The Legend of Tom Trueheart

There have been wonderful responses to writing tasks set over the past few weeks, here is a flavour of what is coming back in.

The Legend of Tom Trueheart

A video produced by Colm

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The Legend of Tom Trueheart

by Aine

Imagine a vast country, peppered with cities and lakes and forests. Now move in closer, to a forest near the edge of the country. See the majestic trees and deep pools. Now move in closer… closer… until you come to the forest floor. Do you see it? That little speck, just over there? If you go in even closer, you’ll see it appears to be a little man, no bigger than your thumb. That little man’s name is Tom Trueheart, and he is the hero of this story.

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When you look at this miniature human the first thing you noticed might have been his ink black hair and eyes, the determined set of his chin, or his gleaming sword. However, the first thing you noticed was probably his size. He is roughly nine centimetres tall, and has been since an arae cursed him and stole his six brothers and their royal wives. She had come from the Land Of Dark Stories, and had returned there with her human cargo. Now he is going to save them with a highly polished sword he stole from the palace armory and no training whatsoever. Does anyone else see the problem here?


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Fifty kilometres away, her royal highness Princess Caprice Trueheart is whistling as she rides along a river bank. She is an Italian princess, has dancing brown eyes along with wild, curly brown hair, and is wearing a shirt and breeches. She is twenty years old, married to the only nice person in Tom’s entire family, and is the heroine of this story.


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Back to Tom. He has just decided that he is going to get nowhere walking and is currently trying to tame a song thrush so he can ride it to the Land of Dark Stories. This is not working out well for him.


“Get back here, you ridiculous bird!” said Tom angrily. His high breeding would never permit him to swear, although he was coming pretty close. After a brief tussle with the thrush, he managed to get on the bird’s back before proceeding to haughtily inform it that it’s name was Nincompoop. The newly named Nincompoop did not like this idea at all, and began to lift itself into the air. Now, Tom (unsurprisingly) had never flown before, and began to regret his decision when he saw the ground fall away beneath him. Ignoring his height, (or trying to) he then attempted to remember his geography lessons in the palace schoolroom, which was also a problem because Tom had been a terrible student who had paid no attention at all to his lessons, much to the exasperation of his unlucky tutor. Because of this he had no idea where he was going, which, by pure coincidence, was exactly on course for Princess Caprice.


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If Tom had known that song thrushes could fly in excess of five hundred kilometres a day, he almost certainly would have used this to his advantage. However, he did not know this and therefore Nincompoop flew pretty much as he liked, which, surprisingly, was still in the same direction as it had been before.


Now, if Nincompoop continued to fly in a straight line towards Princess Caprice, (which he did) and Princess Caprice continued to ride in a straight line towards Nincompoop,(which she did) then it was inevitable that they were going to meet eventually (which they did). This meeting came to be through a series of coincidental events, but was mainly initiated by Nincompoop pooing on her head. When she glanced up, as people who have recently felt an unexpected excrement on their heads are wont to do, Tom finally succumbed to gravity and fell off Nincompoop’s back, who flew joyously away before Tom could grab his feathers and haul himself back on. Caprice was one of those people who like to operate on instinct, so she instinctively put her hand out to catch the unidentified object falling from the sky. Once she caught him she lifted him up for a closer inspection (after wiping her head with a handkerchief).


“Oh, hello Tom,” she said cheerfully. “What are you doing, being that small?” This one question gives you a very accurate view of her entire sunny personality.


“I am this small because an arae cursed me when she carried off you and everyone else.” proclaimed Tom stiffly.


“You’re going to have to speak up, I can’t hear you.” explained Caprice, lifting him up to her ear. She listened attentively to him, and then politely inquired if he was talking about Cissy.


“Who?”asked Tom.

“Cissy was the arae who brought us to The Land of Stories.” She replied.

“You mean The Land of Dark Stories.”

“No, I definitely don’t.”

“Well, no matter. We must save them!”

“I assure you, they’re quite fine.”

“Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh!! I’m the hero here!” Tom exclaimed.

“Alright,” said Caprice with a shrug. “Get in my belt pouch so I don’t lose you.”


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It was a long, strenuous journey. They had to travel over rock, sand, snow, mud, and even ice, which was particularly difficult for Caprice’s horse, Wildflower. Tom stayed in the belt pouch, an arrangement he did not enjoy at all. It was not a fun expedition, and they were both glad when they arrived at the boat which would take them to the border of The Land of Dark Stories. Surprisingly, the fare was not too expensive, and they got on without trouble. It was when they were getting off which was the problem.


