The Land Where Time Stands Still

• Emily Noy, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2015

Violet was far too excited to sleep on the first night in her new house. Her mind was filled with stories about why the house had been empty for so long and the mystery surrounding it.
She crept quietly out of bed and tip toed to the old, antique chest that had been left in the house by the previous owners and was now filled with her toys. She rummaged through the chest in search of her favourite doll, Lucy.
When she reached the bottom, she found a rusty trap door that she hadn’t noticed earlier. It creaked as Violet slowly opened it, and a bright beam of light shone through. A few moments later a golden ladder appeared. She was amazed at the sight and carefully climbed down. As she reached the bottom, Violet saw a forest in the distance and soon a young girl walked towards her, looking surprised.
“Who are you?” the young girl asked.
“I am Violet,” Violet replied. “I didn’t mean to come down here. I was looking through my chest of toys and found a trap door and a golden ladder leading to here. Who are you?”
“My name is Sienna. I have lived here since I was 11 years old,” said Sienna. “I used to live in the house with the old chest. I came down the ladder one night while my parents thought I was sleeping and have been here ever since.”
“So wait. You said you came down her when you were 11, right?” asked Violet.
“Yes,” said Sienna.
“Well that’s strange, because my mum said, that this house has been empty for 20 years,” said Violet.
“Have I really been here that long?” asked Sienna. “That means, that back in the old world, I would be 31!”
“What do you mean? I don’t understand,” said Violet.
Sienna laughed. “Don’t you know that this is the Land Where Time Stands Still? Everyone here remains the same age as when they arrived,” explained Sienna.
“Wow, that’s amazing, but what about your parents? Do they know where you are?” asked Violet.
“No,” replied Sienna. “I haven’t seen them since I climbed down the ladder. I think about them all the time, but there is no way back to my old world.”
“So does that mean I can’t go back home?” asked Violet.
“That’s right,” said Sienna, “you will have to stay here with me!”
Violet felt scared and upset that she would never see her parents again, but excited about the new adventure ahead of her …