WRITE ACROSS SUSSEX: £1.00 to Freedom

By Lily Barkes, age 11
Write Across SussexWrite Across Sussex
Write Across Sussex

Another entry in our Write Across Sussex competition.

I felt a tingle run through the metal cage that was my body. Finally it had happened! Finally someone had left a pound coin in me – I was free!

You see, when someone leaves a pound coin in a shopping trolley it means that when darkness falls, that trolley is free to roam beyond the supermarket car park.

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I didn’t waste time. Off I raced; out on to the street and in search of adventure.

I rattled along for a good mile until I reached the high street. A delicious smell wafted towards me, so I followed my nose to the back door of a restaurant. I inhaled the smell of garlic and herbs, enjoying the aroma. A man in white clothes and a puffy hat came out.

“Hey lads, look! A shopping trolley! That would be useful for unloading deliveries,” he yelled over his shoulder into what I guessed was the kitchen.

I sped away as fast as my wheels could carry me. I’d had enough of lugging food about, thanks very much!

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I wheeled around town, admiring all the pretty window displays of dresses, books, handbags and toys. I was thankful that it was quite late. After all, it’s not every day you see a shopping trolley wandering the streets on its own and I might attract unwanted attention.

Looking in a toy shop I wondered what it would be like to be a toy car, racing around dusty tracks and down steep hills. I soon found out. Turning a corner I found myself in concrete enclosure with lots of hills. ‘Skate Park,’ I read on a sign attached to the fence. Making sure nobody was about I climbed up a hill and raced down it. Wheeeee! Such fun! I did it again and again, until I was hot all over.

I rolled out of the skate park and tried to cool down. It was getting lighter, so I quickened my pace. I turned left and there before me was the canal. The water, glimmering in the breaking dawn, looked inviting. I made my way across to the jetty and then sped down the wooden slats. Splash! The icy water was perfect!

Happy and refreshed, I bobbed up and down, knowing my time was nearly up. Sure enough, a van soon pulled up alongside the water’s edge. A man in a fluorescent vest got out. He pushed a hooked pole towards me and I was dragged to the bank. He put me in the back of his van and slammed the door.

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When he opened the door again we were back at the supermarket. I was greeted like a superstar – all the other trolleys clamoured to hear about my adventure.

So the next time you see a shopping trolley in the canal, don’t just tut-tut and blame vandals. It could be that the trolley has been having a night out, making the most of its £1.00 freedom ticket.

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