Winner: A dream

It was a rainy day. I had my dinner early and said goodnight to my mother and father. I was tired and sleepy and went to bed early.

While I was asleep, I heard someone call my name in a friendly manner. I felt someone holding my hand and saw a fairy. She had a pair of wings and a magic wand.

When she asked me whether I wish to go to a fairy land? I said “Yes”. She waved her majic wand three times and I was able to fly with her. We flew over the clouds and soon we were in the fairy land.

“Don’t touch anything” she told me. I agreed but forgot and touched some flowers, which I had never seen before. Suddenly, I fell into a deep dark world. I cried aloud and then felt my mother’s touch.

Navindya Pawani,
Grade 8,
Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya,
Kurunegala.

Winner: My garden

My house is in a beautiful garden. It is a small garden. My mother planted many flowers. I sweep the garden and water daily.

Birds and butterflies come to the garden. There are different plants. There is also fish pond in my garden. I keep my garden clean and beautiful.

H.A. Tharushi Navodya,
MR/Bamunugama Maha Vidyalaya.

Winner: Christmas – the main festival of Christians

Christmas is the main feast for Christians. It is celebrated on December 25 each year. Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Christians all over the world eagerly await this great day. On Christmas eve they go for midnight mass to churches in their new clothes. Some go for morning church services.

Christmas carols are also sung everywhere. Gift packs and food parcels are distributed among the poor. Small children are given toys by their relatives or family friends. Santa Claus is synonymous with Christmas.

A common sight is the crib in each house, decorated Christmas trees laden with gifts and stars twinkling outside.

People of all faiths enjoy this festival of peace. Christmas is a great festive season as it brings joy and happiness to people all over the world.

Pravesha de Silva,
Grade 9,
Good Shepherd Convent,
Panadura.

Winner: Sigiriya

Sigiriya, a tourist attraction was named the eighth wonder of the world by UNESCO. There is a very interesting story behind Sigiriya. About fifteen centuries ago, King Dhathusena ruled Anuradhapura. He had two sons, Kashyapa and Moggallana. Moggalana was the eldest. Kashyapa wanted to become king after his father. He captured his father with the help of the senpathis Moggallan and fled to India.

Eighteen years later Moggalana came with a powerful army. Kashyapa descended the rock fortress bravely. On the way he came across a muddy pool and made his elephant go in another direction. Kashyapa’s army ran away. He was ashamed and killed himself by slitting his throat with his sword.

Chamodya Deshani,
Grade 9A,
St John’s Girls’ School,
Panadura.

Winner: Annual educational tour

The annual educational tour is an important event in our school calendar. We left school on Friday at 6.30 a.m. to go to Koggala. Most of the grade eight students joined the trip. There were six buses. We clapped and sang songs on the way. Some of my friends had brought musical instruments. We shared sandwiches, biscuits and shorteats while travelling.

On our way, we saw the ‘Turtle Hatchery’. I was sad to see the disabled turtles in big tanks. Some had been disabled due to the tsunami in 2004 and are being treated. When the turtle eggs are hatched, the baby turtles are looked after well. They are released to the sea after some time.

We reached Koggala, the birthplace of Martin Wickramasinghe. We also visited his ancestral home. It is now a museum. We saw his writing table and many more items such as ‘Sekkuwa’, ‘Ambalama’ and ‘Viveka Uyana’ added colour to the environment.

We had lunch in the garden under shady trees. We set off on our journey back to school around 5 p.m. Our parents were waiting for us eagerly. I gained much knowledge and enjoyed the trip to Koggala very much.

G.L.D. Bedani Shashini Nisansala,
Grade 8-D,
Sri Dharmaloka M.M.V.,
Kelaniya.

My best friend

My best friend is Tharushi. She lives in Horapavita. She enjoys eating ice-cream. She does not like bananas and cannot swim. She has one sister and one brother. Her hobby is reading story books. She is beautiful. The rose is her favourite flower. She has long hair and can run fast. I love my best friend.

R. Hiruni Sansala,
MR/Bamunugama M.V.
Bamunugama,
Horapavita.

My trip to Abu Dhabi

Have your cherished dreams come true? Perhaps some would have. Air travel is an exciting mode of transport. August 20, 2015 was a day filled with hope and joy. I was looking forward to travel by air and I was happy to travel with my mother. We packed our luggage and left for the Colombo International Airport, Katunayake in the evening. A large number of people were going to different destinations. It was a sight to behold!

There were many large aircraft on the runway. The UL207 was unique.

An air hostess welcomed the passengers. I was lucky to get a seat near a window. My mother sat next to me. Before the plane was airborne we were advised about our safety. We landed at the Abu Dhabi airport. United Arab Emirates officials warmly welcomed us.

We went to Khalifa city, where my father lives. It was a nice location.

Our first trip was to the Ferrari World. It is located in Yas island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Ferrari world is the world’s largest indoor theme park. It was an amazing place with many attractions. The Ferrari world is popular because of the world’s fastest roller coaster, Formula Rossa. We saw models of Ferrari cars. ‘Flying over Italy’ was another unique experience. In the evening, we waited for the biggest Roller Coaster. There was a long queue.

I was not scared because my mother was close to me. The roller coaster reached a high point through a giant track and it made a strange noise, It didn’t take even five minutes to complete one round. The roller coaster maintains the speed of light and in a few seconds we were on the ground. The Ferrari world is a large money-making company.

The Al Ain Zoo was another enjoyable place. The large zoo has endemic species. It is in the foothills of the Jebel Hafeet mountain in Al Ain. The animals had enough freedom here. There was enough space for them to live and there was an attractive environment with waterfalls and ponds. There were different animal species such as white lion, Pumas, black and spotted leopards, jaguars and monkey compounds.

Our last two days too were exciting. We visited a nice park and huge shopping malls. We enjoyed shopping. Returning to Sri Lanka was emotional as I had to bid farewell to my father.

I gained much experience during my trip to Abu Dhabi. I enjoyed myself thanks to my father. It was a fantastic trip.

Lakshi Himansa Pushpalal,
Grade 10G,
Southlands College, Galle.