The Climb
What happens when you're one of five most powerful humans on earth, get challenged to find a hidden village behind the biggest rock on the globe, use teleportation to pass through, and the village isn't there?
Ahmed and Liam (both 10) have five superpowers between them: water control, invisibility, smartness, athletics, teleportation. The people who set the quest don't know they're dealing with the most powerful humans on earth.
They use teleportation. Run through the rock. It works.
But something's wrong. The village isn't there.
This is partnership problem-solving wrapped in superhero adventure, proving what 465 children have taught us: when given complete creative freedom, children create stories where success requires collaboration and persistence through setbacks.
THE COMPLETE STORY
"The Climb"
Once a powerful human existed. There were only five of them in the whole world, and he had the powers of controlling water, invisibility, smartness, being athletic and teleportation.
Their names were Ahmed and Liam, and they were both 10 years old. Once they had to go on a quest up a gigantic rock, and it was the biggest rock on the whole globe.
But the people that set the quest didn't know that they were the most powerful humans on earth.
So Liam and Ahmed accepted the challenge. They went together to find the hidden village that was behind the rock. They put on the power of teleportation and started running in front of the huge rock to go through it.
And surprisingly, they did go through it, but something was wrong. The village wasn't there.
After not finding the village, they started wondering where it could be and looking for any signs of the village, and they couldn't find any until Liam saw a shining crystal on the floor.
So he called Ahmed over to show him, and they looked inside the crystal and the village was inside a little bubble.
ABOUT THE STORY
Story Type: Quest adventure with partnership problem-solving
Themes: Collaboration, escalating complexity, power shared between equals, unexpected solutions
Setting: The biggest rock on the globe, hidden village (miniaturised)
WHY THIS STORY MATTERS
The Opening: "Once a powerful human existed. There were only five of them in the whole world." Immediate scarcity. Immediate stakes.
Dramatic Irony: "The people that set the quest didn't know they were the most powerful humans on earth." Audience knows more than characters.
Strategic Power Use: They don't climb. They teleport through. Exact power needed, deployed strategically.
The Complication: "They did go through it, but something was wrong." Success that reveals bigger problem. This is where most stories end. This author kept going.
Partnership Problem-Solving: "Liam saw a shining crystal. So he called Ahmed over to show him." Not solo heroism—immediate collaboration.
Unexpected Solution: Village not behind rock at massive scale. Miniaturised inside crystal on ground. Sophisticated misdirection.
WHEN CHILDREN ARE GIVEN COMPLETE CREATIVE AUTONOMY:
They write collaborative heroes - Two protagonists, five powers shared between them
They escalate complexity - First solution works but reveals bigger problem
They show partnership organically - "Called Ahmed over to show him"
They distribute power - Each needs the other to succeed
They solve through misdirection - What you seek may not appear as expected
THE RESEARCH
When we evaluated 318 children using Classic Grounded Theory, Transformation 7 (Social Connection) showed up in story structure.
This author wrote two heroes. Same age (10, like him). Same mission. Different strengths. Neither succeeds alone.
Tom Hirst (BBC News): "Even the kids who don't like writing didn't want to stop."
Because when children write about partnership, they're writing about something they understand: needing help, figuring things out together, first solutions working but problems getting more complicated.
465 children. 9 schools. 100% engagement. Zero behavioural incidents.
When we stop limiting creative choices, children show us they understand collaboration, escalating complexity, and that the best heroes don't work alone.
ABOUT STORYQUEST™
StoryQuest™ achieves 100% engagement across all learners, including reluctant writers, boys, and SEND students. The approach: give children complete creative autonomy over something that truly matters to them.
Featured: BBC News, UK Parliament, British Psychological Society.
RESOURCES & LINKS
Try This Tonight:
"What story do YOU want to tell?"
Download Golden Question Guide (FREE):
theadventuresofgabriel.com/golden-question
See How Schools Achieve 100% Engagement:
my-storyquest.com/bradford-proof
Read Gabriel's Adventures:
theadventuresofgabriel.com
Connect: katemarkland.com
SHARE THIS EPISODE
Know a teacher who wants boys engaged in writing? A parent whose child loves quest stories but hates assignments? A school leader looking for proof that engagement comes from creative freedom?
Share Ahmed and Liam's story.
Because every child has a story. And when we give them freedom to tell it, they show us they understand collaboration at levels we rarely assign.
KEYWORDS
Boys literacy, quest stories, partnership problem-solving, reluctant writers, child authors, collaborative learning, boys writing, creative freedom, StoryQuest, superpowers, 10-year-olds, engagement strategies
NEXT EPISODE
Tomorrow: Another story from our December Story Celebration. 31 stories over 31 days.
PRODUCTION
StoryQuest™
"When given complete creative control, children don't just create great stories, hey discover their voice. And that voice deserves to be heard."
— Kate Markland