Short Story Competition: School Years 4 to 5 Highly Commended ‘The Lost Treasure of Costa Rica’

By Ollie Rudden

Mateo and Pedro live in the pretty little town of Arenal in Costa Rica. They are best friends and love exploring the wild. One sunny afternoon they discovered an old map in Mateo's attic with a big X marking a spot deep in the jungle. With dreams of finding hidden treasure they decided to follow the map.

They quickly packed their backpacks with some food, a little bit of water, a compass and the map then set off on their adventure. The jungle was noisy from all the birds twittering and the monkeys howling. They chopped their way through thick jungle, crossed rapidly flowing rivers, and climbed steep hills. They found it difficult but they were determined not to give up.

Then one evening they spotted the dark shape of a smoking volcano in the distance. "Mateo, look! The volcano from the map" Pedro shouted. Even though they were tired they rushed towards the bottom of the volcano.

"The treasure should be somewhere on the side of the volcano" Mateo said, his eyes wide with excitement. Then they carefully climbed the rocky slope and after a few hours of searching they found a hidden cave. Inside they discovered an old wooden chest.

"Pedro, we've found it!" Mateo said as they opened the chest to find hundreds of golden coins.

Just as they carried the chest out of the cave a fierce jaguar jumped out in front of them, growling loudly. "Mateo, run!" Pedro shouted, grabbing his friend's arm. Then as they rushed to get away they accidentally knocked the chest sending the treasure tumbling into the volcano's bubbling crater. Then the boys sprinted down the volcano, their hearts beating heavily as the jaguar chased them. They dived into a nearby river and managed to get away. They looked back at the volcano knowing the treasure was lost forever.

Mateo and Pedro were disappointed but were happy to be alive. "We may not have the treasure but we have an amazing story to tell" Diego said.

"And we survived a jaguar attack!" Mateo said.

As they made their way back to Arenal they realised that the adventure and their friendship is worth more than any treasure.

Judge’s Comments:

A classic adventure story set in the jungles of Costa Rica! This story is fun and action-packed. The tale is expertly crafted as a result of the writer’s brilliant use of imagery. The jungles, and the animals within, are brought to life by the descriptive language. Its themes of friendship and adventure is this story’s strength!