Tom had decided that he was in denial, and was going to act as though he was still normal sized. This meant leaving the belt pouch and sitting on Wildflower as though he was still a hundred and eighty centimetres tall. As you can imagine, this was a bit of a problem, although not the problem in question. The problem was when he began to walk down the narrow plank onto dry land. He had just started to pretend to be large, and had realized that an average sized man would need to walk toe to heel. He began to do this, and was getting along fine, when suddenly an unexpected boot hit him hard in the back, which happens quite a lot when you’re that small. Anyway, the boot kicked him and he went flying, just managing to grasp the edge of the plank. There he dangled, praying that Caprice would spot him before he fell to a watery grave….


Tom never remembered how long he was suspended there, hanging on with only his fingertips. However, he did remember that Caprice just managed to catch him when he had actually started to fall.

Caprice was walking down the plank when she saw something out of her eye. She dismissed it as nothing, and was about to continue on when something (probably curiosity) made her go back and look at it. It was at that precise moment Tom fell (for the second time that week) what to him would be a great height. Caprice leaned over and caught him, just in time. This was incredibly lucky, although he did hit her hand surprisingly hard.


Despite this incident, Tom continued to be in denial, much to the annoyance of Caprice (who wasn’t easily annoyed) because she would have to find him when he fell off Wildflower. He stayed like this until she threatened to turn around and go home. Tom was desperate to be a hero and if he had to accept he was small to do it then accept it he would. He got in the belt pouch (grumbling, but still).

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The legend of Tom Trueheart

by Kate

Tom must save his brothers from the witches castle. But there was only one problem……..

He was only the size of a thumb……….

One week had passed and Tom had been trying to make up a plan to get his brothers back. He was very tired because he did not get much sleep the night before, because he couldn't stop thinking about saving his brothers and how he was going to save them. Then he remembered that he was so small that no one could see him. For once he liked being small. He grabbed all his bags and started packing, then he called his pet mouse, put the bags on the mouse’s back and…... 

OH I almost forgot my sword. Got his sword and ran out of his little hole in the ground, jumped on the mouse’s back and set off towards the witches castle tower thing whatever it was, it was huge. {well to him it was} 

“Wait here,” he said, the mouse let out a high pitched squeak. He could understand what animals were saying. “Don’t worry ill be fine”. 

He squeezed under the door and oh my god there was a huge staircase no way could he get up there. Even worse it was a hard mossy stoney ground and torches going all the way up. He needed to come up with a plan, but what plan could he come up with? Grow big and climb the stairs with ease? It was a tower he should have known that there would be stairs in it. Then a dark black cat came trotting down the stairs…..

The cat's piercing green gaze was fixed on a rat eating something. Suddenly an idea shot into his head. He would jump onto its back and soon enough the cat would bring him to his brothers. He was afraid of rats. They were bigger than him. He couldn't keep his eyes off it. He wasn't looking where he was going…..

He had run into the cats foot!! How could he be so stupid!!! The cat jumped back in fright, and hissed. Then looked down to see what was going on. Then his piercing green eyes found him. He let out a mrrow of laughter, you are in my castle,he crept down and closer until he was a whisker away from him.” S-s-sor-ry did I hurt you”? ``he stammered. “No, you are too small to squash a flea”. He felt anger pulsing inside him. Every time someone commented on his size he got really mad. He ran up on the cat’sthen slid down its neck and landed on his back. The cat smiled and leaped really high, it was like the height of his brother's kitchen counter! He held on as tight as he could when the cat landed he went flying up. Then he came to this long pipe thing and there was a piece of timber going across it then he landed on one side of it. The cat laughed and leapt really high again and landed on the other side of the timber and he went flying again. The cat's jaws gaped open showing his big yellow teeth……..

Then a crow swept past and grabbed Tom in its talons and dropped him at the top of the stairs.  Cawed and flew away. That caw meant your friend told me to come get you. He ran to the door that said spell room. He said that he would peak through the keyhole.

Suddenly he heard soft thudding on the stairs. It was the cat again.

Hissing with rage trotted down the stoney and mossy hallway. Tom hid really quickly. He looked through the keyhole and saw a huge cauldron full of green liquid and a book of spells beside it. A bookshelf, an owl sitting on this wooden thing, a witch by the cauldron looking at the spell book and the cat asleep on a stumpy old wooden chair with a dusty red cousin. Some skulls and a couple of poisonous apples. He just couldn't find his brothers; he walked to a different room and it said prisoners. Maybe his brothers were in there!!!!!

Once again he peeked through the keyhole. He saw his brothers! 

The room was old and sooty and they were tied to a chair. How would he get them out?? He needed his pet mouse to nip the rope. How was he going to get him?? Anyway the rope was too thick for a mouse. He saw a witch walk into the room, with a spell book. The owl on her shoulder, ugly black cloak, green face and pointed brown shoes. She let out a huge witchly cackle. “ You think your thumby brother can save you”?

