THE GREAT ESCAPE Hi, I’m Srihita! I was part of the Story Writing and podcasting Summer Camp 2025, organized by Miss Ritu Vaish, producer of the Story Prism Podcast. I had a great time learning how to write, record, and edit my own story. Here’s one of the stories I created. I hope you enjoy it! Please give me your listening ear. It was a bright, sunny morning in a cozy little neighbourhood, where the smell of fresh dough and melted cheese floated through the air. Inside a cheerful kitchen with checkered curtains and a warm, golden glow, a freshly made pizza sat on a plate near the open window. Birds chirped outside, and a soft breeze rustled the leaves in the backyard trees. It was the perfect day for an adventure. The pizza’s name was Poly. But Poly wasn’t just any ordinary pizza—she dreamed of adventures and had one big goal: to never, ever be eaten. "I want to go on an adventure!" she exclaimed one sunny morning, looking out the window. "I don’t want to stay on this plate anymore. I want to see the world!" Poly slid off the plate and snuck out the kitchen door into the backyard. “Wheee!” she cheered, spinning and sliding with joy. But her excitement didn’t last long. Max, the neighbour’s dog, was playing outside when he spotted her. “Yum, pizza!” Max barked, his eyes widening. “You’re my lunch for sure!” Poly’s eyes went wide with panic. “Oh no!” she cried and rolled as fast as she could, trying to escape. Max chased her across the yard, tail wagging and tongue out. “I’m going to catch you!” he barked. “I can’t get caught!” Poly thought desperately. She spotted something in the corner of the yard and sped toward it was a big, messy pile of trash. “Yes!” she whispered. “If I get all dirty, he won’t want me anymore!” Poly jumped into the trash, covering herself in old banana peels, coffee grounds, and smelly leftovers. Max screeched to a stop nearby, sniffing the disgusting smell. “Eww… never mind,” he groaned. Poly giggled, proud of her clever escape. “Guess that’s one way to lose your appetite.” But just as she caught her breath and thought she was finally safe, a shadow appeared across the grass. She looked up and saw… A sharp-eyed bird had spotted her from above. With a loud screech, it flew down and snatched her up in its claws! “oh no, help somebody, help” Poly shouted as the bird got higher and higher. Down below, Max looked up and gasped. “Hey! That’s Poly!” Without thinking, he took off running, barking wildly. He chased the bird from the ground, and Jumped as high as he could and growling until it got startled and dropped Poly with a surprised squawk! Poly landed with a thud onto a soft patch of grass. She blinked, dizzy, and looked up to see Max standing over her. “Thank you for saving me!” she smiled Max wagged his tail. “You’re welcome” She looked at her dirty and smelly self and laughed. “If you help me clean up, maybe we could go on more adventures together. We could even save other foods from being eaten!” Max perked up. “That sounds fun! Maybe I can find myself a snackable pizza” “Exactly,” Poly giggled Max barked happily. “Come on let’s go!” And from that day on, a pizza and a dog: two unlikely friends: became the bravest, heroes the neighbourhood had ever seen.