Page 52 - 1962-63

ISO
THE LADY OF THE NIGHT Junior 1st
The sun is setting; the evening is cold; and the wind is bitter. Off to the north the clouds are dark and foreboding. The inhabitants of the little village are preparing for the long, dreary night. The world is bleak and dismal.
Then it begins to snow. Down come the flakes, floating like tiny ships on the vast sea of air. Down, down, they continue until a fine layer, made up of millions and millions of these tiny, frozen crystals, build up on the creations of the earth. Up, up it builds; whiter and whiter the creations become until they are completely covered like a cake with white frosting.
Now the clouds part, and the moon's eye peers through. The wind drops; the earth is still and calm. The moon's reflection glitters on the snowy crystals, and the trees cast shadows like the silver frost figures on a window pane. The earth is dressed in her finery like a beautiful woman in a silky, white ball gown.
The sun rises on the horizen in the east. The cock crows; a cow bellows; a light appears in the windows of the houses;' and the people arise to salute a new day. Once more the earth has revolved upon her axis; a new day has begun and within a few hours the Lady of the Night, in her silky, white ball gown, will have disappeared. ·
"THE DESPERATE MOMENT"
Don Kelly XF
Junior 2nd
It is a dark night. A light drizzle is falling. The street lights cast a dim glow through the dense fog. It is a night which most people like to spend beside a blazing fireplace. Yet, very quietly down the wet street, the faint echoes of feminine foot-steps can be heard.
Cautiously, she approaches a long row of cottage doors occupied by the foreign workmen of the nearby paper factory. Then suddenly the street plunges into darkness. The lights have gone out!
She is standing in front of one of the cottages. Why does she pause? Is she afraid? She remains there for several minutes, cold, wet and silent. Then in the darkness she cautiously, noiselessly pushes the door open and slowly enters.
The room is as dark as the night. Uneasiness prevails, yet she goes on. She smells an odour of cooking food drifting from an open doorway. From another room comes the faint sound of a human voice. She hears something behind her! There it is again! Should she go further?
As she stands there panic-stricken a low murmur greets her. With a thud he is in front of her. Too late she realizes she found the wrong door. She turns to flee, as his long nails graze her neck.
Out the open door into the night she speeds. Should she fall on the slippery pavement, he would be upon her. She fli.es like the wind to a high board fence, clambers over, and alights on the other side leaving her enemy behind.
The excitement over, she looks angrily at him and walks briskly away. What does a scene like this matter in her life, for she is a tabby cat and he a collie dog.
John Little X A