Meet the Characters
Erika
Erika dodged low branches as she sprinted through the forest. Those Vikings wanted the precious rod she’d stolen from them.
She ran faster, then skidded to a stop. Pebbles skittered. They sprayed over a cliff edge. She scowled at the cliff, and at herself for taking a wrong turn. The Vikings drew their swords and closed in.
Erika peeked over the edge. A farmer sat beside a hay pile, milking a cow. From this height, he was smaller than an ant.
Cliff in front; Vikings behind. Decision time.
Erika hurled the rod off the cliff. Then she jumped after it.
Finch told everyone his nickname. He told people he’d only just met. Sometimes, he forgot to tell people his real name. He just called himself Finch. His real name was Adam Bird. Adam was a skinny kid. He wore these big glasses. They were too big for his face and they made his eyes look larger than they actually were.
One day, a kid in first class called him Finch and the nickname stuck. The class had been looking at pictures of birds. The teacher held up a picture of a finch, and the kid had yelled out, ‘Hey, that looks like Adam!’
Finch
Karl
Karl was worried. On a scale of zero to ten, it was an eleven. He knew he should focus on something more important, like making friends. Or his footy tackling. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to forget the worry. The more he tried to forget it, the more it kept coming back.
Other kids had worries. Some worried about doing well in tomorrow’s math quiz. Sam, a boy in Karl’s class, was Marshton School’s representative at the State Spelling Bee next month. If anyone should be worried, Sam should.
Karl had no-one he could talk to about his worry. And that made him worry more.
Ulf was a Viking. He was in charge of a large Viking clan. A clan that sailed on longships to distant places. They did this partly to find out what was there, but mainly to loot and steal stuff from the people who lived there.
Ulf’s Vikings didn’t start out that way. Vikings started out as peaceful farmers. Some, like Ulf, were worried their lands were going to be taken from them. So, Ulf decided to strike first. There are times to strike and times to sit back and chill. Ulf wasn’t into chilling.
Loki lived in Asgard. He was a god, an ice giant, and Thor’s half-brother. Loki caused trouble; other gods called him the Trickster.
Anders Frost was a teacher. He was so good at his job, he was promoted to Principal of Marshton Public School. The same school Karl, Finch and Erika attended.
Ulf
Brain Box
School is back here in Australia. Everyone has returned to their work, school, chores and thinking routine.
Are we getting a grip on deep thinking? A lot goes on inside your head when you think. Of course, you can’t feel it. Not like you feel your muscles working when you kick a footy.
It might surprise you, but the simple act of kicking a football involves a lot of decision-making.