The Moss Creatures Highly Commended Story - Emergent Writers (Age 11-14): The Old Castle Garden by Mike Bakhmoutski

The Old Castle Garden

By Mike Bakhmoutski, 11
Melbourne, VIC

Vincent looked up at the remains of the once-great castle. As he walked the length of the cracked and mossy castle wall, he felt along it with his hand. Never had he seen such an old place.

This was the first time in years that Vincent was here. He used to come to France to visit his grandparents every year, but after they passed, he and his family stopped coming. This year, he was the only one who came. Everyone was too busy to come here - everyone except Vincent.

Vincent was walking around the perimeter of the castle for the third time, when he tripped over a root and landed on his knees. He had a look over his shoulder and saw a wooden staircase he had never seen before. Of all the many times he was here, he had never, ever seen it. After a moment of hesitation, Vincent went up the flight of spiralling steps. With each step, the floorboards creaked. Vincent thought that the creaks sounded sad, as if they needed something, like a good mending. Of course, the stairs couldn’t tell him.

When Vincent made it to the top of the stairs, he was greeted by a large, welcoming garden. It had vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, flowers, like petunias and roses, and fruits, like apples and oranges. Vincent picked an apple off a tree and took a bite. It was perfectly ripe and sweet, and reminded him of the apples his grandparents used to grow. 

Vincent turned and spotted a green creature planting seeds. He called out to the creature, but the thing looked at him and sped away, but Vincent followed. He noted that the creature had antlers and had vines wrapping around it. It held a watering can, which spilled and left a trail as it ran. Vincent had chased it for a few minutes, but the can didn’t seem to get empty.

“Wait!” He shouted. “Don’t run! I won’t hurt you!”

The creature abruptly stopped and Vincent nearly crashed right into it. 

“I am Cernunnos,” it said. “I am the trusted guardian of this castle. As a Moss Creature, or as the French call us: ‘Les Peuple Des Mousses’, it is our duties to protect a sacred place each.”

“I’ve heard of you!” Said Vincent. “When I was young, my grandfather and grandmother told me stories about you guys!”

“I’m sure you have heard many things about us. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of us around the earth anymore. After you humans cut down many of the trees, quite a lot of us left.”

“But where did they go?”

Cernunnos shook his head sadly.

“Nobody knows. Not even me. But anyway, I must go. Now that I’ve been discovered, I must find a new place to call home, or find my kindred. Farewell.”

With that, he hopped twice and flew off into the sky. Vincent never saw Cernunnos again. 

About the young writer

Mike is an aspiring author with multiple books and short stories coming out in the future. He has written stories for as long as he can remember and hopes he can do more. Look out for his name on books in your local library or bookstore, as the stories he writes might be there someday. He lives in Melbourne with his parents, his brother, his four stick insects and his three fish. 

A word from our judges

The Old Castle Garden is such a beautifully written story! We loved seeing Cernunnos as part of the story, and even would have liked to see a bit more done with this character - there is so much potential for the main character and Cernunnos to work together to try to stop the destruction of nature. The use of language and the writing is beautiful – this was a real pleasure to read. 

Thank you, Mike! A wonderfully written story. We're excited to read more of your writing in the future!

The Moss Creatures Short Story Competition for Young Writers was hosted by Words of a Feather, inspired by and with the support of French artiste Marianne Broggi. This free-to-enter competition was open to young writers aged 7 - 14, anywhere in the world.

The Moss Creatures - Stories from the Forêt, an anthology of prize-winning and highly commended stories, will be published in 2025. Stay tuned!

Congratulations on your story, Mike!