Narratives

In later middle years, students are asked to create a narrative based around themes that are evident in the texts studied. This year, The Maze Runner and I, Robot were used to stimulate excellent discussion and wonderfully creative ideas.  

WiCKeD Goodness (fan fiction based on The Maze Runner)

by Apryl Christidis

She had been working at WiCKeD for a year; her job was to help with the preparation of sending supplies (and a new glader) every month. Throughout her time there, she was constantly told that “this is for the greater good”. Innocent people had been lost to the battle against the flare. Hannah sometimes wondered if a cure was worth the suffering of others. This very thought popped into her skull like a constant headache when her ears filled with her sister’s cries and pleas.

A bead of sweat rolled down Hannah’s forehead as she stared at her younger sister’s limp and unconscious body lying on the table. Panic started to build up inside the pit of her stomach like an unstoppable fireball. Her legs were shaking rapidly and her breaths became ragged.

She looked up at the older, round-faced woman, unable to fully comprehend what had been asked of her. Her head felt like a herd of elephants were tramping around her skull. “What?” she whispered weakly.

“You must make a choice, Hannah. You can choose us, where there is certain safety and a job: or you can go down there with your sister, where your memory will be wiped clean,” Chancellor Paige replied softly. “I know you’ll make the right decision.”

Hannah couldn’t believe her own ears. She had trusted WiCKeD. They had given her everything when she had nothing. Her parents worked there when she and her sister were little. When her mum and dad were infected with the flare, the staff became her second family. Knowing how easy it truly was to turn on them for the stake of their experiments hurt her to the core. She had to send the only family she had left down into the Glade, where she would be tested on and likely killed. Her heart felt like two people were tugging at it at once. She had seen the terrors that the gladers faced. The thought of going through the Maze horrified her.

She didn’t believe in good or bad. WiCKeD had done bad things for good reasons. They made the impossible choice to sacrifice a few to save many. Hannah knew that hurting a small minority of people to save humanity was so obviously worth it in end, but she still couldn’t do it. She still couldn’t bring herself to sacrifice her younger sister and send her to the harsh and dangerous Maze, knowing all too well what this would mean.

 “I’m sorry”, she murmured meekly. “I-I can’t do it. I can’t send her down there.” She did everything she could to blink back the tears, but they retaliated, sliding down her cheeks before she could stop them. The other scientists closed in on her, needles in their hands.

“You can’t do this,” Hannah managed to spit out, sobbing.

Chancellor Paige stood still and sinister, an ominous smile tugging at her lips. “This is for the good of mankind. I hope you’ll come to understand.”

Before Hannah could react, she suddenly felt hands wrap around her waist and a sharp pain in the side of her neck. She fell limp into the stranger’s hands as the world crashed around her in a messy blur. It felt like all of the blood in her body was rushing from her head to her knees in the sudden rush. Little black dots swarmed her sight and began to cloud her vision until the darkness consumed her sight.

“Good luck, Hannah … and remember, WiCKeD is good.”

Shisubeki hito/Mortal Man

"Chemicals, chemicals everybody loves chimicals. Toxify the earth with chemicaaaaaaaaaaaaalllls! Oh poop, there goes the bloody cyanide! Ugh! What a disgrace! Okay so where is lab sample 2139?" I hurry towards the other side of the lab to find the lab samples, finding random chmicals along the way. I decide to pick them, up becuase you what what? What harm could these chmicals do to a human? I quickly scan the lab to find the sample and as soon as I find it, I grab it like there's no tomorrow. Well, maybe I didn't grab it like there's no tomorrow, but I sure grabbed it like I was competing in the Hunger Games! I quickly, but carefully, rush back to the table where I'd been making my mini gas bombs; yes, mini, not large. I only had a short amount of time, since the building was filled with other scientists and I was positive that one of them would have seen my face (I mean my face is everywhere on thos stupid 'WANTED' posters). I put the finishing touches on the gas bombs and shoved them in my bag. Hopefully, I didn't set them off...

