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Copy Right Notice
Published by Wyong Christian community school (Bookhook group)
The Wyong Christian community school NSW 2259 Australia
First published in 2014
Copy right© Wyong Christian community school
Copy of Parameters
Primary character: Rosebush Grower
Primary character: lawyer
Non-Human Character: didgeridoo
Setting: Community Event
Issue: A Marathon
Random words:
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Hectic
Fascinating
Cantankerous
Furry
 Curious
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For the children at Westmead’s Hospital:
We wrote this for you. We hope it can give you hope in your hard times; to know that you
can always break free from hard situations. We also hope you deeply enjoy this book.
Love, Bookhook.
From Wyong Christian Community School.
Jacob Case
Lucy Campbell
Emma Donald
Britney Bedding
Taylah Samways
Kylie Johnson
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 ……………………………5
Chapter 2 ……………………………6
Chapter 3 ……………………………7
Chapter 4 ……………………………8
Chapter 5 ……………………………9
Chapter 6 ……………………………10
Chapter 7 ……………………………11
Chapter 8 ……………………………12
Chapter 9 ……………………………13
Chapter 10 …………………………..15
Chapter 11 …………………………..16
Epilogue……………………………..17
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Chapter 1
As I walked out into the backyard at Fountaindale, I took time to look at my country cottage.
The cream-coloured walls were covered in water from the overnight dew. The roses in my
garden were fully grown and ready to be picked. I went to the rusty old shed that was infested
with cockroaches, found a bucket, and unhooked the garden scissors hanging on the wall. I
headed to the first patch of red roses. As I cut the stems of the bright red roses from their
roots, I inhaled the sweet smell of rose. I took note of the birds starting to chirp as they woke.
A small breeze rustled the leaves on the gum trees surrounding my garden. The roses gave a
small sway as the breeze increased.
When I was just finishing the patch of red roses I heard a small crunch of leaves as if
someone was sneaking through the forest. I turned around and saw my daughter, Rose-Mary.
She looked as if she was ready to pounce on me. I had focused so much on cutting the roses
and the sounds of nature that I hadn’t heard my daughter crossing the lawn. She held a
mischievous grin on her face but it quickly changed when she saw me turn around. She had
been hoping to scare me but there were so many leaves crunching on the ground, she couldn’t
walk quietly. Her long blond hair had some knots through it as she had just gotten out of bed
and her pink night gown clung to her in the morning air.
“Dad, what are we having for breakfast?”
She had disappointment in her voice but that soon changed when I replied;
”We are having breakfast at the marathon which is held at Gosford Showground!”
Her face lit up with delight and she gave a quick grin then rushed inside to get changed.
When I finished cutting the roses I put them into a couple of baskets and put them into the
back of our ford station wagon. Then I went inside to have a shower and get changed. I wore
long grey pants and a red shirt. I also wore black leather shoes. Rose sat waiting at the front
door step and I nearly walked into her. She was wearing a light blue dress with white tights
underneath; she also wore a set of hot bright pink shoes and furry rainbow laces. We set off
to the marathon and after about ½ an hour we could see the showground.
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Chapter 2
At the marathon I can see some hectic sights at Gosford Park. There are colourful signs on
the stalls with people surrounding them. Most stalls were selling food but like me others were
selling plants and others selling clothes. Some people are even selling wear – off tattoos of
the Australian flag. People are screaming like fire sirens and I see the marathon runners
coming towards us like a train. The whole community, it seemed, was there. The people were
all wearing bright clothes and all the kids seemed very curious and wanted everything they
could get their hands on. Most of the men were eating like horses. There was a small balmy
breeze making the hot sun worth standing under for hours. I’m lucky I’m wearing a hat.
People are sitting under the tall gum trees sipping cool drinks while watching the marathon
runners. The sun seemed to be smiling down on us. Now the marathon runners are coming
past us, perspiring and tired, as their coaches throw water on them making them even wetter.
They also are cheering them on like everybody else at the community event.
