This nine-year-old's incredible imagination catapulted her into the final of a prestigious BBC writing competiton.
Niamh Gorham, a Year 4 pupil at Cramlington Village Primary School, was shortlisted from hundreds of thousands of entries to become one of just 50 finalists in Radio 2’s 500 Words writing competition.
Her remarkable short story, which draws on themes of death and inevitability, brought her and her family to Windsor Castle for a glamorous final ceremony, attended by Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall.
Is there a secret to the youngster's writing success?
She says word games to help improve her vocabulary helped make her story sparkle.
"In the car me and my mam we play a game where she will give me a sentence and you have to make it better and add things in," she said.
Although she didn't win the competition, teachers and family say they are thrilled by her achievement - while her sinister, unnerving story, which you can read above, speaks for itself.
Proud mum Sam Gorham, said: "Niamh has really done herself proud and as a family we are absolutely over the moon and can’t stop smiling.
"Credit must be given to the Cramlington Village Primary School team for their constant encouragement and always being so positive in developing each child’s individual talent.
"For Niamh, it’s her creativity and imagination that makes her so unique."
Headteacher Debbie Wylie added: "I’m so proud of Niamh’s entry.
"The sophistication and composition of her story left me almost speechless.
"Her regular story-writing in class is phenomenal, and she uses her somewhat wild imagination to create twists and turns in her stories that you’d least expect from someone her age.
"She’s a model pupil in school and takes on board all our teaching and applies it directly to her work."
