Denham Hall
Now Rickmansworth Young Ladies College
Senior Writing Competition
Another subject discussed after lights-out that surfaced regularly was the choice of career we had in mind on leaving college.
Tamsin’s inputs I think were more of shock value rather than desire. For instance, the desire to be a container ship captain or joining the SAS. I just cannot take her seriously. I initially wanted to be father’s secretary or a vet, but that all changed when I won the Senior Writing Competition set by Miss Pringle, the english teacher, so now I will become a famous writer.
It was an open competition with no set subject, so I chose to write a Children’s Picture Book Story. It is now in hard copy form on A4 paper thus it will remain forever in the annals of contemporary literature. I will ‘chronicle’ it here.
‘Chronicle’ - that’s a good word, by the way, might use that more often. I am hoping it will be reviewed by the Rickmansworth Writers Guild. I might try to continue writing fantasy as it is where Tamsin seems to think my mind dwells most of the time.
I trust the Watford Observer is notified by the college of the efforts of this budding, exciting new author. They may even request a face to face interview. Hopefully my manuscript will be passed onto the Guardian Newspaper for an in-depth review by their book reviewer, Rupert Tarquin-Jones, and discussed on his TV programme.
Baker Walker-Brown of the London Times might wax lyrical pointing out Ms Bridgette Campbell’s new novel, Moonbeam and Deirdre, is an example of the finest writing yet to come from the pen of Ms Campbell. Her work has been described as ‘soul-searching and poignant; a statement of the times’. Oops, I am getting a little carried away here.
Tamsin Lacey eat your heart out. My children’s picture book story follows. It is called Moonbeam and Deirdre. I wrote father and mother into the story. They will be pleased. I am hoping a book signing deal is not out of the question or fame resulting from the fruits of my work.
Deirdre is a Dragon. 886 words, Font size 11. Script Calibri body.
Moonbeam and Deirdre
Lord and Lady Campbell lived at Dunroamin Castle. They had a very attractive daughter named Miss Moonbeam.
Lady Delilah wanted to name her firstborn Persimmon but Lord Campbell said not only was it a silly name it would be difficult for the child to spell so they called her Moonbeam instead.
Now Miss Moonbeam had a pet Dragon named Deirdre. Deirdre had been shunned by the other Dragons because, well firstly she had a lisp and secondly she was so timid she would not breathe fire and smoke.
The Dragon appeared one day sitting outside of the main gates of the castle making awful noises. After a couple of days the gardener could not stand it anymore and let her in and took her to Lord Campbell.
Moonbeam asked if she could keep her and Lord Campbell agreed. The following day after a ceremony officiated by Moonbeam and witnessed by the castle’s dog Rover saw the dragon officially adopted into the family with the name Deirdre.
Lord and Lady Campbell lived at Dunroamin Castle. They had a very attractive daughter named Miss Moonbeam.
Lady Delilah wanted to name her firstborn Persimmon, but Lord Campbell said not only was it a silly name it would be difficult for the child to spell so they called her Moonbeam instead.
Now Miss Moonbeam had a pet Dragon named Deirdre. Deirdre had been shunned by the other dragons because, well firstly she had a lisp and secondly she was so timid she would not breathe fire and smoke.
The dragon appeared one day sitting outside of the main gates of the castle making awful noises. After a couple of days the gardener could not stand it anymore and let her in and took her to Lord Campbell.
Moonbeam asked if she could keep her and Lord Campbell agreed. The following day, after a ceremony officiated by Moonbeam and witnessed by the castle’s dog Rover, saw the dragon officially adopted into the family with the name Deirdre.
Lord Campbell called in the local dragon expert to assess Deidre’s age. He estimated her to be around 14,000 years old. Miss Moonbeam, after studying Deirdre’s teeth and claws, put her closer to 18 months old and wondered if she was being missed by her parents.
Dragon Deirdre spent the long summer days in the walled garden chasing butterflies and sleeping.
One morning Miss Moonbeam awoke and found, to her horror, she was covered in a red rash. Lady Delilah rang the doctor. “Doctor, Doctor. I think Moonbeam has the measles”.
Dragon Deirdre came in from the garden also covered in a rash. We all know dragons do not catch measles.
The doctor examined Miss Moonbeam and Deirdre and soon realized Dragon Deirdre was suffering from stress which, with dragons, was infectious and she had infected Miss Moonbeam.
The Doctor covered Miss Moonbeam all over in a special red cream for treating people infected by stressed-out dragons, a cream she always kept in the surgery and it seemed to work. Dragon Deirdre was to rest.
It was a week later Dragon Deirdre showed all the symptoms of a cold with watery eyes, a runny nose and sneezing. Miss Moonbeam suggested to her father that she was probably just a sickly dragon. Father said she has just caught a cold in her chest which will pass and to not worry.
Lady Delilah asked Miss Moonbeam not to allow Dragon Deirdre to sleep with her on the bed as the maids are complaining she claws at the bed-clothes in her sleep………….… that’s Deirdre not Moonbeam.
By now the villagers were used to seeing Miss Moonbeam taking Deirdre to the shops in the village when running errands for her parents. One Sunday morning Moonbeam asked her parents if Deirdre could accompany them to church.
The vicar had already agreed as long as Deirdre did not upset the church service. The only distraction was when the people fidgeted and turned round in their seats to see who was snoring during the vicar’s sermon. Yes it was Dragon Deirdre again. It was something that the Campbell’s were going to have to get used to.
One day Miss Moonbeam asked her mother, Lady Delilah, if she could take Dragon Deirdre to school for ‘show and tell’. This was not a problem and Beecham the chauffeur was told to make sure Deirdre wore a seat belt in the car.
During ‘show and tell’, when the teacher was not looking, the hated classroom bully amused himself by flicking rolled up pieces of paper with an elastic band at Deirdre. The dragon glowered back.
Throughout the morning lessons Deirdre lay on the floor by Moonbeam’s feet and every now and again she would break into snoring….. that’s Deirdre, not Moonbeam, and the other children would start sniggering.
Miss Pringle’s attention would be drawn from the blackboard and she would glare crossly at Moonbeam who would lightly tap Deirdre in her side with her foot and the snoring would stop……well for a while.
Dragons were not common at Moonbeam’s school. In fact, she was a first. Moonbeam embellished the story to the other schoolchildren that Dragon Deirdre was given to her by a wizard she met in a field.
It was also a day the school bully never forgot. Jealous of Moonbeam’s attention he walked up to Moonbeam and her sleeping dragon during the lunch break and kicked Deirdre lightly in her side asking “and where did you find the stupid dragon then?”
Deirdre reared up to her full 7 feet, looked down and directed a well-aimed flame that singed the bully’s hair. He ran screaming across the playground never to bother Moonbeam again.
As Miss Moonbeam went to meet Beecham she overheard one boy asking of his friend “who is that incredibly attractive girl with the dragon”? Yes, it had been a wonderful day.
The story goes that a male dragon turned up at nearby Ruthin Castle. Lady Delilah said to her husband “are you thinking what I am thinking?” A week later a letter arrived from Ruthin Castle informing Lord Campbell that, although they appreciated their very kind offer, one dragon was more than enough in any household and pointed out, and quite rightly so, that over time one plus one can equal more than two.
Bridgette Campbell, Sixth Form. Denham Hall.
