Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Fight or Flight
    Fight or Flight
    Fight or Flight
    Ebook125 pages1 hour

    Fight or Flight

    By David Vernon

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    "Meg works her way down into her new sleeping bag and smiles to herself. It was a good find. She found it in the Salvos. Someone must have given it to them because the zip broke, but it’s fine. Not as good as the doona on her bed at home, maybe, but fine all the same. She is safe here. She giggles at that thought. Most people would think home would be safer than the streets by a long way. They’d be wrong. Here she has Jack lying beside her, rolled up in his blanket. He won’t let anything bad happen to her, here on the street, in the shop doorway. He’s a barrier between her and the late night crowds. A couple of teenagers stop to look at them, whispering to each other. “Nah,” one says. “Nothing worth taking.” And they move on."
    — From "The Scream" by Jackie Tritt

    "Did you know that two hundred and seventy eight bacteria are exchanged during a single kiss? The number flashes in my mind like a strobe light at a dance party. When he leans in I taste bubblegum on his breath. Grape, I think, when I shouldn’t be thinking anything. I should just be feeling, but all I can see is the number two hundred and seventy eight in bold print on a page of my magazine and it’s unbearable."
    — From "Lucky Number" by Jemma van de Nes

    Twenty award-winning short stories from the Stringybark Young Adult Short Fiction Award showcase some of the best contemporary YA authors writing today. From sharks and skateboards to religion and romance, these stories illustrate the breadth and depth of what interests today's teenagers.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDavid Vernon
    Release dateMar 11, 2013
    ISBN9781301306718
    Fight or Flight
    Author

    David Vernon

    I am a freelance writer and editor. I am father of two boys. For the last few years I have focussed my writing interest on chronicling women and men’s experience of childbirth and promoting better support for pregnant women and their partners. Recently, for a change of pace, I am writing two Australian history books. In 2014 I was elected Chair of the ACT Writers Centre.In 2010 I established the Stringybark Short Story Awards to promote the short story as a literary form.

    Related to Fight or Flight

    Related ebooks

    Children's Short Stories For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      READER Reviews

      Apr 8, 2020

      One of my favourite parts of this book is the map because it maps out the routes that all the female adventurers took. Each of the women went on their own adventures and through this book, I got to explore with them. Most of the time, the journeys we

      5 min read

    • Article

      Tales Of A black Mermaid

      Aug 12, 2022

      Tales Of A black Mermaid
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Visitors

      Mar 1, 2023

      The Visitors
      4 min read

    • Article

      My Secret Life As A MERMAID

      Aug 3, 2022

      My Secret Life As A MERMAID
      2 min read

    • Article

      Dear DOCTOR

      Jun 4, 2021

      Dear Reading Doctor, I live near the sea and I always go walking along the beach with my dog. The last time we were there, my dog found a piece of shiny marble. I thought that it was just an old stone, but then my sister told me that there are some

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Silence of Witches

      Dec 10, 2019

      The Silence of Witches
      6 min read

    • Article

      My Story “How An Injured Dolphin Helped Me Heal”

      Jun 15, 2022

      As he slides under my palm my fingers brush against his cool skin, which feels as soft as the finest mulberry silk. I’m weightless, suspended, my feet can’t touch the ground. I tread water to keep afloat. As I awkwardly bob, the wild dolphin dives, s

      4 min read

    • Article

      Identity Crisis

      Nov 15, 2021

      Identity Crisis
      6 min read

    • Article

      Ricko’s Not-so-modern Life

      Dec 11, 2018

      Ricko DeWilde steps off of a small wooden boat on the Nenana River and onto dry land. The steep, muddy ridge he must ascend to continue our goose hunt is too tall for him to see over the top, but it’s not too tall to climb. He eyes it warily. “I don’

      8 min read

    • Article

      Concerning The Future Of Souls

      Mar 19, 2024

      As a toddler she had caused a sensation in her family when she announced she wanted to live in a little hole like the ant. Not an ant, the ant. This might have been misheard. She was an easygoing child, not particularly thoughtful and stubbornly inar

      13 min read

    • Article

      It Takes Blood And Guts

      Nov 21, 2020

      I’m sitting on Skin’s terrace in Ibiza, soaking up the late summer sunshine via the magic of the internet. It’s the closest I’ve come to travel since the start of the panny danny and looking out my window at the dark Edinburgh sky, I’ll take all the

