THE HIDDEN SECRET

• Alexander Buckland, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2013

THE HIDDEN SECRET

2:50. 10 minutes until school ended. Luka looked down at his last maths sum and tried to work it out. It was a blistering hot Friday and, as usual, his mind kept drifting off to think about what he would do on the weekend. “Two minutes to go,” his teacher announced. Luka managed to finish his last maths sum just as the siren went.

Luka ran outside and tried to find his friend, Caspar, he was supposed to be riding home with him but Luka couldn’t see him anywhere. He began to worry and then his worries dispersed as he spotted him near the entrance waiting for him. He grabbed his bike and rode over to him. When he reached Caspar he noticed a long thin case strapped to his back.
“Trombone?” Luka asked.
“Errrrrrr…yeah,” Caspar replied casually. The boys rode out the gate and started riding up the hill until Caspar shot ahead and over the crest of the hill. Luka just managed to get to the top to see Caspar turning into a dark, narrow alley.
“Oi Caspar! Where ya going?” Luka shouted as he sped across the road only just managing to avoid a passing lorry. Luka raced into the alley and could just make out a figure turning into a darker, narrower alley. This time, as he turned into the alley, he was overwhelmed by the stench of rotting fish and noodles. A Chinese restaurant, he thought. Trying to ignore the stench Luka pedalled harder than ever and only just had time to throw himself off his bike to avoid a massive bin that took up almost the whole alleyway. He picked himself up and felt a stab of pain as he realised he had a nasty cut on his leg that was bleeding profusely. He glanced over to his bike and saw that the front Tyre had come off and the frame was badly crumpled. Limping down the alley Luka wondered if this was such a good idea, if he should just go home, but then a flash of inspiration pushed him on and he started down the alley again. As he turned a corner the sunlight almost blinded him. He found himself in a courtyard that was surrounded by a very modern building. And then he saw the guards, all armed with Koch G11’s. And all too late, Luka realised that he should’ve gone home, that he had made a mistake, a big mistake…


By Alexander Buckland