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Margaret ClarkIllustrated by Bettina Guthridge

Message in a

Bottle

© State of NSW, Department of Education and Training, Student Welfare Directorate, 2007

RESTRICTED WAIVER OF COPYRIGHTThe printed material in this publication is subject to a restrictedwaiver of copyright to allow the purchaser to make photocopies ofthe material contained in the publication for use within a school,subject to the conditions below.1. All copies of the printed material shall be made without alterationor abridgement and must retain acknowledgement of copyright.2. The school or college shall not sell, hire or otherwise deriverevenue from copies of the material for any other purpose.3. The restricted waiver of copyright is not transferable and may bewithdrawn in the case of breach of any of these conditions.

All enquiries about Message in a Bottle - A Stage 2 and 3 alcohol education resource should be addressed to:

Drug Prevention ProgramsNSW Department of Education and TrainingLocked Bag 53DARLINGHURST NSW 2010

Email drug.prevention@det.nsw.edu.au

Website www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/yrk12focusareas/druged/index.php

Message in a Bottle Margaret Clark

Illustrated by Bettina Guthridge

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Chapter One

‘What’s that floating over there?’ said Tess, as she pointed to a shiny object bobbing gently on a wave. ‘It’s only a bottle,’ said her brother Troy. ‘Nothing important. Come on, I’ll race you to the end of those rocks.’

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The two children were staying with their Pop and Nan while their parents were away. Pop was a retired scientist. He even had a laboratory filled with interesting equipment set up in the back shed. Some people thought he was really weird, but Troy and Tess thought he was cool. Nan and the children loved baking cookies and cakes and Tess and Troy loved eating them. They also loved the big old house. It was perched on a cliff overlooking the beach. Steep steps from the back garden led down to the sand. It was a great place to stay for a holiday.

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‘Troy sprinted off along the hard packed sand, but Tess was still looking at the bottle as the waves brought it closer to the shore. ‘Troy!’ yelled Tess, ‘There’s something inside this bottle!’ ‘Stepping into the shallow water, Tess scooped it up. ‘Troy skidded to a stop, turned and came back. ‘What do you mean, there’s something inside it?’ He grabbed at the bottle. ‘Give me a look.’ ‘Being wet, the bottle was hard to hold. It slipped out of his hand and fell onto the sand. ‘Now look what you’ve done.’ Tess picked it up. ‘Just as well we weren’t on the rocks. It would’ve been smashed to bits.’

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‘She wiped off the sand and held the bottle to the light. ‘See?’ ‘Inside there was a tightly rolled piece of paper. ‘Someone might be shipwrecked or stranded on a deserted island,’ said Troy. Tess looked worried. ‘I think someone needs our help. And fast!’

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Chapter Two

Meanwhile, in a strange and secret city across the sea, in a land where Alcohols live, Vodel was doing his homework. He frowned as he read the first question.

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1. If an adult male drank a bottle of beer and two cans of bourbon and cola, how would he feel? ‘Sick,’ he wrote. ‘He looked at the next question.2. If four glasses of wine were drunk quickly on an empty stomach, how would the person feel? ‘Even sicker,’ he wrote.

‘His sister Claretta peered over his shoulder. ‘You’re supposed to discuss the alcohol content and the effects.’

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‘Claretta sighed. ‘It would be easier if humans understood about us. That’s why I decided to do something risky.’ She paused. ‘I sent messages to the humans.’

‘If someone drank me quickly, I’d be sick too,’ Vodel said crossly. ‘I wish adult humans would treat us with respect if they decide to drink us.’ ‘Some do,’ said Claretta. ‘Some don’t drink at all. And some need to learn more about alcohol and how it can be harmful. That’s why we have to tell them how we feel.’ ‘And how are we supposed to do that when we are just a bunch of liquids?’ Vodel glared at her.

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‘What?’ ‘Yes. In bottles.’ ‘But ... can they read and what did you write?’ ‘I’ve heard on the grapevine that humans can read, the same as we can. I wrote exactly how we Alcohols feel about how they use us.’ ‘Vodel stared at her.

‘You’d better not tell the Aged Ones what you’ve done. They won’t be happy.’

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‘The Aged Ones lived in oak barrels in a very dark cave. They never saw the light of day. The longer they fermented, the stronger they became. And the stronger they became, the greater effect they had.

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They could make clever human grown-ups act in silly ways, sometimes dangerous ways, if they drink too much.

‘Well,’ said Claretta, ‘I don’t care if the Aged Ones aren’t happy. I just hope that a lot of smart and important humans find my bottles and take the messages to their leaders. Then things might change.’

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Chapter Three

Troy and Tess ran fast across the sand and up the steps. ‘Pop will have a cork screw,’ said Troy. ‘In fact, I’ll bet he owns every tool on this planet.’

