The Great Adventure of Marco

“The Great Adventure of Marco” is one of the outstanding stories of the first biannual International Short Story Contest 2018 written by Goh Kay Lynn, Sri KDU Primary School, Malaysia.

The Great Adventure of Marco

Our story begins in Italy. There was a stray dog in a dense gigantic forest. The dog had snowy fur, shadow eyes, and a furry tail. It had lost its owner and was walking around in circles in the jungle. Suddenly, out of nowhere, appeared a fierce jaguar. The jaguar started to chase the poor dog. The dog ran as fast as it could and escaped.The dog appeared out of the jungle.

The dog found itself in a very colourful place. It could not believe its eyes. It was actually an annual Cooking Competition. There were many contestants. The dog heard someone calling. It was a boy. He said to the dog, “Hey, my name is Francesco. Can I be your friend?” The dog started wagging its tail. “What a beautiful dog you are. I will name you Marco.”

The competition started and Francesco started cooking. He was cooking a turkey. The boy had almost finished his masterpiece but he had forgotten the sauce. He had left it in his mum’s car then. It was too late for Francesco to go to the car now. Marco ran to the car, gripped the bottle of sauce in its jaws and threw it to Francesco. Francesco said, “Good boy, Marco!” Francesco could then successfully finish his cooking in the last ten seconds.

The judge started judging. When the judge walked right past Francesco, the judge said, “Impressive.” Soon the judge announced, “The winner is …. Francesco!’’ It was such a happy day for Francesco and his dog, Marco. They jumped in joy.The spectators applauded. Now, Francesco and his family were rich. They had won $10,000. On the way home, Francesco realized that he had also won a loyal friend that day.

The next day Francesco went to school and his parents went to work. Marco had nothing to do. After a few minutes, the house was in chaos. Marco had chewed on a few pillows and shoes along with Francesco’s toy dinosaurs. Francesco’s grandpa came in the room and saw the mess. He started shouting at Marco.

Frightened, Marco ran out the door. He managed to escape. Marco ran like crazy along the streets of Italy. After some time, he got lost. Marco heard someone say, “Come here doggie!” Marco went to the man who called. Marco could understand what the man was saying. The mysterious stranger told Marco that he had a bone. The stranger was standing in front of a magical portal. He, the stranger, threw the bone into the portal. Marco ran into the portal and when he turned around, the door of the portal shut with the stranger smiling wickedly.

Meanwhile, Francesco was really worried about Marco. He walked all around the town and one day, found the collar he put on Marco by a door. He ran back to tell his family. Both he and his mother went to investigate. They managed to open the portal door. Inside they saw Marco and other dogs in little cages.

They went home and hatched an excellent plan. In the middle of the night, Francesco and his mother came back to the place.They went through the portal. They found Marco in a room called the Dog Cage Storing Room. Marco and Francesco were tickled pink when they saw each other. Francesco used a crowbar which was in that room to break the lock. There was a trapdoor on the floor. In the trapdoor, was a ladder leading to another room.

Anxiously Francesco, Marco and his mother went down the ladder. They spotted a diary lying on the table in the room. On the front cover of the diary it said “Steven’s Life”. Francesco opened and read the diary. It said “I lived at a poor place. One day I went to the playground and saw a cute dog. I touched it. It bit my leg and I had to go to the hospital. The nurses sewed my skin up. I rested my leg for 6 months. When I grow up, I will trap any dog I can find.”

Francesco told his mum about it and they understood why Steven was doing this. Out of the blue, Steven spotted the gang and shouted in anger. Francesco spotted a button called Cage Release. So, he pressed the button. The doors to the cages opened and released all the dogs. Every dog and human except Steven ran out of the door. Francesco, Marco and their mum got home safely.

At home, both Francesco and Marco’s relationship got even better. They went for walks together, slept together and had lots of fun. They look forward to having more adventures together as best friends. Marco will forever be Francesco’s BFF which stands for Best Furry Friend.