500 Words 2024/25: read a finalist's story from the 5-7 category

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This story was chosen as a top 50 finalist for 500 Words 2024/25.

Remember, spelling, punctuation and grammar are not taken into account for a 500 Words story, therefore all the top 50 stories have been published how they were submitted.

Vert, The Green Boy by Idrees M.

Bert was an ordinary boy, who lived in an ordinary city, with his ordinary family. There was nothing special about Bert or his life so far. But that was all to change on his 10th birthday.

Bert leapt out of bed. He excitedly opened the curtains. Chirping birds sang joyfully in the treetops above. He hurriedly made his bed, and sprinted downstairs as fast as a cheetah hunting its unfortunate prey. His palms were sweating. A bead of sweat was now gathering on his brow. He frantically searched for his parents and found them in the kitchen. Lying on the dinner table, there was a small white envelope wrapped in a red bow.

''Surprise!'' bellowed Mum and Dad and handed the present to Bert. He could not believe it. He was leaving rainy London for sunny PARIS!

''Thanks Mum and Dad, I love you!'' squealed the excited boy and was on the 11am train bound for Paris that same day.

Greeting him at the station, were his French Grandparents. They had cooked a French feast to celebrate this important day. But Bert did not like the French food. On his porcelain plate were slimy brown snails, yellow frogs' legs, and juicy green vegetables. However, Bert only ate the crunchy, delicious greens. And that was the start of his obsession with green food.

From that day onwards, after his return from Paris, Bert only ate green foods: broccoli, spinach, lettuce, green apples and grapes, and so on.

One day, whilst looking in the mirror, he noticed that the end of his long, protruding nose started to itch and had changed colour to emerald green. As the day wore on, this had spread to the whole of his face. By the time he had woken up the next morning, his whole body was a greenish hue. His hazel brown eyes were gone and were replaced with sea-green eyes. Even his hair had taken on a green appearance.

"What's going on?'' questioned Bert. He ran down the grey- carpeted stairs and immediately told his parents. They had no idea. They thought it was absurd. Thus, they called the best doctor in the word, who happened live next door. Dr Bhata was an enthusiastic six-foot-tall man who was particularly good at treating children. He filled up a bucket of water and threw it over Bert. He signed. It did not wash off, so it ruled out paint. Dr Bhata then conducted several tests and ordered an X-Ray. All which revealed there was nothing physically wrong with Bert.

"I'm afraid there is nothing wrong with Bert, he is perfectly healthy," explained the kind doctor, "except his name doesn't fit anymore. He should be called Vert- which is green in French."

From that day onwards, Bert was known as Vert. The other strange thing that happened, was Vert grew so old over time that he broke The Guinness World Record. He is still green and has just received a letter from the King and Queen Consort.

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