75m Medley, House Relay.  

• We welcome you to join us and support our swimmers. We will have a space for spectators on poolside opposite the children, (who will be sitting in house groups). To support us in running this event, we ask that you stay on the side allocated for spectators.   

• If you would like to pick up your child after the event at Wharenui Pool, please ensure that you check them out with a teacher.  

We are looking for some amazing parent helpers to assist us with a few jobs on the day. If you are willing and available to help out then please email Jenny on jenny.diggle@beckenham.school.nz.  

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Jenny or Gayle.

BYOD:

With a number of families considering purchasing a device for their children to use at school, you may be interested in checking out Cashmere High School's BYOD recommendations: http://www.cashmere.school.nz/our-school/byod.html

House Warming:

Our house captains and deputies are currently organising activities for our first house event this Friday afternoon. All children will return to Beckenham for this event which starts at 2pm.

Home-learning:

A reminder that maths home learning is due in this Friday.

Passion Friday:

Passion Friday kicked off last week. Here are some photos...

Photographers in action downloading and commenting on their photos, which explored different camera angles.

Code club, learning the proper way to code.

Who new that wedding could be such fun?

Planning our approach to J-Rock.

Wainui Camp Notice:

Where: Wainui on Banks Peninsula. We will be travelling by bus and private car, as opposed to two buses. This helps to keep costs down.

When: Monday Feb 27 until Friday the March 3.

Required from you: Please complete the attached Health Profile and return it to school by this Friday, Feb 17th. Parent helpers also need to complete one of these forms.

Parent helpers: We now have enough parent helpers. Many thanks to those who have offered to join us for a fun filled week: Rebecca Hindin, Simon Kingham, Bryan Pratt, Wayne Reddecliffe, Karen Stevens, Ian Newton, Shaun Ryan, Hugh Reynolds and Tamsin Hardwick. We will see you at our meeting next Monday at 5:30pm in the Beckenham staffroom.

Help required: We are looking for 10 parents who would be happy to make up a pasta bake dish for our first meal on camp. We will send home bags of  ingredients next Friday. Please email Nicky if you can help with this. nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz.

Activities: There are a wide range of activities on offer, during which the children will learn new skills, take risks and develop teamwork. The children have made activity choices and we are currently confirming these.

Cost: The cost of Wainui camp works out at $175 per child. This takes into account fundraising profits from the sale of photo-books at the end of last year. As the Student Account statements are not due to go out until after camp as taken place, we would encourage anyone wanting to pay prior to camp (or in installments) to please use "Yr 7/8 Camp" and your child's name as the reference for payments direct to the school's bank account and/or letting the office know when paying via eftpos.  If you have any questions regarding payment, please contact Tracy Dunn at  accounts@beckenham.school.nz.

Baking: We would like all children to bring some baking to camp, for our morning and afternoon teas. This will be collected when they arrive at school on Monday, before getting on the bus. If you would like the baking container back, please make sure it is named.

Gear: Please carefully check through the gear list on the next page, that Wainui has provided. Key items include: a raincoat (activities go ahead despite the weather), thermal tops and bottoms, sunhats and beanies ( we need to be ready for all weathers) and an old pair of closed toe shoes ( old sports shoes) for water activities. We don’t want you to feel you need to buy items for camp; we would rather help you to borrow.

Wainui Camp Gear List

Please ensure all of the items below are named. Gear needs to be packed into a sturdy bag.

• Warm Sleeping Bag or Bedding
• Pillow
• Pyjamas
• Toiletries: Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Soap, Shampoo etc.
• Beach Towel and Bath Towel
• Plate, Bowl, Mug, Cutlery (named and in a bag)
• Waterproof Jacket
• Warm Polar Fleece or Woollen Jumpers
• T-Shirts
•  Jerseys
• Shorts
• Trousers
• Socks
• Underwear
• Thermals / Base Layer (polypropylene or wool) for Coasteering/ Kayaking
• Swimming Togs
• Warm Hat / Beanie
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Sun Hat
• Trainers or Boots for Land Activities
• Sturdy, closed toe footwear for water activities (old trainers are ideal, no thin neoprene shoes)
• Torch
• Small Backpack
• Water Bottle
• Any Required Medication
• Plastic bags for transporting wet kit home

Optional Items

• Camera
• Wetsuit. (Wainui provide wetsuits for coasteering.  Children will need to wear shorts over the top of these wetsuits.)

