Fear

• Kirra-jay Proctor, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2015

Fear: An unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm. That’s what I was feeling right now. I’m running, the feeling of fear coursing through my body making my legs numb, and a crushing feeling encircling my heart. The ground was soft beneath my bare feet; I had lost my shoes sometime before when I had fallen. I twirled, looking for any signs of my brothers or anyone at all but all I can see are enormous, immense, rainbow tents. I screamed out for help but no one was there to hear me. I started to run faster, my feet thumping on the ground as I do. I hear the sound of music and games, the squeaking and rattling of rides. I keep running, it’s getting harder to breath as the knot in my throat gets larger and my lungs start to sting, I’m panting for breath but I can’t stop now, I won’t stop now.
Colours swirl around me, mixing with small lights on the sides of petite stalls. I can hear the distant sound of a clown horn, the honking sound being very familiar to me, I started running towards it. The sound only got further away in the distance and I felt like I was making no progress at all. Then, I realised that the horn I had heard was only a sound of my imagination to fill in for the numb silence all around me. I had no idea where I was and no idea where I was going, all the notable features of the stalls and tents had been taken away.
I could barely hear anything over the sound of my panting and footstep but I heard that voice. The familiar sound of my brother’s voice rang in my ears, it was only faint but I was sure of it. I stopped. A second later I heard the same exact word. He was calling my name. I turned to the right and started to sprint, weaving in and out of rows filled with game stands and empty food stalls, I feel the air rushing past my face, it was cold and dark as I ran but as the weight lifted from my chest and the feeling of panic subsided, I felt safer again. I rounded another corner after hearing my name only to crash straight into to only person that had come for me, that could make me feel safe. The concern in his eyes made me feel extremely guilty but then he picked me up and hugged me and I was fine. I had been lost and now I was found, I was safe.