Setting the Scene - The Cave

After considering engaging story starters and hooking in our readers,

we moved on to describing a setting.

We discussed how we could consider our senses when describing the setting,

enabling our reader to visualize the image we wish them to see in clear detail.

The Cave

It was a dim gloomy afternoon in the cave. The sharp bumpy stalactites were hanging from the walls. I was scared that they were going to fall on me.

I rubbed my hand along the cave walls. It felt rough and cold. I quickly pulled my hand off then, all of a sudden, I heard a screeching sound. Not any human screeching!

It was bats. I was petrified of bats!

Then whoosh, a sudden brush of blackness rushed past me. Once it was gone I saw the most beautiful thing ever. The glow worms. They were so bright and twinkly they were like a colossal chandelier.

I stood there. Just stood there gazing at them for a while then, realising what I was doing, carried on and came to a little stream with little white fish in it. They were gleaming away. I decided to follow it. On and on it went for ages when suddenly it came up to a tight squeeze. I got down on my hands and knees and touched the ground. It felt slimy and sticky. I tried to lift my hand up but it was stuck! Then I saw a small flicker of a flame.

Someone was there!

- Chloe

I could hear a squeal, it wasn't a person, echoing through the cave. Bats! Bats are always squealing. I turned on my torch, thanks to the glow worms who helped me see where my torch was, and saw the bats before they suddenly came crashing against me...

- Chelsea

All I could hear were my footsteps getting louder and louder. I saw glow worms twinkling their way up the golden, damp clay wall. I got shivers going down my spine. Then, all of a sudden, I heard a splash.

"Ahhh, hello?" I said, but it just echoed around the cave.

Then all of a sudden I heard "beak, beak," and a big bat just flew right over top of me. But when it was a meter away from me it turned around.

"Oh, no," I said to myself.

It charged like a rocket, so I quickly ducked and ran...

- Grace

I look inside the cave. It looks like there are monsters inside it because of the shape of the rocks.

I run my hands against the wall.

"Aww!" My hand hit a little sharp spike...

- Kurtis

As I walked into the massive cave it suddenly felt cold. It got darker and darker until it was pitch black. Then I suddenly saw bright glow worms shining up some sharp stalagmites and stalactites. They were my only way of getting around. The walls were damp and I could hear dripping. I thought it must be water.

The glow worms were gone but I could tell that the walls were getting more narrow. I could hear my footsteps and I had a feeling I wasn't alone. I could hear bats flapping their wings and rats scurrying around. The cave stunk of dead animals.

By now I was completely lost. There was a musty, sour taste in the air. The ground was really mushy and slippery and I wasn't sure if it was mud or sea creatures.

Finally, I found somewhere to sleep but you guessed it, I couldn't sleep. I tried to find a comfortable rock but they were too mossy...

- Lachlan

In a massive cave of darkness and foul unbathed rats, of mustiness, dampness, moldiness and fungus stabbed by staligmites (spikes coming up from the floor) you can see tiny specks of light called glowworms. They light your way deeper and deeper into the cave. Things you hear are amplified, like your footsteps and the flapping of bats wings. At the end there are rubies that glow blood-red in the shape of a mouth.

Suddenly it's hard to breathe. I taste sourness. I turn. The glowworm's lights go out and it's pitch black . I hear something to the left. I walk there and see a bold light of water pouring to a bottomless pit. I am relieved there is no more darkness...

- Jason

The walls were damp and mossy. I licked my hand, it tasted sour and salty put together. I could hear the whistle from the wind. I felt scared and unprotected.

As I walked more into the cave the air became heavier, so I had to take big breaths. It also became blacker, so black that I couldn't see my hand that was probably only 1cm in front of my face! The only thing I could see were glow worms. They shone bright greeny-yellow.

"Aaahh, aahh, aah, ah. Wow, wow, wow, wow!" My echo went.

The earthy smell came up around me...

- Cerianne

"Woah, a cave."

I go on in it. It looks black and scary. I cannot see my own hands and feet. I have to find my way around by putting my hand out in front of me...

- James