A Child's Nightmare

• Jasmin Guven, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2015

As my eyes slowly opened, I woke up, my head feeling like it was just kicked by a horse. I slowly got up and looked around. I saw some strange paintings that had a head, but no mouth or eyes. My eyes also noticed that all the paintings weren’t bright or colourful, just dull.
The floor creaked as I walked towards the door. Once I was outside the room, I noticed I was in a house for there was old dusty furniture. I thought to myself that no one has been home for ages because the furniture was so dirty, but my thoughts changed when I heard laughter.
Half scared, but curious, l decided to look around to see where the noise was coming from. After a while I had noticed that I had been walking around in circles, so I stopped and headed back to where I started. As I walked back I saw a piece of paper on the wall, which I must have missed when I looked around. I moved towards it and I saw names on the paper, I moved closer and as I did a shot of fright came up my body for these were the names of children from school that went missing and didn’t return.
I ran my finger down the crossed out names until I stopped, for one name was not crossed out and that was my name, my whole name, Emily Arrow!
I froze, my body like ice, my heart beating fast, I heard laughter. I was sure I looked around the house and no one was there. Was I dreaming? The laughter came closer. I started to walk away quietly, trying to remember were the exit was, but I couldn’t. The laughter got louder and as quietly as I could, I ran. I moved around the house trying to find the exit. Whenever the laughter came near I hid, but every time I did I saw no one walk past, not even a shadow.
After a while when I was sure I had walked around twice, searching and looking, I decided that there was no exit. I crouched down in a corner and sobbed, my life was over.