Not Recommended

Cellphones / electronic items (if taken, these will be collected on arrival), jewellery or money.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us. There will be another notice next week with final details.

Kauri Whanau Term 1 Week 2

It was fabulous spending time with you all last week at learning conferences. Thanks for making the time, as it does make such a positive difference to the start of the school year.

Wainui Camp, 27 Feb - 3 March: 

The cost of Wainui camp works out at $175 per child. This takes into account fundraising profits from the sale of photo-books at the end of last year. As the Student Account statements are not due to go out until after camp as taken place, we would encourage anyone wanting to pay prior to camp (or in installments) to please use "Yr 7/8 Camp" and your child's name as the reference for payments direct to the school's bank account and/or letting the office know when paying via eftpos.  If you have any questions regarding payment, please contact accounts@beckenham.school.nz.

As camp is so early in the year, we are unable to carry out further fundraising. We are in the process of applying for funding to subsidise our Year 8 leadership camp later in the term. We are also looking at a major fundraising event to reduce costs of our annual ski trip in the third term.

Maths Home-learning:

All children should have come home today with maths home-learning. This is due in next Friday. If they get confused or stuck on any section, please encourage them to ask their maths teacher for help. We won't bite.

Writing:

Yesterday we staged a crime scene in the hub to motivate the children for writing newspaper articles, about an authentic crime or incident that they create. We did lots of talking and brainstorming during writing time today to give the children an idea of the planning that needs to happen before the writing begins. We talked with the children about going home and talking with family about their ideas for their crime or incident. Please encourage them to think about this tonight and discuss ideas with you. Tomorrow, Thursday, we will get the written planning underway.

Memory item to share:

Today we started our social studies focus on identity. As a starter, we shared the story 'Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge', by Mem Fox. This story explored the concept of what a memory is. The children have been asked to bring an item to share on Monday, that reflects a memory that they have. The item should fit into one of these sections: 'precious as gold', 'warm', 'makes you cry', 'makes you laugh' or 'something from a long time ago'. Please talk with your child about what they could bring and remind them to pack this for Monday. They are welcome to bring their item in earlier.

Introducing the Kauri teaching team...

Nicky Dunlop: I’ve been teaching for around 27 years now, 80% of this in Year 7 & 8; I love this age-group. I spent 14 years teaching at St Martins, followed by 6 years at St Margaret's College, coordinating their primary classes. I came to Beckenham in 2009 and love working in this friendly and supportive community.  My husband , Grant, is CEO for Workbridge and works in Wellington 4 days a week. Our boys Tim and Jack are in Year 10 at Cashmere High this year. As a family, we love camping, skiing, biking and watching movies on Friday nights. In my down time I love to curl up with a good book, create things and keep fit with a spot of jogging or walking. While I enjoy teaching all subjects across the curriculum, I’m in my element when teaching maths and art. Another passion is using ICT as a tool for learning. The last four years have been by far my best years in teaching. I love working collaboratively and seeing how engaged the students are in their learning. I can’t wait for the school year to start, and look forward to working together with two fabulous teachers to facilitate exciting learning with your children.

nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz

Jarred Skelton: I am embarking on my fourth year teaching at Beckenham School and third year as part of the Intermediate Hub. I thoroughly love teaching in the Year 7&8 team, and have been consistenly overwhelmed by the community spirit and support shown by the collective Beckenham whānau. I have many ties to Beckenham, with my brother, father, aunty and grandfather all former pupils and now my son, Fynn, who is entering his first year as a Year Seven student in the Kauri Hub, he’ll have no excuses for not having homework now! My amazing wife Kendall is also a teacher. She teaches Year One at Thorrington School (poor Fynn, living with two teachers!). When I’m not teaching, planning, or hanging out with my family, I am normally on stage at the Court Theatre performing or MCing events. I have worked for the Court Theatre for eight years as an actor, tutor, and a regular cast member of Scared Scriptless. Being a Court Jester has given me many amazing opportunities to travel and work with extraordinary people. Along with my love of drama, I am passionate about music and sport. Having just been married in January 2017, I look forward to taking our honeymoon, to a yet to be confirmed location, this year. I am excited to be working along side Nicky and Jenny, and with all of the children who are part of the Kauri team this year.  
jarred.skelton@beckenham.school.nz

