Genie Antipathy

• Jayron-Harland Gray, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2011

Sweat poured down my face, my heart was racing, and I could feel intense pain in my legs as I ran through the overcrowding street. As I ran, Isra hurled a powerful powder charm at me as the stall I had ran past exploded into dust. I couldn’t look back. I ran under a window as it shattered to pieces. Suddenly, I broke into an open alley and stopped. I paused for a moment; I couldn’t hear the sudden rush of footsteps behind me. I just stood there, waiting, waiting for that single moment. As I heard my defence teacher’s words flying through my brain, “Be calm, clear your mind and still your mind.” I just stood there, cleared my mind and waited. Waited. Waited.

I could even feel it coming. I threw my hands simultaneously and, with all my strength, blocked Isra’s crush charm. She threw another one straight at me as I reflected it and hurled it right back at her arm. Her arm went limp as she screamed and threw another two charms at me. I dodged both of them. Suddenly, it all went quiet; I closed my eyes and waited. Another genie had teamed up with Isra. He had just burst into the alley.

Isra and Lutos both hurled a charm at me from both directions and I cautiously manoeuvred and blocked each one. As Isra threw another charm, I dodged it and it hit Lutos with brutal force and he exploded into a thin mist. Isra hurled another charm at me again, she had almost surpassed all her strength, gained as much black magic as she could possibly get and I had blocked it, but with all of its force, it had made me fall into a gutter.

His shadow cast over my drenched (with sweat) body. “At last I am triumphant!” Isra exclaimed. She threw an extremely powerful fire charm right at me. I managed to move my body a little to the left and dodged the charm. The charm hit the gutter and it broke to pieces. She threw another one. Missed. A shadow cast over the alley. Isra gained all her strength. The wind whipped her face. The flying object rolled into a cylinder and whacked Isra across the head before she could throw another charm. It was the magic carpet. It flew over to me. I hopped on and we flew through the air. Isra gained her balance and flew up towards me.

Does that magic carpet always have to save you?” Isra got ready to hurl another charm. “THIS has all the power of black magic behind it.” She hurled it at me with all her strength and she almost fell backwards. I threw my hands in front of me and the charm reflected. It hit Isra and she immediately vanished.

My hands stung so badly. I knew I had to let time do its work. But it was for a good cause.

I smiled. My fete had brought peace.