I Brought You In So I'll Take You Out

• Hannah Park, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2017

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. I could feel my heartbeat as I ran. Spiky claw-like branches tried to snatch me up. It was dark, but the moonlight was enough for me to be able to make out the shapes of the trees. I knew that no matter how much I ran, I wouldn't be able to escape from the eeriness, but I continued, hugging the storybook tightly in my arms.

"Please wake up Ava," I begged to myself. "Wake up from this nightmare." Suddenly, I came to a clearing. I stopped to catch my breath and collapsed onto the grass. However I still clutched the storybook, afraid that I would lose it. It was my only clue. The only clue that could lead me out of the 'labyrinth.' There was something odd about the book. Perhaps it was the cover- the word 'Storybook' written in golden letters staring up at you, and the print of a keyhole in the centre. Maybe it was the fragile, thin pages that threatened to tear if you didn't handle them with care...

I was only able to read the first story in bed the night I had teleported to this world. I had realised that this book, the book that I had found hidden behind the others in the school library was none other than a collection of classics that had been rewritten to be shorter. I sat in the silence and gazed down at the book. Was it possible that a book could have brought me to this ghastly forest?

I reluctantly pulled myself up along with the novel in my hands and began trudging. There must be an end to this forest, right? Nobody would know how long I had been journeying. It must've taken hours, but surely enough, I found an end. It was a wall that seemed to travel on and on up into the sky. I wouldn't be able to climb over it, but there had to be a way out. I scanned the wall. It was made out of maroon bricks and there were curly vines all over it. I leant my hand on the wall and felt around. I slid it across, and found a rectangular indent. I removed the vines that were covering it and studied it carefully. I held the storybook up next to the indent, and then pressed it in. It was a perfect fit! After stepping back, the edges of a door appeared. Could this be the way home? I stood still, waiting for it to open. Nothing happened. That was when I remembered it. The keyhole. A lightbulb flickered on inside my head. I pulled out the storybook and flipped through the pages. There, I found a sketch of a key- from the "Secret Garden" story. Then, I tested out my theory. I 'pulled' it out and it had worked! As I entered the door, I heard a whisper. "I brought you in so I'll take you out..."