Jenny Diggle: Originally from the UK, I lived and worked in the USA, Canada and Australia before deciding to call NZ home. Five years of working with children at a summer camp in North Carolina, where I taught horse riding, cemented my desire to pursue a career in education. Back in England, my mother is also a teacher and had warned me off the profession for years. Evidently, (and thankfully) she did not succeed, as both myself and my sister are now teachers! After training at the University of Canterbury, I moved to Hanmer Springs to begin my teaching practice at Amuri Area School and then moved on to Gilberthorpe School back in Christchurch before starting at Beckenham last year. I thoroughly enjoy the welcoming community feel at our school and working within a team of such inspirational and dedicated teachers. I’m really looking forward to joining the Kauri Team and I’m really excited about the year to come. I am an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoy mountain biking, trail running, snowboarding and hiking in my free time. In my down time, I practice yoga and enjoy reading and coffee. Last year I travelled to Nepal where I volunteered in the lower Solukhumbu region as a teacher trainer, which was both a challenging and rewarding experience. I enjoy teaching across the curriculum and have a strong interest in Inquiry learning, Science and Social Studies. I’m very excited about the upcoming school year and the learning journey we about to embark upon together.

jenny.diggle@beckenham.school.nz

Kauri Whanau: last post for 2017

What an action packed fortnight we have had. Here are a few pics to show what we have been up to.

After the big climb up to Victoria Park, we had a great time chilling with friends.

On Monday morning we bonded with the children from Koru Whanau when they came to visit.

Monday afternoon was Christmas treat time, making 'hot choc' marshmallow cups.

The cooler temperature on Monday didn't stop Year 8 from having a blast at their pool and pizza party. Thanks Tracy!

Swimming, walking, cricket, rock exploring, nail painting (!!) ... we had a great time at Corsair Bay.

Amongst all this fun, there was also quite a bit of classroom learning!

Today we farewelled our Year 8s. Click on this link to view a video of the graduation assembly. A big thanks to Maddy's dad, Don, for putting this lovely movie together. https://vimeo.com/195739199

A reminder to Year 7s to come prepared (change of clothes, towel and 'weapon' - could be a plastic drink bottle), for our annual Year 7 water fight tomorrow.

Have a safe and happy Christmas everyone.

Kauri Whanau: Update Term 4 Week 9

Important reminders for this week:

Tuesday Dec 6th: A Very Kauri Christmas

We are very excited to be bringing you our original Christmas show tomorrow evening. Please make sure that your child is at the school hall by 6:45pm. They need to be in costume and ready to go. We ask audience members to bring a gold coin donation. The PTA will have ice-creams for sale at the show: Fru Jus for $2.50 and Kapiti vanilla bean ice cream tubs for $1. The show will finish by 8pm.  No child can leave the hall without a parent or caregiver.

The children will not be at Champion Street tomorrow, Tuesday, as they are coming directly to Beckenham after technology for a final rehearsal.

Wednesday December 7th: Top Team and Canterbury Athletics

We are crossing our fingers for a fine afternoon on Wednesday for our top team event. All children will need a change of clothes (we recommend a thermal top, e.g. polypro) and a small towel, in a plastic bag. Many thanks to Jo, Elise, Huriana and Rebecca who will be helping out with this fun filled activity; please be here by 12:30. We still need two more parent helpers. Please email one of us if you can help out.
We will be at Champion St all day on Wednesday.

Canterbury athletics. We wish Henry, Vita, Lauren, William, Amelia, Shakira, Joe and Dominic all the best for the Canterbury athletics competition in Ashburton. 

Thursday December 8th: Final celebration assembly and helpers afternoon tea

The assembly starts at 2pm. This will be preceded by a helpers thank you afternoon tea which starts at 1:30 in the hall. 

Friday December 9th: Victoria Park walk

Children are to be at Beckenham by 8:50am. We will not be going to Champion Street this day. Children will need a daypack with a large (or 2) water bottle, a substantial lunch, sunblock, sunhat and a warm top. They are to wear mufti suitable for hiking in. Many thanks to Mike, Suu and Katherine who will be joining us. We need just two more parent volunteers. Please email one of us if you can help.

