TICK tock, tick tock. “When will John come here? I’m lonely in the marsh,” Elizabeth the girl said out loud. Just then, John the last white swan popped his head out of the marsh where he had been looking for fish.
“Hello Elizabeth, sorry I took so long,” mumbled John, spraying fish everywhere. “Where were you John?” Elizabeth questioned him, angry and relieved. “I’ve been waiting here for half an hour!
“Come on, it’s getting dark. I want to go home. The night is black. You know I don’t like the dark.”
“Wait,” said John. “I’ve lost my top hat in the marsh. Can you find it for me with your x-ray vision?”
“I can try,” she replied, “As long as it’s not too dark!”
Elizabeth started rubbing her temples, and her eyes slowly turned deep purple. John and Elizabeth were walking along the marsh, scanning for the top hat. Then Elizabeth’s gaze passed a tree and she saw something behind it. The bullies popped out wearing black, chanting: “Look who it is! Miss Farty Pants!”
John looked behind the ring leader and saw a massive black shadow running up behind the bullies. As the shadow got bigger and bigger, it shouted out, “Boys, get home you’re grounded . . . and eat your vegetables!” Elizabeth could now make out three large women, with two brandishing carrots and the other waving a disgruntled cucumber.
“Coming Mom,” one of the bullies said nervously. Two of the bullies went home but one ran away deep into the marsh and splattered face-first into purple lavender. It was all over his face and he started screaming, “Ahhh get it off me.” “I’m going to make you sleep in the chokey tonight,” his mother shouted, holding an eggplant.
Elizabeth started re-scanning the area for John’s top hat and her purple x-ray vision appeared reflected off the water. While she was looking, John rose up from the marsh with a book in his beak. When they opened the book, some black swans came out. The black swans chased after Elizabeth and John. While running away, John noticed a green light and jumped into a bush to hide.
Elizabeth said to John:
“Check out what’s written in the book.”
He read out the fifth page:
Dear diary,
Today there was a purple flower, and when I looked at it I got very scared. I don’t like that colour. My mother came up to my room and told me to clean it and I hid under my covers because I was scared. She said that I would have to eat an eggplant if I didn’t clean my room. I’m glad Elizabeth’s friend John is a white swan because I’m really scared of black swans. I don’t like the black swans because they made a deal with my mother that they would leave us alone only if they could live inside my diary. Also, today I pushed a kid into a bin because he was annoying me.
“I think we found out the bully’s fears,” said Elizabeth to John. “We could use their fears against them.”
Just then, there were squawks above their heads and a rattle in the trees. The bushes were shaking and a dog with John’s top hat in his mouth jumped out, barking at the green light. He dropped the top hat and ran away.
John picked up his hat. While he was putting it on he saw the bully who had fallen in the lavender. His mother had found him and was putting him in a trash can. She was rolling him down the hill. He was shouting, “I’ll be back!”
Suddenly, while they watched, one of the black swans crashed into the water beside Elizabeth and John.
“Amelia?” John questioned. Slowly the water turned black and Amelia turned white.
“Now we are outcasts together,” Amelia said.
“I’m not the last white swan anymore,” cried John.
Elizabeth, John and Amelia all chased after the trash can. John and Amelia flew in front of the trash can to make it stop. The bully stumbled out covered in banana peels and said, “Thank you for helping me. I’m sorry for all of the things that my friends and I have done to you. I just wanted to be cool. Can I be forgiven?”
“Yes but there is just one thing: I need you and everyone else to treat me equally,” said Elizabeth.
“Okay,” said the bully.
“Do you promise?” said Elizabeth.
“Yes,” promised the bully. The night turned black and Elizabeth found that she was no longer afraid.