There are many rides at this event. They all have shining lights on them and most of them are
bigger than the Eiffel Tower. They spin around and around and around until you’re sick. I
know what it feels like because when I was a little boy I wanted so bad to go on those rides
and my parents let me. Most of the time they gave me money to go on whatever ride I
wanted. I asked Rose, my six year old daughter, if she wanted to go on the bumper cars or the
turning teacups but she wants to go on the big, scary, enormous rides. I think she is a bit
devious like me when I was little. I loved the bumper cars when I was little after my mum
and dad said “No big rides. Go on the bumper cars or no rides at all.” So that was the end of
the big rides and being sick on the rides I went on at community affairs. The bumpers cars
were all different colours and they had numbers on them. They were black numbers on a
white sticker. They were fun because you never had an accident and you could hit anyone
you wanted. I gave my daughter enough money to go on the bumper cars and that was it.
There are now so many people around my stall and I’m starting to run out. Oh no! I’ve run
out of roses. I should go home and get some more.
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Chapter 3
Well now that I’ve got my roses, I’m going back to the marathon to sell these roses. They are
such a brilliant red. They’re like a ruby shining in the morning light. I’m so happy to have
this rose garden. I remember when I started it, I was 23 and I had just gotten married to my
wife. For some reason, a rose plant started to flower at the back of our property, so we
decided to make a business out of it.
A couple of years later, we had lots of roses. My wife and I thought we should invest our
money in a greenhouse to control our production of roses. Then Rose-Mary was born and she
loved roses, but kept pricking her fingers on the rose thorns. Then we got a door for the green
house, we then had no problems.
5 years later when my wife died, I only had Rose-Mary to comfort me. Speaking of RoseMary, where is she? Rose?
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Chapter 4
Oh no! I forgot my precious little girl. I was in the car heading back to the showgrounds with
panic stricken thoughts running wildly through my head. But I kept reminding myself
“She is going to be ok; she is going to be ok!”
I wanted to believe that but I knew I couldn’t know until I found out for myself. She was my
only child and I knew I couldn’t lose her. She was the one thing that mattered most to me.
Rose was like a rare priceless gem. She was Susan’s little gem. But I can’t talk about her now
not when I didn’t know where Rose was. She was the only thing on my mind so I did not
realise I was speeding until I looked down at my speedometer. I looked behind me. Luckily I
didn’t see any police cars so I knew I couldn’t be delayed.
I could just see the showgrounds. Panic still running through me, I came to an abrupt stop
parking the car not worrying about whether I’d parked strait. I literally ran through the gates
and strait to where I’d seen her last but she was nowhere to be seen. I ran around the whole
showgrounds including going to hot dog stands and asking people but no one had seen or
knew where she was. I went and looked around the whole showground but I couldn’t find
anything until I went under a massive tree to shelter out of the sun and that’s when I saw it.
Rose’s shoe. It was lying on its side as if it had been thrown at the trunk of the tree. I stood
there for what seemed like an hour but it was only a couple of minutes. I was so stunned. I
don’t know where she is. She could have been taken or gotten lost. I kept saying in my mind
“What am I going to do, what am I going to do?”
“I’ve got it!”
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Chapter 5
‘Get to the cops. Get to the cops. Get to the cops.’ That was the only thing going through my
mind. It was the only thing left that I could do. I ran. No, I sprinted. My little girl... How
could I leave her behind? How could I do that? I’m a terrible father. I’m a terrible father. No.
Don’t think that. I have to get to the cops. ‘Get to the cops. Get to the cops. Get to the cops.’ I
don’t think I’ve ever run that fast before. I got a few “Hey’s” when I accidently ran into
people. I’m not sure if I gave anybody a concussion or head injury by knocking them over,
but that’s something I’d worry about later.
Finally, I got to the police station. It was only then that I realised I could’ve just rung them. It
didn’t matter. I was here. I was one step away from finding my daughter. ‘One step away.
One step away. One step away.’
I burst in through the door and shouted “My daughter! My daughter! Search party, daughter!”
I don’t think anyone could understand what I was saying. If I were in the lady’s (sitting at the
desk) shoes, I certainly wouldn’t.
“Sir, calm down,” she said in soothing words.
