Escaping Eden

• Jack Han, Grade 11, Sydney Boys High School
• Short Story
• 2004

3rd in the 'Write On 2004' competition

"Autumn sneaked out during the night, with its fields of maple leaves and frisky fall breezes. Snowy clouds now sailed the skies, oblivious to the struggle brewing beneath.
The hills crunched in agony as two escapists dashed through the wistful woods, their hopes blossoming as the sun shined through the foliage.
“Do you really want to leave?” one of them bellowed through hefty breaths.
“Ever since I stepped through the black gates” answered the other, a young girl, whose pale grey eyes shined with serenity as she clasped tightly to the boy, who limped along like a ragged doll.
The gallant winds staggered them, screaming warnings that they did not heed. The trees swayed ominously, auguring dooms, but they did not see.
“Is there no other way?” squirmed the boy.
Digging her heels into the cold snow, the girl stopped and turned to the boy, who came crashing into her arms.
“If you wish to return, I will not keep you” uttered the girl to the boy, as she searched for answers within his vibrant eyes.
The boy looked back, temptation fleeting through his veins. “Nothing will keep me there…” he smiled, taking the girl’s delicate hands.
A sigh of relief issued like a waking spirit into the stale air.
“The gate is close” twittered the girl, and they were off again, racing past the boney fingers of dead, daunting trees.
There was crash in the distance, and the two dreamers fell victim to the flow of snow which banished them to a desolate clearing. Pain intertwined with all their hopes in a fine tapestry of emotion.
When the boy rose, he found the girl crawling desperately to the tall black gates. She thrust herself onto them with all her might, but they did not surrender to her desperate actions, or sway to her tears.
The boy sat beside her, holding her tightly as she whimpered. “I just wanted to feel it again…” she squeaked, “To be free, outside…”
Voices rang in the distance, and the two realised their fate.
“When we’re older…” comforted the boy, “We’ll finally leave…”
The girl looked up at him; the hope that once shined in her eyes was now draining with relentless tears. “Dreams die young…” she whispered. The snow was mercilessly cold.
A figure was rushing down the hill towards them; a looming shadow. The two dreamers clutched each other, embracing against the cruelty of chance.
Suddenly, with a tug, the boy was thrown from the gate.
“Money cannot undo sin!” the cloaked figure shrieked to the girl as the black gates swung open, expelling her from the dreaded haven.
“Will you wait for me?” breathed the boy, his voice carried by the wind.
“Always” uttered the girl.
Soon, the boy had disappeared through the woods, and the girl turned and strode through the black gates. Rusty angels looked down accusingly at her, but fresh joy refilled her as she heard the slamming of the black church gates.
"