That Fateful Night

• Caitlin Caldana, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2014

Laughter and joyous chatter was interrupting the silence of the cool night air. Anton smiled as he walked towards the small crowd that has now gathered around the glow of the warm camp-fire. Everyone smiled and greeted the young boy as he finally sat down on a log while one of his friends handed over a stick with a gooey pink substance at the end of it. Anton grimaced in disgust while his friend laughed at him as he explained that it was nothing more than an over-roasted marshmallow.

Anton glanced around the group of happy campers, frowning once he realised that someone was missing, although he couldn’t remember who. Voicing his thoughts he glanced around the now silent crowd, noting how everyone looked to be deep in thought. In the distance a new sound could be heard, it took Anton a while before he figured out what it was. It was screaming, a human scream, it could be have been anyone.

Now nervous and frightened the crowd looked at each other in silence, everyone almost seemed too scared to talk. To speak of what everyone had just heard. “Who…Who do you think that was?” One of the girls spoke nervously, the silence finally being broken. Although no one was relieved because she asked the one thing no one wanted to know the answer to. Who was the one in danger?

“Help me!” We heard again. Although now the voice was closer, it sounded more terrified now, more ear piecing and hopeless. No one said a word though. No one screamed out and ran to help. They were all too scared, too petrified to move, in case whatever was hurting that person came back to hurt them.
“To hurt all of us” Anton thought to himself as he glanced at the rustling trees nervously.

After what felt like hours of constant torture, the screaming ended but what was left behind was much worse, the silence. The silence was by far the worst thing Anton would ever remember experiencing.

He’s always regretted not going to hurt that person in danger. Anton hates how he can only remember the fear of that night, how it somehow still plagues his nightmares. Maybe that’s why he’s so set on helping others now. It’s been years since that fateful night and as it turns out someone was missing from their group after all. Stacy Turner.