Outstanding Story (Sub-junior) - The Magic Paper-Clip

“The Magic Paper-Clip” is one of the outstanding stories (sub-junior) of the first biannual International Short Story Contest 2019 written by Eyimofe Esisi, RA International School Nigeria, Bonny Island Rivers State, Nigeria.

The Magic Paper-Clip

This story begins with a mean teacher who hates children, a family with three girls, and a professor.

One Monday afternoon, Mr Grinch who is Lacy’s, Helene’s and Katy’s teacher thought about making a magic paper-clip that teleports anyone who touches it .The reason was because he hated children and teaching was the only job left for him. He thought to himself, “What if I make something that can make these annoying little children disappear so that I can get over with this pathetic teaching thing.”

The next day, Mr Grinch invented the magic paper-clip. Lacy, who was the youngest of them all, touched the paper-clip and POOF!!! She disappeared. When Mr Grinch came back, he grinned and said, “My plan is working, just two more children to go and I can rest!’’.

Helene and Katy were heartbroken when they found out that Lacy had disappeared. They cried home miserably and told their parents who had been happy before they heard the news. “What happened?” said Mrs Franklin (Lacy, Helene and Katy’s mum).

During class, “Lacy disappeared!” cried Helene.

“Holy cheese!” gasped Mr Franklin (Lacy, Helene and Katy’s dad).

“What should we do?” exclaimed Katy, who was the oldest.

“We don’t know darlings!’ said Mrs Franklin. “Okay” Helene and Katy said, with their heads down.

“Let’s go to bed” said Helene.

“Tomorrow is another day” said Katy.

The next morning, Helene and Katy were still very sad, but they still went to school. When class started, they both sat down quietly. Mr Grinch duplicated more magic paper clips and gave to Helen and Katy. He said, “Use these paperclips that are not magic to clip your papers”. The children obeyed and POOF!!...POOF!! Helene was gone, and so was Katy. Mr and Mrs Franklin waited for Katy and Helene for two hours and grew worried. The girl landed with a THUMP, but luckily they landed on soft paperclips.

“Where are we?” asked a surprised Helene.

“I don’t know but look, there is a little girl that looks like Lacy running towards us!” exclaimed Katy.

“Helene! Katy! It’s me, Lacy!” she cried.

“Helene it is Lacy” said Katy. The three girls ran to each other and hugged each other tightly. “Hi Helene and Katy, so how do we get out of here?” said Lacy. “Look! There is a yellow brick road. I wonder if Dorothy and Toto live here” replied Helene. “Then let’s follow it!” exclaimed Katy.

The girls started walking along the path; meanwhile Mr Grinch was having the time of his LIFE. The girls soon reached a castle that was made out of paperclips. The girls entered, feeling super-scared. There they met a professor who said “Hello! Be Prepared!”

“Be prepared for what?” asked Lacy.

“My invention to stop the Grinch people” said the professor. “Mr Grinch uses the magic paperclip to send children here, so I need you to get this machine back to the Grinch to teach him a lesson”. So the professor teleported them back with the machine.

Mr Grinch was lying on his couch when he heard a loud POOF. He fell off the couch and immediately Katy shouted, “Stop right there Grinch!” “NEVER!” he yelled. Lacy tripped Grinch, and Helene zapped him. He found himself in a dungeon of paperclips and screamed NOOO! The girl’s parents finally got to see them again, and they threw a huge party. Since then, the girls have never touched a paperclip, not in a million years.