Tower and Town, August 2026 (view the full edition)The Ultra-Violet Heatwave"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" - an unforeseen wail meandered its way across the sun-beaten town of Marlborough. "I'm purple!" The shrill, northern voice continued. Grandma Mildred hadn't been this surprised since she found out what AI was last week (apparently, Gen Z is " 'aving a laugh!")! The ultraviolet conundrum spread like the plague. Everyone, in the blink of an eye, seemed to have turned the exact same shade of deep violet. It felt as though the sun was cursing everyone with its cruel, concentrated ultraviolet waves. It smelled like sweat and heavy chemicals; the odour suffocated the air and even smelled and made your nostrils sting. These vulnerable amethyst people suffered from the excruciating heat; and there was nothing anyone could do. The local supermarket flooded with the townspeople in the freezer aisle, rubbing frozen peas, ice lollies, anything against their skin tending to their desire to cool down. As this happened, a peculiar purple puddle beneath them progressively expanded, while the violet on their skin gradually faded into their natural colours. While everyone was distracted by cooling themselves down, the automatic doors angrily slammed shut, due to the immense heat altering the building's structure. "Wait" Grandma Mildred - elderly yet eagle-eyed - said, her blood running cold "We're all trapped!"! The supermarket descended into chaos. "We're doomed!" Said one voice, "Tell Gary I love him!" said another. Meanwhile, a small, curious child scavenged, and in his big boy's voice shouted, "I found an air vent, follow me!"! So, one by one, first out of curiosity, then out of herd mentality. The townsfolk, now clear-eyed and clear-skinned, crawled into the air vent and out to a crisp, enchanted summer evening and thought back on what a normal day they'd had. Sasha Bleasdale<br>Year 7 Winner, Heatwave Writing Competition |