“No!” I screamed, “Don’t you understand? My daughter, my daughter.”
I started crying. It was a wonder I kept the tears back till now. I felt a bit embarrassed to cry
in front of a police officer. Especially because she was a female. I felt like I needed to be ‘the
man’. But then again, she wasn’t the one that’d lost her daughter. I’d lost my daughter…
“My daughter,” I managed, “She… I lost her. I can’t find her. But the shoe! I saw her shoe!
It’s bright pink! Rainbow, furry laces!”
The woman examined me closely and I just stared right back. She seemed more curious than
worried.
“Okay,” she finally said, “Show me this shoe.”
I wanted to get there in a hurry but the cop in the driver’s seat was so slow…
“Can you hurry up?” I asked annoyed.
“Nice try,” the cop said, “We’re in a 40 zone.”
A 40 zone? Really? Who cared about speed limits? My daughter’s life could be in danger!
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Chapter 6
As I was pacing down my empty hallway wondering how to get my dear Rose-Mary back. I
started piecing together ways that I could get her back, I had no idea if any of the things I had
thought of would work but just as I was doubting myself an idea popped in my head. I could
sell some of the stuff I owned to buy a lawyer. It would cost a lot but it would be worth it to
get my little Rose-Mary.
I went around the house looking for something valuable to sell. Then a thought came to me, I
own a rose business. I could sell lots of my roses and try to raise the money that way. I
calculated that if I sell a bunch (12) of roses for $25 then I would have to sell 674 bunches of
flowers to get a lawyer. I rushed out to my garden. There were big, bare thorny bushes but no
flowers! There was no way near the amount of flowers that I needed to raise the $3,673.
I ran over to the shed to see if there was anything valuable inside. NOTHING! Absolutely
nothing. There were some bush cutters, shovels, seeds, water cans and hoses but nothing
worth selling. As I was walking head low back to my cottage I had one last hope that I could
find something worth selling in the store room.
I ran back up my stairs and into the store room only to find junk and lots of it. There were
boxes of toys and clothes but nothing valuable. I couldn’t believe that we had nothing
valuable in this house but each other. I guess that if you think about it on an ordinary day
when you don’t have a missing daughter that is a good thing but right now it was quite the
opposite. I was in so much shock that I didn’t know what to do. My whole family was gone.
My parents are dead, my wife’s parents are dead, my sister disappeared years ago, my
brothers are overseas, my wife is dead and my daughter is missing.
I slowly walked like a ghost across the house when I came across my dead wife’s didgeridoo,
the one that had been in her family for generations. It was a priceless gift that had been given
to her personally by her dad before he died and would be worth a fortune. But even though it
was valuable Rose-Mary was even more valuable than some 600 hundred year old lifeless
chunk of wood. Even though it will break my heart to see one more piece of my wife
disappear I had to do it to raise $3,673 to get a lawyer and find my daughter.
I put the didgeridoo on gum tree and put the price up as $4,000 and just waited to see if
anyone wanted to buy it. I sat there only for about ten minutes but right now it felt like hours.
The guy came over right away and paid my in cash. After the guy left I jumped straight back
on my computer and hired this lawyer called Sarah Williams. Tomorrow were taking this
case to the court and I am really confident that we will win.
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Chapter 7
I met Sarah Williams the very next day. She seemed like a really sophisticated woman. She
spoke very intelligently and knew more than just “a thing or two” about law.
I was really stunned by her features, too. She didn’t seem like your everyday female lawyer. I
wasn’t being sexist because, honestly, she was gorgeous. She had blue eyes and long brown
hair. I only noticed that for a while though. I then realised she could help me with the case.
I told her everything that happened with the cops. She said the policemen can sometimes be
judgmental before even hearing your side of the story.
She also told me that when she felt sure she’d win a case, she did. And this (apparently), was
one of those times.
I’d never given up hope. Not once. And I never planned on. And if the worst had happened to
Rose… well, I didn’t want to go there. But I felt a tiny bit of relief come over me. It might’ve
only been a tiny bit but I’d hold onto it. Forever and always.
