Magic

• Samuel Taufoou, Grade 7, Casula High School
• Short Story
• 2017

Excellence Award in the 'Write Here Write Now 2017' competition

Do you believe in magic? I never thought it existed until that day when everything changed. It all started when I touched a magic crystal. You see, I’m an archaeologist and I only just started. I’m very clumsy and I made lots of mistakes. People got angry at me and soon I became an outcast. I had to go exploring alone and that’s when I found a secret staircase. The staircase was everlasting and as I went deeper it got hotter. I found myself in a dark cave and the crevices were filled with red liquid which I realised was lava. As I entered my skin suddenly started burning.
I screamed in terrible agony as I felt a hot wave of heat surround me. But I kept going. My mind was telling me to go back, but I didn’t listen. I had seen a beautiful sparkling red ruby. It was as red as blood. I was now determined to get it. I started running and the floor burnt my shoes, now I could feel the heat on my toes, but I didn’t care I was focused on getting the ruby. My mind was screaming “Get the ruby, get it.” Then I finally touched it.
I felt a burning sensation and soon my body was on fire. I had transformed. I was now wearing a long flaming dress and my hair was now floating upwards like the flame on a candle. I felt no pain even though my body was on fire. But then I felt something, and it wasn’t pain, it was anger.
Anger at my team who made me an outcast, anger at my father who left me and my mother when I was only a child and anger at the whole world for being so cruel. I then realised I was no longer in the cave but in the sky, and I was flying. I flew towards my team and I set fire around them. They tried to escape but I had already set fire to the whole area. “MWAHAHAH!” I cackled as I heard their screams of pain. It was music to my ears. Now I felt a craving for blood. I didn’t care about anyone that I killed. I was unstoppable. Everywhere I flew I set it on fire and the screams of pain got louder. But I realised I was wrong. I wasn’t unstoppable.
I had realised when it was too late. I felt water fall on my head and soon it was pouring rain. I screamed in pain as I was drenched from top to bottom. My body started to cool down. Till this day I don’t know why I acted that way, if that was me acting that way or something else, I will never know. That’s the mystery of magic. It’s up to you if you believe me. But magic is everywhere, and you better believe it or else you might just get burned.
The End.