A Fall In The Mall

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Team Details State: QLD Division: Upper School

School/Group: Somerset College Team Name: Buy It Now. It Is Cheap Team ID: 432

Parameters and Random Words Parameters

Random Words

Primary Character 1

Interior Designer

Whistle

Primary Character 2

Skydiver

Light

Non-Human Character Crab

Gold

Setting

Shopping Centre

Hungry

Issue

Unexpected Visitor

Bubbly

Authors: Eliza Folliott Vivian Song Eva Chen

Sofia Arase Laina Walsh Hannah Provenzano Illustrators:

Vivian Song Laina Walsh

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Copyright Published by Buy It Now. It is Cheap, Somerset College, Somerset Drive, Mudgeeraba, Queensland. Laina Walsh, Vivian Song, Sofia Arase, Eva Chen, Hannah Provenzano, Eliza Folliott. Copyright © 2020, Somerset College. All rights reserved. This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquires should be made to the publisher.

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We send our best wishes to those who read our book, and hope that it brings them some measure of joy :).

We’d also like to thank our sponsors for all their support, especially during these trying times. Vivian would like to thank her mum for supporting her , Eva would like to thank her parents for everything, and Eliza would like to thank everyone who sponsored her as well as all her friends and family who do their best to support her passions.

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Contents Chapter 1 Crabs Are An Interior Designer’s Best Friend………………………………………………………………....6 Chapter 2 Falling For (Towards) You……………………………………………………………………………………………….8 Chapter 3 People Make For Hard Landings……………………………………………………………………………………10 Chapter 4 Unexpected Parachute Game……………………………………………………………………………………….12 Chapter 5 So Turn’s Out He’s Afraid Of Crabs……………………………………………………………………………….14 Chapter 6 It Was A Dark And Stormy Day……………………………………………………………………………………..16 Chapter 7 When You’re Stuck In A Room With A Stranger……………………………………………………………18 Chapter 8 She Can Summon Crabs???????.......................................................................................20 Chapter 9 Driving Off Into The Sunset Isn’t As Easy As It Sounds…………………………………………………..22

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Chapter 1: Crabs Are An Interior Designer’s Best Friend

The golden sunlight shone through the glass windows on the roof of the mall. In the far distance, faint little clicks could be heard. Click, click, click. A woman in her late 20s burst through the door located at the back of the hallway. Following behind her was an army of soldier crabs. Hundreds and thousands of crabs were tumbling over each other. They slowly entered the hallway. Resounding shouts rang throughout the once silent room. Vérónika started ordering her soldier crabs around and as a result the room filled with chaotic energy. There was way too much to be done! Her favourite two crabs rested lazily on her shoulders, these two special little crabs were Vérónika’s pride and joy. They made all the decisions for Vérónika‘s eccentric interior designs. Their names were Geoff and Samantha, or as Vérónika called them, the king and the queen. The rest were simply just their soldiers and servants. “Put that over here, no not over there!” she called out to the soldiers while brushing her hair dramatically while simultaneously speaking in a strong French accent, “Nõw Sam ā nthaaaaaaa, my favòurite crab, which côlour should I do the c ęí lng this time?” Vérónika held up two cards, and Samantha was shown two colours, “which õne?” Samantha hesitated, but then decided on the left card Vérónika was holding. “Oooooh, yes! Yes! Yes! Mwah, you are the best! I knew I could trust you.” Vérónika excitedly exclaimed as she kissed Samantha. While kissing Samantha,

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in the corner of her eye she saw Geoff, how could she have forgotten, she had to treat them both equally! While this exchange was going on an unexpected guest was about to enter...

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Chapter 2: Falling For (Towards) You

The cold wind stung his face as he fell. His mouth and eyes were wide open as he plummeted. He was gasping for air as the ground grew closer. Gaining more and more speed as the weight of his split decision dragged him down further. He didn’t feel like he was falling though, it just felt really, really windy. Luck happened to be on his side as he happened to have a parachute on his back and a helmet on his head. He just hoped that he grabbed the working parachute as the other one was a little ripped after the last time he tried to skydive. All he had to do now was find a suitable landing space in less than a minute. That part, that part was the tricky part. The only thing he could remember from his skydiving class was that he had to land on land. There was another problem though it was that even though he had skydived before, he was petrified, and flailing his arms around didn’t seem to be helping the current situation. What would his father say? You must believe! Or something like that. He reached his arm up to pull the string that would activate his parachute. He pulled the string towards him only for it to slip from his grasp. He started to panic. What would happen if he couldn’t get his parachute out? He tried pulling the string again only for it to slip out of his hand once again. As they say, third time’s a charm. He took a deep breath and reached up once last time grabbing hold of the string and pulled down.