The next day, before court, I felt really nervous. As I was sitting there Sarah came over.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “Besides, I heard the judge is on our side.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
She had a mischievous grin on her face, but said nothing.
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Chapter 8
The court case started off really well. I was feeling confident that I was going to win the case.
I had good strong evidence. There was a shoe left behind at the scene. The shoe was bright
pink with rainbow, furry laces. The shoe size was 4 In USA shoe sizes. When I took the
police to the crime scene and when I had checked there was a shoe. I know The shoe
belonged to rose but when the police men looked there was no shoe nothing left of the
evidence not even a shoe print was left. This is a disaster I have know that I am being overrun
by the polices evidence. The judge says he has decided to take the cops side because they
presented great evidence against me to prove that I’m making it up. It was such a
cantankerous situation.
Like, really? I sold the didgeridoo (which I really cared about) to get this lawyer and now I’m
going to lose the case.
This is my daughter. I’m losing and the cops don’t even care she is missing. All they can say
is I’m making this up. They think I’m a phony person that makes things up just for the fun of
it. I guess they have never lost something they deeply love before. Now I have nothing.
Nothing to dedicate my life to anymore.
My daughter Rose was my everything. My complete life. Now she’s gone. I am just a lonely
guy with a big house. My daughter only wanted to be was free and unstoppable. I guess by
me leaving her there I’m at fault that she’s lost. This is the third day that my daughter has
been missing I wonder if she has eaten or is in safe hands by now. The big question is if she
is even still alive or if she’s dead.
I want to go and ask the next door neighbours if they could help me search, but I don’t know
if there nice or if they could be total weirdos. I think I might call in a favour from my
relatives! I could send a search party out but the only people I could get to help was an
elderly couple. I doubt they are going to be much help.
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Chapter 9
It was about ten o’clock at night when I heard a knock at the door. I sluggishly went to go
answer. It was Sarah. Wow. Wasn’t expecting that.
“Look,” I said a bit annoyed, “I really don’t want to hear your apologies. I get it. You
couldn’t win.” Sarah tried to speak but I stopped her. “No. Don’t tell me that I need to find
peace. She’s not dead. Rose-Mary’s not dead. I will find her and you can’t stop me.”
“I was just going to say that I wasn’t going to give up on Rose-Mary,” she said.
Silence fell between us. I’d shut her up when she tried to help. What kind of idiot does that?
Sarah finally broke the silence, “Are you hungry?” It was only then I heard my stomach
grumbling. I was so caught up in my thoughts I hadn’t had dinner. Sarah grinned. “I brought
Maccas.” I opened the door completely so she could come in.
We sat down on the couches in the living room. Silence fell between us again. I was really
taken aback by her features. She was beautiful. Sarah had long, brown hair that was slightly
wavy. I also noticed her eyes turned green in the sunlight and was otherwise blue. She didn’t
have a good figure, exactly, but she was gorgeous in her own way.
“Why are you staring at me?” she suddenly asked.
“I’m sorry it’s just… you’re beautiful.”
She blushed.
I cleared my throat. “So… what were you saying about not giving up on Rose-Mary?”
She handed me a burger. “I’ve called in a few favours.” I was shocked. She’d “called in a few
favours”. For me? “Hey!” she said suddenly. “Don’t look so surprised. I was just trying to
help, you know.”
“I know…”
She frowned. “I’ve got some private investigators on the case.” My face lit up. “You have to
understand, Gary, this could take months, years even. And by then she could be…”
“No.” I said sternly. “I need this hope. It’s not false hope. It’s what keeps me going. It’s the
only thing that keeps me going.”
She frowned. “I understand,” she said. “I just… Your daughters alive, okay? I just hope she’s
not the only one or thing that you live for.”
My feelings of emotion caught me by surprise. It was like a wave, hitting me by surprise and
making me fall forwards on my face.
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I leaned forward and kissed her. Who knew she was even interested? But she did kiss me
back.
She pulled away and grinned. “See you tomorrow,” she said.
She left.
