Highly Commended Freddie’s Adventures by Amber Weir

Freddie is a small white dog, with fluffy hair and brown eyes. He lives with his owners in Gibraltar. His favourite food is roast dinners and he loves cuddles. During the day, Freddie sleeps, eats and then sleeps again. He is a very happy dog. But at night, when everyone is asleep and the house is quiet, Freddie sneaks out. You see Freddie is no ordinary dog. Freddie is actually a curious dog who is a Detective!

One day, many months ago, Freddie decided to see what was at the top of the Rock. For some reason, his owners never took him to the top. He had heard them mention the word Ape but he didn't know what this meant so he decided to find out for himself! He crept out whilst everyone was asleep and started to climb the steep hill. He really hoped that there might be some food at the top but he wasn't sure. Crack, what was that noise? Screech and that? Suddenly he saw a large group of something which he thought could be other dogs. But he looked harder and saw some large, brown furry creatures. They stared straight back at Freddie, quite shocked to see a -- dog alone at the top of the rock. Scared Freddie started to regret his decision. Would they be friendly? Did they like roast dinners like him? Should he turn and run? But then the biggest one of all reached out his hand and said ...

"Come with us and we'll show you some fun!" Freddie wasn't sure but as he was so curious he decided to go. The Apes were screeching and yelling. They were so excited! The bigger Ape said "shall we tell you a secret?" Freddie loved secrets .... "Yes please" he said. So the Ape said "when the whole of Gibraltar is fast asleep we Apes like to have a party. We go into St Michaels Cave and we dance, drink coke and and eat chocolate!" Freddie was amazed. He had the best night of his life and he never told a soul .....

Judge Charlie Durante’s comments:

“This story is an animal fable without a moral; it’s just pure fantasy. Freddie is a very peculiar dog with a highly developed gastronomic taste, a liking for sleuthing and sense of adventure. One night he sneaks out and climbs to the top of the Rock. Of course, we have a dog/macaque encounter! But there are no bad feelings; instead, Freddie is invited to a real rave up in St Michael’s Cave and has a whale of a time. This is a delightful story which would appeal to any child who loves animals and enjoys creating strange situations, especially those which are highly unlikely.”