      6 min read

    • Article

      Shiloh

      Jun 20, 2023

      Shiloh
      4 min read

    • Article

      Making Waves

      Apr 21, 2022

      Making Waves
      4 min read

    • Article

      Pale Blue Dot

      Jun 28, 2021

      Pale Blue Dot
      3 min read

    • Article

      Five Poems

      Jul 1, 2018

      Without the adventof Stockholm Syndrome,how could I havelearned to love myself so much? I’m asking Godand New York, can anyonehelp me? (An all-but-audible “or else.”) The captain’s chair:it’s beginning to smella little too much like me. Again.But the

      4 min read

    • Article

      Two Wave Hold-down

      Oct 3, 2018

      Two Wave Hold-down
      4 min read

    • Article

      My Brief (Doomed) Surfing Days

      Jul 27, 2017

      My Brief (Doomed) Surfing Days
      13 min read

    • Article

      Just Say Yes

      Jan 1, 2022

      Just Say Yes
      5 min read

    • Article

      Under The Sea

      Dec 9, 2021

      Under The Sea
      4 min read

    • Article

      A SOFT Purgatory

      May 31, 2019

      A SOFT Purgatory
      9 min read

    • Article

      What Lies beneath

      Sep 29, 2022

      What Lies beneath
      3 min read

    • Article

      Trun The Tide

      Nov 6, 2020

      Trun The Tide
      9 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Fight or Flight

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Fight or Flight - David Vernon

      Fight or Flight

      Twenty award-winning stories from the

      Stringybark Young Adult Short Fiction Awards

      Edited by

      David Vernon

      Selected by

      Georgia Crocker, Michael Vernon, Kerry Johnstone and David Vernon

      Published by Stringybark Publishing

      PO Box 464, Hall, ACT 2618, Australia

      http://www.stringybarkstories.net

      Smashwords edition first published 2013

      Copyright: This revised collection, David Vernon, 2018

      Copyright: Individual stories, the authors, various.

      These are works of fiction and unless otherwise made clear, those mentioned in these stories are fictional characters and do not relate to anyone living or dead.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this editor and the authors of these stories.

      Contents

      Introduction — David Vernon

      Teeth Marks — Aleesah Darlison

      Short Cut — Jacqui Halpin

      Logic — Michael Wilkinson

      Across the Ocean — Becky Hunter

      Bat on a Stick — Angie Holst

      Scars — Jemma van de Nes

      Mendel’s Coffee House — Amy de Jong

      The Scream — Jackie Tritt

      Lucky Number — Jemma van de Nes

      Fight or Flight — Dzintra Boyd

      Sucker Punch — Chris Westlake

      The Creeping Darkness — Amy de Jong

      Focus — Michael Wilkinson

      The Fear of Flying Salmon — Peter Court

      McIntryre’s Beach — Chris Ringrose

      Will-o’-the-Wisp — Raelene Purtill

      Under the Same Sky — Dalankar

      The Next Big Thing — Rosemary Perry

      Shelby and Darcy — Elizabeth Marsh

      Fisherman’s Friend — Holly Bruce

      The Stringybark Young Adult Short Fiction Awards 2013

      About the Judges

      Acknowledgements

      Introduction

      — David Vernon

      Young Adult fiction is defined as fiction suitable for children between the ages of twelve and seventeen. Immediately a problem can be seen. A story suitable for a twelve year-old is not necessarily of interest to a seventeen year old. As a father of two teenagers, it is very clear to me that an inordinate amount of intellectual and social development goes on during these years and so it is a huge challenge for authors to write stories that resonate with children over such a wide age range. And yet I think the judges have succeeded in selecting stories that do resonate with this group of young people.

      Joining the adults on the judging panel we were lucky enough to have two young adults, Georgia Crocker and Michael Vernon (yes, my son) who are smack bang in the middle of the YA age range. They, and the other judges, read over one hundred entries in order to pick these twenty stories showcased here that so well fit the YA genre.

      Adults find it tempting to choose stories that have a moral and provide ‘an education’ to young people. Young adults are not averse to this, providing that the moral is neither sugar-coated nor patronizing and has a level of gritty realism that appeals to them.

      While these stories are written for the YA audience, they are also engaging for adults. They give an insight into the YA world and exemplify the trials, challenges, victories and triumphs of young people. Have a read and be impressed with the scope and quality of stories written by these Australian and international authors.

      David Vernon

      Judge and Editor

      Stringybark Stories

      March 2013

      Teeth Marks

      — Aleesah Darlison

      Tilby curled her toes in the hot sand of Avalon Beach, studying the waves as they looped towards the shore. She hitched her surfboard higher under her arm and flicked her hair, tossing her black ringlets off her eyes. It had been twelve months since she’d stepped onto the sand. A year since she’d had the courage to face the water.

      What if it happens again? What if I have to kick and scream and fight to save my life once more? I don’t know if I can do it.

