Hope

Finalist in the 'Write Here Write Now 2017' competition

This strange world's colour, once vibrant, has long since passed. I wonder, alone, watching, waiting, and questioning everything. The journey here was long, but the search has been even longer. This species is gone. Their world, barren. The remnants of an advanced, yet naively primitive civilisation gone in an instant.
Hours pass. Cycles of sun and star in rotation, endlessly chart my search.
There was nothing. Endless nothing. One small organism, breaking through concrete and mortar, a vine. A single, living thing, in a world of death and haze.
"Is this all there is?" I scream.
"Is this what you wanted?" A dark shadow, moves slightly in the distance. How I wonder?
"My name is Zhora!" He reveals himself, not enough for me to see his face. His petite figure layered with blackness, his skin white with horror. His cloak dragging behind him like his sorrows shown upon his face.
"I will not hurt you," I say cautiously. "I have food and clothes. I come from a planet where we Zeenians are the only living generation." Buttery, brown locks upon his temples. Head to toe, camouflaged with the colours of this faded earth. His eyes were the gateway to his soul, dark, but full of life, his smile unlike no other hid his distraught. I led him to the ship.
"How are you alive?"
"War is stupid, only leaving those who didn't care about the end result. Everyone I once loved and cherished is gone. My name is Zayn and to be honest I don't know how I am alive. I haven't eaten, nor have I had anything to drink for the past three weeks. I am a talking skeleton dying slowly and I feared death would greet me any minute now, until you came."
He furrows his brows and glares at me. Our first conversation comes and goes. I show him the cell, taking a few steps away. Then his broken voice asks me to wait.
"Why did you come?"
"Someone important and powerful; I need to find... they said come to Earth."
"Who? Me?" Instead of answering, I show him up and out of the belly of the ship. Into the section, where the sun would always greet me farewell. The stars would start a new cycle, and the rotation of the universe would begin its journey again.
"This Earth, gone. All exchanged for the death of your race."
"What is the point of this?" he asks. "Living only ever comes to an end. I have no home, no family; I have nothing."
"Zayn, through generations we are taught to have one thing. Through times of difficulty, when we have no one to comfort us, we are taught to lift our spirits and start everything anew. Have hope Zayn... there is always an answer."
I stare up at the stars and question my own existence. I know that this human is not what I thought he originally was. He is more, much more.

FOLLOW US


25

Write4Fun.net was established in 1997, and since then we have successfully completed numerous short story and poetry competitions and publications.
We receive an overwhelming positive feedback each year from the teachers, parents and students who have involvement in these competitions and publications, and we will continue to strive to attain this level of excellence with each competition we hold.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Stay informed about the latest competitions, competition winners and latest news!