Stories by John Younger

The Seashell

A seashell is a shell by the sea,
a seashell on the shore you can see.
Collecting seashells is interesting to me.
That´s what they were meant to be.
How would it seem to thee,
if there no seashells would be.

Perhaps it is not very special for you,
but imagine what all these things do!
How all these things make the world so beautiful!
And without these small secrets it would become so dull.

John Younger (13 years)

(Published 1998)

John Younger and the sea

Memories

I am going to write about some of my best memories, about people, places and gifts.

The past days I have gotten many nice memories. Most people have been very good to me and I especially remember a tall, blond, muscular sailor walking on a glaring yellow beach beside the light blue ocean and the reddish sky. I went to talk to him and we became friends. We went sailing together at our leisure. He even taught me how to build a small, steady, and ductile boat, and when the sailors´ leave was over, he gave me this beautiful, little handmade ship as a memory. I´ll always remember that silent evening, when he had to leave and his ship slowly disappeared below the horizon leaving the gleaming water and the sunset behind. This is an example of a memory that will stay within me throughout my life.

I believe that memories are good to get and that you always should collect memories, not only for one summer, but for the rest of your life. Then your life too, will be more exciting and wonderful.

John Younger (13 years)


Fire!

Author John Younger

Once upon a time a black foal was born on a farm in Australia. The young foal was a real surprise for the family that lived on the farm, and Jack, a young cowhand, had few such great excitements as helping his father with this foal.

Jack had lived with his father and his mother on this farm as long as he could remember. He thought it was nice helping his father with the animals and especially with the horses. He was glad to help his parents whenever they needed help.

Jack had asked his father if he could have this horse, but Jack´s father told him he was too young. Anyhow he got to name it and he called it Fire.

"Today we are going to get the cows", Jack´s father one day told Jack and so they set off for the prairie. After one day´s hard ride they saw their cattle grazing at the sunset. At this place they made a camp and fell asleep while the shallow wind blew through their hair and the fire slowly died out in the moonlight.

Suddenly Jack and his father woke up by a gunshot that only could mean cattle-rustlers. The horses tried to escape, but Jack got them to lie down on the ground. Jack´s father was very surprised that Jack got the horses to be so calm. Jack swung up on the saddle and began to chase the cattle-rustlers.

Jack hung himself up on one side of the horse so he wouldn´t be seen by the cattle-rustlers. As he rode he felt the wind blowing through his hair and saw the bushes thundering by; it was really great! He came up behind one of the cattle-rustlers and knocked him down, then he saw his father pushing down the other one. After that he only had to swing the lasso around one of the rustlers as his father did the rest.

By this time it was morning so they set off for the town, happy that nothing worse had happened. When they came to town they found out that these two rustlers had a 200 dollar prize on their heads.

With a smile on his face his father asked Jack to wait by the horses while he went to buy something. After a while he came back with a brand new saddle and said it was for Jack!
-"Really?" Jack asked overjoyed.
-"Of course", Jack´s father told him, "you aren´t going to ride Fire with the old one, are you?".
-"Oh, thank you, dad!" Jack exclaimed.
They then set off for the farm and were home by noon. Jack hugged mother and went to Fire who greeted him with a neigh as he stroked him on the mane!

By John Younger (12 years)
John Younger

Art by Peter

The tough little cowboy

The tough little cowboy wants to ride to town
There the crooks he will be gunning down

The sheriff and the cowboy
better can be no team
The crooks don´t stand a chance
that you can surely deem

But when evening is getting darker
and night is getting cold
the tough little cowboy goes to Mama
and no longer is so bold

Michael Angel (11 years)

(Published in a newspaper and read on a local radio station;-)



Small cowboys

© 1999 Sea cruisers