Fear

• Bahar Tofangchi, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2018

I blink once... then twice...and finally three times. I was told that these are the steps to differentiate between a moronic dream and an unbelievable reality. Unfortunately, the magic I was taught didn’t work. The unearthly creature still stood there, prevailing amongst me as it stared deep into my eyes. It’s almost as if it could read my every thought. The ground complained as the enormous creature stepped towards me, stomping its foot with great anger. With its every step, my heart pounced out of my chest as my sweaty palms grabbed on to each other for dear life. The creature’s fury, forest green hand suddenly grabbed onto my shoulder with such force that could shake the earth. Blood oozed out of my sorrowful skin as the creature’s fingernails pierced into my soul, leaving an everlasting scar of horror. I was frozen in place, unable to move- is this really what fear looks like? If so, I must admit that it’s not as overrated as I thought it was. I only learnt the true meaning of the word at that instance. Fear of what the creature might do to me, of what it has already done to me. The closer it came to me, the more the sharp pain rushed throughout my body. It stopped so close to me that I could feel how cold its skin was, which was questionable since the sky was raining fire. The creature whispered something that I couldn’t understand, but its foul breath was beyond describing- a sickening smell that stirred my stomach upside down. My small body was so vulnerable to the size of this creature that I didn’t dare to move. I wasn’t courageous enough. What if I was? Would I be living my ordinary life right now? I probably wouldn’t be stranded in this ghostly room. It’s ironic that us humans only realise the worth of something when we lose it, because it’s only now that I notice the value of freedom. So before it’s your turn, appreciate what you’ve got.