Hallucination

• Nikki Wong, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2015

"...hallucination jail for the rest of her life..."

For some reason, I was bound on a chair, daydreaming. I turned around, noticing people for the first time. The small room was cramped with people bound on chairs. Everyone seemed as if they were asleep with their eyes opened. A woman next to me tapped me lightly, I turned.
"What are you doing?" she asked with a British accent. I stared at her with bewilderment.
“I bet you're wondering. It quite usual forgetting where you are. You’re in jail." she whispered. I looked at her, shocked. The word "jail" echoed through my brain, wave after wave. I remembered. This is my punishment. This is hallucination jail.
"Ah, you remember. You dream of the places you want to go. You dream of the people you want to see. But every time you hallucinated, the harder you can snap out. Don't think; don't look at the walls if you don't want to hallucinate. But it's hard, girl."
The woman jerked as if been stung, then returned to her usual posture, still and silent. I tried hard not looking at the walls and not thinking about anything but that small nag behind my mind was absolutely killing me.
***
"MUM! RUN!" I shouted. The shock wave of heat made me fall to my knees, the gravel burning holes through my skin. The silhouette of my mother was covered by the burning flames that arose...
Something clicked between my eyes and I was there again, bound on the chair. Dammit. I rubbed my sweating hands on my knees, feeling the angry scars that were left on them. I didn't kill my mother, but everyone believed I did. They were wrong, yet I was stupid. I should of never done what I did.

"James, don't light these matches up." I said with a small edge of excitement in my voice.
"Don't worry Sarah. Watch this." He lit six packs of matches at the same time making an enormous fire. I watched with wonder.
"Ouch ouch ouch!" James exclaimed. The fire has burnt his fingers and he dropped all six hundred matches. The surrounding grass and bushes caught on fire.
"James! Shit! What are we gonna do?" I gasped. James looked horrified at me, then turned to run. I followed him. We reached the barbed wires and he jumped over them.
"James, aren't you going to get water? Where are you going?" I shouted. He kept running, disappearing into the bushes. I turned around...
Again, I was bound on the chairs, staring down at my feet. I felt wet all over me. Water kept dripping down onto my pants. I looked up, trying to find the hole on the ceiling.

"Mum! Dad! I was so worried about you both."
"Sarah, we’re here to get you out." my dad said, smiling. Suddenly, a foul smoke scent filled the air. I turned around, seeing James holding matches. I rushed over as everything faded into blackness.