Mackenzie’s Storm

• Aimee Hooworth, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2018

Lightning flashed across the sky and a cold wind whipped the town. A waterfall was gushing from the clouds. The residents of Sydney shivered and forbade their children to go out. Lightning bolt after lightning bolt was cast from the sky and left to burn on some unfortunate piece of land. The clouds erupted and split. A blinding beam of light shone out of the mysterious gap in the sky. Thousands came out to see what was going on. A tall, angular woman walked through the sky, as if on a staircase. She had tangled, black hair that reached to her chest and she held a golden trident above her head.

The woman sneered menacingly and shrieked that she was the clone of Mackenzie Golli-Smith and that the Earth was going to end. Her shrill voice echoed off every building. A ghostly light surrounded her. The residents trembled and called desperately for help. They called out that she was insane and that she was not going to take over. The clone questioned them abruptly, “How will you stop me?” The people backed away, fearful and crying. After a few minutes of silence, that seemed like an hour, a man found the courage to speak. “Who’s Mackenzie Golli- Smith?”

Out of the silence, a toddler gurgled happily that Mackenzie was her mum! Everyone stared in surprise. The child’s bewildered father led the way to their home. Inside the house, Mackenzie was sketching an artwork; her black hair flowing down her back. She drew storms and herself so realistically that no one could tell where her drawings ended, and the outside world began. The child begged her mother to draw her for the crowd - so Mackenzie did. While Mackenzie drew she murmured that she thought the stationery drew for her. When she had finished drawing a loud ‘CRACK!’ came from above. There, outside next to the evil clone, was a miniature clone. The onlookers called out Mackenzie’s name. They told her that everything she drew was happening outside. The crowd forced her to the window to look and see.

Mackenzie was horrified. She rapidly scrunched up the paper and threw it in the garbage. Nothing happened. The townspeople looked at her desperately, so she fished out the paper and erased everything. Slowly everything faded away. One voice asked where everyone was; another exclaimed that they were invisible!

Mackenzie stared horror-struck at what she’d done - made them invisible! She sketched back the lines until she could see a twosome walking in the street, one of them still waving a golden trident. Then a man in the crowd had an idea. He asked if he could add to the picture. The man proceeded to change the clones to trees and the storm into a calm, blue sky.

The crowd rushed outside, nothing was there. For the second time that day a breeze went through the town but this one was calm and soft and brought a feeling of peace. The townspeople smiled.