"Your actions are hazardous, you must be detained. Discard all weaponry immediately. This is for your own protection." Damn it, the bloody robots caught me, I knew this wan't going to last. I have to come up with a plan, a good one. I had two options: 1)Dig a hole and hide 2)Use my bombs. I stood there in panic trying to think of what I should do. Digging a hole seemed like a great idea but I had no shovel. That was it, I had to use my bombs. I drop my bag at the robot's feet and make a run for it. Everything was going as planned until I remembered that my phone was in the bag. The bag that I dropped, with bombss inside it. At this moment I knew my life was over. How could I? I left my phone in the stupid bag! I'm on the verge of crying but then I tell myself that it's okay and I can get a new phone later. After my little breakdown I actually try to make a run for it. I kick the bag hoping it'd hit something and set them off. I kick them to the wall and I hear a little pop. "Yessss! It worked!" I whisper to myself. I could see the smoke floating around the top and I instantly knew that I had a chance of surviving. 

The smoke got worse by the minute; I couldn't stay any longer. I've always wanted to see robots die from gas since they always die from a faulty battery or just some tech malfanction. I needed to spice it up a bit. Okay, this time I actually make a run for it and charge towards the door. "BANG!!" I didn't even open the door. I'm such an idiot. How does one run even run into a door? I must be really stupid or something. Alright third time lucky. I open the door and run out of the room. I run past all the labs and try to find my way back out to the main entrance. There were so many strange and scared faces looking at me that I stopped and thought to myself, "Am I really that ugly?" I resumed running, forgettting about everyone and how ugly I was; I didn't have time for this. I saw the big entrance and dashed right out - remembering to open the door this time!

As soon as I open the door: police. This time they're human. Oh wow, it's been so long since I've seen human police. I couldn't help but document this moment so I got my camera out to take a photo. As soon as I was about to click the button...."Put your hands up and drop all weapons! This is for you own safety!" I drop eveything and hit the ground. "What have I done?" I surrrendered. The police handcuff me and took me to the station. 

I'm sitting in a room filled with cameras. Literally everywhere. There were cameras under the table, under my chair and even one behind my head. My eyes pan around the room. It was so bright I had to keep squinting my eyes to focus properly. The doors all of a sudden open. "Chikagae, correct?" "Uh yes and you are?" I ask out of curiosity, wondering who this man is. "I'm Detective Tadashi". Detective Tadashi or whatever he says his name is starts asking me simple questions like, "Who are you?" and "What do you do for a living?" I still didn't get why he kept asking me questions as every time the detective would ask a question he'd always ask again why I surrendered so easliy. I simply answered with "There was nothing else I could do." Detective Tadashi stared to get angry. He slammed the doors and left the room saying he'd come back but I didn't think he would. Now I'm alone, in a greater state of confusion. All I wanted was to leave, that's all. Suddenly I regaind my confidence - I had a plan -I waited a couple of minute until Detective Tadashi walked back in. "Detective Tadashi, I've  got something to ask you." "Go ahead but make it quick." Before I asked the question I thought to myself that it's now or never. "So Tadashi, why are your robots absolute rubbish?" Tadashi started looking nervous, he had a drip of sweat running down his face. "I-I-I'm sorry Chikage but I think you've got the wrong robots", he replied but he was stuttering. Was I correct? Are his robot actually terrible? I thought carefully about what I should do next. Should I keep going or should I play along? I dedicded to play along and see where this goes. 

There was silence in the room for about three minutes until the detective cracked it. "Okay, how do you know so much about the robots!?" Tadashi asked in a very stressful manner. I sat back and stared into his eyes. Damn he must be serious about this. he was all sweaty and stressed. in a matter of seconds he was gonna lose it. "C'mon TELL ME!" Looks like Tadashi isn;t up for games. I lean forward giving him a little smirk. "Just tell me already!!" Tadashi was filled with rage at this moment, he couldn't handle it. "Ugh just tell me! I've sacraficed everything: my son, my cat and even my apple! Just tell me who you are." I honestly gave up. I moved my chair forward, removing the skull-like casing from the top of my head and came clean: "Tadashi, I am you robot son." 

By Amanda Tong