Eerie Affairs

• Kate Alexander, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2013

“Ouch!” I screamed in agony, a sharp pain pulsating through my lower leg. Even though my eyes were still closed, I could tell that this was not my bedroom, where I had fallen asleep only minutes ago. I had been reading, , my favourite adventure/ horror story in my hand. It was obvious I had fallen asleep reading, but as to why I was no longer in my bedroom, amidst all my books, I had absolutely no idea. Upon opening my eyes, I found myself situated on what appeared to be the jagged, steep edge, of a cliff. I didn’t recognise my surroundings, and I didn’t like them either, these kinds of places aren’t meant for 11 year old bookworms.
Although I’ve not had much experience in extreme weather circumstances, I could tell a storm was brewing, and I desperately needed to find shelter. I much prefer reading about such experiences than participating in them. Being the coward I am, I had no choice but to endeavour to find shelter, until the storm passes. After what seemed like an eternity of walking, tediously climbing up and down the mountain, I discovered a forest, which seemed to be my best bet at shelter, as the storm was growing nearer and nearer. However, I decided to keep walking, considering the fact that trees aren’t exactly the safest place to be in a storm. Eventually, to my delight, I stumbled upon an abandoned house, much like the dwelling described in the book I had been reading prior to falling asleep.

This house, although it resembled the abode in my book, was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Unsure whether I was nervous or excited, I edged closer to the house, becoming more afraid with every step. The rain, previously light and scarce, began pouring, gushing down from the heavens. It was then I heard the first of the noises; roars and squawks, like wild animals. Desperate to escape the rain I knew I had no choice to enter, despite my fears of what lay on the other side of the decrepit doors.

The doorhandles, rusted with age, creaked as I turned them ever so slowly. My heart thudding in my chest, I pushed open the doors and covered my face with my arms in an attempt to protect myself from whatever it was I had thought would try to attack me. Still frightened I slowly removed my arms, only to discover the lack of wild animals and monsters before me. Still, cautiously, I stepped into the seemingly abandoned house closing the door behind me. Inside, the house was far from the immaculate conditions I was used to; there were holes in the floor boards and the ceiling leaked, so I decided to huddle in the corner.

I had just drifted off to sleep, still hunched in the corner, when I was the disturbed by the same noise I had heard earlier, only this time it was louder, more ferocious and coming from the door on the opposite side of the room. This confirmed what was, at that point, my biggest fear. I crept closer towards the door, trying to be quiet to listen for the animals. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the door burst open and animals of all species snaked through the door their path of destruction aimed at me. One lion in particular, who in the wild would be the leader of the pride, was ahead of all the other animals. He was obviously hungry and unfortunately, I was the only body in the room suitable for him to snack on. I backed away, but was soon cornered, the other animals keen to get in on ‘the kill’. Shaking with fear, I silently begged the lion not to eat me, to find another source of food.
The beast opened its vast mouth to reveal its knife-edged teeth, and slowly moved closer to me, almost as if he was teasing and taunting. It was then I knew I wouldn’t survive, or so I thought. Just before the lion could close its jaws around my arm, I was awoken by my alarm clock. My whole adventure wasn’t reality, it was all a dream.