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27 June 2026

Posted by Frankie

Junior & Young Writers Week 9: Cryptids

This week we ventured into the mysterious world of cryptids.

To start, the groups wrote a story or poem from the perspective of a cryptid whose peaceful day is interrupted by a pesky human. How do they feel about the intrusion? What might the human misunderstand about what they're doing?

Poor Nessie found herself being harassed on the banks of her loch when all she wanted was a bit of peace and quiet. Another cryptid took a more extreme approach, snacking on anyone who spotted it to keep its existence a secret. Meanwhile, a surprisingly tech-savvy yeti discovered a camera in his cave and decided to start his own 'YubTub' channel, dedicated entirely to telling humans how much he dislikes them.

Next, the groups took on a three-step cryptid challenge.

First: design the anatomy of a cryptid. What does it look like? Could you combine two completely unrelated features to make something new?

Second: choose the perfect hiding place. Every cryptid needs somewhere to call home.

Finally: bring it all together in a story. The groups could choose from prompts including a cryptozoologist discovering evidence of a cryptid, a close encounter with one, or an interview with a local sharing an old legend.

The results were wonderfully weird. We met a five-footed, one-legged creature whose bones could liquefy, and a hyena with its spine on the outside of its body—which also happened to double as a very fashionable handbag.

If you're hoping to spot one of these cryptids yourself, you might want to check beneath the sand at the beach... You may even notice children being sucked beneath the surface. Or perhaps take a closer look at your neighbour's new dog that lets out an unsettling scream late at night.

For our final write-ups, we met Jeff, a sea serpent who had started worrying about his figure after eating far too many humans. We also welcomed back audience favourite Johnny Green, who celebrated his birthday by meeting a very special guest on the game show: the infamous hyena handbag. Unfortunately, it turned out not to be the friendliest of contestants.

Stay safe if you decide to go cryptid hunting. Some of them simply want to be left alone... while others might just fancy a human-shaped snack.

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