Feeling

• Tia-Rae Napper, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2014

The pain running through his stomach forced him to his knees, his screams held back as the three adults ran to his side. The smell of blood filled the air as the boy was laid on his back, the blood coming out of his stomach and staining his shirt alarmingly fast. The pain kept getting more and more intense and soon, the world started to blur.
“Stay with us kid.” A man said, his voice sounding distant. He felt his eyes droop, but he forced his eyes to stay open, a woman sobbing next to him, lifting him up slightly and making him gasp in pain.
“This might hurt.” A second man said and then he leant down to the boy’s throat, his eyes glowing red. The boy was frozen in fear as he felt something sharp bite into his neck, but soon, his mind started spinning. Soon, the darkness filled his mind and all of his senses cut off, all except one.
He could feel the pain that had slowly begun to get worse go away and he feared he was dying. But if he was dying, why could he still feel everything around him? Why could he feel that someone was carrying him? How could he feel the strong breeze that surrounded him?
When the breeze suddenly stopped, he realised that he was being laid down on something, something hard and wooden. However, almost as soon as he was lying on the flat wooden surface, a strange feeling enveloped him and filled him up with warmth he had never felt before. It felt as if he was in a cocoon of blankets on a cold winter night and it was oddly comforting.
As the warmth filled him, a sudden vision filled his mind and it took him back in time.
She lay on the grass next to him, staring at the sky.
“You know, I never realised how the moon looked from down here.” She said.
“It’s a beautiful sight to see don’t you think?” He asked, staring up and she smiled, turning to look at him. A small smile was on his face and his eyes were alight with a fire. She grinned and leant over, pressing her lips softly to his, resting her hand on his cheek.
When the vision faded, the boy was left with the warmth and it made him suddenly panic. What if he couldn’t see her again?
After what felt like a million lifetimes, the warmth slowly started to fade and the cocoon feeling left him. It started in his toes and fingers and then spread up his arms and legs, leaving his chest and head. However, the warmth stayed in his stomach, slowly getting hotter and hotter until he felt as if he was on fire.
And then all of a sudden it was gone and the darkness lifted. Taking a deep breath, he slowly gripped the edge of the wooden platform he was on and opened his eyes.