      Tilby dropped her surfboard and plonked onto the sand, thrusting her head between her knees and forcing air into her lungs. She didn’t care who saw her and what looks they threw at her. Slowly, her mind settled and her hands steadied.

      Life hadn’t been the same since The Taking. She hadn’t been the same. Funny, how one moment can change your life.

      Wobbling to her feet, Tilby snatched her surfboard up. She reminded herself this was her idea as she plodded towards the waves. She passed the terracotta-coloured surf club, weaving in and out of sunbakers sprawled on their towels, before splashing into the frothy surf.

      Welcome back, it said. Glad you came.


      Mummy, what’s wrong with that girl?
A boy and his mother paddled in the shallows.


      Shush! The mother hissed at him.
 Tilby forced herself to step over the dying waves until the ocean licked her knees. Her heart danced faster. Tilby had been surfing since she was ten. Half her lifetime. It should come easily to her now. Second nature. Second skin.

      Skin.

      Well, that was the thing. Her skin had changed these last few months. Once, she’d taken it for granted. Now she realised how precious skin was — even as scarred and puckered as hers was. Tilby slapped her chest on her board and paddled. It was impossible at first, but she soon worked up a rhythm.

      Panting, she scooted behind the waves where other riders hung on the water. She spun her board around to face the shore and sat up, her legs hanging in the water. Somehow, she resisted the temptation to draw them up on top of the board.

      There’s nothing there, she told herself. Just like when she was a little kid and thought monsters lurked beneath her bed.

      Tilby let her eyes savour the scene of the salt-and-pepper beach, the ocean pool, the towering Norfolk Island Pines. Her eyes shifted north to the headland with its cliff-top houses perched in rows, their window-eyes flashing in the sunlight.

      Her parents’ house was up there. It stuck out because Mum had insisted on painting it pink. Tilby had moved back there after The Taking.

      Mum hadn’t wanted her to come this morning.
Don’t go, Til. Please.


      I have to. Tilby had trotted out the door lugging her surfboard. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. The wind tapped impatiently on Tilby’s spine, reminding her where she was. She glanced at the other surfers, all guys. Then she spotted Rhys and her blood trickled to a stop in her veins. He paddled over, a grin splitting his face.

      Hey, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I’d have organised a welcoming committee to help out.

      I didn’t want to make a big deal of it. Tilby traced her finger around the mermaid painting on her board. And I don’t need help, by the way.

      Rhys pulled a face. I didn’t mean anything by it. So, you’re feeling okay?

      Good as expected. A wave curling behind them caught her eye. Here comes one. You’d better take it.

      Trying to get rid of me?

      Never.
Rhys grinned as he paddled away to catch the wave.
 He makes it look easy. It used to be like that for me, too. 
Rhys rode the wave until it petered out then jogged halfway up the beach and threw the board and himself down beside a girl in a blue bikini.
That used to be me, Tilby thought. Not any more.
The next wave that rolled in, Tilby attacked it. When she leapt onto the board the first time, she wobbled and shook. The wave dumped her. She had a moment of panic when she was underwater, when her ears filled with her heartbeat and the swirling, churning sea, but she managed to pull herself out of it. She surfaced with her lungs bursting and her lips slick with salt.

      Know what you’re doing, love? A grey-haired surfer paddled over to her.


      Fine, she snapped.


      Just don’t want to see you kill yourself, the old guy snorted, then disappeared on a wave.


      Hot with anger, Tilby threw herself at the next big one. Again, she was dumped.
Maybe this was a bad idea. She spat sand and seaweed out of her mouth. Maybe I never will get this balance thing back.

      Tilby kept trying. Finally, she rode a wave all the way in. Exhilarated, she turned and paddled straight back out again. Tilby surfed for ages. Being in the water was more healing than any operation, any doctor’s appointments or therapy sessions.

      She was still bursting with the joy of being back when a shadow in the water made her seize up. She was a kid again, terrified of the monster under her bed. But this one was real, wasn’t it? This one could eat her. Isn’t that why they called them ‘monsters of the deep’?

      What am I going to do? her panicked mind screamed.
Then he was beside her again. Like he’d always been. Like he’d never be again.

      You okay?

      Ah, yeah, Tilby panted, why wouldn’t I be? She tried to sound tough, but it didn’t work. Not when she looked and felt like a piece of soggy lettuce, clinging to her board with tears dribbling down her cheeks. Salt on salt.

      Oh, gee, I don’t know. Rhys frowned, eyeing her knowingly.

      Sorry, Tilby said. I thought I could do this.


      "You can, but probably not

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1