This is Ethny's first story, and I'm told she is now writing another - I can't wait to see it! Ethny is 10, and goes to Barnstaple library.

Chapter 1
She wished she’d never run away now. Lizi ran stumbling through the vegetation, she must get away, Lucky was the most important thing in her life. Her babysitter was screaming now, but Lizi loved her Lucky and could never let her be sold. She ran into a forest, darkness fell around her like a blanket. “I think I’ve lost her” she panted. A twig cracked, she hadn’t moved so who had? She scrambled up a tree, her heart jumped into her mouth, dark shadows moved below her. A creaking noise came toward her. “Argh!”

Chapter 2
Lizi opened her eyes, her head banged with pain. Lizi sat up and saw a group of people discussing something. Suddenly all the happenings of the night before whooshed back to her nearly knocking her back down. Questions swam in her mind. Where was she? Where was Lucky? Who were those people over there? One of the men turned to reveal a grotesque face, he talked in a gruff voice. “We have caught you now, don’t try to escape because it will just make your death worse! You will join us for dinner tonight.” He laughed menacingly. Two men came up to Lizi and pulled her roughly to her feet. The men then tied her to a stake! She struggled and screamed but the men just sniggered and turned away. Lizi started to cry, what did the man mean by her going to dinner?

Lizi abruptly heard screams and shouts coming from one of the huts, somebody walked out with blood stains on his striped butchers apron. He grinned at her. “Um, lovely fresh meat!” he wickedly said. Lizi screamed “Argh, they’re cannibals!”

Chapter 3
Lizi awoke from a troubled sleep, she could hear tiny squeaky sounds.

“Meow, meow.” Little pattering footsteps could be heard. Lizi caught sight of something moving in the orange gold leaves. “Lucky!” Lizi shouted as she sweeped up her black kitten into her arms and petted her. “Bite the ropes Lucky, please” Lizi said hopefully. Lizi gently lifted Lucky near the ropes, Lucky miraculously started to chew. Lizi felt Lucky’s wet tongue against her hand. The rope started to fray and at last gave way. Lizi got up slowly. One of the guards caught sight of Lizi and came up to her. “I was caught as well so don’t worry. Why did you come here? Nobody does anymore, not since everybody that came in here disappeared!” “I ran away from home because they wanted to sell Lucky my cat because she was becoming a nuisance at home. But I love her and could never part with her, so I ran away to here” Lizi sighed. Suddenly a voice cut threw the falling mist “Get ‘ere twerp” “Follow the footsteps” he whispered. Lizi ran for what seemed like years. The wood was in twilight now, chinks of light danced on the woodland floor. Lizi went to shelter under a broad oak tree while rain started to patter on the ground. Lizi sat there puzzling over what that boy had said, “Follow the footsteps.”

Next morning she was awoken by some light footsteps crunching on the ground, she could se no-one but could still hear the faint footsteps. “Follow the footsteps!” Lizi shouted as she jumped up knocking Lucky right off her lap into the crackly dry leaves. “Come on Lucky the footsteps are getting fainter.” Lizi pelted across the ground with Lucky’s soft body bouncing in Lizi’s arms. As Lizi stopped to get her breath back she realized how hungry she was. “Wow, Puss, I’m starved” Lizi panted. Lizi heard the footsteps again and followed them, they led her straight to some fruit trees where she started to eat the organic succulent fruit.

Chapter 4
Two days after she had been tracing the footsteps she came across some sunlight in front of her. She had found the way out at last!

Chapter 5
One day later Lizi was back home with her parents and hugging her. Great news, she could keep Lucky and the men had been caught and were going to be condemned to the electric chair.

Thirteen years from now Lizi was at a business party, she spotted a new man and went over to him. “Hello, are you new?” “Yes, but you’ve seen me before but you don’t remember me do you. I’m from the wood. Did you follow my footsteps?” he replied. “They were yours oh it’s so good to see you!”