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‘They raced across the garden to the shed. Troy burst through the door and nearly fell flat on his face over a strange object on the floor. ‘Careful!’ warned Pop, as Tess came tumbling in the door after Troy. ‘Remember, there are lots of

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chemicals and delicate instruments in here. I don’t want them spilt or broken.’ ‘Do you have a cork screw we can borrow, please? We need to open this.’

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‘Pop peered at the bottle in Tess’ hands. ‘There’s something inside,’ he said. ‘Ah, you wrote me a note. Is this a different approach to asking for more pocket money? Staying up later at night? Watching more cartoons on TV?’ ‘We didn’t write the message,’ said Troy. ‘We found this bottle at the beach.’

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‘I found it, you mean.’ Tess glared at her brother. ‘I saw it first, but I didn’t tell you.’ ‘Did not!’ ‘Stop!’ said Pop, raising his hand. ‘While you two are bickering, someone could be in big trouble. Now, let’s see, where did I put the cork screw?’ ‘After rummaging through cupboards, on shelves and through drawers, Pop finally found a corkscrew and prised out the cork. He tipped the bottle up, but the message was wedged firmly inside.

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‘Now what will we do?’ asked Tess anxiously. ‘Smash the bottle!’ Troy grabbed a small hammer. ‘No. It could have fingerprints on it!’ Tess said. ‘It’s evidence.’

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‘Quite right,’ said Pop.

‘He found some long tweezers and carefully extracted the thin paper. He laid it on the table and slowly and gently unrolled it. There wasn’t one sheet. There were two.Troy and Tess stared at the sheets of paper.

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‘There’s nothing on them,’ said Tess in an annoyed voice. ‘Someone’s playing tricks!’ ‘Hmm,’ said Pop. He held one piece of paper up to the light, then sniffed it a few times. ‘Sometimes things are not as they appear to be.’ ‘He put the paper down and began to gather some jars and bottles from his shelves. As he began to pour the contents into a bowl, he muttered to himself. ‘A little dash of this and a little splash of that. Maybe a drop or two of this and a dab or two of that.’ ‘Soon a sea-green mixture was frothing gently in the mixing bowl.

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‘Pop carefully stroked the frothy mixture over the papers with a soft brush. It bubbled. Then as they watched, wobbly red letters began to form, turning into words. ‘Now,’ said Pop. ‘Let’s see what we can see!’

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Chapter Four

Pop spread the sheets of paper across his bench. ‘The writing’s sort of wishy-washy,’ said Tess. ‘It looks like someone’s tried to use a pointed stick!’ ‘It’s untidy,’ said Troy. ‘He wasn’t brilliant at writing himself but at least he could write ‘To the Humans who find this note’ neatly.

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‘Pop looked at the message on the first page. He read it aloud. ‘I would like it to be known that we Alcohols are worried about the behaviour of certain human beings,’ he read out. ‘We Alcohols? Who are they?’ Tess frowned.

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‘It’s got to be some sort of crazy joke,’ said Troy. ‘It’s Alcoholics, not Alcohols. Everyone knows that!’ ‘But Pop looked excited. ‘From ancient scrolls that I have studied, I’ve reason to believe that this strange land exists,’ he said. ‘What land?’

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‘A land far away, never detected by humans, where Alcohols live.’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Well, drinks such as beer, wine, rum, whisky, to name a few. Maybe you can think of more.’ ‘I put sherry in the trifle and brandy in the sauce for the plum pudding at Christmas time,’ said Nan as she walked into the shed.

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‘Do we still have those bottles of sherry and brandy?’ inquired Pop. ‘Maybe there is more information on the bottles themselves.’

‘Yes I think so,’ said Nan. ‘Let’s have a look?’ ‘They took the strange message with them into the house and Nan searched through the cupboards looking for the bottles. ‘Yes, here they are,’ said Nan as she pulled them out of the cupboard. ‘What information is on the labels?’ Pop asked. ‘Let’s see,’ said Nan as she searched for her glasses.

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‘It says, 37.0% ALC VOL, 150mls. Approximately 4.4 standard drinks,’ read Nan. ‘I think we need more information,’ said Pop. ‘Let’s use Nan’s computer. That way we can do some research.’ ‘Troy asked Nan if they could use her computer. Tess logged onto the internet. ‘She soon found lots of information.

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‘Alcohol is a drug,’ she read out, ‘Alcohol slows down activity in the brain and the nervous system.’ ‘Sometimes you’re slow in the brains department,’ said Troy. ‘Quiet!’ Tess kept on reading. ‘Pure alcohol has no colour or taste. There are different types of alcoholic drinks. For example, beer gets its taste from malt and wine gets its taste from the type of grapes used. Alcohol can be called a food because it provides energy. It does not contain proteins or vitamins. Alcohol does not need to be digested in the stomach. It passes straight into the bloodstream.’ Tess nodded at the screen. ‘I didn’t know this stuff,’ said Nan. ‘Then other people won’t either,’ said Troy. ‘Look. It says having too much alcohol or combining alcohol and other drugs, like medicines, can be harmful. I’ll bet most grown-ups don’t know that!’