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Luck really was on his side this time as he felt his descent slow and he released a sigh of relief. The only thing was the ground was still growing closer and he forgot how to land. The ground was terrifyingly close now, and he was starting to sweat. What was he going to do now? He could see what seemed to be a building under construction with a green and red splash of colour off to the side that seemed to be waving in the wind. He could land on the building. But would he make it? It seemed to be the only thing he could hit in time to break his fall. He had to make it. Hopefully it would be strong enough to hold together and hopefully, there was no one there.

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Chapter 3: People Make For Hard Landings

A high-pitched squeal that sounded like nails being dragged on a blackboard made Vérónika look up and put her crab, Samantha, back on her shoulder. She looked up at the scene unfolding above her which was one unlike any other. A figure was quite literally falling from the sky flailing its arms as they toppled towards her through the open skylight. Its eyes were covered but she could see that its mouth was wide open, which made her wonder how this person could scream so much while catching so much air. She was mid-laugh when she realised; she would be squashed. CRASH! Too late. The figure fell on her and they slammed, not so gracefully, into the floor. Vérónika was squished between the ground and fabric of a parachute like material. She tried to shove it off and attempt to sit up, but the weight of the parachute held her down. Maybe if she asked Samantha to help her...Wait where was Samantha? And where was the figure that came down on her? “Wh ō are yoú and what have yoú done to my prēciôus crab Samantha?” Vérónika shouted into the cramped space around her. “Help! I can’t see! Is anyone there? My name is Vector.” She heard a masculine voice say.

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Vérónika crawled closer towards the voice through the darkness, wondering what happened to her bubbly crab, Samantha.

“Yoú didn’t answ ē r my qûestiòn.” “Who are you? What question?” “I ám Vérónika. Now, w hat have yoú done to my prēciôus Samantha?” “Who’s Samantha?”

“My pr ē ciôus crab yoú f ōo l.” “A crab! Where? Is it on me!?”

At this point Vérónika could hear the terrified screams of the boy she was trapped with. She was just worried about her sweet Samantha. She had to keep looking for her even if it was pitch black underneath the fabric that she was tangled up in. She fumbled her way around as she tried to find a way out. Her fingertips brushed along each surface of the material but failed to come across the rough texture of her beloved Samantha, who was in fact clinging onto the side of the parachute still alive and intact.

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Chapter 4: Unexpected Parachute Game

“Ugggg! Urggahhhaa!” Vérónika grunt loudly as she tried to army crawl out from under the parachute that strapped her to the ground. It felt pointless. Each time she brought her arm up to pull herself out, the parachute fabric kept blocking her way and getting trapped under her arms. But a lumpy piece of fabric was not going to stop her. “ahhh,” she sighed as she inhaled a breath of fresh air. Once she slipped out from the parachute, she assisted Vector out as well even though she was still frustrated about the possibility that he squashed her beloved Samantha. She searched for her regardless, running around frantically yelling, “Samantha, Samantha!” “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to squash you and your crab Vérónika,” he said miserably while following her around. “What were you even doing parachuting into a mall? Did you not think about what could happen? Imagine if there were people here and you fell on them. Numerous people could have been injured because you didn’t think about what you were doing! How often do you even skydive, because you have a nametag that says your name and why do you even need that anyway?!” Vérónika yelled with rage, leaving Vector silent amid the echoes ringing through the mall.

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“Sorry,” she said after a couple paces, “I didn’t mean to get so angry at you. It’s just I loved my crab, and she always helped me make decisions and the pressure of designing this shopping centre is intense... but that’s not a good enough reason to yell like that.” “I understand. I can help you with the decision making if that helps,” he said enthusiastically. “Okay, follow me.” She led him one way but a beam that Vector’s planned fall had toppled over was blocking their path.

