Moreland City Libraries’ Other worlds 2019 short story competition

Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison
And Zarafa Kept Walking
2013
Four-colour lithographic offset print on Fabriano Artistico 300gsm traditional white hot-press paper
33cm X 23cm
Edition of 20, printed by Redwood Prints

In 2013, we created two prints especially for In Your Dreams (Counihan Gallery, 2014), one of which featured Zarafa, the first giraffe to be seen in France (in 1826). Zarafa was an exotic gift to King Charles X, who inspired tall hairstyles à la girafe, and Honoré de Balzac to write a story about her. And in 2019 And Zarafa Kept Walking was one of two images entrants were invited to write or recite a story in response to, as part of the Other Worlds: 2019 Short story competition. She walked, out of context, from Marseilles to Paris, then, and to Coburg library for the short story award nights. Writers of all ages were welcome to enter Moreland City Libraries’ story competition. Entrants could also weave a tale in response to something sparked in Carmel Louise’s The Vortex of Sins: Past & Present.

We love that our Zarafa collage has such long legs, walking into stories in the library.

Thank-you for the opportunity, and congratulations to those who won, and to all who entered and shall continue to do so. Happy to be a small part of the journey.

We also appreciated recalling how we felt when we made this work, where we were going, and our dear elderly siamese cat, Omar, who passed away while the exhibition was on. Thanks for the memories.

Here are four excerpts from the Other Worlds 2019 Short story competition award winners, which were in response to Zarafa (also known as Wendy and Magic). To read the full stories, head to Moreland City Council.

As Wendy and the birds explored the museum they entered the animal section. All of them looked at their own species of animal but were surprised when they saw their predator amoungst them. A lion. They fled. Bang Crash!!! As they ran through the museum they knocked over everything on display. They ran into the gift shop and started knocking over everything. One of the birds got stuck to a kite on display! It was a disaster!

Wendy and the birds had to leave the museum because of the chaos they caused. It was a difficult day for the animals that escaped the zoo. They had to sleep in the Exhibition Gardens and Wendy had to stand amoungst the tallest trees so no one could see them.They woke up at midnight and sneaked back into the Melbourne Zoo like they had always been there. Even though the gates were locked, that wasn't a problem for Wendy. She used her long and twisty neck to unlock the gates.

Up to 8 years old
Winner: Maggie
Zoo escape

“Are we in Africa yet” said Cockatoo.
“No” Parrot replied with a sigh.
“Now!!!” Cockatoo exclaimed eagerly.
“NO!” Snapped Macaw.

The three birds had been on a plane for three days, which felt like forever when listening to Cockatoo repeat his favourite phrase ‘are we there yet?’.

After arriving they caught a taxi driven by a local Hyena named Helen. The birds were not to sure about their safety, however Helen promised them they had nothing to worry about as she had decided to give away her carnivorous ways and became a strict Vegan last spring.

Up to 8 years old
Achievement award: Alexandra
Bird safari (Birds of a feather go on holidays together)

Zuzurio Zoo is a peculiar thing.
Where birds don’t sing.
And giraffes don’t grin.

In the middle of a house.
With an elephant knocker.
And seventeen hundred crazy little quokkas.

Alligators in bathtubs.
And spiders on walls.
This is why Zuzurio Zoo is the best of them all.

In Zuzurio’s attic is a secret.
A five hundred ton hippopotamus.
With nits.

One day at the zoo.
Happened the weirdest thing of all.
The hippo fell on to a balancing ball.

The balancing ball rolled.
And squashed some pâté.
But that’s not the weirdest thing that happened today

Toby the zebra jumped the drywall.
And landed on the hippo on the balancing ball.

Then three ants called Sally, Bob and Nance.
Fell on Toby on the hippo on the ball doing a ball based dance.

Then the biggest of them all.
A giraffe one hundred meters tall.
Fell on the ants on Toby on the hippo on the ball.

13 to 17 years old
Achievement award: Paige
Zuzurio Zoo

The realm between the steadfast earth and the vaulted heavens is the domain of the birds. When they tire of the mundane concerns of earthbound life they take to the air. There they capture the wind and dive on a wimpling wing. Terrestrial creatures stare up at them and marvel as they swoop through the sky in mysterious patterns that seem like they might carry meaning if only it could be deciphered.

At certain times of great trouble the birds all gather together: curlew and crow, cormorant and cockatoo, cuckoo and crane. They gather from every land and they parade every type of plumage that can be imagined: down of bright vermillion and dull grey, magnificent trailing tail feathers and towering headpieces. Most fly but there have been delegates that have been known to swim or to wade through the shallow waters on long thin legs. The emus and cassowaries make their way across the sunburnt land and there are even those who hitch a ride on a lumbering mammal.

Rarely do humans become aware of such events, but the Sufi poet Farid ud-Din Attar wrote about the ‘Conference of the Birds’ in 1177 and Chaucer described the ‘Parlement of Foules’ in the 14th Century. These distorted accounts fail to capture the true sagacity of these creatures of the air.

The birds are beginning to gather now that crisis is upon us once more. Even the humans with their limited understanding of nature have begun to grasp what they are doing to the world. It’s already too late for the great auk and the dodo, of course, both of whom made valuable contributions to the last parliament. In fact, nearly 200 species of bird have become extinct since 1500.

Adult:
Winner: Blair
The parliament of birds

Moreland City Libraries’ Other worlds 2019 short story competition award winners

Up to 8 years old
Winner: Maggie Zoo escape
Achievement award: Alexandra Bird safari (Birds of a feather go on holidays together)

9 to 12 years old
Winner: Alice The Vortex of Sins
Achievement award: Emma Vortex of Sins

13 to 17 years old
Winner: Dinethra A reduction in thyself
Achievement award: Paige Zuzurio Zoo

Adult
Winner: Blair The parliament of birds
Achievement award: Rachel The nightmare we call earth

Image credit: Study of the Giraffe Given to Charles X by the Viceroy of Egypt (detail), Nicolas Huet II, 1827