The Kid Who Saved Animals

"In the middle of Swaziland, you’ll find a jungle. Humongous giant emerald trees with vines that snake through the branches are home to lots of animals. Black jaguars, slithering snakes and colourful birds that sing ‘tweet tweet’ songs all day long.

One sunny, humid day in August, I wake up suddenly to slobbering kisses from Lexi. "Ewww!" Lexi, if you’re wondering, is my pet husky, not my mum! Her fur is soft and fluffy like my hair, black as the night sky with a tiny amount of white. I open my eyes to a wet nose and cheerful, cheeky eyes. Unusual eyes; one is icy, cold blue like a frosty morning at the north pole. Immediately I reach to the bedside cabinet for my implants and put them on. I can now hear the birds!

I live with Lexi and my mum in a bungalow on an animal sanctuary. My mum works at the vet surgery next door, she helps sick and injured animals. “Elijah!” she chuckled. “Are you out of bed yet, monkey?”

“Maybe!” I groan back. I can hear her jumping into the jeep to go the surgery. After a while, I get up to the beautiful peaceful morning to start my day as a special agent. I protect the animals from poachers. On rare occasions poachers come from a local village to kill animals for their skin. They’re greedy and want fur for money.

Slowly I get myself ready in my camouflaged jungle gear. I proudly wear my secret weapon against these bullies; my cochlear implants! They’re futuristic, not needing batteries because they charge off my body. They also turn me invisible, have super speed and let Lexi speak to me! Immediately after I gobble down my breakfast and jump into my Converse shoes, I walk to my quad bike, ready and focused with Lexi running ahead.

“I have a feeling there are monsters North of here!” Lexi predicts, and we set off into the jungle. Suddenly, I park my quad bike because Lexi and I can hear rustling, crunching noises and twigs snapping ahead of us. We need to find out if the noises are animals or poachers. I whirl into a tornado to change into my superhero outfit. I see a flash up ahead, it’s the reflection from a gun. Poachers! Bravely and as quick as I can I set a trap using nets covered in leaves so the victim will be trapped high above the branches. I climb a tree that is a safe distance from the trap and press a button on my implant to turn me invisible. I’m feeling worried because I might get injured by a bullet from a hunting rifle or pistol.

Lexi approaches the poacher and leads him towards me. I karate kick out of the tree and land on top of him. We both crash to the floor. Lexi bites the hand holding the gun and drags the gun away while I wrestle with the poacher. As quick as a flash, I dodge the dagger like a ninja and I knock it out of his hand with my elbow. Without warning he runs into the trap. Woosh! He flies up into the tree. The poacher screams frantically. Immediately another poacher appears, he saw his friend held in the net. I stood behind him whispering and poking him. When he turns around, he doesn't see me. I'm invisible! Lexi pounces and stares him straight in the eye. He freezes like a statue. Lexi's unusual blue eye can freeze people!

I press the button on my implant that alerts Mum that I am in danger. She knows I only press this in an emergency, it sends her my location. While Lexi and I wait for the police to arrive, I return to a normal boy once more. However I don't want a fuss, so we hide in the bushes and once the police arrive we sneak away, leaving them to arrest the poachers. Once I get home, I jump back into bed, exhausted from the adventure. Lexi curls up beside me and I think about how lucky I am to have my super powered implant."

One of our judges, Julia Donaldson CBE said: "The theme of animal preservation is a strong one. The jungle setting is vivid, and I liked the idea of cochlear implants that impart special powers."