Heart Of Glass

• Zali Matthews, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2012

I was sitting in a small park, with long blades of grass and large, grand trees. It was a very peaceful place, unlike the central city, full of dull grey colours, and opaque citizens walking around briskly in the gloom. This place was vibrant; green was the theme here, with tiny strokes of yellow, red and brown. I traced the colours and patterns with my eyes, then lost interest and, for the millionth time, examined my chest.

Underneath the impenetrable glass my people called “skin” shone two beautiful, fragile crystal hearts. They shone a brilliant royal purple, sparkling in the sun that shone through my back. They were connected to a clear pipe that stretched all the way to my nostrils. They resembled “lungs”, a human organ that we didn’t possess.

My attention turned when I caught a movement out of my eye. I turned to see a child with two shining blue hearts, skipping towards me. Her light blonde hair shone along with her hearts, flying wildly while she skipped.

She stopped less than a metre away from me, puffing madly. Her cheeks were coloured a suspicious light blue that ceased as time passed.

“A good morning to your heart,” I whispered with my mind; a formal greeting common among my people.

She flashed a shining white smile, then spoke,

“And to you.” She paused before her mind spoke once again, “Teacher wants us to gather for youth training. This time he will not care if we drop unconscious from lack of food during class; he believes we are feigning a way to escape from his lecturing and rest a while.”

I smiled to myself; she spoke the truth.

“I will follow his given orders,” I sighed. My chest suddenly felt very constricting and my hearts started to ache. I held a hand to my chest as I began to stand. I succeeded in standing halfway, then suddenly the vibrations of multiple cracks racked my chest. I gasped in alarm.

I could feel my companion’s worry and anxiety mix into my own as I glanced down at my chest. I only had time to glimpse a slither of movement; my faded heart tearing apart at the seams, the fragile glass shattering into a thousand pieces. I cried out with my mind in despair.

Seconds elapsed as I sat with shock, until finally my mind started to work and I realised what had happened; my chest now only held one heart, meaning that I had jumped the hurdle from being a juvenile to an adult.

I looked up. The child may of looked surprised a moment ago, but now her delicate face showed nothing of it; all I noticed now was a sober acceptance.

In those next few moments, I just stood up and walked straight past her, abandoning my childhood behaviour, and walked to the grey tones of the city center as a new adult.

I guessed my teacher wouldn’t have a problem with my absence.