Darkness

• Kerry Zhu, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2017

The twisted fingers welcomed her into the unknown but she kept walking down the cobbled path. She had better business than frolicking around in the woods like everyone thought she would, all because she was a "girl". She walked faster, her shoes smashed down on the cobble making the familiar clack clacking sound that everyone was used to. The wind howled and smashed her face with small projectiles relentlessly, but she didn't waver. She kept her stride to show that she had authority and she would not give up, even to an unbeatable opponent. Her dress flew in the wind, contorting and changing as if the dress had a mind of its own and her shoes shimmered like tears, and her face beautiful yet fragile seemed like it would shatter to pieces if she ever fell. The streets were empty only a lone child could be heard, crying, with no-one to care for him or feed him, soon he would die from starvation, but the clacking continued, towards the castle.

The people inside could hear the familiar clacking of those shoes and instantly silenced themselves waiting for the arrival of the girl. She stepped through the gate and looked at the barren courtyard and continued, her goal, the throne room. Inside the throne room the guests heard the familiar clacking get closer and closer, they snuffled the last voices in the room and lay in wait. The doors slammed open the guests suddenly jumped in their chairs, she had arrived. As usual the torches reflected her mood when she was in the chamber, the guests took heed of the fire and instantly stood up to welcome her, as the fire was deathly pale unlike the usual red tongue that danced on the walls. She stormed towards the throne, her clacking reverberated around the chamber making it sound much louder then usual. The guests winced at the loud sound, but dared not to sit down in her presence until she sat down.

Standing in front of her throne she turned
" Let the trials begin!" She declared
A round of applause awoke in the chamber chasing a way the damp spirits that the girl had. The prisoner was bought in. Seeing him made everyone recoil in disgust, the man's body was covered in blood but the lashings were still visible under the blood, his head was shaven and his fingers were pointing in every single direction possible. To say the least he looked exactly what the the girl wanted him to look, utterly helpless. Her eyes stared down at the traitor and declared
" Dane of the West has betrayed us, he has been helping the enemy and this offence is punishable by death!"
" You are wrong," The prisoner said, obviously smiling at the shocked faces,"She is the one that has betrayed us! They are coming and she is only delaying the inevitable, today she will die!" With that the queen died with a knife in her chest, surrounded by darkness.