New World

• Aisha Bergmann-Smith, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2017

Nicky leapt off the couch, overwhelmed by the music, thinking, “I got to get out of here.”
Nicky was fourteen and at her friend’s party, but it was near her curfew and she planned a fast exit out the bathroom window.
In the bathroom she stared into the plain walls wishing magical things would happen. She spotted something shimmering gold in the corner of her eye. Picking it up Nicky saw it was a box with beautiful patterns on the side. Opening it, purple dust sparkled, gracefully lifting from the box. Nicky lifted her hand to her mouth, widening her eyes as she spotted a scruffy figure. Leaning in to take a look she felt her skin being stretched inside the box as she whirled in a circle. Her body was too stretched to even scream, her breath scorched and her tummy rising.
Thump! She fell on the ground. Reaching her hand to her head she felt her whole world turning a dizzy green. Amazed at what happened she felt her mouth gaping like a smoked trout.
Nicky looked at the fluoro green grass, soft as silk, that surrounded her.
Night was falling in the strange place, the grass turning black and shadowy. At her touch the grass faded blowing in the wind, scattering black ashes through the air. Nicky's stomach turned and she felt her head get hot as she banged on the fading grass, tears streaking her face. Her loud sobbing was interrupted by a tremendous noise and a cold hand grabbing her arm and flinging her into a sack. The blood drained from Nicky's face as she felt her body swaying in the bag.
She awoke in a foggy green room surrounded with bars. Looking around she screamed with horror. Her eyes spun when she saw a monster whose long dangling hairs had beads on each end that looked faded and old, it had sharp yellow teeth that stuck out and its eyes were purple and icy.
The monster asked Nicky all kinds of questions about the human world but she refused to tell him anything.
“Little diva, I know you are scared of me...I just want to take over the whole world of humanity because I am so done living down here,” the monster said in a smooth voice. “ I put that box there because you are a human which usually equals dumb, you will give me information one way or another!”
As he was speaking Nicky noticed he'd left the door open and didn’t tie her up, so she jumped up and ran out of the dungeon.
“Hey!” the monster yelled, running after her.
Nicky heard the monster’s feet patter on the ground of his boring concrete house, his screams following her, her heart pounding. Ahead she saw the box she'd been sucked into, quickly opening the lid and waiting for the sucking to be done.
She looked at the colours spinning around her, knowing soon she would be home.