Dreams Of Fantasies

• Brianna Steele, Grade 6, Bimbadeen Heights Primary School
• Short Story
• 2015

Excellence Award in the 'Read Write Repeat 2015' competition

“I’m home!” I yell out to mum as I run up the stairs to my room. I swing open the door, throw my bag onto my bed and flick on the light. As I walk to my desk, I notice a blue jar sitting on my rug. Attached to it, there was a blank card. I sat down on the rug and attempted to open the jar. It wouldn’t budge. I tried for endless hours, but eventually, mum called me down for dinner and I went to bed.
They carefully placed the twisted crown made of vines and rain drops on my head, and fluttered away. They turned around, and whispered for me to follow. I gracefully stepped forwards, following their sparkling aura. BANG. I sit up straight, and I peer around my room. I notice something glowing on the floor. I crawl out of bed, and see that there is gold writing engraved on the card attached to the jar. It read;
Pick out a stone,
But go alone,
Down to the water,
Sing your dreams but shorter,
Take a little peek,
From the glow that you seek,
But don’t become curious,
Or we will be furious,
Turn into dust,
But touch if you must.
I read through it multiple times, and finally twist off the lid to the jar and pull out a light blue, shimmering stone.
The wind whipped at my legs as I softly sang my most recent dream. I toss the pebble carefully into the water, and waited. The ocean began to glow a light blue, but quicker than it began, it was gone. “I should get home before anyone catches me,” I mumble, as I start running back home.
As I softly close my bedroom door, I see a faint glow form under my bed. I quietly kneel down, to see that my crown from my dreams was floating, leaving a soft, gold aura. I went out to grab it, but I remembered what the poem had said. Turn into dust. But it was too late. I had already grabbed the crown.
Straight away, my body began to tingle. I looked down at my hand, and noticed it had wilted grey. “I thought you could follow instructions. Just like the rest. Oh well. Now I can be free,” I heard a voice whisper softly in my ear. I look up, and notice my reflection was standing up. It flickered, back to my real reflection, and I saw that half of my body was already grey, and trickling onto the floor. “You will just have to wait for the next girl, I guess,” the voice cooed in my ear. The reflection stood up, and stepped out of the mirror. “Bye bye,” It grinned.
I yawned, and pushed down my night gown. Wait. That wasn’t me. I had blonde hair, she had brown... I tried to move, but my body resisted and continued mimicking. She turned and picked up the jar. “Good luck,” I whisper.