Haze

• Stephen Mercado, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2015

I cling to grandpa while my sister clings to me as we traverse this unfamiliar terrain. It was a while until we saw a building. We entered and were immediately confused at what the items this shop was selling. Many of these items Japanese as well as the shop assistants. This was a book store. As we entered, we noticed a particular shelf on the back wall. We move closer to it and notice that these were about five iterations of the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ series. My sister picked one up and flicked through the pages.

We left the strange shop to continue our search of a way to contact anyone, an emergency service, some family, a friend, just someone who can get help. On the way we saw these random wheelbarrows filled with some sort of bar with a number floating above it. These bars didn't look gold, though people began violently rushing towards them and taking what they could. I didn't understand the significance of what was in those wheelbarrows.

Minutes later we come across an inconspicuous telephone on a pedestal in which many people were cued for. As we approached the phone, I noticed that we were the only people with a child. We met a lady who was at the front of the line. She beckoned us to use the phone.

Suddenly, a train arrives behind us, creating confusion as there were no tracks there before. After boarding the train, seeing as this was our last string of hope, we heard some rustling and thumps in the row in front of us. When I tried to see what was happening, that same woman who let us use the phone screamed, what I thought was a name of a species, but couldn't understand her. We both jumped as a reptilian creature leaped from its row and hits the ceiling. It stuck it’s little arms in between the narrow gaps separating the seats so I started throwing my feet in defence, hoping that'll stop it's startled reaction. Moments later, the train guard busts through the door and arrests the ‘creature’. I hear the whole carriage sigh for relief when suddenly I notice my grandfather next to my sister. We had a good conversation to catch up since I couldn't remember the last time we had spoken.

Some muffled shrieks come from the carriage in front of us so move there and scope the danger. This carriage had full view of the front window of the train. We all saw a large crowd of people with their hands outstretched, signalling to stop. Then we noticed that there were no tracks to follow this steep decline of a hill. As the train increases speed, our voices amplify in screams, as if this would cushion out crash.

All of us were surprised at how we couldn't see signs of injury, and were traumatised at the fate of all the people we saw coming our way.