I Couldn't Help But Think

• Giselle Tenhave, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2016

The ground was cold beneath my feet, but I kept running, I couldn’t stop with without seeing my family. After endless hours of running with guards right on my tail, I reached the beach. I stumbled but kept on going. I turned and the guards followed me around the bend. I jumped and hid in a nearby boat. I pushed the boat into the water with the few belongings I had grabbed; a blanket and scarf, a loaf of bread, 2 photographs of my mother and father, and a wooden doll. After hiding in the boat for a few minutes the guards were gone and I could make my way home. I left those gross prison guards behind and rowed my way home. I couldn’t help thinking that if I was a boy this wouldn’t have had to happened.

It was cold, the waves were rough and there were wasn’t any bread left, I didn’t know where I was headed but the stars knew, God knew. I reached a point in my journey when I saw a search boat with a big lantern on the front, and it was my father’s boat! My father’s! He found me! After I got in the big search boat I went into the downstairs storage cabin and found it was filled with bread and milk that I felt I had gone so long without. After I had eaten and drank half of the supplies, I couldn’t help but think that if I was a boy I would be twice as hungry as this. I ran up to my father on the top deck near the steering wheel and hugged him tight and thanked him for finding me.

It wasn’t a huge boat like the one that took us to here from England, it was only half that size, making it easier to climb aboard. When I asked my father if we were going back to England he said that we were now free settlers here in Australia. So we now owned some land up the coast from where we were and it already had a house on it! Father docked close to the house and I ran up the hill towards the candlelight. It was amazing to be reunited with my family, I loved my mother and father; but I liked my brother and sister too. I couldn’t help thinking that if I was a boy I wouldn’t have loved them so much.