Herminie and Denise’s Journey
What happens when you're reading a thriller in bed with your talking chicken companion and you hear an unusually loud, scary roar in the middle of the night?
In this episode, Herminie and her sidekick Denise (a bossy chicken with little legs who poops when terrified and lays magical eggs that make you big, strong, and tall) sneak past the hallway guards to investigate. What they find is Cerboros, a beast so frightening that Denise immediately poops on Herminie. But after eating a bright blue egg and growing strong, Herminie fights the creature with a sword whilst Denise sits by a blueberry bush, chomping away and cheering (she's very good at multitasking).
Then things get stranger. The 'dead' beast turns out to be two friendly ostriches named Mell and Mica who help them through a portal to the sea. Sharks chase them. A baby turtle needs rescuing from nasty birds. And eventually they discover a hole in the wall behind some vines that leads straight to Hogwarts, which happens to be exactly where they needed to go.
Four days later, they finally make it home, exhausted, and immediately get into bed to finish the book they were reading before all this started.
Absurd, hilarious, and overflowing with the kind of creative chaos that happens when a child lets their imagination run completely free, this is pure storytelling joy.
This story proves what one Year 6 student told us: "The only superpower you need is imagination."
About the Story
Story Type: Fantasy adventure comedy with rapid-fire plot twists
Themes: Friendship, bravery (and multitasking), helping those in need, the circular journey home
Setting: Bedroom, forest, portal to the sea, beach, secret passage to Hogwarts
Key Elements:
- A talking chicken named Denise with 'little legs' who is bossy and poops when scared
- Magical bright blue eggs that make you 'big, strong, and tall'
- Fighting Cerboros with a sword whilst your sidekick cheers from a blueberry bush
- The 'dead' beast revealing itself as two friendly ostriches (Mell and Mica)
- A portal to the sea (with sharks)
- Herminie's cut leg attracting sharks: 'You'll be fine'
- Rescuing a baby turtle from nasty birds using a leaf as shade
- The turtle's reward: directions to Hogwarts through a hole in the wall behind vines
- Realising they've been gone for FOUR DAYS
- Coming home to finish the thriller they were reading before everything started
Why This Story Matters
This author has created something gloriously unrestrained: a story where the internal logic is 'and then THIS happened, and then THIS happened' with absolutely zero concern for conventional plotting. And it's brilliant.
Notice the escalation: roar, beast, magical egg, sword fight, ostriches, sea portal, sharks, turtle, Hogwarts. Each beat introduces something completely unexpected, yet the story maintains its own internal consistency. Denise remains exactly who she is (bossy, scared, multitasking with blueberries) throughout.
And that detail about Denise pooping on Herminie when terrified? That's the kind of real-world animal behaviour no adult would think to include in a fantasy adventure. It's simultaneously gross, hilarious, and completely logical. Of course a scared chicken would do that.
When children are given complete creative autonomy, they don't worry about whether ostriches can pretend to be dead beasts or whether turtles know the way to Hogwarts. They follow the emotional logic of the adventure: scary thing, fight it, get help, face more dangers, help someone, find your way home, finish your book.
That circular structure, starting and ending with the same thriller, is actually sophisticated storytelling. The adventure interrupts the story, but the story was always there, waiting.
About StoryQuest™
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, fantasy adventure, talking animals, chicken sidekick, comedy stories, Bradford UK, magical eggs, sword fighting, UK education
Next Episode
Subscribe to Stories Without Borders to hear more incredible stories from children around the world who discovered their voices through StoryQuest.
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