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02 February 2023

Posted by Susmita Bhattacharya

Unusual Friendships

Photo by Nathan Hanna on Unsplash

We watched this short film on unusual friendships called The Box / La Boîte Animated Short Film by Eliott Belrose, Carole Favier, Loïcia Lagillier, Aloïs Mathé, Juliette Perrey, Joran Rivet at ESMA.

And then we wrote our own stories about unusual friendships. 

Here's a story by Henry:

Father Alpine


He was not pleased. None of them were pleased. In the Hall of Gods, Maya stood.

Father Alpine glared down at her.

“You have lost us valuable resources and almost destroyed the town of Akari,” Father

Alpine boomed. It was not her fault she had burnet the storage room and almost burnt the rest

of Akari as well.

“For this, you will be refined to your house for a fortnight. I cannot allow carelessness to

affect the community.”

“Fine,” she sulkily agreed and left the hall. The injustice was unbearable. She had only

been out for a picnic with her cat Moakes and a breeze had blown her candles onto the log pile

that the woodcutters had sawn. It was not like she had burned the whole of Axeledia down to

the ground.

As she climbed down the carved oak staircase and into the antechamber off of the

mountain entrance, she pondered what she would do in her isolation. And again, the furious

emotions welled up in her, like a trapped bird longing to fly, and she kicked the stairs in fury. She

achieved nothing but a stubbed toe. Fuming, she continued out of the mountain entrance and

into the courtyard of kings before freezing.

She had only imagined it. You’re not going mad, she reassured herself, it was only the

wind. But there it was again. It was unmistakable. The sound of a Holox. And Holoxi came from

only one place. Aidelexa.

The Holox’s gagregar shook all of Axeledia. Right from the tallest mountain right down to

the lowest crater. Maya steadied herself against the statue of Father Ixidon.

Sorry Father, I’ll make it up to you another day, thought Maya, right now, I have to find out

how to escape. The Holox’s gagregar had blocked the path to the outside world. As Maya

processed all this, she heard the whizzing sound of another gagregar. This time, to Maya’s

horror, the gagregar landed right on the mountain summit. And on the summit was the Hall of

Gods.

“FATHERS!!!!!”

Maya raced up the wooden stairs to the door leading into the Hall of Gods. The door had

fallen down and had been buried under all the rubble. None of the nine sacred Gods of Axeledia

could be seen. Then, Maya saw a shape emerging from the rubble.

“FATHER OAXARD!” Maya screamed as the God emerged.

“Maya! Are you OK?”

“Yes, I’m fine, but what about the others? Father Oaxard only looked fearful.

“There’s another one!” screeched a voice she recognised to be Father Alpine’s. Maya

instinctively ran towards him and dived just in time to reach him. Father Alpine was now directly

where the gagregar was about to land. Maya dived and knocked the god out of the way. The

gagregar’s explosion shook Maya, Father Alpine and any other God in the hall. As the dust

cleared, all nine Gods, Fathers Alpine, Ixidon, Oaxard, Kilidon, Yewin, Maplix, Chexin, Holidt

stood. Father Alpine beamed down at her.

“You have just saved Axeledia for us, I thank you.” Maya couldn’t help but grin. Maybe

the wasn’t going as badly as she thought it was.


And this is by Namay:

The Legend 

Disgusting, he just licked his leg. I hate hate him, I absolutely do. He always messes up the couch and chews rubber. My friend Skyler said keep this forever.  He said he had five dogs and he wanted to get rid of one. So he thought to give one to me. I said yes first time I saw it. That was the biggest mistake of my life. 

However the dog saved my life. Once I was out in the woods of New forest for a fresh morning walk. There were wolfs hiding in the bushes. I didn't see them , only my dog did. They pounced on me, anyhow my dog scared them away. That's how we became friends Best Frriend Forever. 
I call him now "Legend" life saver. He is very lucky for me because of Legend my buddy I am still alive and fit. I got Legend food, toys and everything it needs. In return Legend gives me unconditional love.

And a poem by Namay as well:

Excitement 

Excitement shining like sunlight glazing down at us like mirror reflecting bright images in the sun.

Excitement sounds like a rock music from a mile away.

It tastes as fresh as a sweet cup of orange juice in the summer and feels as smooth as a  flat rock.

It smells like a musky rose in the spring.

Excitement is a mango saying eat me eat me like a wolf howling.

Excitement would be hiding in someone's pocket bursting to get out like  bubbles blowing out in hot water.

Story by Milan

Drawing by Milan

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