That Villain Ned

• Samantha Norris, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2012

After All These Years
My ghost still lingers above my death bed as the gun shots echo through my head. My children screaming, my husband dead and all thanks to that villain NED.I saw the people dying and the children crying and my husband lying on the floor near the old inn door. He tried to make the police stop but he got shot on the spot. I ushered the kids under the stairs and grabbed the tables and chairs. I placed them around us as Gus began to pray and beg .I passed the baby to my daughter Katie. A rush of fear and bravery came over me as I crawled to the old inn door, cautiously climbing over people on the floor. Then I saw my darling husband lying there….
I feel the tears burning up in my eyes. I can remember all the painful cries. Then the smoke made me start to choke, I was thinking,” Is this it? I should just let myself just get hit”. My heart began to pound, as I hit the old inn ground I felt the smoke in my lungs but still heard those guns. I’m dying as I feel this is my last breath of air. But the police didn’t care if they were the cause of my painful death.
I undid the window, I took the risk to breath the clean, fresh air. I turned and saw a boy about the age of 6, he brought his horse inside, hoping that they would both survive. The young boy watched his mother die, so I took them in. The horse was in good nick, old but slick.
I ran back to my kids, grabbed the baby, Gus and Katie holding hands and hoping this was not our last stand. I propped all the kids up on the old horse. His coat was rather coarse. I lifted the table to protect us as we walked out of that old inn as if we had never sinned.
We walked then started to move at a fast speed, the horse was a little frantic but I kept it calm, that loyal steed. Then suddenly I was shot in the leg and all this began because of that NED! I could feel the stinging and see the children clinging. My stomach churned my leg burned, but I had to keep trying even though the kids were crying. I slipped into the stirrup. I turned one last time to see my husband lying all because of that villain NED.
Living in the bush now with my children, young boy and horse .We ran away from that awful feud together, but still the memories of the screaming and my husband dead…..echo through my head.
ALL THANKS TO THAT VILLAIN NED.

By Samantha Norris