Hallucination

• Jing Hua Ang, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2014

Her body was numb, deadweight and her eyes had become cold and unfocused. Her body was stubborn, lying uselessly alive yet her own soul was far gone; it had floated away along with her hopes and dreams. The water was reaching dangerously close to her chin and she laughed gaily at it, like a child. A shape suddenly appeared at her side, rocking the boat with unanticipated force and she realized with a coughing scream that it was a whale. “It can’t be…” A strange sensation lifted her and something sharp pierced her side, muffling the words. “Help…” Her blank eyes rolled in her head and the feeling of weightlessness disappeared.

The bottomless sea turned into swirls and patterns as she watched with mild interest, her breath rising up in bubbles, her body floating underwater. A scene was unfolding above her and the world parted like a curtain onstage. She sided quickly away as a shark rushed past her. Water bubbles rushed behind the shark and she felt the impact. “Good lord,” she thought admiringly, “so real, almost believable! “ The shark had sunk its teeth into a fish’s tail, leaving bubbles of blood in its wake, making a beeline for her. Her knees grew weak as the blood floated past her and she caught the scent. “Why is it so strong?” She looked back at the poor fish, where animals of different kinds grew out of its flesh and she screamed in horror. She looked around for the shark, but it was gone. In its place, fish gathered around and formed patterns and then shapes. She watched in wonder as flowers appeared, then glanced back to the animals which had turned into an array of wild creatures- tigers, elephants; birds flew past her until they collided with the fish. Suddenly, there were fireworks bursting from every corner of her eye. She could not think of an explanation for this and the sight made her feel shocked and very confused. Her head spun as the fireworks came closer and burst with an unusual clarity. She felt her mouth protesting, and shouting as she struggled to move. “Stop!” She yelled in her head.

“Stop! Stop it!” She tried louder, her voice trapped in her throat. Then, a terrible force was pushing her further below, blocking her senses. She could not think and she kicked out at the sides, trying to escape from an invisible barrier. “I am dying, “ she thought, “but I have to…!” Then there was silence. She counted for beats, pulses, and her own heart. She heard nothing. A choked scream gurgled away from her and her eyes were rolling at the back of head. The water had stolen her senses, but as her life fled away, she could imagine herself sinking down the dark abyss. As her heart stopped, she saw her parents smiling faces materialize below her. With her hands stretched out, she folded into the embrace and finally, welcomed death.