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‘Tess turned from the computer and looked at Pop. ‘Anyway, what’s this place you’re telling us about where Alcohols live? Can we find it on the computer?’ ‘It won’t be there, I can guarantee,’ said Pop, as Nan took over the search. ‘Strange things exist beyond our understanding. You know, once people thought the earth was flat!’ ‘Isn’t it?’ said Troy seriously. ‘Troy!’ ‘Only joking. Of course I know that the earth is round.’ ‘Tess was still thinking. ‘So, Pop, you actually believe that these Alcohols do live in a far away land and not just in bottles and casks and kegs here?’ ‘Yes,’ said Pop. ‘I do.’

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‘Troy screwed up his face in concentration. It was hard to imagine alcoholic drinks catching the school bus and playing footy and doing homework. ‘That’s not possible,’ he said. ‘They would drip all over the place.’ ‘In their own land they would probably be in a more solid form,’ said Pop. ‘Like icy poles?’ ‘No. Alcohol doesn’t freeze. They would be more ... sort of droopy or drippy, I suppose.’ ‘Troy peered at the sheets of paper. He tried to imagine a drop of alcohol writing on the sheets of paper. ‘It was impossible!

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Chapter Five

‘Right,’ said Pop. ‘Let’s read these messages.’ ‘I still don’t get it,’ said Troy. ‘I can’t understand how an Alcohol can write to us. It’s too weird!’ ‘It’s not an easy thing to understand,’ said Pop. ‘Try and think of an Alcohol as a science fiction typeof creature or a supernatural being with a message. That might help.’ ‘They hurried back to the shed where Pop spread out the sheets of paper.

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Pop finished reading the first page. He looked over his spectacles at Troy and Tess. ‘What do you think?’ he asked. ‘I think whoever wrote those messages was very clever,’ said Troy. ‘Yes, but what does the second message say?’ inquired Tess.Pop scanned the page and said, ‘I can’t quite make it out, I think it could be another language.’Tess and Troy had a closer look. ‘Hey Pop, I think it is a puzzle, it’s some sort of code,’ said Troy. ‘Tess studied it even harder and said excitedly, ‘I’ve got it! The squiggles in the table are the decoders for the message. Let’s try and work it out.’

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‘Hmm!’ said Pop. ‘The first mark looks like a number “1”. What could that mean?’‘I know,’ said Tess. ‘Look Pop! The Code Breaker says that the number “1” stands for the letter “A”!’‘Good work, Tess. Now what’s next?’‘I’ve got it!’ said Troy. ‘Claretta’s code says it’s an “L”.’‘You’re right! What’s next?’‘The number “3” is “C” and “zero” is the letter “O”,’ exclaimed Tess.‘Alco….,’ said Troy. ‘Pop! It says alcohol.’‘Yes, well done, Troy.’

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Quickly, they solved the rest of the message.‘The first part says, alcohol and drugs can be dangerous,’ Tess was excited.‘Yeah, and the next part says, kids should never mess with alcohol or drugs,’ added Troy.‘Hey, the Alcohols have some good messages. The problem is that all humans need to know this,’ said Tess. ‘How can we do that, Pop?’ ‘We can go to the newspapers and magazines. And the radio. And we can go on TV!’

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Chapter Six

But this was easier said than done! ‘When Pop contacted the newspapers and magazines, the chief editors all said he was a weirdo and slammed down their phones. ‘When he phoned the radio stations, the disc jockeys all said he was nuts and slammed down their phones.

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The TV stations were even worse. The producers said he was crazy.

They said, ‘Get lost!’ and slammed down their phones. ‘What are we going to do?’ asked Tess. ‘I don’t know yet,’ said Pop. ‘But I’ll think of something!’

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‘They were sitting around the big table. Nan had made a batch of chocolate chip cookies. They were straight out of the oven, delicious, with melting chips of dark chocolate. ‘I wish Claretta could taste these,’ said Troy. ‘She doesn’t know what she’s missing.’

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‘I have an idea,’ said Nan. ‘Why don’t you send a message back to Claretta in a bottle and tell the Alcohols that you have tried very hard but no one wants to listen to their messages. What can be done? And maybe

we could squash a chocolate chip cookie in as well.’ ‘That’s a very good idea,’ said Pop. ‘We can send off the bottle on the outgoing tide.’ ‘How do we know it will wash up on the Alcohols shore?’ asked Tess. ‘We don’t know,’ said Pop. ‘But it’s a full moon. And a full moon affects the tide, so it will be strong. Tonight is as good a night as any to launch a message in a bottle.’ ‘Don’t forget to put in a chocolate chip cookie,’ said Troy.

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Chapter Seven

Troy watched while Tess wrote their letter in her neatest handwriting.