The Cage, The Vines And The Tiger.

• Olivia Morffew, Grade 10, Marymount College
• Short Story
• 2011

Excellence Award in the 'Step Write Up 2011' competition

The cage was small, cold and smelt like death. Roland and his brother Simon were trapped little animals, held captive by the Masters. A feminine scream sliced the silence. “Mother,” Roland whispered under his breath.
He felt Simon tense beside him. The Master dragged her out on the chain, she should be dead by now but with the gloves the Masters are wearing they can’t kill her, only torture her. The Master dragged the chain and all the other prisoners in the holding room watched as the scene unfolded before them. Her fear rolled off her in waves and as the dragged her onto the table and strapped her down with metal chains. Her emerald eyes, the same ones both her sons have, scanned the crowd, looking for someone. Finally her eyes landed onto the two frightened boys in the holding cell. She smiled sadly at them. This is it. This is her final breath. “I love you,” she shouted as the Master’s non-gloved hand touched her heart. The smell of burning flesh began to linger in the air as the Masters began to burn their mother with a single touch. Her cries of pain made both her sons flinch in pain.

Her cries finally died down and both boys knew that she was dead. Roland’s ten-year-old hands clenched into fists and the vines that forever lingered in the room sprung to life and darted towards the cage. The vines constantly whipped the cage and then it finally broke. Simon held back a cry as the Masters began to walk forward, their robes following silently behind them. Roland unclenched his fist and held a hand out, palm facing up. Within seconds the vines from before sprang back to life and slowly encircled the Masters, suffocating them. “Let’s go Simon,” Roland declared once the Masters weren’t breathing.
Simon nodded and they walked into the middle of the room, where the table was, where their mother was lying lifeless. Roland, now knowing the extent of his power, held is hands out, palms up, and raised them into the air. Within seconds two large vines emerged out of the ground. Roland held his hand out for his brother to take, but he wasn’t there. Roland began to panic and his palms began to sweat. He killed them all, he was sure of it. A snarl rippled through the air making Roland freeze in his stance. He turned around slowly and his eyes widened at what he saw; his brother riding a gleaming white tiger that had a chain around it’s neck. “He wont hurt you Roland. He seems to understand me and I can understand him,” the young boy explained.
The tiger growled. “He says that the Masters are coming and the exits this way,” he pointed behind him with his thumb. Roland, still in shock of what his brother can do, didn’t realise that his feet were taking him to his brother.

Once Roland was at the tiger, it lowered itself and Roland reluctantly got on. He held his brothers back as the tiger spun around and took them to freedom.