“I have an owl and a cat”. They will catch him and kill him. “They didn't catch me yet!” he thought. She opened a book. Started chanting out weird words. Her spell did not work! Maybe because….. He didn't know. He didn't care and he was glad. Because that spell could have been for his brothers. He had to save his brothers!!

He jumped down from the keyhole and sat down. He was too small to open a door, he was too small to even free them. Then he saw a long string. He would attach it to the door handle. Then he would grab onto it and pull it. The door would open. He would let them out then, somehow.

He heard the witches talking, about going outside for a couple of hours. That would be his chance. But the only problem was that he left the owl and the cat in charged! Damn it. Oh well the cat was asleep and the owl was probably old. He got his string around the door. He pulled pulled and pulled finally! The door opened! He got in, hang on a second, why didn't  his brothers see him. Oh yeah he was tiny. The brothers were talking among themselves. He ran up his brother's leg and called them one by one. They looked down and they finally saw him. Tom! exclaimed Peter. Tom, how did you get in here!!??!? Asked Brook. What? How! More and more questions came in.shh you'll draw attention. Get us out now whispered Brook. Okay, Okay i will if you listen to me. “If you are able to get your hands out your free. Yeah yeah yeah but how are we going to get our hands out? asked Barry. That knife over there! 

He picked up the knife and tried not to disturb the cat. It was heavier than he thought. 

He was wobbling around the place. But he got there and started cutting Brooks one, because he kept panicking. Don't cut my hands he snapped. Stop worrying. 

The rope was cut! Brook started helping him. Once they got everyone free they were about to go out the door. The owl hooted, it’s round eyes looking at them. It also disturbed the cat. Shut up, the cat snapped. I'm trying to sleep.
I don't care, the witches told you to keep watch but you only slept! Wake up and look over there!

The cat woke up. “You,” it snarled at him. Once again he crept slowly towards him and pounced. Peter caught him by the scruff. Put me down he snapped. Peter ran to the window and threw him out. “No more problems with him anymore!”  “ok lets go”.

They ran out of the room and down the stairs and out the door. He grabbed his mouse and ran home.

The end.

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Tom Trueheart And The Land of Dark Stories    BY: Therese

Once upon a time there was a boy and his name was Tom Trueheart.

Tom had six brothers.Tom must rescue his six brothers and their princess brides from the land of dark stories.They are held captive by an evil witch who rules the land of dark stories. Tom must rescue them. He has his special sword. He has courage. He has purpose. There is only one problem. Tom is just the size of a thumb.


Tom knows he is just the size of a thumb but that doesn’t stop him from rescuing his brothers and their princess brides. He has a plan; he just needs help to put it into action. He decided to go to his friend Nigel for help but he couldn’t find him at his house. Tom asked Nigel’s mother where he was and she said he was gone camping with his father. Tom decided to go rescue his brothers by himself.


When Tom got to the witch’s tower he felt like getting sick. Until he saw something in the bushes. He went over to see what it was. He then saw that it was his friend Nigel. He didn’t know what he was doing there. Then his friend explained what he was doing. He said he came to help save his brothers.Tom was so happy to see him. Then Tom explained the plan to Nigel.Nigel would tell the witch that he has an evil lair and would like him to join her for tea and discuss their evil plans. While the witch is distracted Tom would go save his brothers.


Tom found a hole at the bottom of the door. Tom and Nigel can just fit through. When they saw the witch they were mortified. She was tall,thin,ugly, had shiny black boots, a sharp pointy hat, a black ripped cape and a long black dress. Tom hid behind a broomstick and Nigel went back outside to knock on the door. While the witch was answering the door Tom looked around to see if he could find his brothers. After a minute or two he could see a small cage with his brothers and princess brides hanging over a cauldron. He ran from behind the broomstick across to the floor to the cauldron. He could see a key on the ground in a corner and he ran for it. When he got the key, he ran for the broomstick. He balanced the broomstick onto the cauldron. When the broomstick was steady he started walking up the broomstick with the key. When he got to the cage he opened the lock and freed his brothers and their princess brides. Then they all started walking down the broomstick. When they got down to the ground they carried the broomstick back to where it was and ran out of the little hole.

‘’ Ok missus witch, I have to get back to my evil lair’’ said Nigel.

‘’Ok’’ said the witch, I hope we meet again some time.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Said the witch. Oh no! said Tom we better hide.

‘’We will hide in the bushes until morning, just to make sure she is not watching us,’’ said Tom. The next morning they set off home.When they got home they celebrated all day and night. There was still something nagging Tom. How did the witch know about them? How did the witch find them?

                                           The End