TOM KAUPA
I had a dream the other night that I was sitting by a beautiful creek. And I watched the water flowing slowly down the stream.
I saw all kinds of plants growing near the river. There were trees, ferns and wild flowers.
I was sitting under a big Yomba (cedar) tree on the bank of the river.
The place was cool and peaceful and the birds were singing sweetly in the trees.
The gentle breeze made me want to sleep.
Suddenly the water started turning and I saw some legs. They looked like a monster’s legs but covered with thick long hair. I wondered what it could be.
As I eagerly watched, the water started to bubble.
I looked into the bubbling water and something that looked like a head was slowly rising up.
I could see big bulging eyes staring at me. A pink tongue poked out and tasted the air.
The tongue was as long as a baby’s arm and was swirling and darting in and out of the huge mouth like a snake.
The jaws were like a huge clamp and were full of long sharp teeth ready to snap up its prey.
Soon the monster’s gigantic and strong shoulders rose from the depth of the water.
Its giant arms then came into full view. Finally the whole body emerged from the water and it looked like a human being but was covered in scales like a crocodile.
The monster sprang towards me with its mouth wide open.
I jumped in fright and sat up.
The monster had disappeared. There was no river and no trees.
I was in my bed.
Tom, 13, from Gumine in Simbu Province is the youngest entrant in this year’s Crocodile Prize. He is in Grade 7 at Gon-Kambua Primary School and says he’s “very interested to be a writer”