Leilani's Strange Dream

• Lauren Daly, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2010

One day, Leilani took Arnold the Pig for a walk on the farm. Farmer. McGregor didn't encourage this because he would lose the weight of which he supposedly needed for the pig weight contest.

He never ate all his food so the farmers daughter ,Lucy, smuggled it out in the
wheelbarrow covering it with a tarpaulin and saying that it was horse manure.

One morning I woke up to the distressing sound of what I thought was Arnold
squealing like a little girl. He never ever squealed like this unless Mr. McGregor was
putting him in the truck. I jumped up and slipped my refrigerant feet into my
gumboots and ran out to see what the problem was and saw that there was a
man trying to shoot him with a rifle! I was so scared that I ran back inside.
As I was running in the back door I heard a gunshot and a yell. I ran out the
door again and ran towards Arnold . The next thing in knew I saw the end of the
rifle being pointed towards my forehead and I heard the gun cock. I ducked in
shock but I was too late it drove right through the crook of my elbow and out
the other side. I took one look at the gory wound and fainted rather promptly.

I woke up in the hospital and sat up quickly but the nurse pushed me back down
onto the bed. I sat up again in frustration but she just pushed me back down
again. I was so confused that I screamed and Mr and Mrs McGregor burst in the door looking agitated and worried. I sat up. Slowly this time. And felt rather ashamed with myself. The nurse shoved a block of chocolate into my hands and said,“Here, eat this, it'll make you feel better.” I looked confused so she added, “It's for the shock. You were in an induced coma and fell into it about 2 ½ weeks ago. “Two weeks!?”

“But I don't remember any of that!” I said in frustration.
“Well you won't remember any of this.” said the nurse. And she,
Mr. McGregor and Mrs. McGregor started moving slowly towards me. Their faces becoming elongated and haunted. It was like they were turning into rats of some sort I screamed and right at that moment I awoke to the sound of Mr. McGregor saying, “Come on lovie it's Arnold's big day today. We're leaving early to get a good spot,”

I lay staring at this man standing above me and he stared right back into my face and for the first time I looked into those light green eyes, the mushroom nose and that new blossoming bald patch on the top of his head. I loved him like he was my father. Like he was actually my own family.
'Phew” I said to myself, “It was just a dream.”
The End
-By Lauren Daly.-