November 2020

CHAPTER 1: WESTWAY PRIMARY SCHOOL MYSTERY Westway Primary School children were like bees because they were busy and they always had something to do. And at playtime they would all go out into the playground and squeal with delight as they ran to the swing to get there first. There would always be little fights here and there, about who told the teacher what or who would beat who to the front of the line or who would be the boss and tell their friends what to play. The playground had a seesaw, a slide, a roundabout, a football court, and a climbing frame. The teachers in Westway were kind and clever, especially Mr. Steve in class 16A. The head of the school, Mr. Jenkins, was strict, but only when he needed to be. The school nurse, Mrs. Claire, knew how to treat children who were hurt or sick in a jiffy. The deputy head, Ms. Matthew, was easy, controlled, and steady. The head teacher, Ms. Moorlands, was grumpy, annoying, and never in a good mood. Mike, an intelligent and kind child from class 3B, was the youngest in his class. His best friends were Tom, Harry, and Dick. His teacher was Mr. Andrew who loved him 100%. Being the youngest in his class might be tough, but he managed to get through it. Mike was very popular in his class; other children, especially Harry, would come to him and ask him millions of questions, such as: “Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean?” “What is 40 x 100?” “Who was the meanest king in history?” But on one day, it didn’t seem right. Something bad had happened. Mike, sitting in the front row, was happily learning maths. But for the other children it seemed boring. After 30 long minutes, the maths lesson was over and the children gleefully ran out to the playground and Mike got pushed on the floor. But on that bright and scorching day, that was the last time the children saw Mike. Now he was missing! The news spread like wildfire, and the school was in a panic. Fortunately, Ms. Moorlands knew exactly what to do! CHAPTER 2: THE SEARCH PARTY AND THE HAUNTED PALACE There were police and 150 detectives looking for clues, the children were worried, and the teachers were trying to calm them down. Mike’s family was in tears, the head teacher was explaining the story to the chief detective, and everybody was panicking until 12 clever detectives spotted a trail of footprints that looked like Mike’s. Immediately, they followed the trail, which took them quite a while and led them here and there, but they wouldn’t give up. It took them 42 HOURS! Can you believe it?! Finally, the footprints took them to a haunted palace which looked millions of years old; they had no choice but to enter. As they entered, they could hear sudden noises and booms. Inside there were cobwebs which hung from the corners of the ceiling; mice and rats running here, there, and everywhere; and from the attic window they could see bats flying so fast and perched on the windows’ top edges. The walls were painted in a sort of spooky, light ghost-green shade, and the scary dead tree outside made it look creepier. CLANK CLANK CLANK went the staircase as they climbed down with only a feeble candle. Finally, they reached a door saying, WARNING: CAUTION, DO NOT ENTER FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY. Beneath, it said, HIGH VOLTAGE! CRREEAAKK went the door as they opened it—they thought the hinges needed oiling. In their amazement, they didn’t blink, didn’t move a muscle, and only stood there gawping! CHAPTER 3: THE SEARCH PARTY AND THE PAIR OF SHOES Before their very eyes they saw an ancient throne room which smelt like a mildewed cellar mixed with rotten apples that had been in a box for 50 years. On the queen’s throne there was an old-style crown, a pointy spear, and a small box. On the king’s throne it was exactly the same. They searched all over the spooky palace, but Mike was nowhere to be found. As they exited the palace, the chief detective spotted Mike’s handprints and footprints smeared all over the roof and said to the others, “How silly we are! Look over there on the roof: Mike’s handprints and footprints.” The detectives and police went to the other side and saw Mike’s footprints. The chief detective saw Mike’s fingerprint on the button which said “650,000,000 BC.” Uh-oh. That was the time the asteroid hit Earth. Just past the train station on the high street there was an old lady named Mrs. Blueberry who was walking her dog, Buttercup. As she passed the small pond, she spotted a pair of brown shoes. Now she wasn’t the kind of person who would just leave them there and walk away, so she looked carefully at them and looked at the poster saying MISSING, and beneath it a picture of Mike and realized that the shoes were Mike’s. She rang the detectives, who were just past the train station, and told them that she had found his shoes. They said they would come straight away. Time passed—10 minutes, 15, 20, 25— until 30 minutes later they arrived and saw the shoes. On the other side of the pond they saw bare footprints heading northeast, and they followed them. CHAPTER 4: THE SEARCH PARTY AND THE OLD TIME MACHINE As they followed the footprints, they saw a treehouse which looked very ancient and mystical. They couldn’t decide whether it was good luck or bad luck—whatever it was, they went in. It looked creepy, but they were brave. They looked around. A detective named Simon saw a sign hanging from the ceiling. They read it 10 times and noticed a note saying: ROOMEN 2: TIMEON MACHINEONTE. They followed the arrows and opened a door which said: IF YOU OPENTO THEIS DOORESTO YOU WILO GAZET ATE THEIS UNFORRGETEBLEO