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Chapter 5: So Turns Out I’m Afraid Of Crabs

The blocked path was not much of a challenge. Instead, Vérónika led him to another section with all sorts of materials lying around on the ground and on makeshift tables. Vector watched as she walked over to a table in the far corner, which was by far the messiest table with things that looked like tanks on top. She walked towards him with her hands closed, which he found weird because who walks with their hands closed in front of them? “Open your hands.” “Why?” Vector asked, slightly concerned. “Trust me. Open your hands and close your eyes if you’re scared.” Vector slowly closed his eyes and outstretched his hand.

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He felt Vérónika’s hands brush his own and felt a tingling sensation in his hand that made him cringe. The face he made must have been funny as he heard Vérónika violently exhaling in front of him. “Now open your eyes.” He did and his eyes fell to look at a mini soldier crab in is hand. His jaw dropped. He fell back like a log. “Vector, are you still alive?” she asked curiously. She slightly poked his shoulder and chest and continued asking questions as she began to get concerned. “Uuuhh…What happened?” “This is Geoff,” she told him. The creature was, thankfully, back in Vérónika’s hand. “He also helps me make decisions.” “Guess I’m scared of soldier crabs,” he chuckled awkwardly. “No judgement. Doorknobs freak me out.” “But you’re an interior designer.” “It’s good. It gives me opportunities to face my fears, how else are you supposed to grow? Plus, I might be the one to invent some other way to open a door. Who knows, that’s the beauty of life.” “I never thought of it like that.” “And that’s what communication is for. Now come on, help me choose the lights.” Vérónika helped Vector up and took him to a table with a small sample of white LED lights and a small version of a gold chandelier. She gingerly plopped Geoff onto the desk and talked to him. He stood still for a while as if registering the question of which light he preferred for the mall before he started to shuffle towards the gold chandelier. “What do you think?” Vérónika asked over her shoulder. “The crab is right. The gold light is more suitable. It gives a softer vibe and the gold will match the flowers out there. Geoff probably moved to it because it’s shiny.” “There are no such things as coincidences. Gold it is.”

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Chapter 6: It Was A Dark And Stormy Day

Without warning, the light above trembled unsteadily. Vector shuddered as it flickered out, leaving him in almost complete darkness with the eccentric designer. As if things couldn’t get any worse, a booming clap announced the arrival of thunder. Hordes of rain vigorously pounded the walls of the shopping centre, pouring freely through the open roof – drenching Vérónika and Vector. Vérónika scoffed. “Where was that parachute of yours?” Vector motioned to where the colourful canopy lay draped on the floor. Without words, the two mutually decided to head under the parachute. Vector dangled the awning across a bench, the fabric forming a stylish fort. At least it would provide protection against the relentless rain. As the two scuttled underneath the parachute, Vérónika suddenly felt something brush against her arm. She looked down. Her eyes lit up and a smile tugged at her mouth as Samantha looked up at her. Unharmed, untouched, the bubbly soldier crab clicked her claw at Vérónika. Vérónika felt her heart lift as she gently whispered an ode to the pale blue crab at her side.

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Oh Samantha! You have survived the impossible, you cunning child! Why art thou so wonderful? Thou art faster than a tsunami yet more wise than an owl Oh Samantha! I will never forsake thou ever again May thou forever prosper and never falter. “Hey, can we get something to eat?” Vector interrupted. Vérónika shot a glare towards Vector, then sighed. “I sûppose wé could,” Vérónika agreed. Rushing outwards from the parachute, Vérónika cradled Samantha in her hands as they dashed through the rain-soaked mall. They trudged down the escalator, careful not to skid on the slithery steps. For a moment Vector lost his footing and nearly slipped, but Vérónika smoothly caught him by his backpack. “Thanks,” Vector muttered under his breath, unsure if Vérónika even heard him. Now on the lower level of the shopping centre, the two were sheltered from the wrath of the rain. They approached a backlit light that displayed the pulsating green letters, Woolworth’s. “Actually...” Vector mumbled. “I’m not hungry enough to eat there.” Vérónika shrugged off his indecisiveness. Come to think of it, she wasn’t that hungry either. She spun back around, her high heels squeaking on the damp tile floor. Vector in tow, the two headed back to the parachute to wait out the persistent rain.

