THE GIRL WHO BUILT THE SUSTAINABLE CITY

Amber Rahman, 9

London

Once there was a twelve-year-old girl called Hallie. With shimmering blue eyes and straight black hair, she dreamt magnificent dreams. She wanted to build a city made out of candy and make a home inside a rocket. Hallie also loved nature. She read books about magical fairy lands, and how they were covered in life. She studied how different species survived in the wild. She learnt about the origin of each animal.

But her world shut down her dreams.

In this world, there was only one city. Blackball. A place where huge black buildings towered over people and concrete layered the grounds. Gardens were made out of black rock. Not a single tree, flower or meadow was in sight. Large, black cars surrounded the houses. Worst of all, a thick cloud of black smoke covered the city. The city was ruled by an awful king. With a dark black beard, and red bloodshot eyes, he was as mean as could be. He didn’t care about his people at all. He only hungered power. He loathed nature because it took up space for his “precious” kingdom.

His favourite phrase: you get what you got.

Hallie knew that the world was suffering and she had to do something. She was resilient and her wits and intelligence were unstoppable. She began to collect nature friendly things. With a tub of glue, she stuck things together. Making her creations tower high. Wood would turn into breathable homes. Cardboard boxes to bicycles. Plastic bottles to windows. Old lego to playgrounds. Old wrappers to bags. Forgotten soft toys to pillows.

A little outside the town was an abandoned space with little grass. She moved her creations here and rapidly planted anew.

Tall towers and short houses covered in grass stood together in unity, solar panels at the top to make electricity. Museums about nature, schools and community centres, all made of wood, weaved through it all. Playgrounds made of old lego sat happily next to them. Grass and meadows were beneath it all. Joyful bicycles, made of cardboard, stood next to houses. A thin river trickled down it all. Butterflies and bees swarmed happily, appreciating a place to enjoy themselves. Wind turbines were all around to power electricity at night. But the jewel in the crown was the palace. A beautiful six floor home fit for a queen watched from the peak of the city, made entirely out of egg cartons covered in flowers that bloomed all year round.

Hallie had made an eco friendly city.

Soon enough people migrated away from the king’s city to Hallie’s. The builders were later sent to destroy Blackball. The king was bought into the palace. He begged for forgiveness and a chance to be a humble citizen. Hallie just smiled sourly and said, “You get what you got.” And threw him in the eco friendly prison.