Land Of Youth

• Aydin Neighbour, Grade Y4
• Short Story
• 2011

It was so loud that I could barely hear myself think. Then, all of a sudden, a giant boulder was rolling. Another boulder was now rolling and crash! The two boulders smashed together, I really couldn't think through this test. I am going to fail. Every minute I tried to walk away but suddenly everywhere trees grew up all around me. Though I must have been in the land of youth, it was so quiet and peaceful. I could wander everywhere without being heard. Nothing here would distract the test.

I had only remembered that a relative of mine had just turned 200. She was partially deaf. If she was in the world I am in, peace would reign free. I walked back into the racket and asked the supervisor if I could do the test there. I walked out but this time instead of walking into trees I walked into a cobbled stoned land. Oh no! the wrong place. I might walk down a path. A policeman was talking to a person about another world. The police said the land of youth was five kilometres away. It struck my mind like a lightning bolt as bright as the sun. I don't care if I walk five kilometres. I just want to get to the land of youth. So I travelled five kilometres and reached my destination.

The air smelt sweet. The dappled flowers were beautiful. The taste of berries tingled on my tongue. I lay down in the shade of a pandanus tree, and never remembered the racket and the test again.