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Chapter 10
The search for Rose-Mary was still on. I should of never given up. Yes, I can still have hope
in finding Rose-Mary. My dear daughter is probably frightened and scared. When I find her, I
swear, I will cook her favourite dinner and I will never let her out of my sight again. Oh I’m
so excited but I have to remember that I can’t have so much hope because they may not find
her. Ooh look her comes Sarah
I said “Hi” we both just stood smiling until I finally said ‘when is the search going to take
place”?
Sarah said that it was going to take place at dawn tomorrow. I didn’t really know how to feel
like I had mixed feelings. One side of me was jumping with joy and the other side was kind
of thinking I left her there all alone and maybe she deserves a better family. I tried to forget
about the negative side and concentrate on the positive side. I kept saying to myself we will
find her we will find her.
So we set off to find Rose-Mary. Sarah I think could sense that I was scared so she grabbed
my hand and put it in her hand. Her hand was so warm. When I’m with her she makes me
feel so calm.
We’ve been searching for ages and we haven’t found anything not even a peace of hair. It’s
starting to get dark and its pouring down rain. So we set up a tent and camped out in the park
hoping that Rose-Mary will see the tent and come running for help.
It’s the next day and the sun is shining we go wake everyone up. We set for another day of
looking first we checked around in the close neighbour hoods and went door knocking but
they all said they last saw her with me so they were no help. We then went and talked to the
ride owners and ask if they had seen her but they also said last they saw her she was with me
at the Rose-Mary stand. We’re not having much luck yet but I still have faith that we will
find her eventually.
A couple of days pass and still no sign of her. We started to give up when a strange old man
walks up and says, “Are you looking for a little girl that looks about 6 years old and that has
pink shoes with rainbow shoe laces?”
“Well, yes we are. Have you seen her?”
“I saw her get in a car with your sister, Gary.”
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Chapter 11
“My sister?” I asked stunned. “I thought she was in America…”
“Well obviously not,” Sarah said stunned also. “Where did you see them get into a car?”
“At Gosford Train Station” said the old man.
“Thank you, Sir,” said Sarah in a polite voice.
The man walked away and I turned to Sarah. “What do we do now?” I asked.
“We wait,” she replied. “This is no job for us. The private investigators will deal with it.”
So we sat… and sat… and sat. There wasn’t any news for hours and hours. I was feeling
depressed about that, but there was a shine of hope. My sister wouldn’t do anything terrible,
right?
And finally, they found them. Rose-Mary was alright and came back laughing. My sister on
the other hand, looked mad. Really, really mad. I was mad, too. What had she done?
Rose went off to talk to Sarah.
“What did you do?” I asked angrily.
“What did I do? What did I do?! You left your own daughter at a marathon. A marathon of all
places! There are thousands of people there! Thousands!”
“Where did you find here then, huh?”
“The train station. Someone took her there. What if that person had been terrible? Lucky not,
huh?”
“It’s a misunderstanding..”
I don’t know how long we went on arguing for. She kind of never got over it though… Good
on her! She was a living reminder of something I’d never do again.
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Epilogue
(7 years later..)
Rose-Mary is now thirteen. She is growing and developing into a beautiful young lady. When
I look at her, I see her mother. Beautiful, yet bold. Strong willed, yet petite. I actually don’t
know what she inherits from me.
Sarah and I are now married. Surprise, surprise. It’s her birthday soon, I hope that I won’t end
up getting something really cheesy.. Like a sponge or something. She is so great towards
Rose-Mary, she teaches her all the ‘woman stuff’ that I cannot teach her. I loved Susan, and
would’ve wanted her to see her daughter grow and turn into a beautiful young lady. But she
can’t. I am proud to announce that Sarah and I are having a baby. I can’t tell you the gender
or any names yet, but only because we have absolutely no idea.
I still feel really bad about selling the didgeridoo. But if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have met Sarah
and I wouldn’t have been able to give Rose-Mary a mother. I wouldn’t have been able to
have a family. I’m really grateful for everything in my life.
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Gary is a single working
father that has been through
some challenging times in
his life. And only to make it
worse, he’s daughter has
gone missing at the
marathon. The whole
community is at this event.
What is Gary going to do?
What will happen to his
daughter?
Written by:
Bookhook
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