The National Young Writers' Award Winning Story...

“Pick-me! Pick-me!” At that moment Connor walked through the door, and guess what, HE PICKED ME! HE ACTUALLY PICKED ME! He lifted me up and played a gentle song on my strings. In fact, it almost made me fall asleep with his sweet song. Out of all the beautiful guitars HE-CHOSE-ME! It was so warm and cuddly in my case. I loved it all, except... NOTHING!

He took me home and played me every day but then ... over the years his hands got too big and one day, one of my strings broke, then two, then three, then four, then five! It made me feel unwanted, I was falling apart, and he didn’t seem to notice! He got a new guitar! That is how I ended up here, on top of the rubbish dump.

I like the dump sometimes, but there were bad times like when Connor stepped right over me, like he didn’t know me. Other times where at night a mechanic roar sounded and suddenly I would get covered in rubbish! I could hardly breathe, I felt like a fish out of water. It wasn’t all bad, once an injured robin red breast came to nest in my body. I felt needed and useful! But he left, it made me feel sad, he still visits me, but I miss him. Then one miserable evening, a hand with black fingernails gripped me round the neck, then darkness. A mechanic roar sounded, just like the one in the dump. Suddenly, I remembered, I must be in the back of a car!

When the boot opened a gush of sunlight and wind hit me in the eyes, this time a clean hand, smelling of lavender reached out to me. I was carried into a bedroom with the embroidered name ‘Sam’ on the door. Could this be the start of a brand new adventure! Sam and I became the best of friends, Sam had eyes like a baby bush baby and a smile like a banana. He fixed one of my strings, then another, then another, then another, until all my strings were fixed! Afterwards, he painted me and polished me until I glowed and shined in the sunlight. However, I still had a fear in the back of my tuners that he would grow up and give me away.

Samuel played me every day for many years. We played in concerts all around the world, from New York to Tokyo. When he got older he didn’t play me much but when he came back from work he polished me until he could no longer look (I was so bright). Then one day he brought me to work and guess what? HE’S A TEACHER! All the children tried to play me, but boy did they need lessons so Sam gave them lots of lessons, they got really good! Sam taught them to treat me with love and care. As they got older new ones came in and this is how we spent our days for many magnificent years.