Hard Life For Louise

• Kasey Scharfe, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2018

Hi, my name is Louise and I am 12 years old. I live with my extraordinary Mum and my 19-year-old brother, Kevin, who thinks he’s the greatest Aussie rules footballer in Australia. We live in a country town in south Australia called Port Lincoln. But lately my Mum has been staying over in the Royal Adelaide hospital in Adelaide (Don’t tell anyone but my Mum is really sick, I wish she wasn’t but I sadly have to deal with it.) The only people that know are my thoughtful extended family and my awesome friends. They cheer me up when I’m upset and even sometimes they come to the hospital with me in Adelaide to see my mum and to make sure I’m okay when seeing her, If it’s okay with their parents. I have been staying with my favorite aunty Jill and uncle Jack, with their daughter Lizzie who is the same age as me. Lizzie and me aren’t just best cousins we’re best friends too. When I’m hanging out with Lizzie it makes me feel better and stop worrying about my mum. My Mum has a really bad heart disease and she could die, but I hope the doctors help her. My aunty Jill and uncle Jack won’t tell me, Lizzie or Kevin what kind of heart disease (sorry I’m getting a bit teary) Kevin my show off brother is stuck in Bali with his quite nice girlfriend because Mount Slamet is erupting and the ash clouds are too thick for the planes to fly. He has been trying to call every night but some nights our Mum doesn’t answer because she is either sleeping or with the nurse. Kevin told me the other day that he would be back in about 2 days but he isn’t 100% sure. My aunty and uncle have been really quiet for a while about mum and they won’t let me see her. I don’t know what’s going on but I’m kind of a bit scared because I don’t won’t my mum to be sick anymore.

When my brother and his girlfriend got back from Bali, aunty Jill finally let me go and see mum. I got into the hospital, room 67 level 1 and Mum looked super pale, her eyes had changed colour from brown to nearly black it was weird. Then she started talking about how she’s only got a few days, I didn’t get what she was saying, and I’m quite uncomfortable!! She’s got only a few days so I stayed with her in the hospital room.

I have stayed with mum for 3 days. The machine thingy was beeping Kevin called a nurse. The nurse told us that we had to get out of the room, I was shivering, speechless and freaking out so was Kevin. A few hours later the nurses said, “She’s gone.” We were all soo devastated aseptically Kevin and me.

My friends have been there for me ever since. I Love you Mum