Ejafova

• Laura Stewart, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2014

I’m swimming. Swimming in outer space. No knowledge of where I am going. Slowly, I dodge a small piece of space debris by making a semi circle with my arms as if I were in a swimming pool. I feel the calmness of being in a land of no worries. I lie down, and gently close my brown eyes, then fall into a deep sleep full of happy thoughts.

I am wake up a while later by a feeling of loneliness and fear. It occurs to me that I am in a shiny golden cage with glowing chains made of pure gold. The cage is no smaller than the type made for large circus animals so I can stand up comfortably. I no longer feel as though I am in a land of no worries when I notice that a gigantic group of humanoid figures are gaping at me with all three of their eyes. The humanoids have pale faces with a minute nose and a large mouth. With all the mumbling about I realise that these humanoids go by the name of ‘The Ejafovans’. These Ejafovans have thick; dark brown hair which is tied up in a bun wrapped in glittery ribbon that flows down to the long, lace robes that they are all wearing.

“Iyqueon zutimg!” Booms the terrifying voice of the Ejafovan Emperor standing on a tall stage to my right.
“P…pardon” I reply unsteadily. After that, I hear more shouting in Ejafovian until a human boy, no older than fourteen, hesitantly stumbles up the silver stairs to the stage. The Emperor whispers something to the boy, then the boy commands
“Explain yourself!”
“My name is Ma…Matilda Brown” I say trembling with fear
“I am t…twelve years old and I live in Australia” after I say this, the human boy asks
“And where is that?”
“Earth” I say hoping that he knows were that is. Uproar of gasps and murmuring arises from the huge group of Ejafovans. The human boy is instructed by the emperor to translate one last question
“How did you land on this planet?” I am stunned. ‘How did I get here?’ .I think for a while, then say
“Well, I was having a glorious time in the sky until I fell asleep and then here I was”.

After that was said I was dumped into a cold, dark room. A little girl, sitting in the corner of the room asks
“Do you know where we are?” she has fear in her voice and it makes me feel blue, so I answer her question confidently by saying “Ejafova, It’s a wonderful place. Would you like me to show you around?”

I pick the rusted lock with a zipper on my jacket and set the girl (I now know is named Zali) and I free.

I wonder what will happen to Zali and I. We’ll just have to wait and see.