Terracotta Magic

One day an iron ore ship was being loaded at a wharf in Western Australia.

A workman stood watching the red iron ore travel along a conveyor belt into the hold of the ship.

He saw something glinting like gold and said, "Stop the conveyor belt. A gold ring just fell into the ship!"

But the foreman said, "No! There are too many ships to load. They are waiting for iron in China."

The ship was filled and set sail for China. No knew that the gold ring was an ancient magic ring and when the ship got to China and was being unloaded the ring grew wings and flew away across seas and rivers.

 

 

 

It flew across a wide plain and across Shaanxi provence where it flew around the terracotta soldiers being dug out of the sand. There were terracotta warriors, terracotta horses and a terracotta general who stood with one hand extended.

The ring flew down and landed on the finger of the terracotta general.

"At last," said the general, "We have been waiting for thousands of years to come to life and fight for the emperor. Army of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, come to life and march across the land!"

The whole terracotta army marched out of the pits and across the plain with spears and swords. Soldiers on terracotta horses rode with their terracotta bows and arrows.

People ran for their lives as the terracotta army followed the general with the magic gold ring.

 

But the general made a mistake. He marched into a wide valley just as a wild storm broke and as the rain fell and the valley filled with water the terracotta army got soggy and melted in the waters. The ring fell off the soggy generals finger and floated and swam down the river.

Eventually it was swallowed by a fish that swam all the way across the ocean to Australia.

So be careful, if you are ever fishing and find a gold ring in a fish's mouth.

Don't ever put it on your finger. It is a magic ring.

(Created by Daryll Bellingham and years 4B and 4C
as part of the Belmont State School Book Week Literature Festival.)