A Busker's Lullaby

• Klare Ho, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2010

"Platform A is leaving in 5 minutes, I repeat, platform A is leaving in 5
minutes." It was a slow day today. The sky was grey, the air cold with ice
and the tiny droplets of drizzle didn't seem to help brighten the mood
either. I could see hear the old lady busking at the corner of my eye, she was singing a lullaby, “...sleep now little angel to the heavens above..." it
was the only line I could hear before she abruptly stopped and looked at
me. Was it just me or was that sorrow in her eyes? Almost...Mournful?
In Maybell, Colorado it wasn't hard to find psychos lose out on the street
even in daylight, well...it wasn't hard where I lived, so I didn't take much
notice of her until- "BANG!" What was that? It sounded like a gunshot!
Screams cried among passengers on an oncoming train. The door opened with a squeal and people all rushed out. I had a sudden instinct to look over at the women I had just seen busking a moment ago. When my eyes rested on…where I had found her just a second ago, they fell short, for she wasn't there anymore. I looked around searching but she was no where to be found, a women, that age, can't possibly run as far as out of sight. "BANG" I jerked. Down like someone had just coursed electricity through my body, my hands, were instinctively covering my head in a flash.
I saw him clearly now. A man with blue sweat pants and a white shirt on. As he came closer towards me I saw the visible stains on his shirt, it looked all grey with sweat, I also noticed something shiny in his hand and he held it up and towards a man in his late 40. "Give me your money!" He ordered. The victim obeyed without a seconds thought. "And that watch too!" The man with the gun had said, his voice ruff and deep. The victim had hesitated and said, "But, it was given to me by my wife, it costs a fortune!"
"All the more reason to kill you if you don't give me that watch," he said
it with such innocence, as if he was merely asking a question. When he saw the man trying to run away he pulled out his gun and shot him.
"NO!" I screamed loudly. Loud enough for him to hear. My heart skipped a beat as I realized he was walking towards me. His stride was fast like a lion chasing down his prey.
He pulled his gun out once more and without a word of warning he shot me. There I lay on the wooden platforms lifeless. The pain of the bullet was excruciating, I screamed out in pain but the man who had inflicted this agony upon me turned his back slowly and left me. I waited for death to come. I tried to remember the first few seconds before I heard the first gunshot. I remembered the old lady who was busking and the beautiful song she had sung. "...sleep now little angel to the heavens above..." As my vision blurred and I found it hard to breath, I repeated the lullaby once more in my head and went into the deep sleep she had said, the one where I would never wake up from...
The lesson here is that one day your life will flash before your eyes...just make sure it's worth seeing.