Message in a Bottle - Short Story Competition

Dublin City Public Libraries welcomed the Tall Ships to Dublin with our nautical-themed 'Message in a Bottle 'competition and would like to thank all the children who entered. We had many great stories submitted in all our branch libraries and beyond. It was no easy job to choose the winners!

But winners we had, and we would like to extend our congratulations to the three overall winners, one from each age group. The winners were chosen by author Conor Kostick and each has received a family ticket for the Viking Splash Tour, and you can read the winning stories right here on this blog post!

The winners were:

Group 1 (under 9 years of age on 23rd August 2012)
Grainne Meghen (Central Library) Read Grainne's message below.

Group 2. (over 9 and under 12 years of age on 23rd August 2012)
Maeve Farrell (Raheny Library) Read Maeve's message below.

Group 3. (over 12 and under 16 years of age on 23rd August 2012)
Amy Murphy (Terenure Library) Read Amy's message below.

Plus, twelve finalists from each age group are being invited to take part in creative writing workshops with Conor Kostick on Saturday 20th October in Pearse Street Branch Library during the Children’s Book Festival.

To whoever finds this message...

I have been shipwrecked!!! I am da Cabin Girl of da ‘Cursed Skull’ but it is not a plain ole’ ship coz we be carring all sorts off... monsters!!!! Most of da crew have a bit of monster in dem as well!!! In me childhood I waz the black sheep of da family coz I had nails and teeth like razors and an eye dat go in the opposite direction as da other one so me was sent off to sea but no un would give me a job, so when I waz asked by da Cursed Skull I was happyer den a shark who had super powers!!!!

Anway, dis iz ow we got shipwrecked. We were sailing to Africa to get sme mummies... (not da kind that ya come out of its belly) and den there was a storm and we got shipwrecked and da good newz waz dat it waz quite a big island with fruit growin from treez and friendly nativez, da bad newz was dat da crew were hurt and da nativez didn’t know ow to build back our ship and it waz reaaalllyyyy hot. Me can tell ya a few things about da island , it got forestz and loadz a cavez shaped like skulls, so if ya find dis message try to find us.

Yours
Dane Jer

Author: Grainne Meghen
Aged: 8

Winner, Group 1 (under 9 years of age on 23rd August 2012)
Message in a Bottle - Short Story Competition

"Help! I am shipwrecked and lost on a strange island! Rescue me please! Reward is 1000 gold coins and diamonds Isabel, servant of Pirate Queen on the Scary Sardine."

Well, that's my message in an old glass bottle I found on the shore on this strange island, and here is my story...

I  was cooking Terrifying Trandhuala's breakfast, (that is what us servants and crew call her) when there was a yell from Andrew, the lookout. Storm ahead! Everybody made a dash for the cabins. No me. Trandhuala grabbed me by the hem of my raggedy old dress and hauled me back. "Continue cooking my breakfast you wretch" she snarled. So I stayed there cooking bacon and eggs. Rain was already pelting down. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew the mast down. It fell onto the roof of the kitchen and smashed it. I creamed in terror and ran for shelter. The ship was bucking so violently that I could barely walk. Suddenly there was a violent gust and it blew me clan off the Scary Sardine. I expected to be flung into the swirling, bluey-green waters of Death, but surprisingly I landed on soft, golden-yellow sand. I sat up, surprised, rubbing my aching head. I had whacked it against the side of the ship when I was thrown off the ship. I was FREE AT LAST

I seemed to have landed on a lonely desert island. Three were palm trees with coconuts so I wouldn’t starve. There was a little tiny pool full of clear, unsalty water around the other side. It was quite a nice place really, I thought as I wonderd around. The storm had passed over and the Scary Sardine was nowhere to be seen. I saw a dark shape in the water. I ran to the edge.

My heart almost stopped. There, slowly sinking was the Sardine. A wave of gult and sadness washed through me like the sea. I hated Tradhuala but I didn’t want her dead. Then there was little Fiona, whom I adored. And... Oh I don’t wnt to talk about it. I noticed that the shore of the island was rather like a beach. I leapt up and grabbed a coconut off the tree. A nice blue, yellow and red parrot swept down and made a noise like a pistol shot that made me jump.

I had been wandering around for a few days eating coconuts of other trees because I did not want to disturb Miss Parrot Pistol Shot, when on Tuesday, I found an old glass bottle and on a rock, a dry piece of paper. An idea came into my wiry brain. If I found something to write with I could send a message in the bottle.

I set to work. I thought about using coconut milk with a stick. I tried it but it came out invisible. I left it in the sun on a rock while I thought. Something caught my eye. My note had writing on it! It was probably like invisible ink, I though. I rolled it up, put my name on it and thought about a cork. I rolled up a coconut skin and shoved it in. I tossed it into the sea.

A few days later, a huge bit ship appeared. I started jumping up and down. She came closer. She anchored and a woman came down the steps. "We got your message" she said smiling. "Are you coming?". I stared at her. Yes! I said. So that’s how I became her child. She felt like a real mum.
We sailed to Australia and Mum and me bought a lovely big white house. We lived there happily. One day I thought I should write my adventure in a book. I did. And you might ask where this story is? It's right her. You’ve just finished reading it.

Author: Maeve Farrell
Aged 9.

Winner, Group 2. (over 9 and under 12 years of age on 23rd August 2012)
Maeve Farrell (Raheny Library)
Message in a Bottle - Short Story Competition

I need your help. I am shipwrecked on an island, which appears to be deserted. I was in a horrific storm and my poor ship, The Adventurer and my loyal, trusty crew were washed away, drowned in the dangerous sea. However I, Admiral Xavier Cooke, swam to safety to this island in the middle of nowhere. I have no food, clothes, drinking water or equipment, all I have is you...

I am devastated at the loss of my crew and my ship. I cannot complete the quest I set out upon. Representing North America, I was to take part in the World Sailing Competition in this year 1888. I must that you greatly for reading my plea for rescue. Before you send help, however, I must convey information of absolute importance to you.

It will change the world as we know it forever. Waiting to be rescued, I was exploring this desolate place and found a cavern along the coast. Curious, I wandered inside and horrified, discovered a slumped over skeleton. The bones belonged to John Waverly, a scientist bound for Ireland, according to the poor wretch’s diary.

As I read further on in his journal, it appears that John was on an expedition to bring a mysterious device that allowed the user to travel in time! He was on a voyage with this strange device to a noted scientific colleague of this in Ireland. They hoped to use the device to solve the mystery of ship disappearances in the Devil’s Triangle off the Florida Coast. A passenger ship with the visiting Russian Royal family had disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the Triangle.

John then writes on how he was caught in a dangerous storm outside the Triangle itself and how he was pulled towards the Triangle where his ship, crew and the life-changing time-travel device all sank to the bottom of the deep dark sea.

John, like me, swam to this island and later perished awaiting rescue. Having examined the diary thoroughly, I have come across a list of encrypted instructions and drawing of what looks like the time travel device itself. This page will change the world as we know it...

I now know that I must be in the place that John calls the Devil’s Triangle. It is unmarked on any map, hidden in the shadows of the mist and supernatural triangle on the sea. Do you want the time-travel device to be a memory at the bottom of the ocean forever? Imagine the possibility of a new device is replicated. I have the diary with the secrets of the time-travel device. Come and rescue me and we can change the world forever.

Admiral Xavier Cooke

Author: Amy Murphy
Age; 13years and 11 months

Winner, Group 3 (over 12 and under 16 years of age on 23rd August 2012)
Amy Murphy (Terenure Library)
Message in a Bottle - Short Story Competition