The Flowerbed

• Hannah Morrissey, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2016

You were climbing the mountain, that much you know. Something had gripped your foot, that made you scream. Then it made you fall. You feel terrified, and why shouldn't you be? Rumours say those who climb Mt Ebott never return.

Everything hurt. Your arms ache and your legs feel as if they have been running constantly for millennia. Your head is the worst, though. It feels as if a meteor has fallen right on top of your head!

The feel of the breeze gently brushing your face helps refresh you, if only slightly. It takes you a minute, and numerous grunts of pain - but you finally sit up.

You take a moment, before deciding to stand. Your body near-screams in protest as you push yourself to your feet. As you look down, it was obvious to see what had cushioned your fall. A Flowerbed.You feel sad that the flowers appear to be crushed. However, as you think that, the flowers start rising up from their crushed state. In virtually no time at all, the peers appear as if they hadn't even been touched.

Now you see that each flower has a different hue, whilst one is a mellow orange, there was another that is ocean blue. For the most part, all of the flowers are cool and calming. It was if someone had taken the most beautiful colours of a sunset and transferred to the flowers before you.

There is one flower in the middle of the flowerbed that catches your eye. If the other flowers’ colours were taken from the sunset, then this one flower must have taken colour from the sun itself. A true golden wonder. But, you look away for a second, and as you look back, what you see makes you shiver in fear. The flower was gone.

“Hello?” You call out, desperate for help. “Someone, please! I’ve fallen done and-and… it really hurts and..” You feel your cheeks turn wet, and your eyesight goes blurry.
“Please! If you’re there, say something!”

But nobody came.