Week 10

Monday December 12th: Year 8 pool and pizza party

A normal day at Champion Street. Year 8 children are invited to a pool and pizza party at Tracy's place, 101 Studholme St, just off Somerfield St. Please drop children off at 4pm, with togs, and collect them by 6pm. 

Tuesday December 13th: Corsair Bay trip 

Children are to be at Beckenham by 8:50. We will not be at Champion St this day. Thanks to Tanya, Kate, Desiree and Jill who will be accompanying us to Corsair Bay. We will be leaving Beckenham at 10:30am and returning by 3pm. We still need two more parent helpers for this trip. Please email one of us if you can help. Children will need a daypack with a water bottle, a substantial lunch, sunblock, sunhat, togs and a towel and a warm top. 

Wednesday December 14th: A normal day at Champion Street.

Thursday December 15th: Year 8 leavers' graduation assembly and lunch

Year 8s may arrive at Beckenham by 10:45, dressed in their best clothes. Everyone else catches the bus at 8:30 as usual. Year 8s finish the year after the leavers' lunch, which will wind up by 1:15pm. Year 7s will be back at Champion St for the afternoon. If you have yet to respond to the leavers' lunch invitation, please click here and fill out the form. If you have yet to send Nicky a photo of your Year 8 when they started school, please email that to Nicky ASAP, or send in a photo for scanning.

Friday December 16th: Last day (morning) for Year 1-7

Normal morning at Champion St. School will finish at the end of the morning, with children arriving back at Beckenham by 12:30.

Saturday December 17th: Phew we made it!

Any Year 7 parents who would like to join us for our Wainui camp next year, from Monday Feb 27th  until Friday March 3rd, need to click here and fill in this form. 

Here is a wee glimpse of  'A Very Kauri Christmas'.

Kauri Whanau: Term 4 Week 7/8 Update

A Very Kauri Christmas:

The dancers are looking dazzling, the wearable arts are looking fabulous and the drama is side-splitingly funny. We are just over a week away from performing our show 'A Very Kauri Christmas'. This should be in your diaries for Tuesday December 6th, starting at 7pm. All Year 7 & 8 students are involved in this evening performance. Please chat with your child this weekend about what they need to get organised for their costume.

Next week we are doing some extra rehearsals at Beckenham. These will affect bus times. For those families who drop off or pick up children at Champion Street, please take special note.
Monday Nov 28: We will all head back to Beckenham at 12:45pm for an afternoon rehearsal.
Tuesday Nov 29: The drama group will go to Beckenham, straight from South at 11:30am and will rehearse there for the rest of the day. The dance and wearable arts group will be at Champion Street as usual.
Friday Dec 2: We will meet in the hall at 8:30am and practise at Beckenham until 10:30. Then we'll head over to Champion Street.

Top Team:

On Friday afternoon, December 2nd, we will be having a Top Team event at Champion Street. Tracy has sent out information about this event, including a request for parent helpers. Please make sure children have a change of clothes and a small towel. If they don't have a change of clothes, they will not take part ... and it's going to be too much fun to miss! We need parent helpers. Please email Tracy if you can help out.

Parent helpers required:

If you can help on the following events / trips, please email us:
Friday Dec 2nd: Top Team, 12:30 - 2:30pm at Champion Street. So far we have no helpers.
Friday Dec 9th: Walk from Beckenham (uphill) to Victoria Park and back. 9am - 3pm.  So far we have no helpers.
Tuesday Dec 13th: Corsair Bay trip, from 10:30am - 3pm, departing from Beckenham. So far we have Kate, Desiree and Tanya.

Year 8:

In less that three weeks the Year 8s will have graduated from Beckenham. An invitation to the leavers' assembly and lunch will be coming out next week. We are looking forward to you joining us from 11am on Thursday December 15th. The leavers' assembly is followed by a luncheon for leavers and their parents / caregivers. This all wraps up soon after 1pm. At that stage the Year 8s are finished for the year. On that day the Year 8 children can come to Beckenham at 10:45, dressed up in their best clothes. If that is not possible, they will need to catch the bus as usual at 8:30am (dressed in their best clothes).

Just before the assembly, we show a presentation of our big Year 8s as little five year olds. Can you please either email or send to school a photo of your child when they were 5, if possible on their first day of school. Emails to nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz

The other special event for Year 8s in the last week is the pool and pizza party at Tracy's on Monday December 12th, from 4 - 6pm. More details about that later.

