Unchangeable

• Finn Lambert, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2017

A breathless teenage girl bust into Sally and David’s house. “You don’t know me, but my name is Jackie,” she said between breaths. “I’m a big fan,” Jackie took a deep breath. “This is complicated but I have come from a book, and so have you – a different book, we all interconnected-but in our own worlds. I can cross these worlds. I know how your story ends and I want to change it,” with that she collapsed.
When the Jackie came to she was lying on a worn couch with David and Sally looking at her with concern. “So you’re saying that you are from a book?” David questioned.
“Uh… yeah”
“I don’t buy it.”
“David! Give her a break” protested Sally, “She’s just passed out on our floor.” Sally said.
“Well I think this is some kind of prank.” continued David “So who put you up to this?”
“It’s not a prank!” Jackie exclaimed. “I can prove it to you. When you were a kid, you used to where ballet shoes around the house. Go on ask me anything.’’
“Fine” David said flustered “How old am I?”
“You are 15 turning 16 in 2 weeks and Sally is 17 but even through of the age gap you have had a crush on her since pre-school” Jackie answered promptly. David turned beet red.
“Yeah right, as if” He said shakily. Sally clasped and unclasped her hands.
“Wow you guys” said Jackie. “Get a grip. I am here to tell you something terrible is going to happen tomorrow and I need your help to stop it.’’
“Pffft” said David “I have had enough of this,” He grabbed his coat and walked out the door.
“I’m off to get a cheese burger,” he yelled over his shoulder.
Jackie looked across at Sally. “Is he going to come back?” she asked.
“Yeah, he always comes back.” Sally answered.
“It’s just that David is the one who-” Jackie never finished. The screech of tires deafened her ears. Sally rushed over to the window and looked down. “It’s David!” she screamed.
“Nooo…” cried Jackie, “This wasn’t meant to happen till tomorrow!” Jackie cried. She blacked out.
……………………..
Jackie sat up.
“Have you been dreaming again? You fell asleep” asked her psychiatrist.
“I wasn’t dreaming, you don’t understand we are all inter connected-”
“Yes. I know. You have told me before; we are in our own books, our own worlds. We’ve talked about this Jackie. Those things you experience aren’t real.”
“I can cross these worlds! You have to believe me!”
“We will talk more about this next week.”
Lying in bed that night Jackie mumbled to herself. “It wasn’t meant to happen like that,” she bolted upright. “It wasn’t meant to happen like that!” she reached for her copy of Missing Findings and tore through the pages she stopped abruptly when she saw her own name. “But I’m not in this book,” Jackie said. She looked at the book again. “Or am I…?”