Friday 13 June 2014

Flash Fiction Friday By Di Bates

School's Crool By Di Bates
 
Here are the first 500 words of a junior novel Di is currently writing. Di is the published author of over 120 books. You can learn more about her recent YA release The Girl in the Basement.
 
CHAPTER ONE
Bored! Bored! Bored!
Day one of term one I’m sitting in the school hall next to my best mate, Aaron, and we’re listening to our first assembly for the year.
‘Wonder if that’s going to be our new teacher?’ I whisper and nod. Up on the stage is a youngish, skinny lady with bright pink flamingo earrings. Her hair is long and straight, the colour of margarine.
Aaron and I wish we could have Mr Peters again. He’s a really tall dude with a black bushy moustache. We think he’s totally cool on account of he supports our team, the Hawks. Plus he always used to put us both in charge of the sports’ equipment. But this year Mr Peters is taking fourth grade again.
‘And the new fifth grade teacher is Mrs Plumb, says Mr Monash. Most principals polish their shoes, but Mr M polishes his head on account of it doesn’t have a single hair on it.
So the new teacher is our teacher! I rhyme Plumb with a rude word and grin at Aaron who I know is doing the same thing.
More blah blah blah. More boredom.
Then we have to sing the school song. Hurray! Assembly is almost over.
We’re singing (badly out of tune) when I hear Jason Riley’s voice. Jason is the worst kid in the whole of our school, whose idea of ambition is to spend his adult life in prison like his big brother Ben and various other relatives.
Anyway, from the start of the song Jason is screeching. When the song ends, Jason goes right on screeching. There are giggles which get louder and louder as Jason gets louder and louder. He’s sort of singing and making up his own words. 
Mr Monash yells. ‘Jason Riley stop that this very second! And get to my office!’
Jason stands and grins at the principal. He takes a bow at everyone around him. A few kids start clapping, but they are immediately silenced by Mr Monash whose face is bright red, the veins in his neck bulging. ‘To my office. Now, Riley!’ he bellows.
Still grinning, Jason skips up the aisle and out of the hall.
It’s then we hear those magical words, ‘School, dismissed. Line up in your class groups and march to your rooms.’  
Another year at East Cordovia Primary.
Everyone knows the first rule of being a kid is to drive grown-ups mad. Especially your parents and your teacher. Our new teacher Mrs Plumb has got the same rule – only she wants to drive kids mad. Especially me.
Instead of sitting me next to Aaron, Mrs P says, ‘This year Zane, you can sit next to Jason Riley.’
Welcome Di Bates! Thank you for participating in Flash Fiction Friday. I think Jason Riley is going to be central to this story. Will he be friend? Or Foe? I hope this becomes published Di as it sounds perfect for my son to enjoy!
 
Tell us three things about yourself Di.
1. I write because I am rubbish at doing most other things in life and because publishers keep accepting my manuscripts.
2. If I was a character in a book I would be omnipotent; it would satisfy my desire to be Boss of the World.
3. My super human power would be to get everyone to abide by one rule: Peace in the World forever.
 
To connect with Di and learn more here are some links.

 
 
We encourage readers to comment on this Flash Fiction Friday piece. What are your thoughts? 

3 comments:

  1. I had a good laugh about her first bit of information. She can't possibly be rubbish at everything else!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah, it's like being back in primary school again!

    ReplyDelete