Lost In Silence

• Maddison Urquhart, Grade 9, Bonnyrigg High School
• Short Story
• 2014

Excellence Award in the 'The Text Generation 2014' competition

Entwined within the palpable chaos of the busy city, a lethargic yet desperate cry for help echoed on a dark, lonely side street. Blatantly dismissed like she was nothing in this world. At this point she felt no more than a discarded piece of wet, dirty newspaper on the damp streets of Bangkok. Her cry, a cry of undeniable desperation as she resolved with herself that her life now belonged to others and her exchange was one of many to come. She was now another statistic in this sleek, crime syndicate. Her freedom was now a luxury of the past and a figment of her imagination.
I peered around a dark, barely lit corner and witnessed the reality of an innocent 10year old girl’s anguish. We locked eyes in the dark of night and all I could see and feel was her grief and fear. An undeniable sadness surrounded her like a black cloud. I grieved with her and prayed for her life. It was all I could do to save her. They silenced her and she understood now that even her voice had been stolen from her.
Intense, opaque darkness engulfed me as my eyes dilated to adjust to the darkness. I gazed toward the silhouette of towering buildings. The extreme black of night terrorised my fragile state of mind when I caught sight of a young, tired, hungry face staring down toward me. Other young people of similar age were tirelessly working silently and robotically, almost relentless in their task goals. The intense maturity they displayed was a symbolic representation of how hard they worked for a better future. Their dehydrated faces were a symbolic representation of how basic resources such as fresh food and clean water were a precious resource in their world.
I turned another corner where I was immediately confronted with hectic streets filled with young females who loitered inappropriately with men sometimes far older than themselves. Their faces told a story of girls who had so much stolen from them at an early age. They were typical victims who had no choice but to conduct themselves in an exposed manner.
Through the buzz of chaos an innocent pair eyes full of misery and despair locked with mine. To my unexpected surprise, an unpredicted boost of adrenalin soared through me and I resolved to risk my life. I would gamble it to save another.
I seized her small, fragile hand snatching it out of the harsh, firm grip that held it. Momentum carried our legs, the darkness now our friend, camouflaging us, hiding us, assisting us in our escape from the captors that once withheld her from her freedom.
Exhausted, our lungs gasping for air, the language of our speech different, her bold, brown eyes expressing a deep gratitude of thankfulness in a way I have never felt.