The Cave Adventure
What happens when a perfect holiday morning in Hawaii gets interrupted by fingopoop, the most deadly fly in Hawaii?
In this episode, Millie, Francesca, and their pet monkey Sully are enjoying a blissful walk across hot Hawaiian sand. Everything is perfect, the holiday of a dream, until Francesca hears a disturbing noise like a mosquito behind them. They turn around to see fingopoop buzzing towards them. They run into a local cave to escape, and then somehow a rock falls and blocks the entrance.
Trapped inside, they discover riddles written on the cave walls. 'What has a head but no body?' (A coin.) 'What cries but doesn't have eyes?' (A cloud.) Each correct answer causes a piece of paper to fall from the roof with a number on it. Sully, the code-cracking monkey, enters the numbers. Three riddles later, they've cracked the code, the rock begins to move, and Millie uses her strength to push away 'the rock of doom.'
But when they walk out expecting to see Hawaii, they find themselves in a volcano in Iceland. How did they get there? We will never know...
Mystery-filled, riddle-driven, and ending with a twist that raises more questions than it answers, this is a story about friendship, problem-solving under pressure, and the universe's odd sense of humour.
This story proves what one Year 6 student told us: "The only superpower you need is imagination."
About the Story
Story Type: Adventure mystery with riddle-quest structure and portal twist
Themes: Teamwork, problem-solving, the unexpected, friendship across species
Setting: Hawaiian beach, mysterious cave, Iceland volcano
Key Elements:
- Perfect holiday morning: hot Hawaiian sand, Sully climbing trees, bliss
- Fingopoop: 'the most deadly fly in Hawaii'
- Running into a cave, rock falls and blocks entrance (trapped)
- Riddles written on cave walls
- First riddle: 'What has a head but no body?' (Answer: a coin)
- Paper falling from roof with number 6
- Sully the code-cracking monkey entering numbers
- Second riddle: 'What cries but doesn't have eyes?' (Answer: a cloud, because rain)
- Paper with number 8 falls
- Three more riddles (not detailed but completed)
- Code cracked, rock begins to move
- Millie's strength pushing away 'the rock of doom'
- Walking out expecting Hawaii, finding themselves in Iceland volcano
- The unanswered question: 'How did they get there? We will never know...'
Why This Story Matters
This author has created something delightfully peculiar: a straightforward riddle-quest that ends with complete spatial impossibility and refuses to explain itself. That confidence, 'We will never know...', is brilliant. The author isn't pretending to have all the answers, they're acknowledging the mystery and leaving it mysterious.
Notice the character roles: Francesca is the riddle solver (she gets both answers through logical thinking), Sully is the code-cracker (entering the numbers), and Millie is the muscle (pushing away the rock of doom). That's proper teamwork where each person's strengths matter.
And 'fingopoop, the most deadly fly in Hawaii'? That name alone tells you everything about this author's sense of humour. They're not trying to create a terrifying villain, they're creating something absurd that's also genuinely threatening. The juxtaposition of silly name and real danger is sophisticated comedy.
The riddles themselves are legitimate brain-teasers with clever answers. 'What cries but doesn't have eyes?' followed by Francesca's reasoning ('if you think about it, a cloud cries with rain') shows genuine problem-solving thinking made visible on the page.
When children are given complete creative autonomy, they write stories where caves have riddle-locks, monkeys can crack codes, and you can walk into a cave in Hawaii and walk out in Iceland with absolutely no explanation. They're not bound by our world's rules, they're creating worlds where the logic is 'this would be cool' and 'this would be funny' and 'this would be mysterious.' And honestly? That's exactly what storytelling should be.
About StoryQuestâ˘
StoryQuest is a validated methodology that achieves 100% engagement across all learners, including reluctant writers, boys, and students with SEND. The approach is simple but profound: give children complete creative autonomy over something that truly matters to them.
Resources & Links
Bring StoryQuest to Your School:
Visit my-storyquest.com to download the curriculum guide and discover how your students can become published authors.
Start Friday Night Storytelling at Home:
Download Gabriel's StoryQuest Family Kit at theadventuresofgabriel.com
Read Gabriel's Adventures:
The international #1 bestselling series that started it all, co-authored by Kate Markland and her son Gabriel Khan. Available at theadventuresofgabriel.com
Connect with Kate:
Website: katemarkland.com
Share This Episode
Know a teacher struggling with reluctant writers? A parent whose child says 'writing is boring'? A school leader looking for proven literacy solutions? Share this episode with them.
Because every child has a story. And when we give them the freedom to tell it, extraordinary things happen.
Keywords
Child authors, creative writing for children, literacy education, reluctant writers, StoryQuest, student engagement, children's storytelling, authentic writing, educational innovation, child-led learning, riddle stories, adventure mystery, Hawaii, Iceland, monkey sidekick, portal stories, Bradford UK, UK education
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Production: StoryQuest
"When given complete creative control, children don't just create great stories, they discover their voice. And that voice deserves to be heard." - Kate Markland