The song that saved someone's life

This story is by Chloe Hughes, aged 11.

Once upon a time in a smokey and dangerous sewing factory there was a young girl the age of 8 with pestiferous hair and a dirty dress, which was once a lovely gown, and her name was Hetty. She never spoke of it (because she could be in serious trouble if she did) but she was an orphan and if her boss ever found out she would be forced to go back to the orphanage that she had just recently escaped from.

Hetty was casually doing her hard and cruel work when she thought - to lighten every other child's mood - she should sing one of her own songs called 'The Toughest Years of My Life'. She was so beautiful and exquisite it caught the attention of the boss, Albert. He was not happy in fact he made her stay 4 extra hours! The pain weighed on top of her like a sack of large rocks and she still had to walk to her hide out/home.

Singing to herself, she stumbled down the steep and farsighted hill that had uneven gravel. Hetty closed her eyes and treied to picture a better life still singing. What she did not notice is that there was the Queen's best guard watching her. When she opened her eyes he did not slap her nor say you have to work longer no but he stood there and applauded her. She felt special for once in her life.

"Mam" he said no one had ever called her mam. "You have the most splendid voice i have ever heard in my long life!"

"Wow!" she thought "he thinks I sound good!". "Thank you sir." she said.

"How would you like to execute your phenomenal talent in front of the Queen I am looking for people who could actually amuse Her Majesty." He looked around and gave a little chuckle at his own joke.

Hetty laughed as well and she agreed to come with him if he could prove this was not false information. She asked this because if he was lying the officer might take her back to the orphanage where she had just come from 10 weeks ago. Then he pulled meticulously, out of his archaic brown bag, what seemed to be a fine-paper leaflet and he asked "Would this meet your standard?"

It read 'Looking for talent do not un-amuse me for if you do you shall be executed.'

Lucky for her that was for adults but it sounded worse in her case 'And as a child punishment they would be sent to an orphanage for we would kill their parents'

He looked at her reassuringly "You will be fine do not worry." She nodded and they headed to Buckingham Palace. It was gargantuan. An elegant voice came "why hello child". It was the Queen herself.

"Good day mam." Trembled Hetty nervously "I will sing for your pleasure"

"Well let's hope that it is" Her Majesty said

Hetty sang her heart out and the Queen smiled and said "One is most amused well done."