Damaged

• Victoria Hasson, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2015

Crashing through the trees, weak unwanted liquid streaming from my eyes. Blood pumping straight to my head. Shadows of unknown creatures jump out at me as I feel a warm syrup like liquid trickle from the gashes in my wrist, down to the tips of my fingers.

How long will it take before this all ends?


My family had always reassured me that I was not like most other children: I could see things that they couldn't. They always made it seem normal. I always thought i was normal.

My mum tells me all the time about how I could see a man that no-one else could see, ever since I was little. She tells me he never did much and never hurt anyone, but I was certain he was there. From what I remember been told, I had said he was tall and slim, with short, greying hair poking out from underneath his hat.
My mum also says that I wouldn’t let her into certain rooms at certain times, because there was a scary monster that would hurt her. Apparently he had a troll figure, with long, blue, scaley fingers and green thinning hair running down the spine of his back.

More creatures came and went. Some creatures were scary but most creatures were not. Over the years I learnt to put up with them, know that it wouldn't be long before they moved on. The monster from when I was younger had moved on long ago, but the man was still there - never leaving my side.

I never told my friends about the man or the creatures; until summer 2014. I was soon finding posts on Facebook directed at me and my creatures. I was receiving nasty messages everyday telling me I was "inhuman" and "weird". Sometimes I was told I didn't belong anywhere and that I should go to sleep and never wake up.

I am fifteen now and I have no idea how I made it this far in life. My mum and dad have recently split and have no chance of getting back together. I have no brothers or sisters and have no friends. I barely leave the house and I'm never at school. It can't go on like this forever.

My mum and I moved house and I started at a new school. Hopefully I can start fresh and be happy.

I was wrong. I trusted my "best friend" too much and now I am back to square one. Everyone calling me freak. Life was good. I was going out on weekends with my friends, I was going good in school. I can't take it anymore. It's happening all over again. I started at my wrists, it felt so relieving. I hardly ever cry so it was like my emotions were finally seeping out of all the open ravines appearing on my wrists. All of a sudden my mum walked in. What a fool. Her face. What was I doing? I had to leave. I needed to escape. I've hurt my mum too! I made a frantic bolt for the forest and kept going.

Until later, much later.