Tabitha woke up to a warm summer’s day. The birds were twittering softly and the sunbeams that shone through the window seemed to sing. The chorus of light swam through the dormitory, gleaming onto the other children’s pillows with the grace and ease of a swan, and quite a shiny swan at that.
Tabitha sat up on her bed and slid her dressing gown on. Matron was lying motionless on her grand queen-sized bed.
Tabitha directed her attention to the other side of the room. Zoe’s hideous magenta sheets stood out amongst the other beds. Carla snored loudly from beneath her cloudy blue blankets, making it hard not to hear.
Soon the sunlight became too bright. The other orphans began to rise, and a “Good morning” or two were thrown across the room.
Then disaster struck. Carla moaned and kicked outwards. This woke Zoe, which was a very bad sign.
Tabitha quickly pulled the blanket over her head and nestled tightly into the pillows.
“Hey Tabitha!” Zoe shouted cruelly. “You’re not sobbing under there, are you? Cos that’s what a baby like you would do!”
“Uh, no it isn’t”, came a voice. Zoe flicked her head in the direction of the noise.
Tabitha peeked out from beneath the covers. Courtney gave her a quick wave and shot Zoe an angry glare.
Being Courtney’s minion, Zoe loped off to her bed, shoving Mia in the process.
“Hey, watch it!” Mia protested.
Zoe smiled and pushed her bed even further.
“Hey!” shouted Courtney. “Stop it or I’ll tell Matron.”
Zoe heaved a sigh and hopped into bed.
“Good morning, children!” Matron was awake and booming.
“Good morning, Matron!”
“Are we good today?”
“Yes!” chorused the children. They thought Matron was better than the mothers they never met. Until…
“Good, because you are all going to look for my crystal!”
The orphans gasped and exchanged surprised glances. Matron’s crystal wasn’t something to play with. It was a big deal if someone had stolen it.
Without warning, Carla jumped up and shouted, “It was Tabitha Stevenson, Matron! I saw her take it in the night!”
All eyes were suddenly on Tabitha, who was very upset. What did Carla know? Tabitha had never stolen anything in her life. If anything, it was most likely Carla who took it.
Matron shot a sausage-like finger at Tabitha. “You, girl”, she yelled. “You are on clean-up duty!”
“But what did I do?” Tabitha inquired politely.
“Don’t play the fool with me, child! You know full well what!”
Tabitha sighed under her breath and walked outside. As she did, Zoe blew off loudly.
“It was Tabitha”, Zoe smirked and began to giggle.
As Tabitha swept away the old leaves on the driveway, she thought about what had happened. She was sure she hadn’t taken it. Why would she? It belonged to Matron. It was her most prized possession. So what did Carla have against her?
While Tabitha absent-mindedly cleaned up, a faraway noise sounded. It sounded like a marble rolling on concrete.
As the noise got louder, closer, Tabitha looked up the driveway and saw a small purple glint amongst the rotting leaves. It was definitely rolling towards her. Soon it brushed against her foot.
She looked down. A tiny purple gem sat glowing at her feet, with white swirls running deep inside it. It sparkled magically as if it were enchanted.
Tabitha picked it up. She rubbed it between her hands to get all the dirt off, and it worked. This must be Matron’s crystal, she thought. Thank goodness I got it cleaned up.
Then something very, very unusual happened. The crystal started cracking open like an egg. Only it wasn’t a chick that came out of it. It was smoke. But not your ordinary smoke. It was black and purple and magenta. It formed a circular shape, and in no time a black hole-type substance had appeared.
Tabitha was drawn to its beautiful colours, and all of a sudden she was sucked in to it. She swirled and twirled in a long tunnel that seemed to be heading towards the sky. She felt as if she was floating.
Then it all stopped and the world dissolved into blackness.
Tabitha sat up on her bed and slid her dressing gown on. Matron was lying motionless on her grand queen-sized bed.
Tabitha directed her attention to the other side of the room. Zoe’s hideous magenta sheets stood out amongst the other beds. Carla snored loudly from beneath her cloudy blue blankets, making it hard not to hear.
Soon the sunlight became too bright. The other orphans began to rise, and a “Good morning” or two were thrown across the room.
Then disaster struck. Carla moaned and kicked outwards. This woke Zoe, which was a very bad sign.
Tabitha quickly pulled the blanket over her head and nestled tightly into the pillows.
“Hey Tabitha!” Zoe shouted cruelly. “You’re not sobbing under there, are you? Cos that’s what a baby like you would do!”
“Uh, no it isn’t”, came a voice. Zoe flicked her head in the direction of the noise.
Tabitha peeked out from beneath the covers. Courtney gave her a quick wave and shot Zoe an angry glare.
Being Courtney’s minion, Zoe loped off to her bed, shoving Mia in the process.
“Hey, watch it!” Mia protested.
Zoe smiled and pushed her bed even further.
“Hey!” shouted Courtney. “Stop it or I’ll tell Matron.”
Zoe heaved a sigh and hopped into bed.
“Good morning, children!” Matron was awake and booming.
“Good morning, Matron!”
“Are we good today?”
“Yes!” chorused the children. They thought Matron was better than the mothers they never met. Until…
“Good, because you are all going to look for my crystal!”
The orphans gasped and exchanged surprised glances. Matron’s crystal wasn’t something to play with. It was a big deal if someone had stolen it.
Without warning, Carla jumped up and shouted, “It was Tabitha Stevenson, Matron! I saw her take it in the night!”
All eyes were suddenly on Tabitha, who was very upset. What did Carla know? Tabitha had never stolen anything in her life. If anything, it was most likely Carla who took it.
Matron shot a sausage-like finger at Tabitha. “You, girl”, she yelled. “You are on clean-up duty!”
“But what did I do?” Tabitha inquired politely.
“Don’t play the fool with me, child! You know full well what!”
Tabitha sighed under her breath and walked outside. As she did, Zoe blew off loudly.
“It was Tabitha”, Zoe smirked and began to giggle.
As Tabitha swept away the old leaves on the driveway, she thought about what had happened. She was sure she hadn’t taken it. Why would she? It belonged to Matron. It was her most prized possession. So what did Carla have against her?
While Tabitha absent-mindedly cleaned up, a faraway noise sounded. It sounded like a marble rolling on concrete.
As the noise got louder, closer, Tabitha looked up the driveway and saw a small purple glint amongst the rotting leaves. It was definitely rolling towards her. Soon it brushed against her foot.
She looked down. A tiny purple gem sat glowing at her feet, with white swirls running deep inside it. It sparkled magically as if it were enchanted.
Tabitha picked it up. She rubbed it between her hands to get all the dirt off, and it worked. This must be Matron’s crystal, she thought. Thank goodness I got it cleaned up.
Then something very, very unusual happened. The crystal started cracking open like an egg. Only it wasn’t a chick that came out of it. It was smoke. But not your ordinary smoke. It was black and purple and magenta. It formed a circular shape, and in no time a black hole-type substance had appeared.
Tabitha was drawn to its beautiful colours, and all of a sudden she was sucked in to it. She swirled and twirled in a long tunnel that seemed to be heading towards the sky. She felt as if she was floating.
Then it all stopped and the world dissolved into blackness.