Oh How Time Changes...

• Vito Bartolo, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2017

A sea of leaves surrounds me, withered, dead, frozen in time. Though left untouched, the leaves seemed to be drained of life. Just the thought of it made me cry. That war had done to much to me and couldn’t come to terms with it just yet. That stupid fight, over nothing, had taken away the things that were to precious to me. My family, my house… My life. I was to scarred that it was as if everything in this world was out to get me. I just… just wanted to curl up in the corner and die away slowly. Hoping everyone would just forget that I existed.

But she wouldn’t have wanted me to do that. She’d say those words, “Life’s to short to forget but what hurts most is that you’ll never see some things ever again.” Well, now that was evident than ever. I would never see some of the things I loved.

I decided to write. I sat at the typewriter. Staring, into the deep vast, beauty of the paper. Or at least that what it looked like. Really it was a desolate plane, very much like the war-torn countries where the bodies of thousands of innocent soldiers lay. Suddenly, my feeling of sadness then turned to rage. My thoughts and feelings bursting and exploding through my fingertips, “Arghhh!!” I slammed my fist on the table, it was no use. Without noticing, I began to dose off, falling into a deep sleep. Something that I wished I would not wake up from.

The next morning, I woke up with a feeling, as if someone was trying to talk to me, “Don’t be a fool!” he said,
“The past is the past, forget about it!” It was like my brain was trying to be its own person. It was a silly thought so I shrugged it off for the rest of the day. The truth was, it stayed with me until I went to bed but then I heard another voice,
“What are doing.” It said. This time it was soft and gentle,
“This is it, you’re not dreaming!” it was…was her. I turned around to see an amazing sight upon my eyes. She was there, my lover, whom I’d been missing for so long, “I’m sorry…” I began to cry,
“For what…” she replied,
“Don’t worry, I love…y…”

All of a sudden she was gone. Was I dreaming? What Happened! Arghhh, too many questions, anyway, I was glad. I had finally found some piece of mind. I was put to rest at last. The weight on my shoulder, the burden I was carrying, had vanished. It felt like I was floating. Now I could rest easy, knowing that she is safe in the hands of the angels…

I sat back at the desk, my fingers eager to start typing. Suddenly, my mind begins to divagate, my fingers run smoothly across the page, as I begin to tell my story.