Writer's Blog: Issue 6

As our first blog entry for 2022, please enjoy this delightful personal anecdote written by Year 10 student, Natasha Hoang, who employed the principle of “show, not tell” when recounting an event from her life in a creative way:

Point Turton Trouble

The warm sun floated in the air above the horizon, amidst the bright blue sky. The alluring crystal clear water lapped the soft white sand. I hesitantly stepped into the water, sending ripples out into the open, with fish that darted away from the interruption in what seems to be a commotion. In my hand was an onyx oar which was used for the stand-up paddle board. The board was twice my height in white and navy, attached to my ankle with a strap. The nerves were running through me as the cool, almost cold water was rushing into my veins.

The board was then set down and we gradually drifted into deeper water. I was sitting on my knees, nervous to stand up. I took a deep breath then did a steady stroke, pushing the board forward, gliding over the water. The board cutting through the tiny waves sending ripples in all directions, I took a deep breath in, looked to the right to see my sister attempting to stand up with shaking knees, the board wobbling beneath her. With a sudden boost of confidence, I knelt up onto the board and prepared to stand up.

Then all of a sudden, a big splash was seen to the right, my sister was not on her board anymore, her head was just rising to the surface of the water with her hair pasted to her head and her face morphed into shock. We looked at each other for a brief moment, seconds ticked by, then all of a sudden, the sound of joy echoed around us. I fell back onto the board, laying down on my back, clutching my stomach to stop the laughter that was exploding from me. She playfully glared at me then challenged; “why don’t you stand on the board, if you think it is so easy?” Taking her up on the challenge I took a deep breath in, calming my nerves, slowly knelt up again on the board, and tried to stand up. The board wobbled for a brief moment then paused, all was silent, and I rose up onto my two feet, my legs were still unsteady, but I felt confident as I held my head high. With a proud smile that adorned my face, I looked down at my sister who was still floating in the water.

Little did I know that she was swimming closer and closer to my board, slowly creeping towards me. Until all of a sudden, my board started to violently shake like an earthquake. My foot then slipped, and my life flashed right before my eyes, all the positive and negative moments in my life, with family and friends. All the birthday parties that were celebrated and all the tears that were shed. The cold water seeped through my skin reaching my bones, sending a chill throughout my

body. For a brief moment there was fear and panic, I thought I was drowning or being attacked, but then my feet touched the bottom, the sand in between my toes. Quickly I pushed up to the surface, desperate for air, looking frantically for any signs of danger. When I realised the plummet was due to my devious sister and not a big ferocious shark, the fear disappeared, and the annoyance and relief kicked in. Playfully glaring at my sister and giggling we got onto both boards again, enjoying the warm sun beaming down, and the cold water splashing around us.