On A Cold Winter’s Night…

• Sophie Caswell, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2017

The cold pulls at my cheeks as my brother Tim and I trudge through the thick snow towards the barn. The barn stores our winter supplies. Tim and I (Maddison) are on our weekly trip to get supplies. My gumboots sink deeper into the snow with every step and my hoodie slips down, covering my light blue eyes. I trip, face planting into the wet snow. Thankfully, Tim helps me up and we continue. I pull my blue jacket closer as it starts snowing again. We reach and enter the barn.
I flick the light switch. “We need vegetables, meat, matches and wood,” Tim says. We pull our backpacks off and fill them with supplies. After we’re done we walk out and push the massive doors closed.
*Fifteen minutes later* I plant one foot in front of another as the snow storm strengthens. Suddenly
I lose my footing and fall over. *I fall unconscious.* TIMS P.O.V.
“Let’s rest,” I say turning around.
She isn’t there so I call her name but get no answer.
“Maddison!” I call again.
“Maddison!” I yell, “If you hear me follow my voice,”
I wait for a minute but hear no other breathing or faint footsteps. I decide to double back. BACK TO MADDISON’S P.O.V. I groan and sit up, my head aches.
“What happened?” I wonder out loud. I glance around and a boot poking out from behind a pile of rocks catches my eye.
I crawl over to it but faint when I see that there is a knife sticking out of a man’s chest. He has one foot in a boot and the other in a sock. I guess that’s where the boot came from.
I wake up tied to a chair. “What the?” I mumble. But when I remember that I had found a murder scene a man walks in. He holds up a very large butcher knife with fresh blood dripping off of it. I look at my legs, blood tricking down them, that blood on the knife is mine.
‘Oh no, I’m not good with blood!’ I think before I faint.
I wake up to see the man’s closer. “You’re going to die now, you weren’t supposed to see that little lady!” he says, in a deep voice.
“Oh god, please no!” I cry as he sharpens the knife on a rock, making my flinch. He smiles a very unsettling smile.
“Oh please no!” I whisper. I sit up quickly, realising it’s a dream. “What a vivid dream!” I think.