Our Shropshire Stories
The Lostford Lynx, by Isabel Dixon,
Market Drayton Junior School
It was a beautiful summer’s day and Emily was riding the bus home from school. She planned to get off a stop early because Eve, Lyla and Daisy, who were in her class, always bullied her once she got off the bus. They picked on her because she didn’t have a phone and didn’t know the social media dances that all the other girls knew. When Emily stepped off the bus, Eve, Lyla and Daisy banged on the window and pulled faces at her. She swung her rucksack onto her back and started walking down the quiet country lane towards home. The only sound to be heard was the chirping of the sparrows in the hedges. Suddenly she heard the
the rustling of leaves behind her and turning round she thought she saw a shadowy shape disappearing around the corner. She was certain it had been a large animal, much bigger than a dog but more feline in shape. Then she heard something prowling along the other side of the hedge towards her. Emily was so scared she ran the rest of the way home. “What’s the matter with you?” asked Emily’s mum as her daughter clattered into the kitchen and collapsed into a chair. “A big cat…. chased me,” panted Emily.
Mum laughed at Emily just as Gran walked into the kitchen. “A big cat chasing you?” asked Gran, “That sounds like the Lostford Lynx.” “What?” asked Emily. “Don’t start filling her head with that kind of rubbish,” said Emily’s mum. “Tell me,” pleaded Emily. “The Lostford Lynx is a local legend. People say a lynx lives in the woodland near here and comes round looking for food.” Emily was frightened. “What if the lynx is trying
to catch me?” “It’s a legend, Emily,” her mum replied, “It’s not real.” “Oh, but it is,” her gran argued, “I saw it when I was a little girl.” Mum rolled her eyes. The next day, Emily got off the bus at the same stop as Eve, Lyla and Daisy. She would rather face them than the Lostford
Lynx. Eve walked up to her and said, “Alright, baby.” Emily tried to ignore her and walk away but Lyla grabbed her by the arm and said, “You’re not going anywhere!” Daisy laughed, “Aw, is ickle Emily trying to run away to her mummy?” Emily tried to pull away from Lyla. As she broke free, she heard
a low rumble. Emily and the other girls turned around to see a huge cat
with tufted ears, a powerful body and a short tail. The cat was too big to
be a domestic cat. Its eyes bulged menacingly and it let out a terrifying
growl. Emily was rooted to the spot with fear but the other girls ran for their
lives. The lynx appeared satisfied that the bullies had gone and turned towards Emily. It brushed against her leg before running off into the distance. Emily never had problems with the bullies again.
this story was inspired by the place-name Lostford - to find out more, click here.