Canterbury Triathlon:

Best of luck to Alex, Kaia, Henry, Rosie and Daisy, who will be competting in the Canterbury triathlon at Pegasus on Thursday.

2016 Kauri Photo-book:

If you would like to order a photo-book packed with memories from this year, please click on this link.  Books will cost $25. So far I have orders from Vita and Isla, William, Amelia Cu, Max, Lachlan, Dom and Felix. There were also two other orders from people who did not record their names. Could those two please fill in the form again; I have made it clearer.

Kauri Whanau Update; Term 4 Week 6

Rapaki Marae:

We had an awesome day at Rapaki Marae last Thursday. The children responded very positively to the powhiri and it was great to see a number volunteering to hongi with the tangatawhenua. Many thanks to Manaia Cunningham to joined us and was our speaker.  Rakapi marae has recently been rebuilt and is stunning inside and out. We do not have photos of the interior; you will need to see this with your own eyes. We learnt a lot about the history of the marae and the meaning behind the tukutuku and kowhaiwhai on the walls and roof. After visiting the Marae we had fun exploring the bay.

Summer Tournament tomorrow, Wednesday:

Best of luck to our slow-pitch and kiwi-tag teams, who will be competing at Hagley Park tomorrow. Tracy has already sent out notices to the families with children involved. Please add a raincoat to your child's supplies for the day, as rain is in the forecast. Children and transporters meet by the hall steps before 8:30.

Children not involved in the tournament will be doing sport, art and inquiry activities at Champion Street. Their bus departs at the normal time.

Passion Friday Food:

This Friday is 'appliance day'. The children involved in the food passion are to bring an appliance (if possible) and appropriate ingredients. They are also to bring pizza toppings. Tracy will supply the pizza bases.

First aid training:

On Thursday this week the Year 7s will be having a day of first aid training with the Red Cross. Year 8s will continue with the normal programme. Year 8 have their first aid day in a fortnight.

Photobook:

After our Dunedin camp in term 1, we produced a photo-book which was sold to a large number of families. We have a lot of great photos from throughout the year,  recording the many different learning experiences the children have had. The plan is to make another photo book about 2016 in the Intermediate Hub. This will be sold for between $25 and $30, with profits going towards our camp to Wainui next year. If you would be interested in purchasing one of these books, please click this link. If you didn't order a Dunedin camp book and would still like to, please email Nicky.

School for young writers:

We have a number of talented young writers in our team who may be interested in attending the Summer Writing School from Jan 16-20 2017. Click here for information and registration.

More photos from the Rapaki Marae trip:

Kauri Whanau: Term 4 Week 5 Update

Our week deviates from the normal programme this week. On Wednesday, over a third of our hub will be at Hansens Park for zone athletic sports. Sport buses depart from Eastern Tce at 8:45. Children not taking part in the zones will head to Champion Street at the usual time. We are off to Rapaki Marae on Thursday, see below. Friday is Show Day. 

Trip to Rapaki Marae this Thursday:

This year one of our strategic goals was that every child from Year 5 to 8 should visit a marae. We are looking forward to our visit to Rapaki Marae on Thursday this week. Sherrilee and Manaia Cunningham will be joining us for the day. The cost of the trip is $7.50. This amount will be added to your school account.

Children are to arrive at Beckenham by 8:50 and meet in the school hall. We will travel to Rapaki by bus and be dropped off at the top of the road. We will walk down and be formally welcomed onto the marae. After the powhiri we will have morning tea and then be taken on a tour of the wharenui where we will learn the history of the marae. After lunch, buses will head back to Beckenham at 1:30pm, in time for assembly.

Children are to wear school uniform. Girls need to wear track pants or culottes, not short shorts. All children need a backpack with sunhat, lunch, water bottle, sunscreen and their school jacket.

Big Day Out:

We had a great day in town last Thursday. At Quake City we looked at Civil Defence activity immediately after Feb 22nd, the physical impacts of the earthquake and quake-proof building techniques.

In the gardens we searched for clues to complete a scavenger hunt and enjoyed the park environment.

'Art in the palm of your hand' was a very engaging exhibition. We started by looking at examples of medals in the museum, before visiting the exhibition where our preconceptions of what a medal was were thrown wide open. Finally we had the opportunity to create our own artistic medals. These are drying at school, before we paint, ink and polish them.  