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Chapter 7: When You’re Stuck in a Room with a Stranger

Boom, boom, bang! Thunder sounded throughout the shopping centre. The whistling of the wind echoed in their ears and the rain dribbled onto the parachute that was sheltering them. An awkward silence drifted into the air. “umm so...,” Vérónika finally decided to ask what she was pondering, “what actually happened? I mean like how in the world did you end up landing here?” Vector stayed silent; he had a pained expression on his face. Vérónika realised she had said something wrong. Uncomfortable with the silence and a little confused, Vérónika blurted out, “I-I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to... um are you ok? You look a little sad.” Vector sighed, “I’m sorry, I want to tell you, but I just don’t know if you’ll be able to understand...” Vérónika patted vector on the shoulder, “It’s ok, you can tell me, I'm here for you.”

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Little drops of sadness filled Vectors eyes and streamed down his cheek. “I just don’t know what to do, I-I feel like I'm such a disappointment, if I can’t even skydive properly, how could I make my dad proud? I feel like such a failure.” Veronica sighed; she knew this feeling all too well. “Vector listen, your best is enough you don’t need to do anything else. You are enough.” As Vector’s tears dried, so too did the rain abate.

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Chapter 8: She Can Summon Crabs???????

As the rain trickled to a halt, Vérónika and Vector stepped out into the atrium. The first thing Vérónika noticed was that her crab rave cave was empty. She drew her fingers to her lips and let out a piercing whistle . Vector flinched. “What was that for?” he asked, slightly offended. “I’m summoning my crabs, duh.” “Summoning your-!” Suddenly, the thunderous rattling of hundreds of legs reached his awareness. From out of the gloom emerged a river of soldier crabs, quickly surrounding them. Two soldier crabs climbed onto Veronika's shoulder – Geoff and Samantha, the king and queen, clicking their claws at the assembly. Vérónika squinted into the gloom. “Wait, where’s the beam that was blocking our escape?!” She exclaimed. Geoff snapped his claws impatiently by her ear. “Oh, did you guys do this while we hiding from the rain? That’s so sweet, thanks! Now we can escape. I don’t think I’ll be coming back here anytime soon.” Vector nodded wordlessly, strangely silent.

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Stopping to return the soldiers to their crab rave cave, and wheeling it before them, Vérónika sashayed towards the exit, Vector trudging along behind her. She pulled from her voluminous pink feather boa the keys to her black 2015 Roush Mustang. The lights flashed briefly as she unlocked it, blinding Vector.

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Chapter 9: Driving Off Into The Sunset Isn’t As Easy As It Sounds

Vector stood awkwardly to the side, hands in pockets, hair damp, looking disconsolate. Vérónika raised a perfectly defined eyebrow at him. “What are you waiting for? Get in, Vector,” she said. He looked up, startled. “Is this a kidnapping??????? I’m not your child?????? Why would I get in the car??????” he replied, confused. “You think I’d let you walk around by yourself after you skydived into a recently renovated shopping centre? Somehow managing to fall through one of the intermittent skylights? Yeah, nah.” He straightened up, indignant. “I don’t need babysitting! Besides, you can’t tell me what to do, you’re not my mum!” he snapped, offended, and turned to storm off. He reared back, startled, as Vérónika appeared suddenly before him. Momentarily confused, he stuttered to a halt.

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“Don’t you take another step young man!” Vérónika demanded. “I’ve grown too attached to you so now for your safety you must come with me and my soldier crabs. I’m going to adopt you, since your parents obviously don’t care about your well-being.” Stunned, Vector blinked away tears. “You mean you don’t think my presence is a burden?” he said, unsteadily. Frowning, Vérónika stepped forward and hesitantly placed a perfectly manicured hand on his shoulder. “Of course not,” she murmured, “you are a delight to have around, and you’ve got a good heart. Anyone who says you’re a burden doesn’t deserve your préséncé.” “Oh,” Vector said softly. “Thanks. I uh, don’t really want to go back to my parents so I guess I’ll go with you? If that’s still ok?” Vérónika bared her teeth in a grin. “óf cóûrse! I have a couple roòms bóoked at the Underground Motel, we can be there by Sunday.” And they drove off into the Sunset. Finally.

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An impulsive skydiver with a fear of crabs takes a tumble into the newly renovated section of a mysterious shopping centre. Encountering an eccentric interior designer with a loyal army of soldier crabs, the two must put aside their differences in search of a way out. Along the way they may find that they have more in common than they might have thought, under the wrathful gaze of a suspicious Air Dancer. Recommended for ages 10 – 13.

The must-read book of 2020! – The next-door neighbour A fantastic roller-coaster of emotions – Man on a train Woof Woof woof WOOF woof BARK – the dog over the road

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