The Kid Who Saved Animals
“In Swaziland’s middle, there is a jungle. Animals live in the giant emerald tree branches with their vines. There are black jaguars that slither through the branches, colorful birds singing ‘tweet Tweet’ all day, and slithering serpents.
On a sunny and humid August day, I woke up to Lexi’s slobbering kisses. “Ewww!” Lexi is not my mother but my pet husky. Her fur is fluffy and soft like mine, as black as night with a little white. When I opened my eyes, there was a cheeky smile and a wet nose. One pair of eyes is an icy blue, like the frosty mornings at the North Pole. I immediately reach for my implants in the bedside cupboard and put them on. Now I can hear the birds.
I live in a bungalow with Lexi, my mother, and an animal sanctuary. My mother works in the vet clinic next door and helps injured or sick animals. “Elijah!” she chuckled. “Are you up yet, monkey?”
“Maybe!” I groan back. I can hear her jump into the jeep and go to the surgery. After some time, I wake up in the peaceful morning and begin my day as a Special Agent. I protect animals from poachers. Rarely, poachers will come from the village to kill animals. They are greedy, and they want fur to make money.
Slowly, I put on my jungle camouflage gear. My cochlear implant is my secret weapon to fight these bullies! These implants are futuristic and do not require batteries as they charge from my body. Also, they make me invisible and have super speed. Lexi can also speak to me. After I ate my breakfast, put on my Converse shoes, and got ready for my quad bike with Lexi in front, I immediately walked there.
Lexi says, “I’m sure there are monsters north of here!” We set out into the jungle. Lexi and I can hear crunching sounds and twigs snapping in front of us. I quickly park my quadbike. We must determine if these noises are from animals or poachers. I whirl into a tornado to change into my superhero outfit. It’s a reflection of a gun. Poachers! As quickly as possible, I set up a net trap with leaves to catch the victim high above the branches. I climb up a tree at a safe distance away from the web and then press a button to make myself invisible. I am worried that a bullet fired from a pistol or hunting rifle could injure me.
Lexi leads the poacher towards me. I land on him after a karate kick. Both of us fall to the ground. Lexi grabs the gun with her teeth and drags it away while I wrestle the poacher. I dodged the dagger as quickly as possible, like a ninja. I then knocked it out of his hands with my elbow. He runs straight into the trap without warning. Woosh! He flew up into the branch. The poacher shouts furiously. He saw his friend in the net, and immediately, another poacher appeared. I stood behind him, whispering to him and poking at him. He doesn’t notice me when he turns his back. I’m invisible! Lexi leaps on him and stares straight into his eyes. He becomes frozen like a statue. Lexi’s blue eye is so unusual that it can freeze people.
She knows I only press this button in an emergency; it sends her my location. She knows that I only use this button in a crisis. It sends my site to her. As Lexi and I wait for the police, I become a boy again. We hide in the bush to avoid a big scene. Once the police arrive, we quickly leave, leaving them with the job of arresting the poachers. After I returned home, I collapsed into bed, exhausted by the experience. Lexi is curled up next to me, and I’m thinking about how fortunate I am that I have my super-powered implant.”
Julia Donaldson, CBE, one of our judges, said: The theme of animal conservation is strong. The jungle is vibrant, and I loved the idea of a cochlear implant that confers special powers.
