James' Nightmare

• Madison Wong, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2009

Early in the morning, James woke up to the holy melody from the singing birds.
Rubbing his restless eyes, he went out to the kitchen, in search for something to fill his empty stomach. But something was different. Something didn't feel right. He couldn't explain what it was. It was unclear.

James cradled his bowl of cereal in his hands and turned around to walk towards the dining table. "Morning James," coughed Cousin Fiona, as a puff of smoke glided in the air. Cousin Fiona always stay over at James' place every Saturday, as her parents couldn't bare to leave the 15 year old at home when they work on Saturdays.

Taking a spoonful of Jing-Jang cereal in his mouth, James looked up and greeted his cousin. It had hit him. That moment -James' eyes opened wide in shock as he choked on his cereal. Fiona had an abnormally large sized head. Her nose was long and thick like a snake. She looked demented. James, now panicking, ran out to the lounge room to find his other relatives. There standing at the doorway, his parents, his Auntie Ruth and Uncle Jim were chatting unstoppably. They, too, looked different and uglier than usual. Their teeth were sharp like canines. James' mum looked most awkward, she was chatting backwards. No, her body was bent backwards! Auntie Ruth had curly hair sticking out of her head in random directions!

James screamed with his arms in the air. He was confused. He was scared and nervous about the situation he is in.

James' mum walked towards him. She had something in her hands. Scared, James tried to move his legs. "No!" James thought, his brain screaming. His legs were stuck. He can’t move them.

Closer his mother came. Her hands reached above for his head. She was unfolding something and placed it on his eyes. "James! Dear, why did you scream?" said his mum, gently. "You forgot to wear your glasses."

At the end, James' looked through his lenses. Everything was back to normal again. No one; not one person looked abnormal. It turned out James' left his glasses in the lounge room and totally forgot about them. But luckily, his mum found them for him.