Facing Fears.

• Matthew Guy, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2015

The rain thumped heavily on the roof. The streetlight illuminated the drops as they hit the road. A shrill scream cut through the chaos of the night, like a knife. My breath was heavy and my eyes wide. I was alone, stuck outside in the heavy rain, facing my fear of the dark. I noticed through the thick rain the lights next door were flashing and shadows were appearing, like ghosts of the past. My brain was telling me to investigate but my body wasn’t, I was shaking furiously like I was having a seizure.

After I got over myself, I decided to investigate. What I did next only made my fear even worse. As I crept across the road I hear loud, ear piercing screams coming from the house. Be brave, I tell myself. I creep around the back and notice that a window was half open. I move on. Whoosh, the window slams closed and fog appears on the window like ghosts breathing, watching or even following. My brain spinning in circles, trying to tell myself that was just the cold air, I struggle to believe what I’m telling myself because what else could it be…

As I was in the backyard, I remember sneaking through the bushes, like a mouse in a huge house. I reached the backdoor, my heart thumping with fear, I slowly turned the knob and as I stepped onto the floor, CREAK, the floor boards made a sound I wish I had never heard before. I thought someone or something would have heard me or there’s a possibility they’re watching me at this very petrifying moment. It was like my feet are superglued to the creaky floorboards, I tell myself there’s no escaping now.

As I continued on through this supernatural house, I began to start to feel a chill go down my spine, like someone’s behind me, I turn around, it’s only this very old, quiet fan blowing a chilly breeze down my spine. As I moved on through the house, I notice a set of dusty stairs leading up to the second story. I decided to go up these suspicious stairs, scared, like a cat getting chased by a crow. I began to hear the ear piercing screams again, my bodies telling me not to go any further, but I can’t resist, I continue.

As I became closer and closer to the screams I realise that I’m faced with a tough decision to go into the scariest room of my life or to get rid of this meaningless fear of mine. I sat there for a few moments blocking out the screams and everything else in the world. I made up my mind that moment, that decision changed my life for ever. I had chosen to face my meaningless fear and see what was behind that door, I open the door and saw, only a little kettle boiling and a person making tea with a mate of hers.
I then realised I shouldn’t have been scared of anything, BANG ahhhhh.