A huge thanks to Mike, Amanda, Robbie, Katherine, Tanya and Huriana who helped out on the day. 

Sports day: 

It was great to see so many parents at Beckenham Park last week for our athletics day. The children ran, jumped and threw with determination and enthusiasm. On Thursday champions in each age group will receive their medals at assembly (2:15 start). Best of luck to all who are competing at zones tomorrow.

Passion Friday continues to be a weekly highlight. Below are our fibre-craft group, proudly displaying their felted pictures.

Tale with a twist:

Since the start of term we have been writing tales with twists in our hub. We were focusing on using a variety of sentence types, including complex and short sentences for effect,  and varying our sentence starters. Here is Isla's tale ...

As the car swings profusely around the corner, I can’t believe what's before me. My eyes blink rapidly, trying to adjust to this crazy misconception. Why is this here? Who in the world did this? This can’t be right. It simply can’t. Very confused, I pull over to take a closer look.

It was the summer holidays. I had decided to take my new car for a spin. Fresh from University I was excited to get away from everything and just relax alone for a bit. It had been a stressful few years and I’m very glad they are over. I had chucked a bag of chips in the back (for emergencies of course) and packed a small bag of clothes and other junk Mum insisted I put in there, then I was ready to go.

My car sliding along the smooth concrete road, I gaze out my window at the shining sun ahead of me. The luscious lime green grass blankets the bare, chalky dirt in a unconditional green casing. As the last of the afternoon rays of sun disappear, a bright mustard sun sets ahead of me. Birds sit in the unlimited chain of tall, oak trees, chirping away. The rattle of my tyres driving over small, crunchy stones calms me and makes me want to fall asleep, but I am close to my hotel, so I keep driving, despite my droopy, tired eyelids blanketing my emerald eyes. Turning the corner quickly, I spot something that shocks me.

Pulling over to inspect this mystery further, I yank my cellphone out of my back pocket. In my entire 18 years of life I've never seen anything like this before. It is heart stopping and blood curdling. Sitting on the dark maroon mailbox is ‘ISLA’ written in bold, cream lettering. Just behind the mailbox sits a small, light yellow house. A large, dull oak tree sits right out the front, working like a giant sun umbrella, giving shade to the house. Attached to the large tree sits two, wooden swings. They go back and forth, back and forth, almost like someone is sitting on them. I squint my eyes super tiny. No one. Not a single person on either swing yet they still move back and forth, back and forth. Peculiar. Very peculiar.

After a lot of hesitation I decide to go investigate this mystery further. After all, my name is on the mailbox, and that’s not something you see everyday. I put my car in park and undo my sharp, itchy seatbelt practically strangling me. My hands shaking like crazy, I tentatively pull my door handle and step outside. A cold gust of air hits me like a monster truck, sending shivers throughout my whole body.  My cold, bare feet crunch on hundreds of little stones as I walk up the path to the house. As I get further and further up the path, the swings begin to swing more precisely. Quicker, faster they swing as I get further up the path. Then suddenly…. POOF!

With a large gust of wind two dark shadows appear on the wooden structure. Sprinting now, with nerves and a sick feeling in my stomach, I quickly approach the swings. Sitting there are two strange people.‘’I’ve been expecting you for some time Isla’’ says a tall, dark figure. The girl reminds me of myself, only older I guess. She has this weird sheen to her, almost like a ghost. ‘’Who, who are you?’’ I quickly say without hesitation. ‘’I’m you silly!’’ she replies. Very, very confused I take a look at the small child sitting on the other swing. Again, she reminds me of myself. It's almost like looking back at old photos. She doesn't talk, I guess. But there is something about her that shocks me. Her blood red eyes. They stare into my soul. My future and my past. My everything, in her eyes.

‘’Who’s in the house?’’ I ask, without thinking. ‘’Someone very important’’ the older one replied slowly ‘’Our master.’’ ‘WHAT?’ I think to myself. But without any hesitation I walk over to the old, small house. The long, long grass itches my legs as I walk past, but if I didn't go in I know I would regret it so I continue. My entire body shakes in the crispness of the night. I walk up the stone path, on my way to the wooden door. The wooden door. It gets closer and closer but I feel like getting further and further away. I approach slowly, yet I still feel like i’m going to jump out of my skin. I quickly knock on the door and it slowly creaks open. And then suddenly.. BANG..