A Cage

• Sarah Mcinnes, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2013

Trapped. A cage. There is no where to go, no way to escape. Forever trapped in an invincible cage. Desperate minds try to break through, but only end up failing. They crumble and fall, and when they push themselves back up, they’re only really decorating the cage, insisting they aren’t trapped, but they are, everyone is. You can’t escape it. It takes over everyone, even if you don’t want it to, you can try to push it away but it will never leave, it will always be there, silent and ready to pounce. It is an ancient power, it has been here since the beginning of time, and never has it been broken. It entraps everyone and everything in a never ending cycle of bittersweet, melancholy happiness. A twisting spiral of confusion and understanding. It is nothing and everything, with it we are captured, without it we become shadows. An invisible cage that dances skilfully around us, enticing and deceiving. A cage full of regret, pride, grief, pain, happiness, astonishment and sorrow. A cage called emotion.